String Trimmers

[paulsharvey]

I have a 3 year old Husqvarna 128 string trimmer that doesn't run anymore, but really doesn't have that many hours on. I replaced the primer bulb and carb a year ago, used it a few times and won't run more the minute or two now. Thinking about going with a cordless trimmer, like Kobalt 40v or Atlas 40V, or having the Husqvarna serviced. The Husq would obviously be more powerful, but the battery ones are real convenient, and kids/wife can easily start and use. Ive got two acres, about 0.75 of Yard yard, about 0.75 rough yard, some fence line, around the house ect. Anyone have thoughts on durability of the cordless or cost of deal service of Husq? My current cordless tools are Rigid, but they don't offer a weedeater. Ryobi 40V
Kobold 40V
Atlas 40V
Husqvarna 128 dealer service
other thoughts?

 

[Hay Dude]

I just placed a DeWalt 60v weed wacker into service yesterday. I am running it with DeWalt 9.0AH batteries. 15 minutes of run time on high is all we got. A little disappointed in that. It runs so nice and quiet. Shreds grass really well. Lighter than Stihl FS90.

 

[dlctcg]

I have the Atlas 80V & it is impressive... granted this is my first season with it but I've use it every week since late April.... this time of year I use it about an hour (of total run time) per week. It is powerful, maybe not as powerful as the husky gas power unit I have... but this thing runs every time I pull the trigger (unlike the husky)... Battery life has been great usually still better than half a charge after use closer to 3/4 charge left.... No hot exhaust, super quiet & just gets the job done...

This is from someone that didn't want one.... it was a present from my wife... I think she was tried of me complaining about the husky gas unit.... I already had the battery for the pole chainsaw so after she gave it to me I figured I'd better give it a try.... Haven't looked at my husky in the corner of the shed since....

 

[Hay Dude]

I wonder if my less than stellar battery time was het related?
Do batteries have shorter life in direct sun @ 95*? They are 9AH.
I see DeWalt makes a larger 12AH battery, but they are $245!
Thats $100 more than I paid for the 60v weed wacker brand new!

 

[RalphVa]

I have a 3 year old Husqvarna 128 string trimmer that doesn't run anymore, but really doesn't have that many hours on. I replaced the primer bulb and carb a year ago, used it a few times and won't run more the minute or two now. Thinking about going with a cordless trimmer, like Kobalt 40v or Atlas 40V, or having the Husqvarna serviced. The Husq would obviously be more powerful, but the battery ones are real convenient, and kids/wife can easily start and use. Ive got two acres, about 0.75 of Yard yard, about 0.75 rough yard, some fence line, around the house ect. Anyone have thoughts on durability of the cordless or cost of deal service of Husq? My current cordless tools are Rigid, but they don't offer a weedeater. Ryobi 40V
Kobold 40V
Atlas 40V
Husqvarna 128 dealer service
other thoughts?

I sold the 40v Kobalt trimmer and bought a 40v Ryobi one: MUCH more powerful. Think the 40v is still brushed in Kobalt line. They went to 24v for brushless stuff and even 80v in their mower. Told me they don't know what they're doing.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I really like my Milwaukee 18V. I can get a solid 45 min out of a 9AH battery. My lot is .5 acres. I can weedeat the whole thing including fence and edge the road and driveway and only use 1 of 4 bars on the battery. It's every bit as powerful as my Shindaiwa 242 was, if not even more powerful. I got a Stihl 131 a couple weeks ago and put a metal blade on it for my other property. That dude is the most powerful unit I have ever run but it's very heavy.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I'm running a 2-cycle Chinese unit I bought for $150 from Amazon. I'd consider it a brush cutter/clearing saw. The engine is about 42cc, bigger than a $1,000 Stihl.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a Makita cordless weed eater. It uses two 5.0 batteries and I've never had them run out of power before I was done doing my yard. It has plenty of power, and it's super easy to use. Probably the biggest surprise for me was how quiet it is. I knew that it would be quite, but I was so used to having an engine that it still shocks me when I use it and I don't need ear plugs. I also love how I can just put the batteries in and use it. No fuel to deal with, no pushing the primer to get it started, and best of all, no pulling a cord to get it started!!! Just pick it up and use it!!! My next cordless purchase will be a Makita blower to get dog hair off of my back porch.

 

[dlctcg]

My next cordless purchase will be a Makita blower to get dog hair off of my back porch.

You will love the Makita blower... we use all Makita cordless tools at work & we use the blowers regularly... even blowing off the tools (especially the saws) before putting them back in the trucks...

 

[Have tractor did travel]

I use Honda HHT35 4 cycle trimmer. Starts on first pull, 10 years in commercial service with no repairs, uses straight gas (I use non-ethanol). Has a nice plastic jacket to wear that carries the weight on the shoulders. Came (at the time) with a 10" circular saw blade for clearing underbrush, of which mine has done a lot. Highly recommend.

 

[kenmbz]

I also have the M18 weed wacker and 2 batteries 8AH and 5AH.
They last about 1.5 hours between the two.
I have 600 feet of roadside, 600 feet x2 of driveway some 100' trenches and probably another 400-500 feet of planted areas to do. I would be able to do 50% with 2 x 8AH batteries. So it sill work out.
Have an FS110 Stihl for brush cutting the bigger stuff though.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I have serious doubts that you'll be able to use a battery operated trimmer for those two large areas. On the other hand, the kids and wife are not going to be able to use a heavy gas powered (11 pounds) trimmer for more than a few minutes at most.

