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Is Battery power taking over the lawn/garden business?

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
The trimmer I bought is very quiet, especially at lower speeds. All you hear is the sound of the cord in the air. At higher speeds it gets pretty loud, but no where near as loud as a gas trimmer and the motors are on the head, not beside your elbow or shoulder. Because of that, with the battery at the other end, the balance is pretty neutral.

If all I wanted was a trimmer, I would have bought the same one a friend did for $120 on sale. Its because of using his that I decided to change to battery machines. It does all he needs around his front and back yards without any trouble and would have done me too, but he has no plans to expand his tool line.

This trimmer/blower combo is on sale here now too and if I had any 18v Makita cordless tools I would have bought it.

View attachment 1108371

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/makita-/1001526671




It takes me 20 minutes to cut my front, back and side lawns. I have a 6.5HP self propelled Yardworks thats been 100% trouble free for 10 years or more. My problem is, my grass is thick and I dont cut it that short. It can stall my 6.5HP now on the first cut of the year. Theres no way a cordless elec. would do it, even with two batteries I dont think. After that initial first cut though I think one would do very well. Especially later in the summer when its hotter and drier and the yards just need a clean up. The lighter and easier to use cordless I think will do great but they arent cheap at ~$700CAD taxes in!

I stopped at the Toro dealer last year just before the winter season was starting and he had the new Toro single stage cordless blowers in stock, but they were brand new on the market and untested. When I was doing commercial snow removal we used Toro single stage blowers, and the 2 strokes reigned supreme over the 4 strokes, but, we were also blowing sometimes very heavy wet snow, snorkel deep. I'll stop in again later this year and see if any of the commercial crews have tested the cordless blowers but I'm betting they wont be up to that kind of duty.

I came across this vid yesterday and the 60v Greenworks seems to do pretty well with fairly heavy snow to 6 inches deep and from the way its throwing it, used properly, it will likely go through a lot more but I havent looked into any breaking yet. The machine below sure seems like a well working machine to me.


Like @vacman said above though, it all hangs on the batteries. Replacement batteries are expensive. When I first started with lithium batteries I bought a Bosch 18v drill/impact set 5 or 6 years ago. At that time, those batteries were rated for 4000 charging cycles. From dead flat to fully charged is one charging cycle. From 1/2 to full charge twice, is a full charging cycle. I've used both of those tools heavily since I've had them and the batteries are still trouble free and far more powerful than my old 18v DeWalt NiCad set they replaced because of battery failure. Lithium ion batteries are a whole new world compared to the older NiCads.

I think some companies are more in the battery business than the tool business. Because of that when I buy a leaf blower, I'll buy it on sale with another 60v battery and another charger. That way I get a spare battery and charger for around the same price as buying the tool only. The Greenworks 60v leaf blower is $249.99CAD + tax, with battery and charger. The blower, tool only and only available from Greenworks, comes to $203CAD with free shipping. The extra battery and spare charger only costs ~$50. That cheap battery insurance.

The Greenworks 60v 2Ah battery is $180CAD. Over 5 years thats $36 a year. Adding in the cost of string for my trimmer it might cost me $50 a year to use it and it will be used a lot. That $50 buys me less noise, less smell and, likely, easier use all without needing a trip to the gas station and a drive across town to buy Stihl 2 stroke oil for mixing the fuel. Not to mention I wont need to change my clothes because they smell like 2 stroke exhaust lol. $50 a year is a small price to pay in the grande scheme of things.
Thanks for the mention of balance. That is the one thing that I had about my Troy Bilt 4 cycle (or any gas trimmer). I always hurt after using them. I live on a corner lot, so I have a lot of edging to do.
 
I think brushless (ECM) motors are the way to go for an often used tool, for the increased efficiency and battery life. I recently got a brushless drill and was surprised at how cool it ran compared to my ancient corded drill, even after drilling a hole in brick (for which a hammer drill would have been a more appropriate tool).

