Anyone go from gas to electric, then back to gas?

[Hay Dude]

I jumped in on the electric blower, chainsaw and weed wacker eagerly, thinking they would replace the Stihl gas pieces I previously run.
Fast forward to today and I am once again back to my Stihl gas blower, Stihl gas weed walkers and never really left my Stihl & makita gas chainsaws.
The electric tools are all 60V DeWalt. Nothing wrong with them. They all work fine, but after running both in a commercial business for 2+ years, I really only use the electric weed wacker periodically for light jobs I know will be done in under 15 minutes.

Not disappointed, just have found gas revs higher & keeps running when far away from the truck for hours on a full tank. Gas chainsaws are screamers and will cut circles around the electric. Electric only really good for quick 10 minute pruning jobs. Gas blower just keeps on running & running.

Anyone else try electric, go back to gas?

 

[4570Man]

I have an electric blower and chainsaw that stays in the construction van. I never gave up the gas tools because they are way stronger. I’ve used battery weedeaters and found them to be substandard so I don’t have one.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have both but options limited going forward...

Clear a lot of trail with Stihl Battery AP pole saw and hedge trimmer and AP blower good.

I like my AP saw but when lots to cut I need a bigger gas saw than what electric offers.

Have not found a good battery substitute for brush and string trimmers and not willing to commit to the expense limitations of battery backpacks.

 

[TractorTYMe]

I just never went on the electric bandwagon fully (Have impact gun and drill and miter saw) but all weedwackers, chainsaw stayed two stroke.

 

[California]

The professional tree crew that took down a Redwood for me has all battery chainsaws for their climbing work. And for bucking the downed tree into chunks. I think Milwaukee.

Then when cutting the 30 inch stump flush at ground level, their best battery saw was struggling so they got the larger gas saw off the truck for that one cut.


My Ryobi 18v shop tools are mostly ok. I like the little 5" saw, the drill and right angle drill, the small impact driver, and the recipro saw. These are handy. It's rare that I need to get out my 110v equivalents - Skilsaw etc. But Ryobi's 18v angle grinder isn't any stronger than HF's $10 version - not recommended.

The Ryobi 18v leaf blower and string trimmer I found at Goodwill for $10 each are hardly worth that, they're wimpy. I can see why they were donated in new condition - user frustration. The leaf blower won't move wet leaves very well. There's also two Remington 18v hedge trimmers from Goodwill, cheap. Their battery and charger are NLA but they take Ryobi 18v batteries. One for the ranch, one for my home in town. Not heavy duty but really convenient.

I haven't gone back to gas. No stock of gas onsite is a real convenience.

If I were buying battery tools today I would see what Project Farm (YouTube) recommends and go with that.

 

[CaptPat]

I'm reverting to gas, corded or pneumatic tools. I don't use them professionally, I avoid the cost to replace batteries periodically as well as dealing with a dead battery when I need to use it. The cost of a new Milwaukee battery will buy a fair amount of gas or electricity.

 

[scootr]

Interesting. Use of battery tools requires an understanding of the battery capacity, proper discharge and charging practices. I'm hearing many of the same complaints for EV todays. I try to have all one make And voltage of battery tools. I bought extended capacity batteries and keep them charged up. The worst thing you can do is to run them down and wait a day or longer to put it back on a charger. Leaving them on the charger after they are charged is also not good as we are hearing now for our cell phones. Battery management is an obligation to an investment.

 

[chim]

Each type of tool has its place for me. I've kept gas trimmer, chain saw and a blower. They normally get used for the larger or longer duration work. The Stihl Kombi is the ticket for bigger stuff. I have their Power Scythe and the 4-tooth blade for heavier brush, and a string head for grassy weeds. The Stihl gas chain saw comes out if a whole tree is involved.

However, the DeWalt 20V string trimmer, blower and chain saw are excellent for lighter work. Unless the work involves clearing the creek banks or fence row, the 20V trimmer is fine. The gas blower seldom gets used at all. The chain saw has been used for small trees. One of the real stars has been the 20V pole saw.

I'm really hooked on Other 20V tools. First on the list are the 1/4" & 1/2" impacts. The 1/4" is especially useful and with the "impact ready" chuck, has replaced my 3/8" drill for most work. It will run hole saws and do a "ratchet" routine instead of twisting when the saw binds. The 20V Atomic 4-1/2" circular saw is perfect for little grab-n-go jobs. Most recent addition was a grease gun.

The current grinders are nice when working on metal projects. The 20V have good run times that the 18V didn't. That's why the first 18V "grinders" were called cutoff tools according to the DeWalt rep. I often have two grinders with different wheels (grinding, cutoff, wire, flap). It's a lot easier to pick up a different tool to keep the workflow going. Not having extra cords to get tangled with welding leads is sure nice. If there's a project that requires lengthy grinding in one place, the old B&D corded grinder comes out.

There are other 20V tools that I've come to love - 7-1/4" circular saw, recip saw, double cut, drywall screw gun, different lights, etc.

Non 20V battery tools include 18V drywall cutout tool and small WOD vacuum. The 20V/18V adaptor allows 20V batteries to be used in the cutout tool and some others. The little vac is one of the tools that the adaptor doesn't work with but is has a cord for 120V. Then there's the 8V gyroscopic screwdriver for repetitious light work.

If it wouldn't be so darn hot I'd put some of these tools to work

 

[Redlands Okie]

Milwaukee tool person here. Have their 16 in chain saw, hedge trimmer, weed eater, blower, pole saw. Great tools to keep in the tool trailor for those occasional smaller jobs when they are handy to have. I consider them to be light job tools.

If doing more than a quick small project the Stihl gas powered tools come out. They really get after it and the run time is great.

If I had to choose only have one set, gas or battery, it would be gas all the way.

 

[MossRoad]

...

Anyone else try electric, go back to gas?

Kinda.

I have a gas weed eater/pole saw. It's too heavy for my wife. She wanted an electric weed eater. She uses it often. When I weed eat, I bring out the gas one. The electric only has one battery and can do about 1/3 of the yard before needing to recharge the battery. The gas one can do the entire yard on one tank.