I recently went through what you're gong through now. I had a Husqvarna L128 straight shaft trimmer that I absolutely beat all to h*ll for about 3 years. Cleared about 2 acres of really heavy weeds regularly, and that completely wore me out. Much of that was clearing a dam around one of our ponds. Steep and rugged work, especially for an 80 y/o.

I bought the complete major tune-up kit for the L128 on Amazing for about $30 which included carb, coil, spark plug, and all filters. Good bargain and only took about an hour to completely go through my trimmer. All that was for naught - I finally ran a compression test on it and it only had 40psi compression. Piston and/or rings were shot. Wasted time and money...

So - I found a new Husqvarna L128LD on Amazing for $190. Straight shaft, two piece so I could use other accessories, and more powerful than the L128 model. I must have bought the last one in stock - unfortunately both the L128 and the L128LD are discontinued. Surprisingly, they do have another identical model available for $240. Same or very similar trimmer, new model number.

I kept the old worn out L128 for spare parts if/when I should need them. But the new and more powerful L128LD sure cut my trimming time and effort way down. I have no suggestion on how you can solve your dilemma, but I suspect the answer is going to be you doing the trimming.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I have 40v Ryobi yard stuff and 2 4ah batteries, 1 2.6ah batteries.

I think I could stay on top of that weed eating with just my 2 4 ah batteries. Worst case you buy more batteries! I have a gas blower, gas chain saw, and gas weed eater but I rarely use those any more. The 40v stuff is so convenient, and it works great. As mentioned it's easy for my wife to use, and I don't have to worry about somebody grabbing the wrong gas can and ruining it.

Whatever brand you buy, I'd bite the bullet at at least have one of the largest battery they make. I think for me with Ryobi stuff that means only 6 ah. I don't have much weed eating to do, but I have a fair bit of edging, I have a pole saw and a cultivator, and I have a brush cutter head that I use a lot.

 

[beowulf]

We have gas powered trimmers, but because I had a craftsman battery powered pole saw (from Lowes) which I absolutely love I decided to get a battery powered trimmer. I wanted an extra battery for the pole saw and so got the craftsman trimmer that used the same battery. It is light and works well and now we have two batteries for whichever of those two tools we are using. My wife really likes the battery powered trimmer - nice and light and easy to install the line.

So, while looking for a battery powered chain saw, consider one where its battery can be used in other tools you might need.

 

[Diggin It]

What is going on here? I've never seen his before and all of the sellers included are weird oddball names.

AMZ doesn't sell or ship this item under any listings I can find.

So, while looking for a battery powered chain saw, consider one where its battery can be used in other tools you might need.

That's why I'm looking at Ryobi. I plan on trying one of the battery mowers, maybe even a chain saw later and the 40V batteries are interchangeable. Plus I know they honor their 3 year warranty.

 

[Rebeldad1]

I just placed a DeWalt 60v weed wacker into service yesterday. I am running it with DeWalt 9.0AH batteries. 15 minutes of run time on high is all we got. A little disappointed in that. It runs so nice and quiet. Shreds grass really well. Lighter than Stihl FS90.

i get 15-20 minutes on high with my dewalt 20 volt and a 5ah battery. on low... 30 minutes to 45 minutes.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

What is going on here? I've never seen his before and all of the sellers included are weird oddball names.

AMZ doesn't sell or ship this item under any listings I can find.

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That's why I'm looking at Ryobi. I plan on trying one of the battery mowers, maybe even a chain saw later and the 40V batteries are interchangeable. Plus I know they honor their 3 year warranty.

I have the brushless 14" 40v Ryobi chainsaw. I like it very much for pruning and trimming my trees and even dropping some small trees. I want the new 18" now that it is out.

I use the 40v power head a lot with cultivator, pole saw, edger, and brush cutter. I also love my 40v blower for all but the toughest jobs. I still have a Kawasaki backpack for when I do pine needles, and if I let the fall leaves get too bad.

 

[Cougsfan]

If you are doing a small area, an electric trimmer is fine. However if you have a lot of area to cut, or extremely thick brush, have a gas trimmer available. I have an Echo gas trimmer that I have ran for around 10 years now with no problems. It gets a lot of use! I think when it comes to any trimmer (electric or gas), with a few exceptions, you get what you pay for. Husqvarna is probably one of my least favorite brands of lawn care equipment providers.

 

[newbury]

For those of you with few tools it's a definite hard tradeoff between fueled or battery.
I've 2 gas Stihl trimmers, about 10 years old. An FS 55 and a FS250, both will cut small saplings and run for hours on mix. But they have to be taken care of regarding fuel storage and are noisy. I bought a DeWalt Flexvolt trimmer and it's about as good as the FS55 and goes one better - I don't have to worry about my son being able to start it.
And as far as batteries being expensive - DeWalt is introducing a 15Ah battery I would not be surprised if it sold for $300 at the start.

 

[deserteagle71]

24 years ago I made an investment....in a Honda 4-stroke (no need to mix gas/oil) string trimmer. After 24 trouble-free years it still starts first or second pull after sitting all winter, and it will run for hours on one tank of gas. Engine is very quiet, and most cutting can be done with the trimmer set to a high idle because there is so much torque. Doubt if I'll ever wear it out so I'll probably never get to experience a battery powered trimmer.