I spent too much time yesterday and a lot of trimmer line weed whacking the front yard. I have an electric trimmer, which means it has a spool with a 0.080 line. Only, I don't even get three feet and the line kept snapping. I even edged longer than cutting the grass. I have had this Black and decker trimmer for years. I use the corded one because it is the lightest. I have had gas and cordless weed whackers before. They are heavy and usually have a long handle and I am 5 ft 2.5 inches tall and left handed, so long trimmers are not easy to use.
I am tired of the spool so I am probably going to get a cordless trimmer. I have ryobi tools, so I have 20 volt batteries for those that are interchangeable. I have an ego, but I don't have a battery.
Here is my dilemma. For gas like power, I probably have to go with a 40 volt battery which is heavier. It won't be compatible with my other tools because they use 20 volt batteries. So, it may not matter what brand I get in the end because the batteries will not be compatible. I do use a strap for the heavier weed whackers so that will help take off some of the weight.
I like the dewalt 40 volt. It does have an expand it feature, but it has fewer options. Like the ego, it is more comfortable to hold. Ryobi is not as ergonomically balanced. The problem with the ego is that it cannot be used when it is raining. The battery cannot get wet. I also can't find the battery. The cost of the battery is about $40 less than buying a new ryobi weed whacker.
I am looking at the the 40 volt ryobi expand it. That way I can get the bushwhacker attachment and switch it out easily when I have to cut the tall weeds and grass. I can also get a ryobi replacement head that does not use a spool and has plastic blades for the brush cutter. I have had that head before, but it was only available for gas trimmers and gas trimmers have a lot of maintenance and I don't weed whack every week and I get tired just trying to get it started. I also had to disassemble the head to mount the other head, which is not fun.
Husqvarna only has gas options and like Echo they are too expensive for how much I use it. If it does not rain, I don't have to weed whack for months. I have some grass, which does steal water from my containers. Around the containers, the grass is 10 inches tall and no way can my current string trimmer handle that. I tried cutting it with a sickle, but the grass is actually too green and I did not get very far.
What do you think is the best option for me?
For light duty trimming my wife loves her Ryobi (.080 line) battery powered 20v. I have an Echo gas trimmer for the heavier duty jobs. You say they need more maintenance but mine is 4 years old with nothing so far but add line (.095 I think). Very thick anyway and it doesn't need to be respooled very often unless I get into rocks or bricks or fencing. Mine was not all that much...$20-$25 more than the Ryobi.
If I had a few dollars more I would consider a Stihl after talking to friends.
I used a brother-in-laws trimmer with the plastic blades and they broke quite easily but that was 10-12 years ago; maybe they got better since then.
If I had a few dollars more I would consider a Stihl after talking to friends.
I used a brother-in-laws trimmer with the plastic blades and they broke quite easily but that was 10-12 years ago; maybe they got better since then.
The maintenance with the gas trimmer is more than the line. It requires annual maintenance for the filter and spark plug to keep it running smoothly. Only one ryobi 4 cycle does not use a 50:1 gas/oil mix. If you use the trimmer often enough it is not a problem. If you use it less than once every couple of months, you also have to add stabil or the gas spoils, no fun getting that out of the engine. I usually have to run the engine dry between uses. It takes more time to prime but I don't have to deal with spoiled gas in the engine. Oh yeah, if you don't want the carburetor to get trashed, you should use ethanol free gas. It is only available at select stations here. Otherwise you have to add ethanol shield, but ethanol shield can separate out and especially if the gas is not agitated for a long time. I found out the hard away about the ethanol free gas, the engine would not start period and the weed whacker was less than a year old.
I looked at power spool heads, while they are easier to wind, they are still a spool.
I haven't looked into Stihl. I will check out what they have.
I was not sure about the plastic blades either, but they probably are still better than string line. I was actually looking at the bushwacker attachment for Ryobi. It has a heavy metal blade.
I have used head attachments for the gas trimmer that uses 18 inch lines instead of a spool. I can still burn out a line quickly but the line is a lot faster to replace and I can get farther than 3 ft with it. It does require some time on my part to take the spool head off and install the other head. I took me almost 4 hours to do it the first time. The instructions weren't very good. You actually had to look at the picture. I was trying to put the head on upside down which does not work well at all. And it took me 4 hours to figure that out.
Thanks for the tips. I will check out to see where I can find Stihl.
I looked at power spool heads, while they are easier to wind, they are still a spool.
