Cordless weed wacker - need recommendations

[Mark Gibney]

Hi all, hoping someone on here can recommend a good cordless weed wacker aka strimmer.

Looking for a tool that works well, rather than cost being the important factor.

I won't be doing a lot of work with it either, it's just that I don't always feel like dealing with the long heavy extension cord to power the electric strimmer. I spend longer rolling out and rolling up the cord than running the strimmer.

Convenience!

[John Stankus]

I really like my EGO cordless trimmer. I also have their lawn mower. Bought it from HomeDepot, but Lowes is now the retailer for them.


John

[Doug Dawson]

Hi all, hoping someone on here can recommend a good cordless weed wacker aka strimmer.

Looking for a tool that works well, rather than cost being the important factor.

I won't be doing a lot of work with it either, it's just that I don't always feel like dealing with the long heavy extension cord to power the electric strimmer. I spend longer rolling out and rolling up the cord than running the strimmer.

Convenience!

If you are a large powerful man, I highly recommend the.Milwaukee M18 Quik-lok trimmer, it haz teh nuts, and will throw them at anyone in the area not wearing eye protection or chaps. It’s IMO the AR15 of trimmers, if you’re into that sort of thing. I LOVE it! But get the shoulder strap, it helps you with aiming it right. (The shoulder strap is included with the extension kit, just so you know. Well worth it.)

[Tom M King]

I bought the little Worx one for my Wife to use around the chicken pen, and garden fences. It seems like a toy, but will cut weeds. I wouldn't recommend it for keeping up a whole yard though. The battery lasts almost long enough for her to do that little bit of cutting with it.

[Mike Null]

I have an EGO and like it very much. It's powerful and has long battery life. Also not too heavy for an old man.

[Mark Gibney]

Doug, the Milwaukee sounds awesome. Too awesome! I'd be afraid I'd ding my neighbor's cars when I'm strimming out by the sidewalk.

John, Mike, Tom - one of these sounds like just what I need. I have a bad shoulder so the lighter the better. Thanks guys.

[Doug Dawson]

Doug, the Milwaukee sounds awesome. Too awesome! I'd be afraid I'd ding my neighbor's cars when I'm strimming out by the sidewalk.

You’ve gotta know where to point that thing.

[Lee Schierer]

I purchased and use a Ryobi 40 volt cordless trimmer/edger. It works pretty well. The only problem is if you depress the trigger all the way you trimmer string doesn't last very long, it quickly breaks. I've found that operating it at about 75-80% of max I can trim large areas. I've taped a thin block of wood under the trigger to prevent me from using full power. The battery lasts about 30 minutes, which is about all the more I want to do in one session. While the battery is recharging I can do something else and then go back to trimming in an hour or so.

[Tom M King]

Talking about strong string trimmers, I only have the Stihl Pro models. My Wife's Sister wanted to borrow a "weedeater" because theirs wouldn't start. I gave her the smaller one, the FS 110 with bike handles. She said after she started it, and put the strap over her shoulder, the first time she pulled the trigger, it walked sideways, and she cut one of their aluminum gutter downspouts in two with it. She did learn how to handle it, but she was used to slamming the string against whatever, rather than watching the arc of the cut. I was glad I didn't let her borrow the clearing saw. I did tell her that she needed long pants, eye protection, and boots to run the trimmer.

[Gordon Dale]

I also have the Ryobi 40 Volt, Which has more power than I had expected. I use it to whack blackberry bushes. So far, I’m very happy with it.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I have a Makita one that uses the same batteries as other power tools. Very happy with it - not a "toy", at all.

I also have an Ego blower, mower, and snow blower, and they are all great, so I suspect their trimmer is also great.

[Lisa Starr]

I have the EGO system. The lawn mower, leaf blower and string trimmer. All 3 work really well for me. My son has a EGO chain saw as well and has indicated that it works great.

[Mark Gibney]

Seems the moral of the stories is that almost all the trimmers work well, but don't loan one to your sister-in-law.

