Went from hating string trimmers to loving the battery powered one in my backyard

For years I swore by gas trimmers, thought they had all the power I needed and figured battery stuff was just for folks with tiny lawns. Then my neighbor let me borrow his Ryobi 40v trimmer last spring after mine broke mid-job in the side yard. I ran it for 20 minutes along my fence line and the fence runs about 150 feet total and it handled the overgrown grass and weeds without bogging down once. Didn't have to mess with mixing oil or yanking a cord 15 times either. What really sold me was how quiet it ran, I could actually hear my kid playing while I worked and not feel like I was disturbing the whole block. I switched over in April and now I've got the same brand's blower too, trim full yard on one charge easy. Anyone else make the jump from gas to battery and find it works better than you expected?

3 comments

3 Comments

wadejenkins16d ago

Oh man, that's exactly how it went for me too. I had a gas trimmer for like 8 years and thought I'd never switch. Then my brother in law handed me his DeWalt 60v after I complained about pulling my cord forever and it started on the first button press. I was shocked at how it didn't stall in the thick stuff along my fence line. Biggest thing for me is I can just grab it and go without thinking about fuel or ear plugs or anything. Only heads up I'd give is to keep the battery inside during winter if you live somewhere cold, I killed a couple batteries leaving them in the garage. But overall, yeah, battery has been way easier than I ever expected.

barbaradavis16d ago

8 years with a gas trimmer? Man I would have given up way sooner than that. Those things are such a pain to start.

craig.olivia16d ago

Battery life in the thick stuff gets me wondering - how does it handle when the grass is wet from dew or a light rain? My old gas trimmer would just bog down and stall if I tried tackling damp weeds too early in the morning. Is the DeWalt still a one-press start in less than perfect conditions?