So I didn't think much about cordless garden tools until a recent weekend helping my sisters clean up my moms 1 acre yard.

I have always been a Stihl 2 cycle guy myself, but I didn't drive so I couldn't bring any of my gear. I had a Ryobi rechargeable trimmer someone gave me years ago...piece of crap.

However, one sister had the Cobalt 80v chainsaw and line trimmer. The other had a 60V Greenworks hedger.

These things ran like champs. The chainsaw was really powerful...I was pretty impressed. And the hedger was super strong. The string trimmer was one of those modular deals where you can put different attachments on the end..in this case it had a Husqvarna trimmer attachment as my sister liked it better (had no idea they were interchangeable between vendors).

Also, they took the same batteries...Kobalt tools all used the same battery, and the Greenworks all used their own same battery so you needed only a few batteries (2-3 max) for a slew of tools (you can only use one at a time, right?)

Does anyone have person experience with these (or other types...Stihl has a 36 volt system with multiple battery form factors and sees..seems less than modular)? I am thinking of getting at least a chainsaw and maybe a hedger come Black Friday/Holiday season.

Thanks

Jim

I just bought a 60v Black&Decker string trimmer only because I had a emergency to deal with and was slightly curious as to how a battery powered trimmer would hold up.
I only used it for a few minutes today-but thought it had plenty of power. It does have a thinner cord than my gas units.
Time will tell. It sure would be nice to NOT have to deal with small 2 cycle engines.

I picked up the Milwaukee 18V fuel series hedge trimmer, string trimmer and blower this summer. I have been happy with their performance so far and am looking forward to their chainsaw.

I am happy with my Stihl 510 mower. Its battery works in a trimmer (which is on back order) a chainsaw blower and more. I am happy with the blower and assume I will be happy with the trimmer when it arrives.

I should be able to mow, trim and blow off the driveway with a single battery on a single charge.

I only wish they made a snow blower and a 20" bar chainsaw. If they did I would no longer need any gas powered yard tools.

I have three Kobalt tools, 40 volt version. I got the pole saw 1st, liked it so much that I picked up a string trimmer and a leaf blower. I doubt I will ever buy a gas powered or corded version again. I think they are great for most homeowners. The pole saw is outstanding, no problems going thru a 4-5 inch limb.

I have the 80v Kobalt string trimmer and blower. LOVE THEM! They are so much easier to use then the gas powered equivalents. This was my second season with them both. The string trimmer has plenty of power even on low for all my needs. The multiple speed settings on the blower cover a wide range of needs from blowing grass clippings off the driveway on high to blow-sweeping the garage on low. I also love how quiet they are.

I have the Milwaukee M18 Trimmer. I did quite a bit of research and picked it because it uses the same battery and charging system as their entire M18 line, which is quite extensive. I love it. Press the trigger and go. It has plenty of power, certainly more than any of the two stroke trimmers I've used. I can't comment on battery life, as the 1/4 acre and 3/4 acre yards I mow and trim don't even use a notch on the battery indicator. I believe I could a few months of trimming out of one charge on my small yard if I didn't use the battery for other tools.

The new versions out have plenty of power and capacity for small yards. Even my brothers black and decker turd set did the job with a few batteries. Mine is a .3 acre.

Can't answer the question, but I will post an observation: I've grown weary of batteries aging and dying, and finding it's cheaper to replace the tool than get new battery packs. (Nevermind the battery packs often being un-rebuildable.) I abhor waste, you see. So now, other than drill/driver motors, I'm inclined to stick with corded electric, air or gasoline.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Can't answer the question, but I will post an observation: I've grown weary of batteries aging and dying, and finding it's cheaper to replace the tool than get new battery packs. (Nevermind the battery packs often being un-rebuildable.) I abhor waste, you see. So now, other than drill/driver motors, I'm inclined to stick with corded electric, air or gasoline.

The new lithium ion batteries last a lot longer than the old nicads. But if you have 3+ tools that use the same battery, it's not so painful to buy a new battery or two every 4-5 years.

