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Dave Lehnert
04-12-2017, 9:54 PM
Thinking about jumping over to cordless Lawn tools. Blower first on my list, Hedge trimmer second. Cordless Lawn mower will never be an option for me.
Want to stick with one brand for the interchangeable use of the battery.

What brand do you use?
Top of my list is Ryobi brand. Have had good luck with Ryobi brand cordless in the workshop.
Years ago I owned a Ryobi cordless weed trimmer Purchased from Furrows (Yes! that's how long it has been) And was very happy with it. It was the type with a built in battery.

Dan Friedrichs
04-12-2017, 11:06 PM
I'm looking into this, too, and am leaning towards the Makita LXT or the Stihl battery-power line.

Mike Henderson
04-12-2017, 11:38 PM
I have some DeWalt 20V garden tools and like them. The reason I went with them is because my other cordless tools are DeWalt 20V and I wanted to share the batteries. I have no idea if they're the best but they do get the job done.

Mike

Jim Becker
04-13-2017, 8:56 AM
Stihl now has cordless-electric options in addition to fuel powered.

Malcolm McLeod
04-13-2017, 9:52 AM
Thinking about jumping over to cordless Lawn tools. Blower first on my list, Hedge trimmer second. Cordless Lawn mower will never be an option for me.
Want to stick with one brand for the interchangeable use of the battery.

What brand do you use?
Top of my list is Ryobi brand. Have had good luck with Ryobi brand cordless in the workshop.
Years ago I owned a Ryobi cordless weed trimmer Purchased from Furrows (Yes! that's how long it has been) And was very happy with it. It was the type with a built in battery.

I went thru 4-5 cheap gas powered systems in ~18 years, both 2- and 4-stroke; cursing all for the difficulty in starting and the maze of maintenance issues.

I then used Ryobi 1+ lawn (string) trimmer for about 2 yrs. It was a joy to not struggle with starting it, and I selected it for the same reason you cite - I had the drill/driver/etc. However, I tossed it after about the 4th or 5th battery crapped out on me. My suspicion is that the longer, continuous run time of the trimmer generates too much heat and kills the batteries. It would also take 3-4 batteries to trim my 1.5 acre lot. (I replaced the batteries and still have the old blue Ryobi shop tools - going strong.)

Then 2 yrs ago, I looked hard at stepping up to Stihl gas-powered line, but finally decided the battery convenience was too much to give up and replaced the trimmer with the EGO 56V version. I can trim same property on 1 battery charge. Added the EGO blower last summer and I can finish blow-down in the same time it took to fuel and start a gas blower. May add the hedge trimmer this year?

EGO is pricey compared to the other BORG battery operated lines, but it was either EGO or the Stihl (gas) .... you get what you pay for. Only took me 22 years to learn this.

Walter Plummer
04-13-2017, 4:44 PM
I like my Ryobi trimmer. As long as we are keeping up with the lawn it has just enough power to do everything but if we get behind It needs a recharge to finish. I got the trimmer,battery and charger on sale for like $90.00. Priced an extra battery at $149.00?? So I make do with the one.

Dave Lehnert
04-13-2017, 9:48 PM
Thanks, A lot of good info.

Think I have decided not to go the 18 volt route. My guess the 40 volt would be more appropriate.
Looked at the Stihl line of cordless tools. Looks interesting and will have to go to my local dealer and see if they have a demo unit to try. They seem to be priced right in line with other brands.

Bill Jobe
04-14-2017, 3:59 AM
Check out B&D's 20volt weedeater and hedge trimmers. I was amazed how easily the hedge trimmer cuts through 3/4 limbs with ease.
Gas weedeaters are to hard on my back. Again, the B & D shines. A battery and charger with each. Some make you pay extra.
But, then, never tried costlier brands.

Bill Jobe
04-14-2017, 4:01 AM
Who sells Stihl saws? All I can find on the net are used ones.

Alex Snyder
04-14-2017, 7:12 AM
Who sells Stihl saws? All I can find on the net are used ones.

It is a dealer network with retail rules enforced by Stihl. For some reason online sales don't seem to exist. Many times I've just wanted to buy a shirt or hat....I'm a big Stihl fan. When it comes to buying a power tool, you will need to call a dealer. Which saw are you looking at?

