Cordless string trimmers?

Dave H (MI) · Aug 11, 2017

Any good? Some days the Stihl gas powered one seems a little heavy to haul around the place with as many trees as we have...even with the shoulder strap. I see they have some with a rechargeable battery and they seem lighter. Are cordless trimmers worth the money or should I tough it out with the gas model?

pinball · Aug 11, 2017

I have found that with a small gasoline motor like those have if when your done you empty the gas tank they will start better. that allows the carb system to evaporate as left over gas seems to gum up. the battery ones aren't to bad but you need to keep the battery on a charger when not in use otherwise you will lower the life of the battery. just saying.

CWL · Aug 11, 2017

I could be wrong but I would guess if you're using a gas powered trimmer enough to get yourself tired the battery model will run out of power before you're finished with your work.

JerryS · Aug 11, 2017

They work OK; I'd suggest two batteries.

CWL · Aug 11, 2017

Good point. I was only thinking of what could be done with a single charge.

Steve@Advance · Aug 11, 2017

I haven't tried any of the newer ones, but the older ones weren't much good.

My mom bought several, none would hold a charge long enough to get much done. She bought a Ryobi with the 18v batteries. The charger was the weakness, it was so slow, once you depleted both batteries, you were done for a few hours.

Some of the newer, more expensive ones might be better, but I would be surprised if they would be practical for a large yard. Maybe try one for quick touch-up, keep your gas one for the big job.

LA in WI · Aug 11, 2017

(quoted from post at 22:38:06 08/11/17) Any good? Some days the Stihl gas powered one seems a little heavy to haul around the place with as many trees as we have...even with the shoulder strap. I see they have some with a rechargeable battery and they seem lighter. Are cordless trimmers worth the money or should I tough it out with the gas model?

=================

I usually buy the best brand of anything when I need something, but 5 years ago I bought the cheapest battery powered weed whip (Black and Decker). It came with 2 batteries. When the 2 batteries are run down so am I (80 yr old). That whipper does not have the power of a gas model, but I will NEVER go back to a gas job. No more mixing oil and gas, pulling the rope, etc.
I charge the batteries the day before, I then weed whip for about an hour or two...when the batteries are run down, so am I. The whipper weighs a fraction of a gas job.
I will never go back to a gas weed whipper.
LA in WI

TimV · Aug 11, 2017

Know a few people who have Black & Decker 20-volt cordless trimmers and have been very satisfied. As mentioned, two batteries is preferable, and most use them as an adjunct to a larger gas trimmer--do the heavy stuff a couple times a year with the gas trimmer and the weekly light trimming with the cordless. One friend got the two-pack with the trimmer and leaf blower, two batteries and a charger, and really likes it--the blower even works great for "Boy Scout Fire Starter" on Campfire Night in addition to its usual duties.

jm. · Aug 11, 2017

Wife has the better black& decker with two batteries, she gets all she wants at one time out of the two charged batteries, I have the gas 4 stroke troy built for the heavy work.

that_darn_sasquatch · Aug 11, 2017

Against my better judgement, I bought an 18v Ryobi on sale because my vacation help ran straight gas through my husquvarna and I didnt want to wait for it to get fixed. That was 5 years ago and the husquvarna still hasnt been fixed. The ryobi has been fantastic and I can still hit all the areas I need to twice on one charge. Very happy with it. Very surprised at the abuse it will take.

Goose · Aug 11, 2017

FWIW, my wife recently bought a set of 40 volt B&D cordless tools, a 12" chain saw, a hedge trimmer, leaf blower, and a weed eater.

The chain saw, hedge trimmer, and leaf blower all work great. I'm underwhelmed by the weed eater. It seems to rely on the inertia of the spinning head for power, rather than pure power behind it. If you get into something heavy, the rpm of the head will slow down, rather than having the power behind it to maintain the rpm.

