Time to convert from small engine to battery tools?

[JK22]

You are right Eddie. There is always a concern for future support. That's why I went with Stihl. I have loads of Dewalt 18v tools but they did not make a pole saw or chain saw at the time. And now that they have I do not think it takes the 18v battery. I am guessing Makita will typically use a different battery also when they fully get into it. My little makita saw takes the 18v battery so in addition to the cost of the saw i now have a battery and charger. So i have close to 350 in that little chain saw so I am glad i use it a lot.
So far, about 3 years the stihl batteries have held up great. But they better for the price.
I have that kobalt blower that has worked well for a few years but I am not expanding my line in that direction for exactly the reason you mention.

18v battery on lawn equipment would have terrible run time. Dewalt uses the Flexvolt 20v/60v system on their lawn tools.

 

[Professor Marvel]

Yep i am sure that is right. So no reason for me to go with dewalt for that. At least some of the makita chainsaws take 2 18 volt batteries so you are potentially on board for makita if you ever feel like trying them out

 

[bunyip]

We bought a battery brush cutter (weed whacker) but it just couldn't cope with the tough reed like grass that we get in our gutters so we went to an easy start stihl petrol so SWMBO can start it herself, I think it is the FS45S and we put on the plastic blades to cut this horrible stuff, she also has a Ryobi battery chainsaw that she loves.

 

[Professor Marvel]

I think the stihl battery weedwacker is plenty powerful enough but I don't weed wack. I put a saw blade on it and it drops 4 inch trees pretty well. If anybody has used the stihl battery weed whacker maybe they could let the OP know how it does. Bunyip which brand did you get that was insufficient?
also I don't know what stuff like SWMBO means.
Also I assume you mean ditches when you say gutters. My gutters are on my roof. Hey just kidding about that one.

 

[aczlan]

I was wondering the same thing myself...what's a typical run time on a battery tool like a string trimmer? Presently, all I have in that type of tool is the HF Lynx pole saw...battery seems to last quite a while on a charge, but it's only running intermittently unlike a string trimmer/weed wacker which would be running longer periods of time.

I can see how a small (14" or so) battery chain saw would be very nice to have in my work truck as long as they're up to the task. Not something I need a lot, certainly not enough to dick around with having gas with me, but when you need one you need one.

We have one of the Kobalt 80 volt weed eaters which can use Quick Change attachments. It will keep up with our Stihl FS 110 for about one tank of gas on a battery charge when trimming fence lines.
I put a pole saw attachment on it last year (a Ryobi that I got cheap at a yard sale) and was able to limb out a 60ish foot tall maple tree, cutting off anything that was 4" or smaller to drag off to the brush pile. I got it all cut off in one battery and I think it still had about two bars left on it.
We also have an Oregon 14" electric chainsaw and have been happy with that for smaller oddball work, but the 16" Stihl gas saw that my father in law has will outlast the electric saw.

Aaron Z

 

[dragoneggs]

I have a fair amount of grass on a hill that I cannot mow in fact much of it I can barely stand and move around on. As such, I let it get pretty long between mowings.

I’m going to start with two AP 300 batteries and the best/fastest charger. Hope that is enough run time.

 

[dragoneggs]

Really don’t want to invest in a backpack setup as all the other tool run times I think are livable for me. Blower concerns me a bit but I don’t have too much area I do at one time.

 

[Professor Marvel]

2 ap300s should be plenty. if not they have plenty more at the store. if you get the backpack setup you are complicating everything you do. instead of just grabbing your equipment and going you have to hook up and wear the battery backpack stuff. you might as well go back to gas at that point. Blower time will likely be a disappointment. they use a lot of battery

 

[Wagtail]

I have a fair amount of grass on a hill that I cannot mow in fact much of it I can barely stand and move around on. As such, I let it get pretty long between mowings.

I’m going to start with two AP 300 batteries and the best/fastest charger. Hope that is enough run time.

Crikey! I just Googled an AP 300 battery (took me to the Aussie Stihl site) A$269.00 each!

The specs say that it's a 6Ah, plus a lot of other whiz-bang numbers. The Ah is what I'm mostly interested in, after the brand-name/reputation. Darn near everything that I see advertised, that is battery powered, is sold as a 'skin'. The battery (the price of which rises with the Ah rating) is ubiquitous to these 'skins'... but only to that brand-name?

For example, would a Makita hammer-drill's 18V 6Ah battery fit a Ryobi? If you're going to purchase new battery powered tools do you have to buy a fleet from the same manufacturer IOT have the interchangeability of a power source?

Otherwise you end up with several different batteries (and chargers) for several different tools.

 

[Professor Marvel]

You are correct
There is very little interchangeability between brands
And on top of that brand x might have made equipment running on 18 volts for 5 years but their new stuff suddenly uses new 20 volt batteries or an 18 volt battery that is slightly different and wont fit
Crikey is right