# Battery String Trimmer/Edger vs. Gas



## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

I am in the market for a string trimmer and edger. The battery options intrigue me since I wouldn't need to keep a separate container of pre-mixed gas, and other than charging batteries they seem lower maintenance. My only concern would be if they can handle the amount of edging and trimming I have. I have about 1000' of edging to do, and about 600' of string trimming.

Is this too much for a battery system? I have been looking at the Ego system with the 56 volt 5.0 Ah battery knowing I would want the bigger battery from a power and longevity stance.

With the amount of yard I have should I be looking more at the Echo PAS/Stihl Kombi?


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

You'll be fine with a battery system. At a few thousand linear feet, you're not even remotely close to needing a gas motor. Just pick the cordless manufacturer you like best.

If you're a professional landscaper, have significant acreage, run a string trimmer for hours at a time, or cut heavy overgrown brush over large areas, then a gas motor is an obvious requirement. But for the average suburban homeowner, it's just overkill. If your property isn't large enough for a riding mower, then you probably don't need gas powered lawn tools.

I use the multi-head EGO blade edger, string trimmer, and backpack blower. My property is about the same size as yours. It takes about 15 minutes to finish everything. The smallest EGO 2.5 AH battery can edge my street, driveway, and my neighbor's driveway (the side touching my yard). I then change the head and string trim my entire property. I then install the same battery in the backpack blower to clean up the walkways and pavers. This whole process doesn't even use up the smallest EGO battery, much less the larger 5 AH model.

I hope this helps!


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## Kmartel (Feb 12, 2019)

Love my Milwaukee M18 outdoor equipment. The 9.0 is plenty for what I need it to do. The gas trimmer hangs all the wall. I have 8.5 acres.......


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

Thanks for the feedback. Pricewise the Milwaukee interests me (it seems a bit less than the Ego equipment), but everyone I know of with Ego speaks highly of it, which is selling me.


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## LawnRat (Mar 22, 2019)

Years ago when my back went out and I couldn't use the weedwacker for months I bought an 18v Ryobi that my wife could use (she likes doing it but can't start the gas ones). I only went with the 18v because I have the Ryobi 18v drills and impact drivers and figured I could share batteries if needed. Bad idea. While it did the job just fine (regular trimming) it ate up the batteries making them useless and unable to charge (both 2.5 and 4 amp) $$$. I'm sure the higher volt trimmers are much better, but price out replacement batteries before buying because it's only a matter of time till you need one.

I have an echo trimmer and a Stihl stick edger, and I always had plenty of mixed gas laying around for my 2-stroke boat. But then I bought a new boat with a fuel injected 4 stroke and....

Well, I always wanted to try a 4 stroke trimmer, and I saw one at a yard sale one day. Talked the guy down to $25 and took it home. The following week at another yard sale a guy was selling all the attachments for trimmers: edger, blower, hedge trimmer, reciprocating pruning saw and pole chainsaw with extensions. Some I already had, but I ending up buying all of them in like new shape for $30.

I really like the 4 stroke trimmer. No more mixing gas. No more high RPM whiney egg-beater noise. No more finicky idle. It purrs at idle, and you only need to pull the trigger a little bit and it will do most of the job without ever having to rev it, tons of low end torque. It sounds like a grunty dirt bike but the neighbors 5 blocks away won't hear it like they would a reving 2-stroke. The only downside I see (besides a bit more weight) is it doesn't like to be turned on it's side for more than 5 seconds at a time or she'll belch some smoke. The better ones $$ can be turned on their side, and that will be my next purchase when this eventually dies. Mine is just a cheapo Ryobi...but my Stihl and Echo egg beaters now sit in my shed collecting dust, along with two 18v Ryobis (the second one was $10 at a yard sale with new 4ah battery and charger, couldn't pass it up ).


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

I like the smell of gas powered equipment. Plus I can rev it like a motorcycle which I no longer have.


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

About 80% of the time battery tools would do everything I needed but there's that other 20% where I'll be running the trimmer or blower for several hours and a battery just wouldn't get it. With a trimmer, backpack blower and several saws I typically go through 6 to 8 gallons of 2 stroke mix a year so the fuel thing is not an issue. I run non-ethanol gas only so over the last 28 years I've never had any equipment not run and maintenance has been very minimal. These things are really cheap to operate.

Replacement batteries for the cordless tools are expensive and eventually will need replacing. Not sure on average how long they last but under normal use would think 2 to 3 years would be about the normal lifespan. And most of the time I would need at least 2 batteries do get my work done.