Greg Parrish
04-14-2017, 7:23 AM
I tried the 18v ryobi lawn tools. Also tried a reel mower and a battery mower. Only have about .25 acres to maintain. My experience with battery tools a few years back was they sucked and I bought stihl gas tools and a Honda mower. I tried so hard to avoid using gas but in the end the battery tools never had the power needed to put clean cut edges. Also the lack of power meant it took forever to do the work as you had to linger over areas and make multiple passes. And lastly a set of batteries could not make it through my small property without needing to stop and recharge. That's a pain. I hate to do the lawn when it's super hot out, like 100 degree summer, so gas tools allow me to minimize the time it takes. Now I can do edging, week eating, mowing and blowing in under an hour and it looks better than the lawn service guys. Each their own but battery technology would need to greatly improve for me to go back.

Alan Rutherford
04-14-2017, 8:29 AM
I tried the 18v ryobi lawn tools....battery technology would need to greatly improve for me to go back.

I've been told it has and maybe someone with recent experience with Ryobi will chime in. I've been looking for Ryobi lithium-ion batteries to replace my old NiCads. What I've heard is that they're great, run full power until they die (which they do quickly once they're gone), hold a charge forever, etc. Looking for bundles of batteries with tools, which used to be a pretty good deal, is extremely confusing. It's difficult to get real specs on the batteries. They seem to have a lot of entry-level batteries with entry-level tools and packages that are barely better than buying things separately. The higher-capacity batteries don't come in the packages. I still want them - just trying to get the most useful for the least expense. And you guys might be talking me into trying electric lawn tools.

Jim Becker
04-14-2017, 9:27 AM
Who sells Stihl saws? All I can find on the net are used ones.
Stihl is only available from local, authorized dealers. They only permit "brick and mortar" sales. There are usually multiple dealers in a given area ... here's a link to the dealer locator: https://www.stihlusa.com/locator/

Bill Jobe
04-14-2017, 9:41 AM
Stihl is only available from local, authorized dealers. They only permit "brick and mortar" sales. There are usually multiple dealers in a given area ... here's a link to the dealer locator: https://www.stihlusa.com/locator/

Thank you,Jim.

Jerome Stanek
04-14-2017, 9:55 AM
And Stilh sets the price

Malcolm McLeod
04-14-2017, 10:02 AM
I've been told it has and maybe someone with recent experience with Ryobi will chime in. I've been looking for Ryobi lithium-ion batteries to replace my old NiCads. What I've heard is that they're great, run full power until they die (which they do quickly once they're gone), hold a charge forever, etc. Looking for bundles of batteries with tools, which used to be a pretty good deal, is extremely confusing. It's difficult to get real specs on the batteries. They seem to have a lot of entry-level batteries with entry-level tools and packages that are barely better than buying things separately. The higher-capacity batteries don't come in the packages. I still want them - just trying to get the most useful for the least expense. And you guys might be talking me into trying electric lawn tools.

I have converted all of my Ryobi One+ shop tools to Li-ion batteries and really like them vs NiCad. I am not aware of any Ryobi tools that are packaged with the 5-6 Ah battteries; seems like all tools are packaged with the small batteries. However, HD does seem to offer some 'buy-it-together' combo deals... Not sure how much of a deal it really is - - still looks like $99 for a 'big' battery.

Unless you have a very small yard, I'd recommend you stay away from the One+ line of lawn tools. The service factor on a cordless drill is maybe 0.1 or 0.2, compared to a line trimmer with a service factor of 0.8-0.9 (over any given battery's one-time charge). As stated above, my contention is that this high SF is just murder on the 18V batteries.

If you have more than a postage stamp yard and want cordless lawn tools, I'd look at the >40V units.

Don Orr
04-14-2017, 1:10 PM
I have 2 of the Kobalt brand 40 volt tools-12" chainsaw and string trimmer-and both work well. One came with a free extra battery so I have 3 now. I have gas powered versions of both as well but sometimes a quiet, clean, no-pull-start tool is all I need for a small job. I can carry the saw in a backpack for when I do trail work.

