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New Cordless Weed Trimmer
Old 05-24-2017, 02:30 PM   #1
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New Cordless Weed Trimmer

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
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Old 05-24-2017, 02:38 PM   #2
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Been happy with mine, but still caved and hired a lawn care service so we can travel.
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Old 05-24-2017, 02:40 PM   #3
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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.
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Old 05-24-2017, 03:48 PM   #4
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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.
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Old 05-24-2017, 04:22 PM   #5
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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.
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Old 05-24-2017, 04:35 PM   #6
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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.
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Old 05-24-2017, 04:36 PM   #7
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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.
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Old 05-24-2017, 05:42 PM   #8
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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.
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Old 05-24-2017, 06:10 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ownyourfuture View Post
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.
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Old 05-24-2017, 06:21 PM   #10
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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
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Old 05-25-2017, 08:35 AM   #11
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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.
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Old 05-25-2017, 09:28 AM   #12
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Do the EGO trimmers come with a charger or do you have to purchase one separately? How much for an extra battery?
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Old 05-25-2017, 10:06 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pb4uski View Post
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.
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Old 05-25-2017, 10:17 AM   #14
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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.
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Old 05-25-2017, 10:28 AM   #15
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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!
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Old 05-25-2017, 10:37 AM   #16
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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.
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Old 05-25-2017, 10:44 AM   #17
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I got both of mine with chargers and batteries for two bills a pop
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Old 05-25-2017, 10:50 AM   #18
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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.
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Old 05-25-2017, 11:04 AM   #19
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Quote:
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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
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Old 05-25-2017, 11:08 AM   #20
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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.
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