[Scott Winners]

For gas, stick to Husqvarvarna or Stihl. For electric, I got nothing.

[Ronald Blue]

+3 on the Ryobi 40 volt. I also have the chain saw, back pack blower, and push mower. Lee I've never had string issues. I reloaded it close to the last time I used it. I also have the pole trimmer attachment which works great. Don't under estimate the chain saw. It will do a fair amount of work on a charge. Plus it's quiet and no issues if it sits 6 months between uses like a gas powered saw would potentially have.

[Lee Schierer]

+3 on the Ryobi 40 volt. Lee I've never had string issues. I reloaded it close to the last time I used it.

Mine will vibration weld the green Ryobi string, that comes with it, together inside the head if I whack weeds at full power. I've learned to spray the reel of string with silicone spray and to not depress the trigger all the way, thus limiting the power and eliminating the welding. I did buy some blue string from another source that works much better.

[roger wiegand]

My Stihl works great. No cord, but it does need gas.

[Jim Becker]

Seems the moral of the stories is that almost all the trimmers work well, but don't loan one to your sister-in-law.

LOL!!

For more substantial/regular work, go with the heavier, more expensive, higher voltage systems. I'm a Stihl fan for serious outdoor tools.

For occasional convenience, something that works with the batteries you have isn't a horrible thing. I so very rarely use a string trimmer (my gas one hasn't been out in a couple of years, when I think about it) I'll likely opt for a HFT Bauer trimmer for $90 that works with the same 20v 4ah batteries I have for my portable blower and impact drill/driver. My needs are minimal and I have three batteries.

[Adam Herman]

sounds like ego or whatever will be fine. I am an echo fan though, I have the pro attachment system and have the tiller, pole saw, weed trimmer and it's been great. I am going to pick up the electric power head for it at some point, for small jobs and keep the gas around for tilling longer jobs. no small engine i have ever had in my possession has ever started as reliably and quickly as my echo stuff.

[John Stankus]

I really like my EGO cordless trimmer. I also have their lawn mower. Bought it from HomeDepot, but Lowes is now the retailer for them.


John

A little more details, now that I have a moment. (teaching general chemistry and Thermodynamics courses remotely is exhausting :o)

The EGO system with the 56 V interchangeable batteries is very nice. I keep the batteries and charger in the garage, while the tools live out in my shed. When I have finished with the mowing (EGO self propelled mower--very nice, QUIET!, and enough range to mow my whole yard) I take the big battery from the mower stick it on the trimmer and trim back to the garage to swap out the smaller battery that came with the trimmer. (though sometimes I keep running with the bigger battery). Tool is well balanced with the smaller battery. With the quick charger, they recharge relatively quickly. I can use the smaller battery in the mower, if I forget to get the big one charged. Which will charge before I can run down the small one.

The mower and the trimmer are very quiet. I don't need to wear the big hearing protectors like I did with the gas motored gear. I don't have to keep gas around. (other than my Husqvarna blower that I haven't yet replaced).

The string loading and feed mechanism is probably the best I have dealt with. (I have hated some of the string dispensers my old gas ones have). Loads easily by threading straight through the head and then wind it up . I think one of the newer models has a power wind option (not sure though).

I am wanting to add the EGO blower to the fleet, for commonality, quietness and not having to keep gas around. (having the good Husqvarna has been keeping me from pulling the trigger). The EGO blower would be a bit more manageable for my wife to use as well. We have a giant oak tree in our front yard that dumps a lot of leaves in the Spring. 48-50 of those paper yard waste bags. So there is a lot of collecting to be done. Rakes work best for collecting, blowers are for final cleanup. I can never convince the landscape crews at school that a rake is more efficient at collecting leaves than a loud gas powered blower (which really is distracting to classes).

John

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have the Makita string trimmer because I have lots of Makita tools and batteries. Had the single string one for a while. 5 out of 10. But the brushless two string trimmer is much better. One battery lasts about as long as my back.

[Doug Dawson]

We have a giant oak tree in our front yard that dumps a lot of leaves in the Spring. 48-50 of those paper yard waste bags. So there is a lot of collecting to be done. Rakes work best for collecting, blowers are for final cleanup.