On the other hand, the dog rescue group I volunteer with has one of the cheap 40v Kobalt blowers. It's really lightweight and blows rather well for it's size (keep in mind I have a Stihl BR700). The first time I picked it up I laughed but to be honest it was pretty impressive. Battery life isn't great and 15 to 20 minutes is all you'll get on a battery. With that in mind, I'm sure there are far better battery units than this one.

I have definitely considered going battery but for me it's just not practical. The few times a year I need 3 hours of run time battery power just wouldn't work.


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

my m18 string trimmer I can do my small lot basically all summer on a 9ah battery. I charge it just because before I bought the blower.

I invested into the m18 because I needed a new battery system and m18 does a lot on that one platform. the drills/saws/etc are really nicely done.

The m18 blower does a great job. I haven't tried using it as long as I needed to get the full life but I use the one 9ah battery to do the edging blowing and all with maybe 3 out of 4 bars left. probably an hour of runtime combined with those tools to do a full 9ah battery?


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

pennstater2005 said:


> I like the smell of gas powered equipment. Plus I can rev it like a motorcycle which I no longer have.


I like the sound too, but with another kid coming in about 6 weeks I am sure I will be doing most yard work while he is napping.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> Replacement batteries for the cordless tools are expensive and eventually will need replacing. Not sure on average how long they last but under normal use would think 2 to 3 years would be about the normal lifespan.


That's an extremely pessimistic estimate. I'm on the 4th or 5th year with the original 7.5 AH battery in my 21" self-propelled mower. EGO warrants the batteries and chargers for 3 years anyway. I expect to get somewhere between 5 to 10 years from any of these EGO batteries.

Frankly, if I only get 5 years from any of these EGO products and have to buy a new one, I'd still call the purchase a "WIN!" simply due to the convenience, lack of noise, vibration, and heat. That factor alone is so nice it's ridiculous! I haven't run the numbers (because I really don't care), but when you balance the cost of ethanol-free gas at $4+ per gallon, oil, plugs, and proper engine maintenance over 5 to 10 years against the cost of a new battery every 5 to 10 years, then I suspect the cost analysis is a wash.

With that said, I think the edger, string trimmer, and blower applications are more suited for batteries than a rotary lawn mower. Weight savings and balance are important for lawn accessories, and not so much with a mower. Battery charge and overall life is easy for accessories, and not so much with a rotary mower. Cordless lawn accessories are just about perfect for the average homeowner, which is the target market.

In contrast, nobody make a cordless rotary mower that stands up to the best gas rotary mowers. The EGO mower may be the best cordless available...maybe...but it's just an okay mower. It's tons better than my old Sears gas mower, but even Bill Clinton could limbo under that bar. The batteries aren't the issue. The EGO batteries usually outlast me on a hot Summer day. And if you just whack the grass at 3" HOC one a week like I used to, then it's a fine mower. That's their target market after all. But when I tried to start mowing lower, the EGO became quite annoying. No lawn-nerd can accept not having 0.5" settings below 3" HOC. Or even the inability cut at 1" HOC. Or not being able to scalp. So in the future, I'll just use the EGO mower on my steep slopes and my reel mower for the rest.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Started at this morning around 10 AM and tried to really push the EGO 2.5 AH battery as an experiment. I edged all my curbs, sidewalks, and driveway deep as possible. I hogged into the dirt with the blade to really pull some current. Then I string trimmed (with the same battery) my entire property including a little experimental work in the overgrown field behind my house. I wanted to test the Echo Black Diamond line (which is awesome by the way, much better than the stock EGO line). Anyway, I then mowed the front and threw down some Lesco 34-0-0 before this big rain that's supposed to arrive this evening. Finally, I popped the same 2.5 AH battery into the EGO backpack blower and cleaned up the debris. The little 2.5 AH battery ran out at the very end of the job. I'd estimate it got 98% of the job done. But I had to pop in my other battery to finish cleaning up my neighbor's driveway and one end of my sidewalk. Overall, I was quite pleased with the little 2.5 AH battery. I am sure that had I used the 5 AH battery, it would have easily finished all the side-work on one charge.

This was a LOT more work than I normally do in one run. I'd normally break these into morning and afternoon chores just to avoid the heat. But I got 'er done!


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## silvercymbal (Sep 17, 2018)

I love this thread so much. I was a die hard gas fan and never would have considered a battery trimmer. Getting one changed how I edge, when I can do it and I like the results better. If you watch my video you can see I have a fair amount to take care of and despite the hater comments that have never tried one, I owned Stihls most powerful Kombi system and decided on the Makita due to the 100+ of tools they have and absolutely love it. I use it almost daily at early hours and love the low noise, weight and just about everything else about it. Doesn't have to be a Makita but battery stuff is a winner for me. You can see more if it here

https://youtu.be/jsmvZiyrJHU


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