Opinions on Battery Powered Trimmers

[JoeyGee]

Has anyone used an 18 volt cordless trimmer or edger? It's another year, which means another new gas trimmer. I'm probably killing them by poorly mixed gas or something, but I am just tired of dealing with them. I can probably get by with an electric, but I like the idea of a cordless.

I see B&D has them, and they have pretty good reviews on Amazon,, but I am concerned on battery life and power. My yard is not THAT big, and I am not looking to cut brush, just trim the edge of flower beds, etc.

[MilDoc]

I have the B&D set of trimmer, hedge cutter, blower. I love it. 3 batteries lasts the yard most of the time, but if I have a lot of leaves to blow off the driveway then a 4th battery is needed (and I have one). The trimmer does an excellent job, as good as any gas powered I've owned. The blower is not as powerful as gas but does the job a bit more slowly. Light weight, easy to maneuver. This is the second year of use. Haven't replaced the cord on the trimmer yet and the batteries are fine.

[Zbart]

I also have the B&D set and it's great. I mostly use the trimmer and found that I can easily make it through the 10 minutes of trimming I do after mowing on 1 battery at full charge.

Scott

[wardprobst]

I've had two Black & Decker battery powered trimmers- the first one had a lead acid battery and it was great but the shaft gave out. I repaired it once and then replaced it with the 18v unit. Not as good IMO but okay. I have 3 batteries and 3/4 of an acre and it does the job. The other unit just had a longer lasting battery but they are NLA to the best of my knowledge.
DP

[siliconbauhaus]

I just have the b+d hedge trimmer and it works great. The only complaint I have is I have to think about doing the hedge the night before as the battery is a slow charge type.

[final_t]

I also have the B&D 18volt trimmer. Small lawn and I'm lazy about mowing, so it's basically my main tool to pre-mow the grass. Works fine.

[movnup]

I sent my wife to HD to pick up a new electric hedge trimmer after mine died and she came back w/ a Homelite 18v hedge trimmer and weed wacker. I have two batteries so I end up doing "smaller" jobs on the hedges / trees which is a lot easier instead of a couple major haircuts 2 x a year. My gas trimmer has not even been started in two years !!! I don't miss hauling out 150 feet of cord and it's nice and quiet compared to gas .... you can use it anytime and not bother the neighbors.

[430752]

No Way!

I have a Toro 18v trimmer and it stunk. Still have it and looking to put it on craigs list.

Thing did its job, but the problems were (1) it weighed like a bag of cement and (2) the charge sometimes didn't last the yard.

Now in defense of cordless outdoor tools, I'll say this thing didn't have a removable battery and by the weight and size of it, must've had a lead battery in it, like a mini motorcycle battery. It took 12 hours or more to charge also. Yeah, it did its job, but sometimes it wouldn't last long enough. Now I have a small yard (60x80), but there is trimming on each side, and often more than that with all the rock walls and shrubs. Seriously, my wife has stuff sprouting all over the place. So, even if you had a larger yard, but more reasonable trimming needs, it might work. But the weight, oh the wieght. Oh yeah, and a thumb safety interlock trigger that required about 250 psi of pressure! Seriously, by the end of trimming, my back and thumb were klling me.

Well, if you're getting the replaceable battery ones, they might work better. Otherewise, I'll sell you this for a song!

curt j.

[Russianwolf]

saw a kit on ebay recently that looked interesting. It's 18v powered (the battery looks like it may be the same casing as the ryobi). It's didn't mention a brand. http://cgi.ebay.com/18V-Cordless-Com...QQcmdZViewItem

I have been looking for one of the homelite trimmers, but I don't think they make them any more and they are few and far between on ebay.

[crokett]

When my wife and I got married she had a Homelite cordless string/hedge trimmer combo. I hated it. Cordless hedge trimmers are useless - I've never used one that could do much trimming on hedges. They always bog down. The only thing the string trimmer was good for was trimming grass. I can take my gas string trimmer and beat back the edges of the lawn a few times each year. The cordless trimmer would never be able to do that.

[IBBugsy]

Well, my Dad bought me a Toro weed wacker about 6 years ago and it's still going strong. The battery is not removable. I just do edge trimming with it and it takes me about 1 hour each time. Don't know how long it takes to charge since I only use it once a week. Probably the cheapest Toro at the time but it has worked like a champ.

[jhart]

I have the B & D "Grass Hog", I believe it's called, Model CST2000, a little over 3 years old. Been happy with it.

About 1 month ago, it died, something in the shaft broke, took it into the B & D repair center and they did a recondition for $59.99. New ones are $89.95, but the battery has change and I have an extra battery and charger, as well as numerous spools. Would have gotten a new one if not for the extra accessories for the old.

If you do a search on the CST2000, you can find reconditioned models for $69.95 + shipping.

Overall have been happy with it, battery life is good. I use it on 3 properties I own.

[MilDoc]

saw a kit on ebay recently that looked interesting. It's 18v powered (the battery looks like it may be the same casing as the ryobi). It's didn't mention a brand. http://cgi.ebay.com/18V-Cordless-Com...QQcmdZViewItem

I have been looking for one of the homelite trimmers, but I don't think they make them any more and they are few and far between on ebay.

Manufacturer's DEMO? Still in production? If not, look out.

Two batteries? Not enough for my land.

$24.95? Might be one-of-a-kind, since it's a demo.

Wouldn't touch it, but if you do let us know.

[timb]

After strugging with and accidentally cutting extension cords in a large garden in the UK my mother bought a Bosch cordless hedge trimmer. I was sceptical but I must say I was quite impressed when I tried it last time I visited. The battery lasted for about as long as you would typically want to hang around trimming hedges providing an excellent excuse for a tea break and and it was just as effective as the corded one she has. While it was a bit heavier the lack of cord made it much more nimble and removed the range restrictions. It was an older model too, 12V I think, so I can only think they have improved. The hedge I was trimming was about 50ft long and about 8ft high mixed with some stems being about 1/4 inch thick. I think it took 2 charges to do it all but it might have been 3)

Obviously they do not have the power or runtime of the gas powered machine but, for hedge trimmers at least, they are practical, quite, clean and reliable. Pretty much ideal for a typical small suburban yard (which my Mother's place is not - 6 acres of which about 1 1/2 is garden) or for that quick clean up when the relatives are suddenly comming over. Beats trying to remember which can you put the right mixture of two stroke fuel or getting the darn thing to start because you havn't ever cleaned the fuel filter.

[lrr]

Has anyone used an 18 volt cordless trimmer or edger? It's another year, which means another new gas trimmer. I'm probably killing them by poorly mixed gas or something, but I am just tired of dealing with them.

You must be hard on them. I bought a John Deere gas trimmer at HD 4 years ago, and all I've done is feed it gas/oil mix and reload the spool with line. I occasionally hose it off. It always starts easily. Besides a choke, it has a priming bulb you pump 6-8 times - and I'm convinced this is what makes it so much better than the others I've owned, as far as easy starting.

The head also rotates at 90 degree increments (has detents like a tent pole), so you can rotate the head to use it for edging along a sidewalk. I've had issues with Sears and McCulloch gas trimmers, but this John Deere has been a great investment.