Now I am considered getting a battery powered blower; my inexpensive Harbor Freight corded blower works very well....but dragging the cord around is a pain.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
Thanks for the mention of balance. That is the one thing that I had about my Troy Bilt 4 cycle (or any gas trimmer). I always hurt after using them. I live on a corner lot, so I have a lot of edging to do.

If edging is a priority you might look at the Ryobi 40v Expand-It system and get the edger attachment.


A friend of mine has had the Ryobi gas system like that for years with string trimmer, pole saw and hedge trimmer attachments. It all still works well but its very heavy. Using the string trimmer isnt so bad because of how you hold the machine. Using the pole saw, at least the limb you're cutting takes some of the weight, but that hedge trimmer was invented by the Devil himself lol. It weighs about 40lbs and using it to cut his mother in laws 100 foot long 8 foot high and 5 foot thick hedge took both of us all day because its just way too heavy. Using it you have to support the entire weight the entire time and holding 40lbs out at arms length gets old quickly.

I would expect the new 40v system to be much lighter and Ryobi is made by the same company that makes Rigid and Milwaukee now so they should be pretty decent tools.

 
I feel like battery power isn't enough power on some of the stuff I have. I also have a Stihl Kombi system and love it. Well it's kind of a love/hate relationship...

When I bought my first house I had to get all this lawn stuff and heard Stihl was the best so I bought it. Well the damn thing leaked oil/fuel from under the choke a ton. The dealer I bought it from AND a 2nd opinion dealer could "never find anything wrong with it". I took it to both of them probably 8-10 times over 4 years during the warranty, sometimes for a couple weeks at a time waiting for them to figure it out while I had nothing to use at home. They even sent it to the regional Stihl distributor in Ohio who had it for like 2 months the last time. When the warranty was about to run out and no one could ever figure out why it leaked (never in their presence of course, despite it being all greasy when I brought it in) I had to take action. It was a lemon; why couldn't they just make me whole?

I searched online and found the name of the new President of Stihl, Bjoern Fischer and his corporate address, and wrote a respectful 2 page letter right to the top. I found an interview in the NYT about him taking the new position and how he was a visual learner and loved to get hands-on with the engineers to perfect their products and fix problems. I quoted that article and printed about 20 actual photos to show him how bad the leakage was because he was a visual guy. I sent it certified mail, signature receipt and everything so I knew they got it.

A couple weeks later I got a call from the regional distributor in Ohio who told me I was getting a brand new replacement, a 6-pack of oil, a new 4 year warranty, and asked which dealer I wanted to deliver it to my house. I've had the replacement for almost 4 years now and have never had the same problems. I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope those dealers got at least a little admonishment for letting it get that far. Let this be a lesson, if you have legitimate problems with a product just go to straight to the top, forget all that bureaucratic crap.

Sorry for the tangent. I still feel I need gas power for most of what I do. That said I MIGHT buy a battery powered hedge trimmer. That's the thing I have to do the least on my property and my shrubs are pretty soft so battery will probably be fine. I just don't know if there's a battery powered hedge trimmer long enough for what I want. I still may have to get the Kombi attachment so I have the reach I need.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
I still feel I need gas power for most of what I do. That said I MIGHT buy a battery powered hedge trimmer. That's the thing I have to do the least on my property and my shrubs are pretty soft so battery will probably be fine. I just don't know if there's a battery powered hedge trimmer long enough for what I want. I still may have to get the Kombi attachment so I have the reach I need.

If you're not familiar with lithium ion technology, they might surprise you. They dont slow down or get weaker as the charge level drops, in my experience anyway. They operate at full power until completely discharged, at which point they stop, dead.

Comparing my older 18v DeWalt hammer drill to my lithium ion Bosch is like comparing my Nitecore P12 1000 lumen single 18650 cell LED flashlight to my old 6 D cell Maglite. They're so far apart I'd hesitate to even call my old Maglite a flashlight. Its more like an oil lantern in comparison.

The amount of power my 60v trimmer actually has is shocking and I'm coming from a 26cc 2 stroke! I'm so impressed with it I may go and buy the blower tomorrow.

