Cordless Electric Weed Eaters?

[charby]

I'm in the market for a grass trimmer, I'm considering going to a cordless electric one because I don't have much to trim (300 linear feet) and I don't need another gas can of some variant of 2 cycle gas in my garage.

Anyone have any experiences with some of the Black and Decker or Weed Eater models?

[wmenorr67]

I don't, but if you already have 2 cycle oil/gas mixture you should be ok.  Most of them use the same ration I believe.

[K Frame]

Go with a corded Toro electric.

I've used the cordless units and I have not been particularly impressed.

[charby]

Go with a corded Toro electric.

I've used the cordless units and I have not been particularly impressed.

My docimile has a problem, few exterior outlets. I'd add more but its a rental, that will change if my landlord makes me an acceptable offer to purchase the place.

I did put a bid on a Stihl gas trimmer on Ebay that is located 30 miles from me, I might stick with gas powered.

[K Frame]

I stretch a cord through a window because I don't have any outlets in the front of my house. I keep telling myself I'm going to put one in, but never do.

[Ex-MA Hole]

Mike, How old is your Toro?  How do you like it?

I have a fair amount of land, but an STRONGLY thinking of going the electric route....my current one is 4-5 years old and spewing oil....I can run extension cords easily, and can save a ton of time going that route.  Also, starting my gas one REALLY messes up my back...

[Boomhauer]

Gas powered weedeaters suck ass. You have to work on the damn thing for several hours before you can use it, and they are heavy.

We've got a couple of Black and Decker electric weedeaters with cords. It's a bit of a hassel dealing with extension cords, but beats working on the two cycle engine. I'm done w/ my weedeating in an hour. At $40-50 apiece for the electrics, it's a lot cheaper. Plus, no maintenance. Just replace the trimmer line, and hook your extension cord up to it.

[Manedwolf]

I hate two-cycle engines. They're like a masochistic device for people who want to be abused by the recalcitrance of a buzzy, vibrating little engine that refuses to cooperate no matter how carefully you balance the ratio of gas to oil.

[K Frame]

My new Toro is about 2 years old.

I had a REALLY cheap Toro that I got when I moved into the house in 1993. It worked great for years, but the housing finally cracked from my slapping it on the ground to advance the string (I tend to do it way too hard).

Yes, I like this one a lot. Not sure what model it is, but it's more mid line rather than entry level. It has better balance than the old one.


My parents have a Stihl gas string trimmer. It's about 6 years old now and for the first 4 years or so was used quite heavily.

It's EXTREMELY easy to start, is extremely well balanced, and has good power.

Were I to get a gas model, I'd go with a Stihl.

[mtnbkr]

Gas weedeaters have their place, such as slopes you can't use a mower of any kind on or spots that are too small for a mower.  Many such places are too far from an electrical outlet.  I never had a problem with the gas weedeaters we used at Parks and Rec back in the day.  Always started with a pull or two and ran all day. 

I use electric at home though because a 50ft cord will reach everywhere I need to go and I already use an electric mower, so it made sense to stick with that class of device. 

Chris

[K Frame]

If I had to mow my lawn (front is mown by HOA, back I do with the weed eater because it's so small) I'd have an electric mower, too.

Trying to store the gas and oil in a townhouse is a pain in the butt.

[Manedwolf]

If I had to mow my lawn (front is mown by HOA, back I do with the weed eater because it's so small) I'd have an electric mower, too.

Trying to store the gas and oil in a townhouse is a pain in the butt.

Small patio box works well for that. I'd never store gas indoors.

I live in a townhouse thing, and the detached carport, beside the shelf I put in it, has a locking, vented patio box that contains explodey stuff like two 5gal (empty) self-venting fuel cans to be filled if there's ever a gasoline supply problem, as well as orange dryboxes of camping propane cylinders for the emergency catalytic heater. I don't want that stuff in the house.

[K Frame]

I store the gasoline right next to my gunpowder, primers, and a nice big pile of oily rags.

[Ex-MA Hole]

The distance that I would use it for is pretty far from an outlet...the problem is, I only do it 3-4 times a season, and the gas one keeps getting gummed up from lack of use...I think (especially due to price) I will go that route and buy a long extension cord.

[mtnbkr]

If going the long cord route, don't forget to bump up the size of said cord to compensate for the length.  There are guidelines for wiregauge, length, and draw, but I don't recall offhand what they are.

Chris

[K Frame]

Have you tried using Sta-Bil in the gas?

I mix the gas, oil, and Sta-Bil in a large jug. When I'm done using the trimmer or other device, I empty the unused gas back into the jug.

[Tallpine]

My Stihl is quiet and very little vibration.  Starts easy.

It's one of the heavy duty ones with the handlebars and a shoulder strap.  I can put a round steel blade on it for cutting trees up to about 2" diameter.

[Marnoot]

I recently purchased a Stihl FS 45 (Consumer Reports best buy), one of their smaller units, from a local dealer. I'm very happy with it. Starts easy and little to no vibration, like Tallpine's.

[Boomhauer]

One more thing I should mention is that the Black and Deckers have automatic line advance. So you don't have to bump the head to get more line.

It only works with round cord though, not the styles that have ridges and such.

[MechAg94]

I have a little Troy Built (I think) weed eater with a 2-cycle engine.  I will never go back to an electric unless I move back into a town home.  The 2 cycle engine is much, much more powerful than any electric I have ever used.  It can be tricky to start sometimes, but I am the world's worst at flooding engines and it doesn't give me much trouble.  It is a bit heavy than most electrics, but I get through my weed eating faster due to the better power.  The main thing to me is you need to use the heavier cord to avoid tearing through it too fast. 

I tried a battery driven electric and it is weak IMO.  The rpms degrade once the battery is off full charge and struggles to cut normal size/thickness grass.  It couldn't hardly handle weeds at all.  It might work for some people, but not for me.

[Leatherneck]

I had an entry-level McCulloch that simply would not die. The throttle cable was frozen, the carb was dirty and leaked air, the head would overheat, etc etc, but it would not die, even after 20 years. I finally pitched it this year and bought a mid-line Stihl: what a great machine! Well engineered, well-made, and almost a joy to use. I hate corded yard appliances.

TC

[Ex-MA Hole]

The problem that I have is that my back is shot....starting the little buggers REALLY messes me up...last year there were a couple of times that by the time I got the damn thing going, my legs was numb....

[Tallpine]

Just get a Stihl! 

[Brad Johnson]

I have a Black & Decker Grass Hog (corded).  I'm not exactly thrilled with the auto-feed mechanism - it seems to have a mind of it's own at times.  But the unit itself is a torquey rascal.  So much, in fact, I had to consciously not shove it into corners and under fences like my old one lest it grab on and try to twist out of my hands.  The excellent torque and .080 string has it knocking the heck out of the biggest weeds I will ever see on my place.

I use a 100' cord rolled onto a spool.  Plugged into the outlet on my front porch I can reach all the way to the fence on both sides of my house.  Same goes for out back.  What little I have to dance with the cord is a small price to pay for not having to service the stupid thing every time I want to use it.  The spool makes it a snap to roll up the cord.  I can have the whole thing rolled and ready to hang in ten or fifteen seconds.

Brad

[K Frame]

The one thing I really like about this new Toro is the cord keeper. Gone are the days of the dangling pigtail that would unplug every 15 seconds, forcing you to either duct tape the ends together or get really inventive.