Cordless Weed Eaters

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

What's your experience with these things?   My 10 year old Echo gas powered is on it's last legs and thinking about diving into the rechargeable segment.   I do want to get one which has batteries that are interchangeable with other yard tools such as a hedge trimmer and blower.   

 

 

[pearlandhorn 3274]

I will never go with a battery operated weed eater. Just personal preference. I’m sure they’ve come a long way since I used an electric but the power difference between gas and electric/battery was too much back then. Echo gas powered until I die.

[txhorns 2409]

1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

What's your experience with these things?   My 10 year old Echo gas powered is on it's last legs and thinking about diving into the rechargeable segment.   I do want to get one which has batteries that are interchangeable with other yard tools such as a hedge trimmer and blower.   

 

 

I have always used one.  Love it.  I use a Black & Decker and can use the battery on many other tools.  I just bought a new one, the B&D LST300 from Amazon.

[txhorns 2409]

1 minute ago, pearlandhorn said:

I will never go with a battery operated weed eater. Just personal preference. I’m sure they’ve come a long way since I used an electric but the power difference between gas and electric/battery was too much back then. Echo gas powered until I die.

This is somewhat true.  They have come a long way but still aren't as powerful as gas.  If you live in the city and are just maintaining a typically lot it's no big deal.  If you live in the country and need to cut some thick brush go with gas.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

1 hour ago, txhorns said:

This is somewhat true.  They have come a long way but still aren't as powerful as gas.  If you live in the city and are just maintaining a typically lot it's no big deal.  If you live in the country and need to cut some thick brush go with gas.

If you have a normal city lot, a cordless will work on it pretty easily.  I also bought a 10 amp corded Ryobi for when I have to do tougher areas where the cordless one isn't powerful enough.  For stuff out in the country I use gas..

[Gene Parmesan 4008]

Nothing wrong with cordless battery for a small lot.  I have a black and decker, and it came with 2 batteries and has 2 settings.  One for power and one for runtime. Since it's the only black & decker battery powered tool I own, I just blast on the power setting and go through 1 battery and probably 30% of the next battery.  You'd probably want more batteries if you are going to have multiple pieces of equipment.

[Flg8rfan 201]

Bought my 73 year old mom the Husqvarna model, she was using electric and dragging an extension cord over her 2 acre yard. It’s a little heavier but she really likes it.

She didn’t want gas because she has a hard time starting them.

[tokamak 6431]

I’ve got the eGo weed eater and blower. Love them both, great tools. Can do my whole 8000 sf lot with one 2.5 Ah battery. I think my favorite part is that they are essentially maintenance free. No mixing gas, no gummed up carb. Just plug in the battery and go every single time.

 

Never owned a gas weed eater, but the blower beats the pants off my old Poulan gas blower.

 

I’m very seriously considering their lawn mower when my gas mower craps out. Will also get the hedge trimmer as soon as I have a need for one.

[Texaus 377]

The sound of my dads corded electric weed eater will always be with me. Wrrr wrrrr wrrrwrrr.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

45 minutes ago, tokamak said:

I’ve got the eGo weed eater and blower. Love them both, great tools. Can do my whole 8000 sf lot with one 2.5 Ah battery. I think my favorite part is that they are essentially maintenance free. No mixing gas, no gummed up carb. Just plug in the battery and go every single time.

 

Never owned a gas weed eater, but the blower beats the pants off my old Poulan gas blower.

 

I’m very seriously considering their lawn mower when my gas mower craps out. Will also get the hedge trimmer as soon as I have a need for one.

The eGo is what I have my eye on.  It has great reviews on Home Depot’s website.

I am not quite ready to jump into battery operated lawnmower just yet for the very reason our grass of choice down here in South Texas is St Augustine and it can  get thick as heck after a good rain and being off schedule with regular mowing.  My Honda gas mower sometimes struggles cutting it when this happens so I can’t imagine a battery powered mower doing the job.  

[skeeter 454]

My 15 year old Ryobi 2-cycle finally croaked last Spring  Purchased a Craftsman battery powered one from Lowes.  Used for one season and impressed with its performance so far.  Two speeds available ... low setting has been up to the task.