On a side note to the battery in my trimmer. When I finished trimming the other day it was down to 3 bars solid from 4 bars blinking when I started using it. I plugged it in again last night so I could monitor it and in the time it was sitting around since I used it, when I locked it into the charger it showed a full charge. The 4th LED was solid, not blinking. Using it to trim my yards had so little effect on it that the battery recovered on its own. I left it on the charger for several hours anyway and it never even got warm. I'm impressed.
 

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
I'm not quite ready to give up on gas powered equipment. I've been overhearing calls my co-workers have been making to replace almost brand new battery powered stuff. I don't think we are at a place yet where it makes good sense economically or environmentally.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
I'm not quite ready to give up on gas powered equipment. I've been overhearing calls my co-workers have been making to replace almost brand new battery powered stuff. I don't think we are at a place yet where it makes good sense economically or environmentally.

I hope I dont end up making those calls myself. It does all hang on the battery and the build quality of the batteries. I'm keeping my gas tools as back up. We'll see how soon I need them but I'm betting it wont be any time soon.
 
I feel like battery power isn't enough power on some of the stuff I have. I also have a Stihl Kombi system and love it. Well it's kind of a love/hate relationship...

When I bought my first house I had to get all this lawn stuff and heard Stihl was the best so I bought it. Well the damn thing leaked oil/fuel from under the choke a ton. The dealer I bought it from AND a 2nd opinion dealer could "never find anything wrong with it". I took it to both of them probably 8-10 times over 4 years during the warranty, sometimes for a couple weeks at a time waiting for them to figure it out while I had nothing to use at home. They even sent it to the regional Stihl distributor in Ohio who had it for like 2 months the last time. When the warranty was about to run out and no one could ever figure out why it leaked (never in their presence of course, despite it being all greasy when I brought it in) I had to take action. It was a lemon; why couldn't they just make me whole?

I searched online and found the name of the new President of Stihl, Bjoern Fischer and his corporate address, and wrote a respectful 2 page letter right to the top. I found an interview in the NYT about him taking the new position and how he was a visual learner and loved to get hands-on with the engineers to perfect their products and fix problems. I quoted that article and printed about 20 actual photos to show him how bad the leakage was because he was a visual guy. I sent it certified mail, signature receipt and everything so I knew they got it.

A couple weeks later I got a call from the regional distributor in Ohio who told me I was getting a brand new replacement, a 6-pack of oil, a new 4 year warranty, and asked which dealer I wanted to deliver it to my house. I've had the replacement for almost 4 years now and have never had the same problems. I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope those dealers got at least a little admonishment for letting it get that far. Let this be a lesson, if you have legitimate problems with a product just go to straight to the top, forget all that bureaucratic crap.

Sorry for the tangent. I still feel I need gas power for most of what I do. That said I MIGHT buy a battery powered hedge trimmer. That's the thing I have to do the least on my property and my shrubs are pretty soft so battery will probably be fine. I just don't know if there's a battery powered hedge trimmer long enough for what I want. I still may have to get the Kombi attachment so I have the reach I need.
I spent over twenty years in the outdoor power business, and with the hard work of our staff, our dealership became the largest Stihl dealership in our state. So I came to know Stihl equipment and the Stihl company fairly well. Your bad experience with your Stihl equipment is rare, but how Stihl corporate remedied your continual problem by replacing your lemon and making you whole is how they do things. It is a cliche`, but they value their customers. Other equipment manufacturers could learn customer relation skills from them. I said sometime earlier in this thread they are the best of the bunch. But your problem should have been recognized and rectified by the selling dealer, certainly after a few visits. You would think this dealership would be aware that all the big power equipment manufacturers have expert technical advisers a phone call, text or email away, to address troublesome issues. These resources are crucial to insure customer satisfaction, and of the almost one dozen brands we sold and serviced, Stihls' technical assistance for servicing dealers was the best. Hindsight is 20/20, but your dealer should have had the knowledge and awareness to contact the Stihl Tech Support for his region, explain the problem you were having with leaking fuel and that the unit's number of visits for inspection haven't remedied the issue. Your frustration and loss of faith in Stihl should have been ended after at most three visits with a repaired trimmer or a new one. Replacing a Stihl trimmer under warranty at the dealership level requires an 'ok' from a Stihl corporate technical advisor. Most consumers are unaware that gas-engined power equipment warranties repair equipment, not replace it. At least you finally were made whole, but your problem should have never required the big guy at Stihl USA to fix it.
 