I haven't looked into Stihl. I will check out what they have.
I was not sure about the plastic blades either, but they probably are still better than string line. I was actually looking at the bushwacker attachment for Ryobi. It has a heavy metal blade.
I have used head attachments for the gas trimmer that uses 18 inch lines instead of a spool. I can still burn out a line quickly but the line is a lot faster to replace and I can get farther than 3 ft with it. It does require some time on my part to take the spool head off and install the other head. I took me almost 4 hours to do it the first time. The instructions weren't very good. You actually had to look at the picture. I was trying to put the head on upside down which does not work well at all. And it took me 4 hours to figure that out.
Thanks for the tips. I will check out to see where I can find Stihl.
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2882
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
Stihl looks like they have things similar to what I got about 5 years ago - a Worx cordless trimmer, that is only 6 lbs, and though the cord is only .065", it lasts longer than any "thick" ones I've had! Here it is, unless they've changed it slightly since I bought it. The price increased some (from $125), but not as much as many things these days.
https://www.worx.com/20v-gt-revolution- ... 170-3.html
I was apprehensive about the small spools, when I got it, but it had a 30 day return "no questions asked" policy, so I put it to work, and was pleased immediately. I didn't understand why thinner line would last so long, compared to all the others I have used, and all this time it also proved to have a very long lasting battery! The batteries are 4.0ah, 20v, and they have a button, with 3 lights, fully charged, and even on 1 light, the power is still strong, at first. Today, FI, I used it for a long time starting with 2 lights, and weedwacked the front, after mowing, along with the edging, then went around back to my garden. I weedwacked the entire garden, and around the house, for about an hour, and it was down to 1 light, but not running out. Still, I put it on the charger, for next use.
Since it's light, it's obviously not for heavy duty edging and thick weeds, though my weeds get fairly thick! It is amazing how long that line lasts, as well as the battery! I also bought a backup battery when I got this, for a super deal, plus free shipping! I kept getting emails, and when I saw a deal that fit me, I jumped on it! Later, I also got a cordless blower - not heavy-duty for fall leaves, but great for cleaning the sidewalks and deck, and other lightweight jobs, plus no hearing protection necessary - another thing I forgot to mention about the weedwacker. Both are more quiet than others I've had. And I got a cordless sabersaw, which also works great. Both I got deals on, buying w/o batteries, since I already had 2.
https://www.worx.com/20v-gt-revolution- ... 170-3.html
I was apprehensive about the small spools, when I got it, but it had a 30 day return "no questions asked" policy, so I put it to work, and was pleased immediately. I didn't understand why thinner line would last so long, compared to all the others I have used, and all this time it also proved to have a very long lasting battery! The batteries are 4.0ah, 20v, and they have a button, with 3 lights, fully charged, and even on 1 light, the power is still strong, at first. Today, FI, I used it for a long time starting with 2 lights, and weedwacked the front, after mowing, along with the edging, then went around back to my garden. I weedwacked the entire garden, and around the house, for about an hour, and it was down to 1 light, but not running out. Still, I put it on the charger, for next use.
Since it's light, it's obviously not for heavy duty edging and thick weeds, though my weeds get fairly thick! It is amazing how long that line lasts, as well as the battery! I also bought a backup battery when I got this, for a super deal, plus free shipping! I kept getting emails, and when I saw a deal that fit me, I jumped on it! Later, I also got a cordless blower - not heavy-duty for fall leaves, but great for cleaning the sidewalks and deck, and other lightweight jobs, plus no hearing protection necessary - another thing I forgot to mention about the weedwacker. Both are more quiet than others I've had. And I got a cordless sabersaw, which also works great. Both I got deals on, buying w/o batteries, since I already had 2.
I looked into Worx. Only two stores carry it. It sounded good, but the model I wanted was not in the store. I could order it online, but they won't send the battery and I cannot get the battery locally. I really don't want to wait a couple of months to get a weed whacker.
I also checked out Stihl. The only thing available is the power head without attachments.