[tokamak 6431]

10 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

The eGo is what I have my eye on.  It has great reviews on Home Depot’s website.

I am not quite ready to jump into battery operated lawnmower just yet for the very reason our grass of choice down here in South Texas is St Augustine and it can  get thick as heck after a good rain and being off schedule with regular mowing.  My Honda gas mower sometimes struggles cutting it when this happens so I can’t imagine a battery powered mower doing the job.  

That's my hesitation as well. There's been times in the past that I've had to mow my St. Augustine midweek because it's so damn thick. I haven't dug into reviews on the eGo mowers much. There's a guy in my neighborhood that has one and he said it's fine but I didn't really grill him. In theory, I'd think an electric mower should be able to put out plenty of torque. Might need an extra battery for when it gets really thick, and those big batteries ain't cheap. In any case, my gas mower still has a couple more years of life in it, so I'll worry about it later.

Get the eGo trimmer. I've been really happy with it. My only complaint is that the model I have isn't incredibly ergonomic. I wish it had a curved shaft instead of straight (I'm 5'9"). Also, the eGo brand cord is garbage. Buy yourself a roll of good stuff for like $10 and wrap your own spools (it's very easy).

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

We have a battery powered ryobi. Beats changing oil and fucking with fuel.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

31 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

We have a battery powered ryobi. Beats changing oil and fucking with fuel.

Yep.   A few months ago I changed the fuel lines on the Echo I'm looking to replace and it worked for awhile, but it started leaking again a few weeks ago.  So I figure it's something deeper in the motor which is causing the leak and slow start up which means taking it to a repair shop will probably come close to buying a new one.  Plus it's 10 years old which might have something to do with it.  

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

1 hour ago, tokamak said:

That's my hesitation as well. There's been times in the past that I've had to mow my St. Augustine midweek because it's so damn thick. I haven't dug into reviews on the eGo mowers much. There's a guy in my neighborhood that has one and he said it's fine but I didn't really grill him. In theory, I'd think an electric mower should be able to put out plenty of torque. Might need an extra battery for when it gets really thick, and those big batteries ain't cheap. In any case, my gas mower still has a couple more years of life in it, so I'll worry about it later.

Get the eGo trimmer. I've been really happy with it. My only complaint is that the model I have isn't incredibly ergonomic. I wish it had a curved shaft instead of straight (I'm 5'9"). Also, the eGo brand cord is garbage. Buy yourself a roll of good stuff for like $10 and wrap your own spools (it's very easy).

Same here with the life of my mower.   Hopefully it can give me a few more years until we move up to the Hill Country where in many of the areas where homes are being built, the grass of choice is Zoyisa or some other thinner blade grass which requires less water and mowing.  

 

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

sent the eGo and WORX both back, too weak for the jobs.  Gave it one last shot and bought this

Dewalt 60v trimmer and leaf blower.  Both work same as gas ECHOS they replace, and make it through the whole yard on a single charge.  Have yet to run into anything the weed eater cant handle with ease, and only 2x 60ft TX Red Oaks leaf drop leads to the need for a re-charge on the leaf blower.

They are expensive, but offer little compromise compared to a good gas version

[Iceman 2717]

On 3/3/2020 at 7:49 AM, MNLonghornFUKM said:

We have a battery powered ryobi. Beats changing oil and fucking with fuel.

I love small engine maintenance the smell of gas will always seem borderline erotic( sex panther, baby!) or at least, still a pretty damned good smell on a Saturday morning.

That being said, last season I bought my first 'lectric/ cordless mower and blower in the Craftsman V60 models.  I was cautiously optimistic.  Turns out, they are badass and I like them.

[Iceman 2717]

Edit: yes, that includes the Craftsman V60 weedeater too.  Love it.

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

60V seems to be the key. Anything less is uncivilized 

[pops 7003]

I got tired of the fucking ethanol bullshit ruining jets and carbs so finally bought an electric last summer. 

Pissed I didn't do it earlier. So much torque and it handles my half acre lot with ease. You won't be trimming ditches with it, but if you are talking lawn, sidewalk, fence, it is awesome.  I have the eGo 56v. 