I'm with you in the 2 cycle camp, which is what I have, echo stuff, but I have a lot more trees and hedges than you'd normally use electric or battery for. But if I had a lot less I'd go with battery stuff.

I had a corded hedge trimmer.....after cutting off a few cords, I did away with that thing real quick...... you always seem to cut the cord in half near the middle of it.....LOL.....I got an echo articulating pole hedge trimmer and never looked back.

I remember all of them being cordless.

I have the E-Go blower and Edger/trimmer, both are great, no more mixing fuel or long extension cords, the batteries are fast charging and one battery is enough for me to edge the whole yard, street, drive, front and back AND run the blower to clear garage, driveway and down the street in front of the house.

E-Gos blower puts out a ton of air and moves dirt, leaves, clippings easy.

Neighbor has the trimmer haven't tried it yet but it's very well made. I won't go back to 2 stroke, got rid of the trimmer/edger and other 2 stroke tools, no mixing fuels, no heat, noise etc...

How is vibration on these, compared to 2 stroke?

quote:

Originally posted by Archie Teuthis:
How is vibration on these, compared to 2 stroke?

non existent.... and they seem work faster, (or I work faster with them LOL) I get the yard done in less time and there is no noise from the 2 stroke or smell or dealing with keeping mixed fuel.

They have come a long way from the old electric trimmers.

quote:

Originally posted by Archie Teuthis:
How is vibration on these, compared to 2 stroke?

My M18 is significantly lower. I have never experienced that weak, shaky arm feeling you sometimes get from extended use of a two stroke with the electric.

I had the same dilemma earlier this year when I needed a new chainsaw.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...280085024#4280085024

I ended up going with the Dewalt 40 volt chainsaw. I have since added the matching string trimmer. I couldn't be happier; they are both great performers.

Here is my final post from the original discussion if you don't want to go through it all.

quote:

Originally posted by RichN:
I was finally able to try it out yesterday.

I started with this. My brother in law had done this a couple of months ago just so I could repair the fence.



About a half hour and a dead battery later I had accomplished this.



This was a total of 22 cuts in some sort of hardwood. I don't know the specific type of tree.
I didn't measure the diameter of the tree, but based on the relationship to the chainsaw bar, I would say it ranged from 7 to 11 inches.



Bottom line:
It had plenty of power and cut quickly through the tree.
Would I have liked a little more battery life? Sure, so I may look at a weed wacker that takes the same battery in the future.
If I had it to do over again would I go back to gas? No, I would not. I see this doing everything I need it to do.
As I said in my initial post, I only expect to use it a few times a year, and the quiet, cleanliness and convenience of this offset the limited cutting time for me.

Didn’t we have a thread like this recently?

In any case, a couple of years back I discovered my wife had purchased a LiIon chainsaw for about $125(IIRC) including a spare battery.

I bitched and moaned about how it was a waste of money, no battery powered tool could work as a chainsaw, and anyhow I had a perfectly good Husquavarna Rancher in the garage (that I never used because it’s a PITA, but I digress).

ANYhow... that damn little battery powered chainsaw with the little bar turned out to be a great little tool for small things around the yard. It’s light, it’s quiet, it doesn’t vibrate.

No, I can’t cut down big trees with it or saw up trees into firewood. But to cut a pesky limb, chop off a 4” in diameter sapling, or do general yard cleanup... It’s great.

It weighs next to nothing. I can hold it one handed (carefully!). The chain got jammed sawing through a branch overhead, at a bad angle, a while back. I popped out the battery... the saw now weighed so little I could easily grab it and manipulate it out of its jam.

Yah... the wife was right.

I love my EGO Trimmer and Leaf blower. I got the trimmer after the carb in my Stihl trimmer crapped out on me after 1.5 seasons (I got it brand new). I was tired of dealing mixing and storing and all that. It has been really great. The blower also works very well. I have several batteries and they fully charge in less than 30 minutes, so I pretty much have an endless supply of power. I plan to get the hedge trimmer next.

I've used the dewalt flexvolt series trimmer, chainsaw, blower, etc...

Really good, no complaints at all.