Wow, that’s a lot of bags. Okay, so here’s some general chemistry: If your soil in San Antonio is really alkaline (and it is,) and oak leaves are acidic (and they are,) wouldn’t you rather try to balance out your soil (depending on the alkalinity of your water, and it probably is,) by simply mulching the leaves into the soil/lawn?

[Thomas McCurnin]

Not sure if you're willing to go internal combustion, but if so, Stihl makes a great product line, used by most professionals. I have one of their chain saws and it works well

[John Stankus]

Wow, that’s a lot of bags. Okay, so here’s some general chemistry: If your soil in San Antonio is really alkaline (and it is,) and oak leaves are acidic (and they are,) wouldn’t you rather try to balance out your soil (depending on the alkalinity of your water, and it probably is,) by simply mulching the leaves into the soil/lawn?

It is too much all at one time for the soil and kills the grass. (I have run that experiment). To remediate alkaline soil, it is much better to use a sulfur treatment. Back when I lived up in Plano (north of Dallas) we had a an oak variety that really did not like the alkaline soil we had there. It was common for builders to put in the cheaper variety of oak whose natural range was much further east. The poor tree was pretty scraggly. I did two inch bore holes around the perimeter of the drip line, and added a 60 lb bag of sulfur two years in a row. 15 years later, looking on Google streetview that tree has over tripled in size, going from something that was on the verge of being removed to a vibrant tree. (other contemporaneously planted trees in that neighborhood were removed due to this problem).

John

[Dave Cav]

I have the Ryobi 40 volt string trimmer and blower; I can usually do the yard twice with the trimmer before needing to charge it. Blower is good for about a half hour.

[Jim Becker]

One battery lasts about as long as my back.
Now that's a very worthy metric!

[Doug Dawson]

It is too much all at one time for the soil and kills the grass. (I have run that experiment). To remediate alkaline soil, it is much better to use a sulfur treatment. Back when I lived up in Plano (north of Dallas) we had a an oak variety that really did not like the alkaline soil we had there. It was common for builders to put in the cheaper variety of oak whose natural range was much further east. The poor tree was pretty scraggly. I did two inch bore holes around the perimeter of the drip line, and added a 60 lb bag of sulfur two years in a row. 15 years later, looking on Google streetview that tree has over tripled in size, going from something that was on the verge of being removed to a vibrant tree. (other contemporaneously planted trees in that neighborhood were removed due to this problem).

Giant oak trees have been native to Central Texas since long before our mothers were born. They didn’t need any help from us when their leaves fell into the drip line and rotted into the soil. The problem is “artificial” irrigation with alkaline groundwater etc messing up the soil chemistry (along with artificial fertilizers loading up the soil with poisonous levels of P and K, which can’t be readily utilized in alkaline clay soils and simply accumulate.)

I like sulfur as well. It comes in big bags which are typically labeled as “90 percent pure”. It’s an industrial product, and I’ve sometimes wondered what the other 10 percent is. Surely not powdered mothers milk. You can apply it, but you have to _keep_ applying it, because the alkalinity returns, with artificial surface watering.

[Tom M King]

I want one of these for leaves, but until I win a lottery to justify the 11k price, we'll make do with the 13hp Billy Goat.

https://www.scag.com/product/stand-on-blowers/windstorm/

[Doug Dawson]

I want one of these for leaves, but until I win a lottery to justify the 11k price, we'll make do with the 13hp Billy Goat.

https://www.scag.com/product/stand-on-blowers/windstorm/

I prefer my bagpipes. When I go up and down the street with them, people are more confused about what to say.

[Lee DeRaud]

I got the Ryobi One+ (18V) trimmer a couple years back, mostly because I already had a ton of stuff that uses the same batteries...perfectly fine for my tiny back yard.

If it dies before I do, I'll probably upgrade to the 40V Greenworks unit, as I now have their mower, blower, and hedge trimmer (and a stack of batteries).