[deadshank 24653]

I’ve got the Dewalt 20v model that pairs up with all my other Dewalt 20v tools.  I’ve had good luck with it. Battery life is good and I can get the whole yard trimmed and then use the battery with the hedge trimmer.  I have 20v drill, impact, sawzall, sheet metal double cuts, grinder / cutoff, skilsaw and blower.  

Of course, I have gas powered stuff too.  No such thing as too many power tools. 

[Jkwellborn 6709]

Coworker has an electric one. I believe its a Kobalt. He said it’s pretty good on just regular grass but anything thick and it struggles.

[Braff Zacklin 13619]

On 3/2/2020 at 7:01 AM, txhorns said:

This is somewhat true.  They have come a long way but still aren't as powerful as gas.  If you live in the city and are just maintaining a typically lot it's no big deal.  If you live in the country and need to cut some thick brush go with gas.

This is excellent advice.

If you wanna knock down thick/woody weeds or dense foliage, it's gotta be gas. However, electric trimmers are fine for routine yard maintenance. I have a 40-volt Ryobi from the Domestic Despot that also functions as an edger (with optional attachment) and, three years on, it's been great.

Edited March 6, 2020 by Braff Zacklin
volts, not watts

[BearSchlong 8098]

Bumping because I just bought a new house and the dachshunds staged a revolt against waiting for my yard guy to catch up after an unseasonably wet summer here in SE TX.

Anyone own battery mower yet? Brands to avoid? I assume everyone has just about the same tech by now, right?

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

Dewalt 60v max for blower and weed eater. 
 

Took the $800 EGO back and bought a gas Honda. Best combo for me. EGO just couldn’t handle 2 60+ft red oaks dropping 2ft of leaves 

[Bevo&Pevo 5207]

you can rent goats, ya know?

[BearSchlong 8098]

2 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Dewalt 60v max for blower and weed eater. 
 

Took the $800 EGO back and bought a gas Honda. Best combo for me. EGO just couldn’t handle 2 60+ft red oaks dropping 2ft of leaves 

Red oaks are a bitch.  I think I'm gonna go with Dewalt.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

I bought a EGO mower from Home Depot last year. For my yard without any leaves to deal with, it’s slick just having to pop a fully charged battery in and go. Love not having to deal with gas, oil, pull strings.

Ryobi battery powered weed eater is what I use for trimming.

If you have thick grass or lots of leaves, may need to invest in another battery to swap out

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

6 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I bought a EGO mower from Home Depot last year. For my yard without any leaves to deal with, it’s slick just having to pop a fully charged battery in and go. Love not having to deal with gas, oil, pull strings.

Ryobi battery powered weed eater is what I use for trimming.

If you have thick grass or lots of leaves, may need to invest in another battery to swap out

Im a fan of the ryobi weed eater. Plus they have a whole line of tools that use the same batteries. Agree that it’s not powerful but thats offset that they’re cheap. 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

On 7/25/2021 at 6:56 PM, BearSchlong said:

Bumping because I just bought a new house and the dachshunds staged a revolt against waiting for my yard guy to catch up after an unseasonably wet summer here in SE TX.

Anyone own battery mower yet? Brands to avoid? I assume everyone has just about the same tech by now, right?

After my Honda mower kicks the bucket I am getting a Stihl electric. They build good tools all around.

[CooterBrown 18015]

Had a Dewalt 40v for close to a decade until it caught fire a few weeks ago. The motor burned up not the battery. It was great but they discontinued the 40v platform.

I now have an E-Go to match my mower. It works really well also.

Point of reference is I had several TroyBilt gas weedeaters before the electric ones.

Battery >>>> gas unless you’re a landscaper.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10303]

On 7/25/2021 at 6:56 PM, BearSchlong said:

Bumping because I just bought a new house and the dachshunds staged a revolt against waiting for my yard guy to catch up after an unseasonably wet summer here in SE TX.

Anyone own battery mower yet? Brands to avoid? I assume everyone has just about the same tech by now, right?

I'm all in on the Ryobi line ... got the mower and weed eater.  Both have been awesome, no regrets.

