Recommend a Cordless Lawn Trimmer

[GLOW]

I've been looking for a good cordless electric lawn trimmer (i have a small yard).
my budget is around $100 and i've seen a ton online with mixed (usually poor) reviews. i don't want gas and find a cord annoying which is why i wanted a battery. since i have a small yard i figure it won't be an issue. my current one is probably as old as i am and i hate pulling the line on it. i hear there are auto lines now but they tangle easily, and the ones with plastic blades break easily. would like to hear your experiences and suggestions.

any input is great, thanks.

[Soundy]

Do you have any existing cordless tools that can share a battery? That's always a plus. My buddy is looking at a Ryobi trimmer because he's already heavily invested in their ONE+ system for his tools.

Other than that, I'd say look for the highest-voltage model you can find, as they tend to have more "oomph". You definitely want something with interchangeable batteries too, rather than a trimmer that you have to plug in to charge.

[GLOW]

thanks. i thought about detachable batteries, but didn't think of manufacturers having separate battery cells.

[yray]

10$/trim

[Soundy]

Couple things to consider though: you probably won't get a lot of trimming out of a cordless before you have to swap batteries, and they won't have anywhere near the "oomph" of a gas or corded, if you have any heavy brush to take down.

Gas ones really aren't bad anymore - the engines are small and light and not terribly noisy. Don't go by the V8-powered monsters you see road and landscaping crews using - check out some of the newer consumer models available.

[Selanne_200]

Or have you considered the push powered rotary mower since you have a small yard?

[GLOW]

i have a manual mower that i push around that does the job, but i need something to trim along the city's tree as well as the fence around my property...just looking to get at the grass that the mower can't reach. tired and too lazy to kneel and use the big scissors so i figure battery is the way to go. i heard gas you need to premix plus i prefer charging a battery vs filling a jerry can. i think i need to trim along 80' of fence at most?

[Puck Luck]

i was considering a cordless trimmer vs corded vs gas. I ended up getting this corded one from Canadianitire earlier this week when it was on sale for $99:
GreenWorks 10 A 18-in Electric Grass Trimmer | Canadian Tire

I swear its the same one Homedepot sells under Ryobi, and it take ryobi attachments for it too. Greenworks also sell couple different cordless trimmers that have the exact same specs and features as Ryobi's cordless lineup.
Homedepot currently has a cordless lithium Ryobi for $79. They also have the same trimmer but with nicad battery for $59. One of their "special buys" I don't see it online though. Can't remember the voltage, 12, or 18? Looked like a smaller trimmer compare to the others

[GLOW]

started looking on HD's website since ryobi was mentioned a few times. what do you guys think of these?

Ryobi | One+ 18-Volt Lithium Hybrid Cordless and Corded String Trimmer | Home Depot Canada

Ryobi | 18-Volt Lithium-Ion 10 Inch Cordless String Trimmer / Edger | Home Depot Canada

RYOBI | 18V Lithium String Trimmer (Tool Only) | Home Depot Canada

seems like the hybrid is best even though costs $129...if the battery fails or doesn't last long at least i can switch to cord mode...

anyone have input of string vs blade?

[MindBomber]

I would buy a cordless, charger, and TWO batteries, over a cordless plug-in hybrid gimic. I very much doubt you'd run out of charge with one battery, though. You have a small yard, and the batteries last quite awhile. I'd go with string.
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[Soundy]

The benefit with a Ryobi over some others is that the ONE+ batteries work with their entire stock of a couple dozen ONE+ tools, so if you don't already have cordless tools, you can start getting into that system. They're not heavy-duty like DeWalt and Milwaukee, but they're solid homeowner/DIY tools for a pretty good price, and there's LOTS of selection.

[Zedbra]

Before I switched over to a gas trimmer, I used a Black and Decker GrassHog for 10 years (and still have it as a back-up). Their Auto Feed system is superb - string lasts forever and is cheap to replace. It is corded, but for $50 it is a bargain. Head also rotates for doing edging.

