New Cordless Weed Trimmer

[ownyourfuture]

Since I inherited the job of taking care of the lawn at my Mom's house about 3 years ago, one of the things I dread is weed trimming.

Lots of tree's, shrubs, etc, one big shed, & woods surrounding 2/3 of the lot.
My Dad had purchased 2 different gas powered trimmers in the past.
One is fairly small, maybe 5' long & the other is a 6' behemoth.

They share one trait, they both get harder to start & maintain every year.


I researched as much as I could, & narrowed it down to 4 different trimmers.
After that I went to all the local hardware stores, & the big box stores, hoping to talk to someone with experience, but no one was able to help me.

One of the brands I was considering is EGO.
Went to the Home Depot website and saw that they had the one I was looking for on sale for $149.00

EGO 15 in. 56-Volt Lithium-ion Electric Cordless String Trimmer with Rapid Reload Head and 2.5Ah Battery-ST1502SF - The Home Depot

I've only used it once, but I have to say I was pretty impressed.
To finish the entire job, I did have to recharge it one time.
This took 47 minutes.

I believe the warranty is for 3 years.
I'm hoping to hear from some of you that have had more years experience with cordless trimmer's & could give me an idea of how long the batteries last ?

Thanks

 

[Dash man]

Been happy with mine, but still caved and hired a lawn care service so we can travel.

 

[Walt34]

I like Echo small power yard tools. I have one of their string trimmers that has to be 25 years old, still starts and runs fine. I do take the time at the end of season (or did when I was still doing the mowing) to drain the fuel and then run the carburetor as dry as I can get it.

I bought it online from this vendor but you can also probably find them local.

Browse Our Echo Power Equipment For Sale Near Philadelphia, Scranton, Allentown, PA and New York, NY - Mayberry's Sales and Service

Oh, and I have a Stihl chainsaw that I bought about 1980 and that still runs fine too.

 

[Sittinginthesun]

My Ryobi works very well on my small city property and will never go back to gas. One tip, buy a thicker diameter spool of cord. I find it works better and is tougher.

Also recently bought a 40v Ryobi hedge trimmer and its a beast! The battery lasts way longer than I do.

 

[Dawg52]

I just replaced my dad's old Black and Decker corded weed eater. It had to be 25 years old. Just went with a similar one as my lot is very small. Using a cord is not a problem. But if I had a larger yard, I would go with a cordless. Btw.....I bought a reel mower the end of last year. Only used it twice in the Fall. This year probably 4-5 times and I am pleased to say it is doing the job well. It does take an extra 10-15 minutes as tougher grass can take an extra pass. But no more gas products(except cars) for me. I'm going green! Next thing you know I will be hugging trees.

 

[pb4uski]

We have a small yard as far as trimming goes. A few years ago I bout a Craftsman trimmer that mated with the batteries that I use for my power tools... their C3 series. It works perfectly for me.... very lightweight and plenty of battery power to complete my year with juice to spare.

 

[Jerry1]

I don't have a weed whip, but I have the hedge trimmer and blower from Ryobi. So far I'm very happy with them. I've used the blower the most and I really like it. I have a Stihl gas blower, and while it works great, to be able to just pop in the battery and clean up (blow grass) after lawn mowing or for just general clean up around the house, the cordless is sweet. I'll keep my gas blower for leaves in the fall but for everything else, I like the Ryobi cordless. Note that it's only the 18v model. I'm guessing the higher end ones would give enough time to handle the leaves. Especially if you had two or more batteries and the faster charger.

I'd really like to know if anyone has used the Echo lawn mower. Consumer Reports rates it very well and I wouldn't mind getting rid of my push mower because I have a riding mower and only use it for trimming. I almost bought the Echo but it's pretty expensive and I already have a push mower.

 

[Bamaman]

I've got a Stihl weed eater, and so far so good. 4 year warranty and local service--good.

I bought an Echo gas hedge trimmer the other day and returned it--very heavy unit. I tried one my daughter had, and it's strong. I'm now considering a lithium battery powered hedge trimmer, but they're just as heavy as the gas units. I'm going to go online and see what owners are saying about the new generation battery powered yard tools.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

I've only used it once, but I have to say I was pretty impressed.
To finish the entire job, I did have to recharge it one time.
This took 47 minutes.

I believe the warranty is for 3 years.
I'm hoping to hear from some of you that have had more years experience with cordless trimmer's & could give me an idea of how long the batteries last ?

Thanks

We've owned a great many cordless power tools, but not any lawn care ones. Every single cordless we own has a spare battery, and both are kept charged after any job. That way halfway through working if a battery dies, it's a quick replacement with a charged one while the dying battery starts charging.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

when i became a proud first time homeowner at the young age of 50 , i bought enough lawn machinery for the Ponderosa. I was just informed by the landscaping company i have 827 sq feet of lawn(maybe 857 i need to see email again) i got a electric corded black and Decker , 100 foot extension cord, its quiet works well and it now sits in the basement as i have a gardener. The Black & Decker ST7700 2-in-1 Trimmer and Edger, 40 bucks, the string was expensive i got 10 spools from ebay on the cheap

 

[mountainsoft]

EGO 15 in. 56-Volt Lithium-ion Electric Cordless String Trimmer with Rapid Reload Head and 2.5Ah Battery-ST1502SF - The Home Depot

I replaced my old gas weed eater last year with the EGO cordless trimmer. I like it a lot. It's lighter, quieter, no gas/oil mess, and I don't have to fight to get it started. Just plug in the battery and go. I find the EGO trimmer to be just as powerful as my old gas trimmer. I usually don't have a lot of trimming to do, so I can easily do our entire yard on one charge.