[dcbc 14487]

E-Go mower, blower, and string trimmer/weedeater each is outstanding.  I've had the mower for 7 years (on my second battery now).  2nd year with the blower and weedeater.  The blower is particularly good.

[BearSchlong 8098]

How well do the mowers mulch?

Bought this house from my wife's grandfather's estate, and I've been using his John Deere zero radius turn mower. . .which is cool AF if I had to mow an acre or several, but is downright impractical for this average sized residential lot.  Does not mulch. I have drifts of mown St. Augustine in both the front and back yards now.  Waiting for wife's uncle to get around to coming by with a low boy to pick up the JD and take it to his 100 acres in LA, but that could be months.

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by BearSchlong

[tx 3 putt 77073]

stihl

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Im a fan of the ryobi weed eater. Plus they have a whole line of tools that use the same batteries. Agree that it’s not powerful but thats offset that they’re cheap. 

I think my ego mower is powerful…but if it’s cutting through heavy thick grass full of dew in the morning, it might work harder and you won’t get through the job. I can cut through very tall weeds on the other side of my fence pretty easily but the mower may overwork more

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

Yup. The double battery ego was very strong and well put together, but needing 2 additional batteries to finish the job when thick was a deal breaker as that pushed the mower price to a grand. 
 

The 60V weed eater and blower are both as strong as previous echos and one battery makes it though the yard to weed eat and blow. 

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

On 7/25/2021 at 6:56 PM, BearSchlong said:

Bumping because I just bought a new house and the dachshunds staged a revolt against waiting for my yard guy to catch up after an unseasonably wet summer here in SE TX.

Anyone own battery mower yet? Brands to avoid? I assume everyone has just about the same tech by now, right?

Not sure the battery mowers have enough power in them to cut through even a moderate height St Augustine grass.  After a bunch of rain, if I let it go more than a week, my Honda gas mower has trouble.   There is a retired lady down the street from me that has Ryobi battery mower, but it seems like she's out there at least two times a week mowing.  If you have a yard guy doing the yard on a regular basis and just need the mower once in awhile, it just might be worth getting a $200 to $300 gas mower.

[tokamak 6431]

1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

Not sure the battery mowers have enough power in them to cut through even a moderate height St Augustine grass.  After a bunch of rain, if I let it go more than a week, my Honda gas mower has trouble.   There is a retired lady down the street from me that has Ryobi battery mower, but it seems like she's out there at least two times a week mowing.  If you have a yard guy doing the yard on a regular basis and just need the mower once in awhile, it just might be worth getting a $200 to $300 gas mower.

I’m a big fan of my eGo trimmer, blower, and hedge trimmer, but this very concern worries me about getting the mower. Know a couple people with them and they like them but I’ve never gotten a great answer on really thick St. Augustine. In theory, an electric motor should be able to put out plenty of torque. 

[CooterBrown 18015]

I mow my St Augustine well past the point of comfort for any HOA yard police. Sometimes I’ll let it go a month. My Ego mower has no issues at all.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

36 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I mow my St Augustine well past the point of comfort for any HOA yard police. Sometimes I’ll let it go a month. My Ego mower has no issues at all.

I’m tempted to ask the above mentioned neighbor down the street if I could try hers on a small area in my yard. I’d love to go all battery for my yard equipment as it needs replacing . 
 

 

 

 

 

[BearSchlong 8098]

Not sure the battery mowers have enough power in them to cut through even a moderate height St Augustine grass.  After a bunch of rain, if I let it go more than a week, my Honda gas mower has trouble.   There is a retired lady down the street from me that has Ryobi battery mower, but it seems like she's out there at least two times a week mowing.  If you have a yard guy doing the yard on a regular basis and just need the mower once in awhile, it just might be worth getting a $200 to $300 gas mower.

The more I think about it, this might be the answer. Especially since I'm in Beaumont. The stuff just grows so thick and lush.

[CooterBrown 18015]

9 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

I’m tempted to ask the above mentioned neighbor down the street if I could try hers on a small area in my yard. I’d love to go all battery for my yard equipment as it needs replacing . 
 

