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Buying into a battery system for lawn care.

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
one of these can cut grass over 3" - no need for an electric
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That may be what it claims but certainly not the case. Or perhaps it’s a specific type of grass they used in testing. I bought a similar one from Lowes. Tried it once and it’s been in storage ever since. It would not cut my grass for nothing. I don’t have the typical lawn grass like Bermuda or Bluegrass. I have what we simply call Field Grass. With a mixture of every kind of weed in between. I wanted it just to get around the house and the ditch.
 

jackgoldman123

Boring and predictable
That may be what it claims but certainly not the case. Or perhaps it’s a specific type of grass they used in testing. I bought a similar one from Lowes. Tried it once and it’s been in storage ever since. It would not cut my grass for nothing. I don’t have the typical lawn grass like Bermuda or Bluegrass. I have what we simply call Field Grass. With a mixture of every kind of weed in between. I wanted it just to get around the house and the ditch.
My wife said I did not get the weeds with that new fangled thing either.
 
1: check if you already have a cordless tool which batteries are used in garden tools.
2: Be aware that batteries will go bad in due time. I have to replace my 12v MakitA drill batteries every few years even when used rarely.
3: could also be a good excuse to switch brands if it is just one power tool.
4: go for a brand which is likely to have spare batteries in 10 years. Could be copies…
 
I went with GreenWorks for my mower/trimmer/blower needs, and DeWalt in the shop. Just the two battery types for tools. Got rid of all the vast array of other bettery-powered things, each with an incompatible battery pack and specialized charger.

The rule on the mower seems to be one minute of run time is equivalent to two minutes of charging. I have a crate full of batteries and two chargers, so I can do my whole lawn without having to stop and wait for charging.
 
I have several of the Kobalt 40 volt tools. I have a mower, string trimmer, chain saw, pole saw, hedge trimmer and blower. I think they do a good job. Like any tool as long as you use it for what it is designed for they do a good job. I like them because it is less engines to maintain especially for the tools I do not use that often.
 
one of these can cut grass over 3" - no need for an electric
View attachment 1300320
Ive got one of those. I like it, although it doesnt cut as well as a rotary does. If you try to cut grass that is too tall, the grass kind of just lays over.
Even still, I love it. No gas, no oil, no spark plugs, no air filters, no replacing batteries and no making sure batteries are charged up. Just push it and go.
 
Maybe if I was 20 again! :lol1:
Its actually not hard to push at all. The Fiskars is very easy to push because the blades dont actually touch. Some of the older style reel mowers can be hard to push because the blades actually touch the bedknife but not so with the Fiskars.
A few years ago, I had a Great States 14" reel mower and it was great for the small yard that I had at the time. Even that thing wasnt hard to push, as long as you had it adjusted properly.
The Fiskars is especially easy to push though, partly because the blades dont touch and partly because it has a chain drive system for the blade that multiplies the force of you pushing it. Once you get it rolling, its very easy push. I mean, Im 41 years old, not exactly in the best of shape anymore and I can easily mow my 3,000 square foot yard with it.
 
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Another battery line to consider is Craftsman. They have trimmers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws and they even have a mower now; all that run on the same V20 batteries that the tools run on.
Id had Ryobi tools for a long time but I recently started switching over to Craftsman because I feel like the tools are just better. I recently picked up a little 10" cordless trimmer and it works great. It even has a little wheel on it for when you turn the head upside down for edging. Ive also got a V20 leaf blower and its awesome too. Put a 4ah battery on it and it will blow leaves all you could ever want.
Before I bought the Fiskars mower, I had the Craftsman V20 mower and I actually really liked it but the handle on it isnt adjustable and I found it to be a bit too tall for me. So, I returned it and got the Fiskars instead.
As to why I switched from Ryobi to Craftsman, its quite simple. Ryobi has been getting into their One+ HP tools and some of them either just arent very good (the 19" HP mower, for example that runs for about 10 minutes on a 4ah battery) and theyre all just expensive. Why would you want to pay Milwaukee prices for a Ryobi? Thats what I like about Craftsman. The tools are very affordable and work great. I paid about $60 for my Craftsman impact driver and it came with a battery. The same with my string trimmer: $80 for the trimmer with a battery and charger. You cant beat it.
 
Mom just got a Stihl trimmer. Well I guess you are supposed to buy the pre loaded spools at a larger expensive than buying just the line and loading it ones self.
I wonder if any of the trimmers can be reloaded, for less expense?
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Another battery line to consider is Craftsman. They have trimmers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws and they even have a mower now; all that run on the same V20 batteries that the tools run on.
Id had Ryobi tools for a long time but I recently started switching over to Craftsman because I feel like the tools are just better. I recently picked up a little 10" cordless trimmer and it works great. It even has a little wheel on it for when you turn the head upside down for edging. Ive also got a V20 leaf blower and its awesome too. Put a 4ah battery on it and it will blow leaves all you could ever want.
Before I bought the Fiskars mower, I had the Craftsman V20 mower and I actually really liked it but the handle on it isnt adjustable and I found it to be a bit too tall for me. So, I returned it and got the Fiskars instead.
As to why I switched from Ryobi to Craftsman, its quite simple. Ryobi has been getting into their One+ HP tools and some of them either just arent very good (the 19" HP mower, for example that runs for about 10 minutes on a 4ah battery) and theyre all just expensive. Why would you want to pay Milwaukee prices for a Ryobi? Thats what I like about Craftsman. The tools are very affordable and work great. I paid about $60 for my Craftsman impact driver and it came with a battery. The same with my string trimmer: $80 for the trimmer with a battery and charger. You cant beat it.

