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Lawn/Weed trimmer. Which one?
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Posted by: NatasNJ

Well I am looking for a a weed & edge trimmer for my lawn. I seem to have grass up against my flower beds that my lawn mower won't reach. So I need a nice trimmer & if possible a nice edger. Not sure if you should get a combo unit or a single unit for each job.

So far this is what I am looking at. B&D EDGER

Any suggestions? Thoughts? Comments?

Posted by: Gromit

I have the Ryobi, but I can't remember the model number. It's gas powered and you buy attachments. I have the trimmer, edger and blower.

No complaints. I hate electric trimmers. I can't stand dealing with the cord.

Posted by: Scott Stevens

I got a gas-powered Homelite tool from home depot. Homelite is made by the same company that makes John Deere lawn tools. The motor unit can connect to a trimmer, edger, blower, tiller, etc. I have the trimmer and edger and they work very well. It's hard to imagine the tiller being powerful enough to do much, but I might try out the blower attachment.

Posted by: retrodog

I also looked quite a bit at the Homelite models that Scott is talking about. They look pretty good, especially if you want gas-powered.

Posted by: doom1701

I've got the same model that Scott refers to. BTW, this model is sold under a few names, including Deere, Homelite, and Ryobi. So all of us actually have the same trimmer. :)

Natas, unless you've got any specific reasons to go electric (noise, weight, etc.), try to go gas. I used an electric trimmer growing up (both battery and corded), and now that I have a gas trimmer, I won't go back. Batteries never last long enough, and having a cord is just aweful.

I haven't yet bought any of the attachments for mine yet, but I'm looking at the tiller and the edger.

Posted by: Xaa

Add me to the list. I have the Ryobi with the trimmer, edger, and blower/sucker attachements. Works great. Get that Nate.

Xaa

Posted by: The Bird

I've had the Grass hog for 2 years (cordless model) and if it were to break I'd get another one. The automatic feed works flawlessly and its much easier for me to control than any gas powered units I've tried. As for edging I've don't know since I only use mine for trimming.

Posted by: TiVo'Brien

Me I like my cordless rechargeable weed eater, but I've got a dinky yard and so it lasts a charge no problem. Love the no gas, (which goes along with my cordless rechargeable lawn mower!) and love the no cord. I'll never pull another cord, buy anymore gasoline, or suffer through the smell or noise. (Growing up, I cut an acre-and-a-half of thick Florida Bahia grass every week. I believe I might have the TC grass cutting record.)

My friend recommends the multi-attachment gas-powered kind, though. He has it and says it's the greatest thing. All of his neighbors liked his so much, they ended up switching when their old one died.

Posted by: sbourgeo

I also have the Ryobi gas-powered model that accepts multiple attachments. It works well and was relatively inexpensive ( < $100 ).

I wish I had spent the extra $$$ for one with a 4-cycle engine though. They're quieter and less smoky, and you don't have to bother adding 2-cycle engine oil to your gas.

Steve

Posted by: Francesco

I've owned two in the past four years; they are becoming "disposable" to me, like inkjet printers. I got a Homelite at Costco for around $60 on sale (terrific price for a gas trimmer). Worked fine that summer, but after storing for the winter, it wouldn't start. No time to tinker with it, I took it to a local small-engines guy. He said, "Don't let it sit in the garage all winter," and presented me with an estimate for $135 to repair it!

So I went out and got a Ryobi at Home Depot for $65. Started it up every two weeks in the winter, and it lasted me 2 1/2 seasons before the crank broke.

In the market for a third one now, possibly looking at a pro model with a beefier engine for around $200, but am leary...

Posted by: Scott Stevens

quote:
Originally posted by Xaa
Add me to the list. I have the Ryobi with the trimmer, edger, and blower/sucker attachements. Works great. Get that Nate.

Xaa

The blower really does work pretty well? I was looking at a seperate gas blower, but for $40 the attachment would seem much simpler. I've got an electric blower now, and I hate unrolling the 100' of extension cord all the time.

We've got a lot of clay in our soil, and I just couldn't imagine the tiller being able to crank through it.

Posted by: bigray327

quote:
Originally posted by sbourgeo
I wish I had spent the extra $$$ for one with a 4-cycle engine though. They're quieter and less smoky, and you don't have to bother adding 2-cycle engine oil to your gas.

I have the 4 stroke model and it's definitely quieter and less smoky. I'd recommend it, but be aware that if you ever need it repaired, you can count on a loooong wait because Ryobi is bad about sending out replacement parts. I threw a rod on mine (even though it had plenty of oil) and I ended up fixing it myself because it sat in the shop for six months. Luckily, replacement parts can be found cheaply online.

quote:
Originally posted by doom1701
I haven't yet bought any of the attachments for mine yet, but I'm looking at the tiller and the edger.

The tiller absolutely rocks. It goes through the clay here very well. Be prepared to dig straight to China if you stand still with that thing. :) My personal favorite, however, is the pruner. That's a hot knife through butter, baby.

All JMHO. YMMV.

Posted by: CyberGlitch

I've recently purchased a cordless recharghable at Lowes. I believe it's a black and decker and for $50 can't beat that price. I only use it for trimming and do not have a very large yard (1/3 acre). I can just finish my whole yard before the battery starts to die out, which is fine for me. Between that and my RoboMower , no more gas, oil or anything to worry about. All I have to do is the trimming and the mower does the rest.

