2 Sweet Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Looking to buy an electric trimmer to get my yard under control. I impulsively bought a Ryobi the other day, and it's very poorly designed. It has an "auto line feed" feature that feeds line every time you push the trigger on or off, regardless if you need more line or not. To make matters worse, the cut off blade on the guard is weak as shit and basically just beats the hell out of the line, so it keeps getting longer to the point where it tries to wrap itself around the motor. I should have read the reviews first, lesson learned. Here's what I want: Electric, decent battery life Doesn't go through spools like crazy Under $150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky31186 Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Are you sure its spooled up right? If not wound right they will just release all the string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted July 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Are you sure its spooled up right? If not wound right they will just release all the string. Yep, I checked it and it looked like everything was fine. So I read the reviews and a ton of others were saying the same thing, I even went back and read the owner's manual, it releases a 1/2" of line every time the trigger is released, completely by design. I returned it to Depot so it's gone anyway. Looking for a better option for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTQ B4U Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 I have a cordless Toro that is like 18v IIRC and it works great. Line is manually fed but it rarely breaks. Rotates to edge along sidewalks. Can't recall the price but it's awesome and the charge lasts me two full uses which is a lot given how much I have to edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustlestiltskin Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Recommendations: Buy a nice gas powered Stihl and be done with it. Electric weed eaters lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stretch Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Bought a Black and Decker for $70 from walmart and it's been flawless. Battery lasts about 30-35 minutes on a charge but I have a small yard so it's more than I need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbs3000 Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Why not just change the head on the ryobi. The ryobi 18v battery sets are great and so many nice tools that fit it. I switched to lines you clip in last year and will never look back to the spooling crap. Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted July 4, 2016 Report Share Posted July 4, 2016 Why only electric? I have a GAS Echo pro attachment series ( comes with attachments) I have the weed wacker, the edger, and the brush cutter. Not a single issue and i have been using it every time i mow for the last 2 seasons. Very easy to start, strong and good power, and feels very stable. I have this set up.http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-17-in-21-2-cc-Gas-PAS-Trimmer-and-Edger-Kit-PAS-225VP/202064228 But looks to be the comparable model that doesnt have the attachments is here for 150$ http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-2-Cycle-21-2-cc-Curved-Shaft-Gas-Trimmer-GT-225/100662017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojoe Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 (edited) The ECHO PAS 225 is close to appealing for the suburban home. I worry about the attachment option. Seems like a weak point in the near future. The other one Paul linked is curved shaft. No one makes a good curved shaft. Chances are, the Ryobi is fine and does what you need. As someone suggested, have you looked into changing out the head? I have this for my old trimmer and is was great. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rino-Tuff-Pivotrim-Universal-Trimmer-Head-17093/206470721 That will probably fix your frustration. Very easy to work with. Edited July 5, 2016 by Mojoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 I have a black and decker 20v i really like for general trimming and edging. Lights, works well. Only downside is i cant find a string to rewind it with that wont continuously feed, so i buy the expensive prewound cartridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furloaf Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 Bought the cheapest Black & Decker cordless to do my mom's small yard 2 years ago. Like others mentioned, it has been flawless other than It's supposed to have an auto-feed but I have to manually pull the string out. No big deal, would rather it the auto-feed not work at all than work wrongly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey2721 Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 Recommendations: Buy a nice gas powered Stihl and be done with it. Electric weed eaters lol quoted for truth and plus one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88lx5oh Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 Stihl or Echo and be done with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 The ECHO PAS 225 is close to appealing for the suburban home. I worry about the attachment option. Seems like a weak point in the near future. The other one Paul linked is curved shaft. No one makes a good curved shaft. Chances are, the Ryobi is fine and does what you need. As someone suggested, have you looked into changing out the head? I have this for my old trimmer and is was great. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rino-Tuff-Pivotrim-Universal-Trimmer-Head-17093/206470721 That will probably fix your frustration. Very easy to work with. I was a little weary at first too, but after using the brush cutter option which has to spool up to a good rpm, and as you slice through it really drops down in rpm, I thought for sure it was there was no way it was going to last but the thing just kept on cutting away like butter. Cut down a easy 100 foot long by 15 feet deep by 10 feet high of brush. As far as swapping out the attachments takes 10 seconds and I change out the attachments every time I use them( wacker part, then edger part) and I have seen zero wear from swapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grudes Posted July 5, 2016 Report Share Posted July 5, 2016 Stihl makes a great Electric weed eater and of course gas too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suprafiedd Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 Echo or Stihl and be done with it. Straight shaft only. SRM-230 here (Echo) and has worked flawless for the last 9 yrs. DP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Second Gen Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 Been using a B&D 40V Lithium ion for about two years (1/2 acre lot too). Auto feed works well and like not messing with mixing fuel. LST136 Get an extra battery too (Hot spare and helps when you forget to charge). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstmg8 Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 If you're really interested in electric, I just saw a worx combo at Lowes on clearance for $99. Weed trimmer/edger/blower/2 batteries. Use it for 2-3 years, throw away, money ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Alex- Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 If you're really interested in electric, I just saw a worx combo at Lowes on clearance for $99. Weed trimmer/edger/blower/2 batteries. Use it for 2-3 years, throw away, money ahead. I bought a Worx trimmer 7 years ago and the battery just crapped out Tuesday night. I'm planning on replacing it with another, probably this combo from Lowe's. I don't need the blower, but the extra battery is well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbs3000 Posted July 7, 2016 Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 Don't you work at Lowes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted July 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2016 Don't you work at Lowes? Not since January Thanks for the replies everyone. Lots of good stuff in here, I appreciate the feedback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everlight44 Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 I have a black and decker electric string trimmer that I used for awhile at my old half acre lot. It would trim grass on the whole thing on one charge as long as I was running it on medium speed. If you plan on hitting anything other than grass I would go gas over electric... a lot more power, but at the cost of having to use gas and pull start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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