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.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

I would love electric but they cost too much for too little run time.

even my 72 year old grandma went back to gas after a battery went dead after 2 years.

I wish they were better because the electric weed eater was so light

 

[dstig1]

I don't see it as an either/or question. I have both. They both have advantages. You want to quickly clean off some area? Grab the cordless blower. No filling it with gas, no starting, just pick it up and pull the trigger. Nice. But if I have tough or longer blowing needs (and what guy doesn't? ) then the gas backpack has tons more power and length of use on a tank, so fiddling with gas and starting it is no big deal for that task.

Maybe someday the climate fairies will deliver a battery that can run and deliver similar power to ICE engines, but I suspect that day is a long way off, if ever. They've gotten better but the gulf is still pretty wide when you talk serious use.

 

[Hay Dude]

I don't see it as an either/or question. I have both. They both have advantages. You want to quickly clean off some area? Grab the cordless blower. No filling it with gas, no starting, just pick it up and pull the trigger. Nice. But if I have tough or longer blowing needs (and what guy doesn't? ) then the gas backpack has tons more power and length of use on a tank, so fiddling with gas and starting it is no big deal for that task.

Maybe someday the climate fairies will deliver a battery that can run and deliver similar power to ICE engines, but I suspect that day is a long way off, if ever. They've gotten better but the gulf is still pretty wide when you talk serious use.

Agree with that, too.

What would be GREAT in my opinion is if they would make gas powered equipment with a tiny starter motor eliminating the pull cord. I know some already do, but if they could perfect them with very little extra weight, that would be great.
Just push a button and the ICE saw/blower/weed wacker is running.

Dream on!

 

[ericm979]

I also have both kinds of tools. The battery stuff is great for what it can handle. My wife loves her battery string trimmer and it's surprisingly effective for the limited power its got. She likes how there's no starting it. But for light brush or thick grass I use a big Stihl. The same is true for pole saws, blowers, etc. Electric (mostly battery) tech can only get so much power at an acceptable weight. But the technology is improving fast. You see professionals using battery saws now.

Someone mentioned that there's some operator learning to run battery gear. Maybe but that pales with the knowledge that's needed to run gas equipment. Just starting a two stroke gas engine takes far more knowledge. When to choke, when to go to half choke, throttle or no throttle, and it all changes depending on ambient and engine temp. Then there's mixing fuel, taking the fuel out when storing the unit, cleaning air filters, tuneups, etc. We're all so used to it that it's second nature. But it's actually a huge amount of knowledge that's required and many otherwise intelligent people can't master it.

 

[ultrarunner]

Just like the Model T Ford… it was thought the masses could never master but over 15 million sold.

My neighbor won one as a child in Nevada… traveled to Reno train depot to pick up her car at age 12.

Her father crashed it coming home and went through the barn yelling woo all the time…

No one in the county owned a car at that time…

Technology comes with a learning curve and sometimes jumping in is the fastest teacher…

At 17 she was the only teacher at the one room public school house in Genoa Nevada having graduated there and then one year off at teacher school..,

At 104 still brilliant and experienced horse and buggy era, no electricity, dawn of gas power to battery cell phones and moon landings…

 

[2manyrocks]

So does she have an electric or gas trimmer?

 

[ultrarunner]

Electric trimmer… Black and Decker with the little wall wart charger…

I had to go online to find batteries once but I think those early battery trimmers are all on the junk heap

 

[Rdrcr]

I use electric shop tools and I’m pretty good at proper battery maintenance. And because I don’t have an air hose attached to them, I prefer the electric.

I tried the battery trimmer and that was an utter and complete failure. I’m not doing that again and I’m also not going to use a battery backpack. Cost is too prohibitive. Gas only for me and my jobs.

Mike

 

[bnold]

I have both.

Right tool for right application.
Neither is a replacement for the other.

No different than a battery impact driver being a replacement for a screw driver. It is not.

 

[tfuller]

Main thing is right tool for the job. Some yards or task just won't ever be right for electric. If you are using them close to home where you can put a battery on charge when needed it works but gas would be better if not. I have 6 acres around the house and use an EGO string trimmer it can do everything I need even around my pond but I ussually don't try and do it all at one time. Usually when the battery dies I am ready for break so it works out. The electric pole saw is also a good tool for trimming trees and since I only use it a couple times a year I don't have to worry about whether it will crank when I need it. The electric blowers are good for up keep work but if you let the leaves get out of hand it doesn't stand a chance versus a good backpack gas blower.