Their brushless V20 circular saw is awesome, as is the V20 pole hedge trimmer. I run those things a lot and forget about changing batteries for weeks. Their small V20 benchtop shop vac has good suction, but it does eat the batteries a little faster.
I know what you mean about the Ryobi, to me they just felt on the cheap side, hard to put your finger on it.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Mom just got a Stihl trimmer. Well I guess you are supposed to buy the pre loaded spools at a larger expensive than buying just the line and loading it ones self.
I wonder if any of the trimmers can be reloaded, for less expense?

Most trimmers are reloadable. The news that Stihl isn't is shocking to me, I've never seen that before.
What model is it?
 
Mom just got a Stihl trimmer. Well I guess you are supposed to buy the pre loaded spools at a larger expensive than buying just the line and loading it ones self.
I wonder if any of the trimmers can be reloaded, for less expense?
They all have preloaded spools that you can buy now. You can always just buy bulk string and reload them though. I buy the bulk Shakespear string a Lowes because you can get 200 feet of .065 line for $10 or you can buy 3 of the prespooled spools (total of about 60 feet of line) for about $20. Buying bulk string is just a much better value.
 
Their brushless V20 circular saw is awesome, as is the V20 pole hedge trimmer. I run those things a lot and forget about changing batteries for weeks. Their small V20 benchtop shop vac has good suction, but it does eat the batteries a little faster.
I know what you mean about the Ryobi, to me they just felt on the cheap side, hard to put your finger on it.
Yeah, I used to have all Ryobi but they were always kind of cheap feeling tools but the price was cheap too. The prices has gone up quite a bit in recent years and Im just not going to pay near Milwaukee prices for a Ryobi.
Ive been switching over to Craftsman. I always loved Craftsman back in the Sears days and I like what Stanley Black and Decker is doing with them.
I actually tried a few Ryobi trimmers before I got the Craftsman and always found their auto feed heads infuriating. It seemed like they always either fed out too much string or didnt feed it out enough. My Craftsman has an auto feed head too but it seems to work better than the Ryobi did. Same with the blower. My Craftsman blower just seems to work better and be of better build quality than my Ryobi was.
Same with the tools too. Ive got a Craftsman 7 1/4" 15 amp corded circular saw with a magnesium shoe and blade guards that I paid $60 for. My old Ryobi circ saw was only 13 amps and had a steel shoe and plastic guards. My Craftsman V20 impact driver was $60 with a battery. The same thing in a Ryobi would have been $80 without a battery.
I used to love Ryobi but I feel like ever since the HP line came out, theyve kind of lost their way.
Now, the only thing Ryobi that I have is the random orbital sander that my wife bought, my 14 amp 10" miter saw, my One+ dust buster and my One+ shop blower. Ive got 6 4ah Ryobi batteries and a Ryobi Super Charger, so I at least need to keep some Ryobi tools around at least for now to use up the batteries that I have. Id sure hate to waste $600 worth of batteries. LOL
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I always loved Craftsman back in the Sears days and I like what Stanley Black and Decker is doing with them.

Stanley Black and Decker are building a tool factory in Texas that is supposed to open later this year or early next.
The plan is to start making wrenches and other forged hand tools there. They have some new kind of chroming process which isn't as toxic as traditional chroming.
I can't wait for them to start churning out made in USA Craftsman wrenches.
 
Most trimmers are reloadable. The news that Stihl isn't is shocking to me, I've never seen that before.
What model is it?
I don't have the model number, but good to know about the other brands.
I think mom said( mind you she's 84 ) a pack of 3 refills are like $25, and they didn't seem to last long each.
 
They all have preloaded spools that you can buy now. You can always just buy bulk string and reload them though. I buy the bulk Shakespear string a Lowes because you can get 200 feet of .065 line for $10 or you can buy 3 of the prespooled spools (total of about 60 feet of line) for about $20. Buying bulk string is just a much better value.
Aah, yeah sounds about right.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
A friend of mine in the lawn care business has begun to replace his smaller gas-powered tools with electrics. So far, he's been delighted with his Toro 22" battery-powered walk-behinds. Just loves the torque. His only beef is the cost of extra batteries: they are quite expensive--an important consideration when your equipment is running eight hours a day.

He's now talking about some electric zero-turns.
 
A friend of mine in the lawn care business has begun to replace his smaller gas-powered tools with electrics. So far, he's been delighted with his Toro 22" battery-powered walk-behind mulching lawn mower. Just loves the torque. His only beef is the cost of extra batteries: they are quite expensive--an important consideration when your equipment is running eight hours a day.

He's now talking about some electric zero-turns.
yes toro is great
 
I have a lot of the Ryobi tools, so I have 7 batteries. I got a good deal on both the hedge trimmer and the edger. I like the hedge trimmer but the edger is cheaply made and underpowered (I'm just going to buy a gas one). My lawn is decent sized and the grass/weed mixture is pretty tough so I'll stick with a gas mower.
 
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