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Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
I really want something I can use to cut the grass in my ditch. I have probably 150ft (closer to 200 I’d guess) of ditch to keep trimmed. It’s too steep for the mower. So I take the push mower out there and it’s brutal because it takes about 5 passes to get it done. Walking back and forth on a steep incline.

I thought a battery powered mower would be better because it would be lighter. But now I wonder if it would be lighter?

would battery powered mower be lighter than a gas push mower?
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
I have been pleasantly surprised with my Kobalt 80V mower and bought the matching string trimmer and chainsaw. The mower is a little lighter than the gas mower it replaced, but not a whole lot lighter. The 80V 6 amphr battery is pretty heavy. I do like the fact that I can fold up the mower and stand it on its end, something you could never do with a gas mower, for storage. The string trimmer is awesome, but unfortunately doesn't take attachments. The chainsaw is great for light cutting chores. I still have gas equipment when needed. I do have a large 3 + acre yard and do most of it with a 61 in. Ferris zero turn monster, but there are areas around the house that it can't get at so the electric mower is perfect for tight narrow spaces. So while I still need gas for certain chores, battery powered tools are being phased in more and more. Maybe Tesla will make a zero turn someday!
 
I personally don’t like the idea of battery powered garden tools, I’d rather the 2 and four stroke just for the abilty to service it your self and In my experiance with tool battery’s they don’t last for ever even if they are looked after and once they are done there done and they tend to be expensive, my cordless drill battery costs 250 aud for one it is a makita but for garden stuff I rather a gasoline engine.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I have an EGO mower and the lack of a yearly maintenance trip to the shop will eventually pay for the mower. The only thing I've done is sharpen the blade.
 
I really want something I can use to cut the grass in my ditch. I have probably 150ft (closer to 200 I’d guess) of ditch to keep trimmed. It’s too steep for the mower. So I take the push mower out there and it’s brutal because it takes about 5 passes to get it done. Walking back and forth on a steep incline.

I thought a battery powered mower would be better because it would be lighter. But now I wonder if it would be lighter?

would battery powered mower be lighter than a gas push mower?
I assume you keep the grass in this ditch maintained. If so, a gas walk mower will work, and cost less than a battery unit. A push walk-behind weighs 50-60 pounds, self-propelled walks are 70-100 pounds. Some brands (MTD, Murray, Craftsman) are lighter than Toro, Snapper, Honda, but also aren't constructed as well and durable either. If your ditch is the only place you plan on using the mower, just get a lower-priced mower but be sure the engine has a pressurized lubrication system to insure the engine is properly lubricated for incline use. Keep in mind a battery mower will be pricey and likely weigh as much as a push walk. Now if this ditch gets mowed about every three weeks, get a trimmer on wheels, they mow 20 inches wide and can cut really nasty growth, but they don't process what they cut and leave a mess.
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
Here is a thread I did on my electric yard tools:

 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
would battery powered mower be lighter than a gas push mower?

The Greenworks 80v mower is 63lbs with a battery. My 6.5HP Yardworks is closer to 90lbs and is to difficult to push if the self propelled transmission ever dies.

For what you want to do I used my gas trimmer and used to cut all areas at my gun club where the tractor couldnt go. It worked great for that but I wasnt using a string trimmer head, I was using these and they cut as fast as I could swing the trimmer in 3 foot tall grass and weeds. They easily cut weed stalks an inch thick.

s-l1600.jpg


Replacement blades, a once a year thing at most, are $10 for three sets at most hardware stores. I havent tried to put that head on my cordless yet and not sure I need too but I'd guess it would fit.