Posted by: NatasNJ

Black & Decker CST2000 12-Volt Cordless Grass Hog 12" Trimmer/Edger with Auto Feed Spool (AFS) Sounds nice.

So here is some questions. By cordless does that just mean recharable battery? I have a fairly small section where I would be using it. I am assuming it would take me MAX 5 minutes to edge everything. And that is a SUPER high estimate. I could probably get what I really need it for in a minute. So gas seems like overkill and more work than I want to deal with. The thought of a cord seems like a small pain but definetly doable for me. I have power in the areas I plan to use this wacker. My only concern is trimmer capabilty and ease of string feed.

Thanks so much for the help. ABout to bite the bullet this afternoon on one.

Posted by: TiVo'Brien

Natas, it'll be perfect for what you need. For grass, it's terrific. I wouldn't try to use it on heavy (or even light) brush, though. It's just meant for grass.

The edger feature works decently, too, as a maintenance tool. If your beds and sidewalks are overgrown, though, you might have to borrow a real edger to make the cuts.

Edit: String feed is automatic and it works fine. No problems with string feed at all.

Posted by: Xaa

quote:
Originally posted by Scott Stevens
The blower really does work pretty well? I was looking at a seperate gas blower, but for $40 the attachment would seem much simpler. I've got an electric blower now, and I hate unrolling the 100' of extension cord all the time.

We've got a lot of clay in our soil, and I just couldn't imagine the tiller being able to crank through it.

I like it Scott and never use my old gas blower anymore. it's a combo blower and sucker. The sucker works really well also for picking up piles of debris. get it.

Xaa

Posted by: NatasNJ

Just order the CST2000 from Amazon.com. Under $100 with a replacement spool. Hope it works well. :)

Thanks for all the help.

Posted by: retrodog

quote:
Originally posted by NatasNJ
Black & Decker CST2000 12-Volt Cordless Grass Hog 12" Trimmer/Edger with Auto Feed Spool (AFS) Sounds nice.

So here is some questions. By cordless does that just mean recharable battery? I have a fairly small section where I would be using it. I am assuming it would take me MAX 5 minutes to edge everything. And that is a SUPER high estimate. I could probably get what I really need it for in a minute. So gas seems like overkill and more work than I want to deal with. The thought of a cord seems like a small pain but definetly doable for me. I have power in the areas I plan to use this wacker. My only concern is trimmer capabilty and ease of string feed.

Thanks so much for the help. ABout to bite the bullet this afternoon on one.

For that little of a yard I'd just get a nice corded electric one. Those are cheap and it doesn't sound like you need a lot of electrical cord stretching.

When I first moved into my house (about 10 years ago) I already had a McCuloch (sp) gas powered weed eater with straight shaft and blade attacthment. I was using the string trimmer and was feeling like Tim Allen cause that thing would cut through even the toughest weeds. I kept wondering why anyone would use one of those wimpy little electric ones when this power was so readily available. Then I was trimming around a tree and made the mistake of dipping down a little too low while at full throttle. The thing completely scalped the surface of the ground. It took a week for the grass to grow back up there from the roots. I guess I figured out why the lower power ones are a good idea sometimes. ;)

Posted by: doom1701

quote:
Originally posted by bigray327
The tiller absolutely rocks. It goes through the clay here very well. Be prepared to dig straight to China if you stand still with that thing. :) My personal favorite, however, is the pruner. That's a hot knife through butter, baby.

That's all the UMF I need. I've been putting off buying the tiller for months (wanted to do it last summer, but never did). We've got a lot of outdoor projects this summer, though, so I think the time has come.

Posted by: sbourgeo

quote:
Originally posted by doom1701
That's all the UMF I need. I've been putting off buying the tiller for months (wanted to do it last summer, but never did). We've got a lot of outdoor projects this summer, though, so I think the time has come.

Do they sell the tiller attachment at a retail store (Home Depot, etc)??

Posted by: doom1701

quote:
Originally posted by sbourgeo
Do they sell the tiller attachment at a retail store (Home Depot, etc)??

All the above. Home Depot carries the John Deere branded tiller (they used to carry the Homelite one, but JD is actually phasing out the Homelite brand, and going JD all the way around), and Menards carries the Ryobi branded one. I'm sure Lowes carries one of some brand. Menards seems to have it the cheapest.

Posted by: sbourgeo

quote:
Originally posted by doom1701
All the above. Home Depot carries the John Deere branded tiller (they used to carry the Homelite one, but JD is actually phasing out the Homelite brand, and going JD all the way around), and Menards carries the Ryobi branded one. I'm sure Lowes carries one of some brand. Menards seems to have it the cheapest.

Bummer... I would need the Ryobi one and Menards doesn't have an east-coast presence.

Steve

Posted by: Scott Stevens

quote:
Originally posted by sbourgeo
Bummer... I would need the Ryobi one and Menards doesn't have an east-coast presence.

Steve

They are interchangeable - the JD or Homelite or Ryobi will fit on each other's power units.

Posted by: sbourgeo

quote:
Originally posted by Scott Stevens
They are interchangeable - the JD or Homelite or Ryobi will fit on each other's power units.

Ah, cool... I thought that the Sears attachments looked the same, so it makes sense.

Steve

Posted by: doom1701

quote:
Originally posted by sbourgeo
Ah, cool... I thought that the Sears attachments looked the same, so it makes sense.

Steve

It could very well be the same; I'm planning on getting the Ryobi, since it's cheaper, even though I have the Homelite trimmer.