Going cordless........

[slim_boy_fat]

I've decided to get shot of my 2 x petrol strimmers [don't ask] and get a cordless one to do the grass edges, round clothes poles etc.. One already sold along with a 'Little Ben' clock, so just got to replace the fuel pipes on the other and stick it on Gumtree to get rid.

Anyway, I'm thinking about getting one of these B & D ones which seems like a decent deal and wondered if any of the Collective have battery strimmer(s) and if so, what you've got and what your impressions, suggestions etc would be?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-De...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

There's also a Mountfield one, but more pricey by the time you add in the battery & charger to the bare unit....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOUNTFIE...MER/172991583787?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

Someone locally is selling a Mountfield mower + strimmer + charger + battery for asking price of £200 on F/book, but it's 3-years old so probably needing a new battery at £50 at least. Might message them to see if they're open to offers......

Anyone got any experience of cordless [other than drills etc]? I don't have a huge expanse of grass to keep and am leaning towards the B & D, simply because it'll have a warranty.

All input appreciated as always......

 

[Ruffian]

DeWalt do one at screwfix and was on special at £200 and uses the 18v xr battery'.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Dewalt all the way. Was lucky with mine.
89 notes bare from ffx bit they sent it with a 5ah battery and charger.
Hmmm.
Price hike.
Really did get a good deal.
https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product...ess-String-Trimmer-With-Split-Shaft-Bare-Unit

 

[cumbriasteve]

I had a G-tech which was supposed to be quality kit, was not impressed with the battery life or power during cutting, the plastic blades broke too easily, went back to an electric Qualcast.

It looked smart though

 

[angellonewolf]

It looked smart though

i look good but im still no good at welding (and am not good looking eather )

 

[postie jon]

sounds like you need to sell 1 and buy a goat.

 

[Jlg]

I had a G-tech which was supposed to be quality kit, was not impressed with the battery life or power during cutting, the plastic blades broke too easily, went back to an electric Qualcast.

It looked smart though

My grandad has one of them it's that good the petrol one is always used

 

[Jlg]

I've decided to get shot of my 2 x petrol strimmers [don't ask] and get a cordless one to do the grass edges, round clothes poles etc.. One already sold along with a 'Little Ben' clock, so just got to replace the fuel pipes on the other and stick it on Gumtree to get rid.

Anyway, I'm thinking about getting one of these B & D ones which seems like a decent deal and wondered if any of the Collective have battery strimmer(s) and if so, what you've got and what your impressions, suggestions etc would be?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-Decker-GLC3630L-36v-Cordless-Telescopic-Grass-Trimmer-300mm-1-x-2ah-Li-i/132496445820?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

There's also a Mountfield one, but more pricey by the time you add in the battery & charger to the bare unit....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOUNTFIE...MER/172991583787?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

Someone locally is selling a Mountfield mower + strimmer + charger + battery for asking price of £200 on F/book, but it's 3-years old so probably needing a new battery at £50 at least. Might message them to see if they're open to offers......

Anyone got any experience of cordless [other than drills etc]? I don't have a huge expanse of grass to keep and am leaning towards the B & D, simply because it'll have a warranty.

All input appreciated as always......

My grandad has a Bosch cordless chainsaw and for what it is it does really good so mabey look at them for strimmer

 

[brewdexta]

I've been using a Stihl battery chainsaw for the last two days as I've a trailer load of old tree to chop up. I'm well impressed, I'll only need the big husky petrol jobbie for less than a quarter of it.

 

[Turbo]

My dad bought a florabest battery strimmer as he's not fit to use the petrol one any more. It has an 18 or 20v battery which will just about do all the gardens on one charge but a 2nd battery would be useful. The first cut of the grass is done with the petrol strimmer as it's too heavy for the cordless but if you cut regularly the cordless is ok.

The head adjusts for angle & swivels around so it can be used for edging too.

The thing that lets it down are the stupid blades that clip onto the head. They hook onto the head & if you hit anything hard like a wall or tree they fly off, never to be seen again. They also wear quite quickly, a blade every 2nd charge. They are an oddball thing too, only available from florabest and expensive, but I managed to eventually find a cheaper source.

So in summary, get one with 2 Li-ion batteries & one that uses commonly available strimmer cord, not blades.