BLACK & DECKER GrassHog 5.5 Amp Straight Shaft String Trimmer with Edger-GH610 at The Home Depot

[Puck Luck]

I was given a cheaper corded trimmer by my inlaw cause he got himself a B&D cordless trimmer i think using nicad. He says it works good for what he needs it for. the corded trimmer he gave me uses .065 string, like most standard home use trimmers. I found i was chewing through string like crazy. Maybe cause i dont know how to use it right and would hit too much of the sidewalk all the time? Few weeks ago i bought new string for it and decided to get the .080 string. One step thicker and more towards what commercial use stringers use. I think the super heavy duty stuff uses .095 string.
None the less, i install .080 string on my trimmer and edged one part of my yard and didn't even have to extend any string, where i know if i used the old string i would have had to pull out some string to complete that part of yard. But soon after, the trimmer slowed to a stop and started smoking from the motor. Game over for the trimmer. So i don't know if it was a coincident that the motor died or it couldnt handle the thicker string. It was spinning freely and not binding with the thicker string so i'm really not sure. So that's why i'm going with a stronger trimmer that's made for .080. Hope this one holds up.

[Soundy]

The thicker string is a good 20% heavier, requires more juice to spin it to speed. When you're loading it by cutting something, it takes that much more current to maintain the speed. Also, since it's thicker and doesn't break away as easily, it's loading the motor more there as well, where the smaller string would simply shred before straining the motor.

Don't just madly put any size string on and hope the trimmer survives - look at the spec sheet and don't exceed the maximum size they recommend.

[Speed2K]

Nice topic! I'm looking for a weed wacker as well, also prefer a cordless one! For mowing the lawn I recently purchased a manual mower from XS Cargo, works great!

[Puck Luck]

Originally Posted by Soundy

The thicker string is a good 20% heavier, requires more juice to spin it to speed. When you're loading it by cutting something, it takes that much more current to maintain the speed. Also, since it's thicker and doesn't break away as easily, it's loading the motor more there as well, where the smaller string would simply shred before straining the motor.

Don't just madly put any size string on and hope the trimmer survives - look at the spec sheet and don't exceed the maximum size they recommend.

i just figured, what the hell, lets try the thicker string and see what happens. Worse case is i lose a cheaper trimmer that was given to me. Now we know.

Still deciding whether i should return the 10 amp Greenworks trimmer and get the Ryobi 18 volt lithium cordless from Home Depot. Cant beat the convenience of a cordless. But if i do get the Ryobi, i have to decid whether i should install the thicker string, since i still have lots of it left over

On a side note, i have a bunch of black berry bushes to cut back. Should i be using this brush cutter attachment:
RYOBI | RYOBI Brushcutter Attachment | Home Depot Canada

or a hedge trimmer?

[Speed2K]

Info on some of the Ryobi trimmers & their battery packs.

Ryobi One+ 18-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Electric String Trimmer and Edger P2030 with Battery and charger $54.00 + tax 05-20-2013 - Slickdeals.net

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by Puck Luck

Still deciding whether i should return the 10 amp Greenworks trimmer and get the Ryobi 18 volt lithium cordless from Home Depot. Cant beat the convenience of a cordless. But if i do get the Ryobi, i have to decid whether i should install the thicker string, since i still have lots of it left over

Check the specs on the trimmer, see what max string size they recommend. A corded one should have no problem with the larger string, but you don't want to buy a brand new cordless and then kill it right away. I see the one review on Speed2K's link suggests putting the .080 string on it, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

[GLOW]

update: i ended up getting the ryobi cordless 12" trimmer that came with a free leaf blower. came with an 18V one+ battery & charger. it retailed for $159 but had a $25 off promo. seems to do the job quite well compared to my ancient one...felt like i was using a machine gun and still had plenty of juice left for the leaf blower...was surprised the blower seemed to move grass, dirt, and some small rocks

[fliptuner]

Plus you can use it to dry your car

[GLOW]

i wash my car by keeping it out in the rain and dry it off by driving