Cordless weed wacker - need recommendations

[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 )

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-o...ers/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-o...ers/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).