 

[angellonewolf]

i can see the point of cordless if your unable to hold on to a petrol strimmer but im sorry any excuse to own and use a petrol item for me

only thing i got electric is a chain saw as it was given to me and not worth getting rid of but i do buy naw and again a pertol one if i got a bit of work to do over a mates house and then sell it on as i realy have no need for one in my garden

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

i can see the point of cordless if your unable to hold on to a petrol strimmer but im sorry any excuse

Half the weight. No faffing to start.
Wouldnt use one c omercially but for home use there perfect.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

i can see the point of cordless if your unable to hold on to a petrol strimmer but im sorry any excuse to own and use a petrol item for me

Aye, and I would have agreed up until a couple of years ago. Now, with illness and advancing years I can't be a*sed with filling a petrol can when fuelling the car [nearest petrol is 14 miles away....], mixing 2-stroke etc. And it's not as if I'm Capability Brown, I just want the place to look tidy.....

 

[Welderpaul]

Watching the thread with interest, we have a long garden so anything corded is a pain.
We have a petrol mover - a Mountfield (Pleasantly suprised but gets bogged with long grass and stalls). I have a corded Bosch strimmer that is usless and regularly gets thrown in the grass in disgust, so have been looking for a decent strimmer.
Not sure if petrol or cordless is the way to go. Have a new Stihl petrol blower and its quite annoying/loud.
I bought a second hand corded Stihl hedge trimmer and that has been really good - they don't seem to do strimmers other than petrol.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Watching the thread with interest, we have a long garden so anything corded is a pain.
We have a petrol mover - a Mountfield (Pleasantly suprised but gets bogged with long grass and stalls). I have a corded Bosch strimmer that is usless and regularly gets thrown in the grass in disgust, so have been looking for a decent strimmer.
Not sure if petrol or cordless is the way to go. Have a new Stihl petrol blower and its quite annoying/loud.
I bought a second hand corded Stihl hedge trimmer and that has been really good - they don't seem to do strimmers other than petrol.

The dewalt behaves well in 8inch grass and weeds.
Can strim a shortish 15x15m garden on one charge using low speed.

 

[Gwil]

Watching the thread with interest, we have a long garden so anything corded is a pain.
We have a petrol mover - a Mountfield (Pleasantly suprised but gets bogged with long grass and stalls). I have a corded Bosch strimmer that is usless and regularly gets thrown in the grass in disgust, so have been looking for a decent strimmer.
Not sure if petrol or cordless is the way to go. Have a new Stihl petrol blower and its quite annoying/loud.
I bought a second hand corded Stihl hedge trimmer and that has been really good - they don't seem to do strimmers other than petrol.

Yes they do! Stihl FSA85. Swear by Stihl gear- I don't have this one but on past form I'd be confident of the quality. They also do a very neat one handed hedge trimmer thingy.

 

[Welderpaul]

Yes they do! Stihl FSA85. Swear by Stihl gear- I don't have this one but on past form I'd be confident of the quality. They also do a very neat one handed hedge trimmer thingy.

Brill - missed that.

 

[Turbo]

Our petrol strimmer is an old stihl FS80 & I like it. Loads of power, will cut heavy meadow length grass with the blade fitted, nearly as good with decent cord but light enough to use for a few hours without suffering too much.

Try to buy one with cow horn style handles, the ones with the loop handle will murder your back & shoulders and get a proper harness for it. Get a good quality bump feed head & fill it with good quality line. If I remember I'll get the name of the stuff I'm currently using, it's good stuff.

One trick I've tried is to cut off whatever length of line your cutting head takes & soak it in water for a day or 2 before using it. The nylon soaks up the water which makes it less brittle so it lasts a whole lot longer and rarely snaps off at the eyelet. Sounds corny but it really works, especially on old line.

The only downside of any petrol strimmer is that they need regular use. Ours lay unused for a few months with old petrol in it & it took several runs in the ultrasonic bath to get the carb unblocked. If you are storing one drain the tank & run the strimmer until it dies. Ours is also quite fussy about having fresh 2-stroke mix, anything older than 6 weeks it doesn't run well on, if you can even get it started!

 

[wookie]

One trick I've tried is to cut off whatever length of line your cutting head takes & soak it in water for a day or 2 before using it. The nylon soaks up the water which makes it less brittle so it lasts a whole lot longer and rarely snaps off at the eyelet. Sounds corny but it really works, especially on old line.

Never tried that but I can believe it, I remember we had a bad batch of tyraps many years ago when I worked at Leyland Daf, they broke for fun and if you hit them against something hard they shattered into 5 or 6 pieces, they were sent back to the manufacturer for replacement and it turned out they had been made with too little water content.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Try to buy one with cow horn style handles, the ones with the loop handle will murder your back & shoulders and get a proper harness for it.

Used one at the golf course when I worked as a Greenkeeper, but I'm now dealing with a postage stamp in terms of area to be cut, by comparison.

I found the triangular line quite good.