I also have the EGO cordless leaf blower. I've never used a gas blower, but the EGO works great for my needs. I can easily clear all of our sidewalks on one charge, but I do need to swap batteries if I want to clear leaves from our long driveway in the fall.

So, I now have two batteries and two chargers. A couple of weeks ago I had to clear a bunch of weeds at my mom's house. I took a charger and the two batteries, leaving one charging while I was using the string trimmer. I spent about two hours trimming weeds, swapping batteries when one died, and a short 20-30 minute break for lunch when I outpaced the charger. I could have run like this all day if I hadn't gotten tired myself.

 

[Carpediem]

Do the EGO trimmers come with a charger or do you have to purchase one separately? How much for an extra battery?

 

[samclem]

We have a small yard as far as trimming goes. A few years ago I bout a Craftsman trimmer that mated with the batteries that I use for my power tools... their C3 series. It works perfectly for me.... very lightweight and plenty of battery power to complete my year with juice to spare.

I'm on the lookout for a trimmer like that, Sears stopped making them. Like you I have a lot of the Craftsman C3 tools (a good value, IMO). I hope yours lasts a long time.
I'm worried about Sears.

 

[Big_Hitter]

I'm on my third season with an EGO blower and trimmer. No issues so far.

Now, to get that bad boy really trimming you need to put in thicker cord - get the orange stuff and throw out that green line. It will cut through anything.

 

[Rustic23]

Law Service! I hated doing the yard since I was the youngest of 4 boys, and ended up doing it the longest. Well worth the cash!

 

[mountainsoft]

Do the EGO trimmers come with a charger or do you have to purchase one separately? How much for an extra battery?

I think you can buy them either way, bare tool, or with the battery and charger.

I bought my trimmer and blower with the chargers and batteries, so now I have two chargers and two batteries.

Replacement batteries cost around $150 at Home Depot. That's the costliest portion of the tool price.

 

[Big_Hitter]

I got both of mine with chargers and batteries for two bills a pop

 

[Music Lover]

I also have a Ryobi cordless trimmer. The charge lasts about a half hour (I'm almost always "full throttle") and the battery takes less than an hour to recharge. I usually need to re-charge the battery once to complete the yard, so I trim first, then take care of other yard work while it charges, then finish the job.

 

[ownyourfuture]

Do the EGO trimmers come with a charger or do you have to purchase one separately? How much for an extra battery?

This one I bought came complete with battery & charger
EGO 15 in. 56-Volt Lithium-ion Electric Cordless String Trimmer with Rapid Reload Head and 2.5Ah Battery-ST1502SF - The Home Depot

Replacement battery: (mountainsoft already mentioned this)
EGO 56-Volt 2.5 Ah Battery-BA1400 - The Home Depot

OUCH!
A replacement battery costs the same as I paid for the entire new trimmer!

The trimmer has a 5 year warranty.
I hope the battery is covered for that period

 

[ownyourfuture]

I usually need to re-charge the battery once to complete the yard, so I trim first, then take care of other yard work while it charges, then finish the job.

I've only used my trimmer once, but that's how it worked for me also.
Ran it till the battery went dead, put it on the charger (47 minutes)
& got on the mower.

 

[euro]

We've owned a great many cordless power tools, but not any lawn care ones. Every single cordless we own has a spare battery, and both are kept charged after any job. That way halfway through working if a battery dies, it's a quick replacement with a charged one while the dying battery starts charging.

A convenient, but expensive strategy. These days the batteries often cost as much as the tool itself. My approach is to try to stick with compatible brands, so I can use the battery of one as a spare of the other. It does lock you into the brands, which is not always a good thing...

 

[samclem]

A convenient, but expensive strategy. These days the batteries often cost as much as the tool itself. My approach is to try to stick with compatible brands, so I can use the battery of one as a spare of the other. It does lock you into the brands, which is not always a good thing...

I'm surprised there aren't more brand-to-brand battery adapters for sale out there, maybe it is a liability issue. It's not a hard DIY project, I might go that route to adapt my Craftsman C3 batteries to an 18v-20v string trimmer of another brand.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Is there some kind of hybrid model, that will plug in to stretch as far as your extension cord goes, then use a battery pack for the remainder?

It's also worth noting that if the manual says get a certain gauge and certain amp limit at any listed size, it's worthwhile to follow the advice. Or else it's possible to send that electric motor to an early grave.

 

[txtig]

I've got an EGO blower and hedge trimmer. This is the third season that I've had them. At first, the battery was good for about 45 minutes, and now, I still get about 30 minutes before it needs recharging. Still plenty of time for my smallish yard. I currently have a gas powered weedeater, but once it dies, I plan to purchase the EGO weedeater to go with my blower and hedge trimmer.

 

[laurence]

I bought into the Ryobi one system, cordless trimmer, hedge trimmer, drill, circular saw, small hand vac, tire pump....two of the purchases included a battery and charger so I have two charging at a time and switch if they ever run out, but with my small yard I've never juiced a battery before finishing the front and back. Now if only they had a lawn mower....