Just my 2 cents.

old-9 · Aug 11, 2017

The wife went through several battery trimmers with the charger. She liked the light weight but the battery always ran down before done. She worked around it , would trim first then mow while recharging. Last time to buy a new one got the B&D 20 volt model. Since then we bought a B&D hand vac (for the house) that uses the same batteries. Now she has 4 batteries and seems to keep up very well.

ss55 · Aug 11, 2017

A year and a half ago I picked up an inexpensive 20 volt string trimmer for $40 at an Aldi grocery store, that included a charger and just one battery pack. The brand is Green-something, Green-Works? I like it so much I haven't used either of the older string trimmers since then. I recharge it between mowing and so for it works well. This year Aldi had the same string trimmer on sale again for $40 for one week spring. If you trim for over 20 or 30 minutes at a time you might consider a 40 volt unit.

accumulator · Aug 11, 2017

I'll second the Ryobi, it is excellent.

grandpa Love · Aug 11, 2017

DeWalt 20 volt is an excellent choice. 2 batteries is best. Wife loves hers.

P I Pete · Aug 11, 2017

Wife bought a B&D 40 volt last summer nice unit but battery doesn't last very long thinking about getting a B&D 40 volt hedge trimmer then we would have two batts, nice and light and does what we need it to do.

DC1 · Aug 11, 2017

I had bought a 16" greenworks chainsaw year and a half ago, love it. Added the weed eater about 3 months ago. Love it too. Have 2 batteries and works great.

The line feed is not perfect, but I'm old and don't mind sitting down every half hour or so and feeding it. Power is plenty, and I keep up with the home part of our 6 acres. Quiet. Nothing to pull on, add gas to, and pretty well balanced.

Next is the trimmer.

jon_schram · Aug 11, 2017

We have two 20v DeWalt trimmers at our place. They work pretty darn good for what we use them for. We do have a couple dozen 20v batteries already, from various other tools, so keeping them going is never a problem.

If you go DeWalt (whether 20v Max or 60v Max), I would suggest only buying 6 amp hour or 5 amp hour batteries. The standard 2.4 or 3 amp hour batteries are about worthless in the string trimmer. I'd guess that each 6 amp hour battery goes 20-25 minutes full tilt before they are worn down, depending on how thick the grass is.

I have a Stihl weed eater that I doubt I'll ever fire up again.

Kellyss · Aug 11, 2017

I no they are expensive, but I have a few Stihl rechargeable tools and they are pretty nice, the batteries last a long time between charges. I think Dewalt and Milwaukee also make a cordless trimmer, but I have no experience with them.

Spook · Aug 11, 2017

I have one I bought at Lowes. It does all the trimming I need. By the time the battery runs down, so have I ! I recently found another battery, so now I can extend the trimmer time.

SweetFeet · Aug 11, 2017

We have a cordless Worx trimmer... ordered from TV - but now sold at Wally World and maybe other stores. Has two battery packs. Height is adjustable so great for short folks like me.

Now you can't go trim a patch of giant ragweed or even really tall quack grass... but we like it.

2x4 · Aug 12, 2017

Same with me. About 10 minutes work out of a fully charged battery. Then clip in the spare battery & you'll be ready to recharge while they are. Great for around the house. Don't bother to take it to the field.

D beatty · Aug 12, 2017

Had them don't like them to big of yard and battery run out of juice to fast.

Two Dogs · Aug 12, 2017

My cordless trimmer is a two gallon sprayer filled with roundup. It works great. TD

rustyfarmall · Aug 12, 2017

A few years ago I bought a Black and Decker cordless string trimmer. I chose the Black and Decker because I already owned a B&D cordless drill and the 18 volt batteries can be shared. My wife loves that string trimmer. She refused to even try to run the Stihl gas trimmer, and I had pretty much abandoned the Stihl because I couldn't run it either.

The Black and Decker came with 2 batteries and a charger. The amount of trimming we do usually requires 3 batteries.

Cordless string trimmers?

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads