Cordless String Trimmer and Mower Suggestions

[EdwardC]

I just purchased a house in the city with a small yard that I'd like to take care of. A friend was getting rid of a corded lawn mower so I plan to use that for a little while, or at least until I accidentally cut the power cord. Just for reference, I cut the grass for the first time this past weekend and it took 10 minutes.

I do want to buy a cordless string trimmer in the near future. I would like for the string trimmer to share a battery with an available mower. I think I want to stick with the higher end/higher voltage models. So far I've found Lowes' Kobalt 80V models that share a design with the Greenworks models, Echo makes 56V tool ecosystem, and EGO. I don't mind spending a little more for quality and power. I'm currently leaning towards the EGO 56V models, the mower stores well, appears to be light weight with a plastic deck. The trimmer looks decent with a brushless motor, although I don't like the split shaft.

I haven't used a trimmer in a long time, but from what I've read, I want a straight shaft, good ergonomics in case I want to do some light edging. A thicker line is preferable for that (the EGO uses .095" line vs .080" for most of the others).

Any experiences with cordless OPE? Or any specor design features you'd reccommend I look for?

Thanks!

 

[MCompact]

I have the Kobalt trimmer; it works fine. Durability is good so far but note that I probably don't use it more than 2 hours per year.

 

[Lyman]

I would look at Ryobi. I have one of their trimmers and love it. I see that they do have a mower and trimmer that use the same battery. Might be overkill for your use though.

 

[skyactiv]

I's seriously look at Consumers Reports ratings on them. If it only took me 10 minutes to mow my lawn, I'd use a reel mower. Maybe a Brill.

 

[pcoxe]

I went with Stihl battery tools. I have their chainsaw, pole saw, and hedge trimmer so far. May add a string trimmer or blower in the future. The batteries are a substantial part of the cost and being able to share between tools is a plus.

 

[bubbatime]

Batteries are EXPENSIVE and they last only 4 years or so. If you want electric, I would think you would be much better off with a corded one. You will get 20 years out of it instead of replacing batteries every 4 years.

Don't be scared of a QUALITY gas powered unit. I have an Echo that is 10 years old. Carb has never needed cleaned and it always starts on the second pull. It has not needed anything at all other than line. I use TruFuel 50:1 in mine, which is non-ethanol, highly stable fuel that doesn't go bad for years. You'll only need one $6 can of TruFuel per year with that size lot, so definitely go that route and don't try and mix your own fuel/gas.

 

[EdwardC]

Thanks for the responses so far!

MCompact, do you ever use your trimmer to do any edging? I read that the power trigger ergonomics weren't great when holding the trimmer at 90 degrees while edging, which was a minor turn off.


I'm actually not adverse to a gas powered unit. The battery issue was something I was concerned about. I was actually set on getting a gas one, just because I like the smell of exhaust fumes. I was looking at one of the 25cc 4-cycle models from Honda and the clone from Husquvarna. They're a little pricey at about $330, but I like gas. I am avoiding 2-stroke just so I don't have to keep a 2nd gas can just for one machine. I keep regular gas for the car and motorcycle already.

 

[zzyzzx]

I have a corded trimmer that's around 13 years old an it works great. Way better then the nicd battery powered one at my GF's house (which I still like). They had a gas powered one that I threw out since it was too hard to maintain (very difficult to start to the point of being unusable).

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I'm actually not adverse to a gas powered unit. The battery issue was something I was concerned about. I was actually set on getting a gas one, just because I like the smell of exhaust fumes. I was looking at one of the 25cc 4-cycle models from Honda and the clone from Husquvarna. They're a little pricey at about $330, but I like gas. I am avoiding 2-stroke just so I don't have to keep a 2nd gas can just for one machine. I keep regular gas for the car and motorcycle already.


Dude. Dude. $330 for a Honda. W T F?

Echo SRM-225 is $220. It WILL last you 20 years. As to the gas can, like I said earlier, you dont need a gas can. All you need to do is buy ONE can of TruFuel a year. Mixed gas WILL let you down with that little use. TruFuel WILL NOT. It is EXCELLENT. It is NOT expensive fuel in your case ($6 a year) Don't be a goober. The Power Care fuel from Home Depot is the same thing as TruFuel, just as good, and is $1 cheaper per can. Highly recommended as well.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-2-Cycle-21-2cc-Straight-Shaft-Gas-Trimmer-SRM-225/100675439
http://www.homedepot.com/p/TruSouth-Trufuel-50-1-Pre-Oil-Mix-6525638/202532877
http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-32-oz-Powerfuel-50-1-Premixed-Fuel-and-Oil-7450001/204659267
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Care-32-oz-50-1-Pre-Mixed-Small-Engine-Fuel-6985/206455565

 

[Fsharp]

If you're only trimming a lawn that takes 10 minutes to mow, you might want to look into string trimmers that run on power tool batteries not the high voltage ones. I have an 18v Ryobi trimmer which works great, has a 12 inch cut. Or get a corded one. You'll barely be dipping into the battery if you get one of those high voltage ones.

 

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted By: Fsharp
If you're only trimming a lawn that takes 10 minutes to mow, you might want to look into string trimmers that run on power tool batteries not the high voltage ones. I have an 18v Ryobi trimmer which works great ....

I have one of these too. I have a few other Ryobi tools as well. I figure the batteries will fail after a few years but having several tools will make it worth replacing the batteries. And if I buy a new tool once in a while I'll keep in batteries anyway.

I have such a big yard (with some areas of heavy trimming) that I've used up as many as 3 battery packs. Now that it's in better control it's usually only one.

My only concern with the string trimmer is an irritating vibration. Makes my fingers tingle a little - which I don't imagine is a good thing. If I was using it every day for long periods I'd pick something different. For 10 or 15 minutes once a week it's not going to be an issue. The other Ryobi tools have been top notch, and good value at that.

 

[Fsharp]

If you haven't, you should try one of the big 4ah batteries. Not only do they last longer, but seem to make the tools a little more powerful because I'm assuming they can support a higher current load.

It is nice having multiple tools that can share batteries.

 

[ecotourist]

Haven't tried one (an 4Ah battery) yet. For tool balance purposes my 24 Wh batteries work pretty well, and for driver and drill they have adequate reserve. I have 3 batteries and generally only use 1 or 2 at a time. They charge fairly fast as well, so on a big project I have any dead ones charging (have 3 chargers) and have never run out of usable battery so far. I work pretty slowly anyway.

Having to swap out batteries on the string trimmer is not ideal but the offset of a 4Ah would be the extra weight.

The 4Ah would probably have the best application in heavy slogging like on a power saw or similar. I'll try and get one on some future tool and give it a try then.

Good suggestion.

 

[EdwardC]

Thanks again, everyone. I think I think I'm overestimating how much trimmer I really need, although, I do think my trimming needs are more than the 10-minute lawn would indicate. There's a chain link fence along the back and along the length of most of the property. Plus I want to be able to edge the sidewalk with the trimmer.

There's actually a small jungle right behind the property that I'd like to clean up a little, but I think I can borrow a friend's gas Stihl trimmer with a brush cutter head for that, then whatever (smaller) trimmer I end up getting, I can maintain with that afterwards.