Matt Meiser
04-15-2017, 11:09 PM
I could see a string trimmer being okay for a small yard but a blower I can't see lasting in the fall if you have many trees. Summer my blower sees light use but when I need it in the fall and spring it gets a workout. I use it for lighter snow removal too. No way a battery would survive that.

Tim Boger
04-16-2017, 10:03 AM
Tell you one thing, when my wife can come into the garage, grab her B&D Battery Powered Weed Trimmer and not have to interrupt my shop time to get the darn thing running (last ran spring of 16) it's value becomes immeasurable.

Weekend Wood Turner friendly!

Jim Becker
04-16-2017, 10:43 AM
Tim, you make a good point...electrics tend to be easier in that respect. That said, quality gas powered tools generally start easily, even after sitting for a long time. (as long as they have fresh fuel) I learned my lesson on that years ago...at the expense of multiple purchases.

Stephen Tashiro
04-16-2017, 10:51 AM
Top of my list is Ryobi brand.

I have a Ryobi string trimmer that uses their "one plus" series of batteries.

As with other battery powered string timmers I have owned (B&D, Weedeater) I have trouble with the trim line jamming. I buy rolls of trim line and wind it on the spool myself - perhaps I don't know the secret of how to do this!

Also, the smaller diameter trim line (0.080 inches) can become tangled around the upper part of the motor shaft (above the fins on the head) and it is very difficult to get it out of this area. Buy a size of trim line large enough so it can't slip up past the fins.

Lithium batteries are nice, but (in my town) local businesses like Batteries Plus Bulbs cannot rebuild Lithium batteries of any brand. They can rebuild Ryobi and most other brands of Nicad batteries for a cost that's less than new Nicads.

Bill Jobe
04-16-2017, 11:05 AM
I have a Ryobi string trimmer that uses their "one plus" series of batteries.

As with other battery powered string timmers I have owned (B&D, Weedeater) I have trouble with the trim line jamming. I buy rolls of trim line and wind it on the spool myself - perhaps I don't know the secret of how to do this!

Also, the smaller diameter trim line (0.080 inches) can become tangled around the upper part of the motor shaft (above the fins on the head) and it is very difficult to get it out of this area. Buy a size of trim line large enough so it can't slip up past the fins.

Lithium batteries are nice, but (in my town) local businesses like Batteries Plus Bulbs cannot rebuild Lithium batteries of any brand. They can rebuild Ryobi and most other brands of Nicad batteries for a cost that's less than new Nicads.

I'm not certain but I think any weed Wacker can be converted to the single ~12" long piece of heavier plastic cutter. When it brakes you just slide another one in. Very simple to load. I,too, have struggled many times to wind string on the spool and it rarely feeds properly.

My wife just mentioned she wanted a powerful leaf blower. Any suggestions?

Barry Richardson
04-16-2017, 11:18 AM
I have an Echo string trimmer and leaf blower, 54 volt. No complaints. The blower doesn't blow as hard as as gas, but meets my needs. Good battery life, gets the job done in one charge....

Tim Boger
04-16-2017, 12:14 PM
Jim .. you are correct, I work at a Polaris dealership and deal with off road enthusiasts everyday that only use their machines 2-3 annually. Many simply assume the cost to correct old fuel issues as part of the periodic trip to the mountains ..... Maintenance doesn't come naturally to all folks.
Tim

Matt Meiser
04-16-2017, 8:15 PM
My push mower started on the first pull this year. I keep the canned ethanol free gas in that. My walk behind took a few pulls but I drain it and run until it dies. During the season it only gets gas treated with Star Tron and Seafoam. Any gas left at the end of the season goes in a car. My small tools only get canned premixed gas and they start and run easy too. All that costs extra and takes a little extra time but is a bargain compared to the hassles others have.

Brian Elfert
04-19-2017, 10:44 PM
I am all in on EGO battery powered lawn equipment. I bought the weed trimmer, blower, lawn mower, and I even have the snow blower. I bought it all at a store that sells Home Depot returns. Some of the stuff was brand new never used. I paid 25% of new for the snow blower never used. The only liquid fueled equipment I will have left is my diesel riding mower since I have three acres.

I ran my Honda lawn mower out of gas last fall, but it won't start now with fresh gas. I want to sell it, but it has to be running. Normally it starts on first or second pull.