Today, I went to home depot and got a 40 volt Ryobi string trimmer. It does have a power spool and can take a .095 line. So, winding the spool should be less of a problem unless it breaks. I can also change the head on this model to put a different head that uses 18 inch lines and no spool. I like that better. I did have that kind of head before, but the rhino attachments only work with gas trimmers. Ryobi does make a head for select cordless trimmers. I also got the bush whacker metal blade attachment. Ryobi and toro have quick change attachments so I don't have to take the head apart to switch it out. The bush whacker has a metal blade so it should be able to handle the clumps of tall grass. I just can't use the bush whacker near the paving or the house. Hopefully, the black and Decker will still be able to handle those things, or I can use the line trimmer attachment instead. As I thought, the 40 volt battery won't be compatible with the other 20 volt tools, and it requires its own charger. I know that if I bought the battery and charger separately it would have been 75% of the cost of the trimmer. The trimmer was $199, the bush whacker attachment was $119. I got the strap, for $20 (The price of the strap doubled from the last time I bought one. But with this long shaft, I will need it to carry the weight). I also got .095 trimmer line. Everything was $375 after taxes. Still a lot of money. Hopefully, it will be worth the investment.
I also checked out Stihl. The only thing available is the power head without attachments.
Today, I went to home depot and got a 40 volt Ryobi string trimmer. It does have a power spool and can take a .095 line. So, winding the spool should be less of a problem unless it breaks. I can also change the head on this model to put a different head that uses 18 inch lines and no spool. I like that better. I did have that kind of head before, but the rhino attachments only work with gas trimmers. Ryobi does make a head for select cordless trimmers. I also got the bush whacker metal blade attachment. Ryobi and toro have quick change attachments so I don't have to take the head apart to switch it out. The bush whacker has a metal blade so it should be able to handle the clumps of tall grass. I just can't use the bush whacker near the paving or the house. Hopefully, the black and Decker will still be able to handle those things, or I can use the line trimmer attachment instead. As I thought, the 40 volt battery won't be compatible with the other 20 volt tools, and it requires its own charger. I know that if I bought the battery and charger separately it would have been 75% of the cost of the trimmer. The trimmer was $199, the bush whacker attachment was $119. I got the strap, for $20 (The price of the strap doubled from the last time I bought one. But with this long shaft, I will need it to carry the weight). I also got .095 trimmer line. Everything was $375 after taxes. Still a lot of money. Hopefully, it will be worth the investment.
I used the weed whacker for the first time. It was heavy, so I can't do it for long. I definitely needed the belt. I actually found another belt, so now I have two. The weed whacker was able to get most of the tall grass. Like about a foot tall. The thing I don't like about weed whackers is that they only cut in one direction, from left to right. So, it takes a lot of energy to move the trimmer back an forth. The battery does heat up especially when it is cutting a thick patch. The machine basically stops for awhile. It is annoying but at least the string did not cut once. The safety trigger leaves much to be desired. It is easy to unlock the trigger, but it was also easy to turn the trimmer on unintentionally. Because the trimmer is so long, I have to hold it at a weirrd angle, but I knew that was going to be an issue. The heads are easy to change, but the brush cutter has a different handle. I just used the one handle, it works.
I finished the inner courtyard. I will have to tackle the jungle in the back yard another day.
I finished the inner courtyard. I will have to tackle the jungle in the back yard another day.
I swear by my Ryobi cordless weed whacker! I have used it all over the 60 acres where I lived in Montana, it cut thru long thick grass and weeds. You need at least 3 batteries so that you can continue working while one is charging. I have several batteries and a couple of chargers and can keep working about as long as I want to. I have used a Stihl weed whacker and it was a pain. I couldn't get more than 3 to 5 feet without something going wrong with the line. And trying to respool one was even harder. Also have used other gas trimmers that were either too fussy with the line, too heavy or just too awkward. I have bought 3 Ryobi cordless trimmers, the small plastic models and have been able to cut thru anything I have encountered. And I have gotten my money out of all 3 of them. I just moved to Arizona and hadn't been to the property for several months, and the weeds were waist high and with very thick stocks. My Ryobi handled it with no problem. The fenced in area around the house is a little over an acre and I believe I went thru 3 spools of .065 line. The spools are easy to take off, easy to rewind and easy to reinstall. I will only use my Ryobi now! I have used a Sears walk behind trimmer which was good on real heavy brush, and it worked well for the 5 years I have had it, but wouldn't start after moving to Arizona. Cleaned the air filter and did get it to start but didn't have time to use it!
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2882
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
I used the Ryobi weed whacker the other day to mow the grass that was getting pretty tall after the rain. No problems with the weed whacker. but I wish the length was adjustable. This is made for a much taller person. It is awkward to hold and I ended up taking the guard off. The screw cam loose and it was dangling anyway. I wish it was not so heavy, but it got the job done.