There are a lot of different brush cutter blades for trimmers and I see no reason why a cordless tool wouldnt run them just as well.

This is a 36v Makita. He seems likes he's working it slowly but it is only 36v. I know my 60v would work twice as fast as he's working that one.


Greenworks has a complete 80v tool line that includes Kobalt in the parts list.
 
...At least you finally were made whole, but your problem should have never required the big guy at Stihl USA to fix it.

Yeah he was was probably like, "Why.the.heck.is.this.getting.to.me?" I wish I didn't have to go that far either but it took literally four years and two dealers. I'm flabbergasted that I'd take the thing in all oily, show them and then it just never happened with them after wiping off and using it, only to happen to me the very day I would take it home. And like I said, the replacement never did it.

After that experience, and one with Nintendo of America (another high customer service company) in 1990 when I was 12, I firmly believe in the letter to the President route when warranted.

That said, I WILL buy Stihl in the future. It was an ordeal, but when it's working it really is great stuff. I also bought a Honda mower at the same time and 8 years later it's going strong and I still love it. I replace the oil once a year and clean the filters and I've had no problems. This year it took more pulls to start for the first time, but our Spring had record cool temps so I chalk it up to that.

I did start looking at hedge trimmers. The Stihl is over $300 and like I said, I use hedge trimmers the least of all my yard tools so I'm not going to go with them here. There are a few Kobalt and Black & Decker ones for less than $100 that I think I'll buy this summer. I usually do my 7 shrubs around this time and once more in October so that's good enough. The 24" will be better than my cheap 17" corded B&D.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
I bought the Greenworks 60v Brushless Blower today. It was $90 more than the sale price with a 60v 2.5Ah battery and the 75 minute quick charger but after using it, I dont mind so much...

I cut the lawns again, put the fully charged 2.0Ah battery my trimmer came with in the trimmer and did all the trimming. Then I put that same battery in the blower and blew off a 12X15 foot second floor balcony, the evestrough around it and the down pipe. All the sidewalks, back yard patio and misc. areas, then blew out two second floor downpipes. The only time I used it on high was for the downpipes and I never touched the turbo button. This thing is powerful. It's also very light and perfectly balanced. The brushless motor allows it to operate at very low rpm so you can easily direct debris and dont blow crap everywhere.

When I finished I checked the battery and it still had 2 solid bars. Half a charge from a single 2.0Ah battery does all my work. Now I have a spare 2.5Ah battery and a spare charger.

I'll be watching for sales on the mowers. They come with a 5Ah battery and I wouldnt be surprised, with a dry once cut lawn in the spring, a single battery will do it all. I'm liking this stuff.

Thinking about it, I guess I wont need to chamois my car after washing it either. Another bonus haha.
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
I got a new line trimmer. If it does the trick, the mower will be next.
View attachment 1134075

You're going to like it. EGO is the one I was most interested in because they have more tools for the battery line, but they were out of stock around me.

Dont forget to get a spare roll of line for it.

I'm only using my 2.5 a/hr battery in my trimmer and blower. I have my 2 a/hr battery put away at half charge, recommended for long term storage.

I can do all my trimming and blowing twice on a single charge with that 2.5 a/hr battery and still have 1 of 4 bars left.

It's so much easier than using gas tools. I'm really glad I bought what I have. If I see the mowers on sale over the winter I'll be getting one.

I'm still not sold on the snow blowers though.
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
You're going to like it. EGO is the one I was most interested in because they have more tools for the battery line, but they were out of stock around me.

Dont forget to get a spare roll of line for it.

I'm only using my 2.5 a/hr battery in my trimmer and blower. I have my 2 a/hr battery put away at half charge, recommended for long term storage.

I can do all my trimming and blowing twice on a single charge with that 2.5 a/hr battery and still have 1 of 4 bars left.

It's so much easier than using gas tools. I'm really glad I bought what I have. If I see the mowers on sale over the winter I'll be getting one.

I'm still not sold on the snow blowers though.
I have 100 foot roll of line, so I’m good there.
 
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