 

 

 

 

I have St Augustine in the front and Bermuda in the back.  A month of Bermuda growth may make it choke once or twice.  Basically, too much wet grass would clump up and it couldn't mulch it. Same thing happened with my Honda gas mower except way more often. You just pull back and shake it out. No big deal.  I have the 2nd tier battery mower that is rated for 60 minutes IIRC. Real world I'd say it's closer to 90 minutes. If the battery life indicator is accurate, I've never been below 50% after the 45 minutes it takes to mow my yard.  

The one thing I do not like about the Ego, is the self driving feature. I don't want or need this feature.  The controller for it is a twist grip on the handle bar so you always turn it on and to full speed on accident because its place right where you naturally grab the handle. 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10303]

I've got the ~$250 Ryobi mower and it will cut through thick St Augustine with little trouble.  I have noticed if you let you grass grow too long so you are cutting it more than recommended (more than 1/3 off the top) then it will occasionally leave a "straggler" if you either go too fast or don't overlap rows at all.  On times I let it go too long I just make a quick 2nd pass on any area this might occur.  If I mow on schedule though I don't have any issues and my grass is thick and green.

I have a standard size suburb lot and battery has never been issue, just charge after each use.

I love that I am able to easily fold up the mower (light 56lbs) after each use and place in shed or against garage wall taking up little space.

[tokamak 6431]

I think the one big drawback on the eGos, not sure about other battery-powered brands, is that they absolutely bend you over on the price of extra batteries. Unlike the bare tools and kits, individual batteries never seem to go on sale.

My very first 2.5 Ah battery is still going strong after several years but there's no escaping the fact that lithium batteries have a finite lifespan. The big ones for a mower are like $350.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

I faintly remember a second heavy duty battery for ego mowers was north of a few hundred if you want another on standby. I have Kentucky blue grass on my yard, like 145Lx85w, basic square lot. The only time I wasn’t able to make it through was in the morning once when the lawn was real Dewey. I either used too much self propel or the blades were working extra hard to cut through the wet heavy grass that morning. If you don’t self propel, you can buy yourself extra charge, but it’s handy on some inclines and it’s 90 degrees out


Monkey doughnut brings up an excellent point about electric motors…they fold like a cheap blouse and can stick them up against the wall for next time. That’s real slick. And they’re quiet(er) than your average gas mower if you want to mow in that “asshole neighbor on a Saturday morning “ time slot

[Jerry Callo 8704]

Ryobi trimmer/edger works ok, but not as good as my Echo.  The biggest surprise was the weight balance of the Ryobi.  I know the Echo is heavier, but the gas engine is well balanced and makes it easy to use for an extended period of time.  The Ryobi weighs less, but the battery isn't heavy enough to balance, thus it feels much heavier.

[dcbc 14487]

9 hours ago, tokamak said:

I think the one big drawback on the eGos, not sure about other battery-powered brands, is that they absolutely bend you over on the price of extra batteries. Unlike the bare tools and kits, individual batteries never seem to go on sale.

My very first 2.5 Ah battery is still going strong after several years but there's no escaping the fact that lithium batteries have a finite lifespan. The big ones for a mower are like $350.

When our EGO mower battery went down (after 5 years), we found a remanufactured one on eBay for $100.  Going strong.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

I was at Home Depot and bought a cheapo Ryobi combo of their bottom line battery powered string trimmer and leaf blower. $100.  If needed, I can break out my older electric versions of each. However if I can get a few years usage out of both new devices, it was worth it. I have read that Ryobi can get you with expensive string replacements. Think printer/ink cartridge business model. There are generic string replacement on amazon.

The battery in that combo wasn't their best option but luckily I already have the better one. Hopefully between the 2 batteries I will never have a problem unless I forget to charge them.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Cordless-String-Trimmer-Edger-and-Blower-Sweeper-Combo-Kit-with-2-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-P2036/303180210

[TeeDubya 3362]

I have a Ryobi 18V cordless now for two seasons. 
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-Brushless-15-in-Cordless-Attachment-Capable-String-Trimmer-with-4-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-P20110/311389023

This year, under the wise guidance of @Francisco 2.0, I replaced the factory head with this $20 replacement head.  It's fantastic and tears through everything just as fast as my old Toro gas trimmer.  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shakespeare-Push-N-Load-Trim-Head/3381658