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re: Weed eaters can KMA

Posted on 6/14/22 at 1:36 pm to
Posted by Korkstand
Member since Nov 2003
28924 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 1:36 pm to
quote:

I'd be shocked if I have an hour total over the 4 years doing any of that.
You have surely spent an hour just in unscrewing the cap, pouring gas, and screwing the cap back on ~150 times in 4 years. And I'll take your word for it that you've spent zero time on maintenance.
quote:

You also ignore the time spent charging the battery when it runs out and having to wait. Sure, you may have an extra battery, but now you've added more costs and storage to the equation.
Like I said earlier, I'm on my 4th year trimming two properties totaling nearly 1.5 acres, a few thousand linear feet, around 7 oaks and a few dozen misc smaller trees, around hedges and flower beds, etc and have never once burned through the smallest pack that Ego sells. It typically has 20-40% charge remaining when I'm finished.

Again, I don't know what battery trimmer you have, but yeah if you have to stop for a charge your math will be different than mine.
quote:

As long as you don't encounter anything too thick, sure.
Well I'm not trying to clear overgrown forest brush with it. It's a string trimmer, I use it for pretty typical weekly residential trimming. What kinda shite are you getting into?
quote:

There is no comparison as to what each trimmer is capable of tackling.
I'm not sure I want to spend an hour with a gas trimmer that has more power than my Ego. I certainly wouldn't look forward to it.

Look, I'm just saying this thing has been zero hassle, and that very nearly 100% of the time that I spend dealing with it or even thinking about it I am doing useful work. Literally the only extraneous time is 5 seconds battery on, and 5 seconds battery off. Aside from that it is trimming as fast as I can move it, and after well over 100 uses I have never run the battery dead.

If your scenario and parameters are different, then by all means use what works for you. I will always tell everyone to use an appropriate tool for the job.
Posted by VictoryHill
Alabama
Member since Nov 2013
3226 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 1:38 pm to
quote:

Go battery powered

The absolute best lawn care decision I've ever made. Battery powered trimmer and mower. Respooling the trimmer is a dream.
Posted by cable
Member since Oct 2018
9733 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 1:42 pm to
quote:

Respooling


what does battery power have to do with spooling the line?
Posted by LNCHBOX
70448
Member since Jun 2009
85393 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 1:45 pm to
quote:

You have surely spent an hour just in unscrewing the cap, pouring gas, and screwing the cap back on ~150 times in 4 years


How much gas do you think these things use? It takes maybe 20 seconds to refuel, which even at your 150 number is only 50 minutes. But I only refuel ever second or third week, so more like 60 refuels over the last 4 years. So 20 minutes of refueling. Pull out the 5 seconds*150 for putting the battery in every week, and I'm down to only 450 seconds additional for refuel.
quote:

I'm not sure I want to spend an hour with a gas trimmer that has more power than my Ego. I certainly wouldn't look forward to it.



I don't look forward to yard work regardless of what tool I use

quote:

Look, I'm just saying this thing has been zero hassle

Same for my Echo.
Posted by VictoryHill
Alabama
Member since Nov 2013
3226 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 1:46 pm to
Nothing, it's just a lot more efficient and modern than my old gas-powered one when it comes to pretty much everything. There's none of that cutting the string, evening it out, or any of that. It's literally open the cap, pop out the old spool, put new spool in, twist until desired trimming length.
Posted by 777Tiger
Member since Mar 2011
76523 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 1:47 pm to
quote:

Nothing, it's just a lot more efficient and modern than my old gas-powered one when it comes to pretty much everything. There's none of that cutting the string, evening it out, or any of that. It's literally open the cap, pop out the old spool, put new spool in, twist until desired trimming length.



that is very convenient for smaller jobs, got to go with the gas for larger yards/acreage
Posted by Korkstand
Member since Nov 2003
28924 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 2:45 pm to
quote:

How much gas do you think these things use?
Well hell bro, all that trimming power you're talking about sounded like you burned a lot!
quote:

It takes maybe 20 seconds to refuel, which even at your 150 number is only 50 minutes. But I only refuel ever second or third week, so more like 60 refuels over the last 4 years. So 20 minutes of refueling. Pull out the 5 seconds*150 for putting the battery in every week, and I'm down to only 450 seconds additional for refuel.
If all that is accurate, and if you never have to clean up gas from your tools, the floor, or yourself, and if you never make special trips to the gas station because you need it on hand for other things anyway, and if you never clean the filter, and if it starts on the first pull every time, and if you spend zero time dealing with oil, then no there isn't much time saved.

And I know it sounds like I'm harping on the little details, but that's kind of the point. There are no little details with a battery trimmer. It's easy to point out that eventually the battery pack will need to be replaced because it's a big in-your-face thing, but I think we overlook the details in a lot of the things we do and write them off as just the way things are. We don't realize what a big pain the little things add up to until they're gone, and even then sometimes we still don't recognize it. But I do, and there is absolutely no way I would go back to a gas trimmer.
quote:

I don't look forward to yard work regardless of what tool I use
I hear ya. I sat on one of the Ego riding mowers at Lowe's the other day. I want one real bad so I can get rid of the gas can completely, but for $5k I think I would rather buy a fleet of robo-mowers. Now *that* would be a huge time saver, and would pay off in a year or two of not paying a lawn service.

Posted by cable
Member since Oct 2018
9733 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 3:09 pm to
I just stick two end of the lines in my trimmer head and wind them up - don't even have to take the head off - nothing easier on this earth.
This post was edited on 6/14/22 at 3:10 pm
Posted by Korkstand
Member since Nov 2003
28924 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 3:11 pm to
quote:

nothing easier on this earth.
Have you forgotten about yo' mama?
Posted by EA6B
TX
Member since Dec 2012
14754 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 3:50 pm to
quote:

that is very convenient for smaller jobs, got to go with the gas for larger yards/acreage


Read the thread, a bunch of us do multiple acres with battery power. I have 1 acre fenced with a ton of trimming. Easily do it twice on a single charge. The 40 and 80volt tools today are nothing like the lower voltage crap of just a few years ago.
Posted by bbarras85
Member since Jul 2021
2058 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 4:01 pm to
I have a Stihl and by the time I am done with the front and back yard my back is killing me but a battery powered weed eater wouldn't make it. I am to the point now of just spraying my fence line in the back yard and just trim the front because frick weed eaters.
Posted by Korkstand
Member since Nov 2003
28924 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 4:09 pm to
quote:

a battery powered weed eater wouldn't make it.

Have you tried a modern one? How big is your yard?
Posted by Pfft
Member since Jul 2014
4068 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 4:18 pm to
Went to a manufacturing plant a few years back. They had test cells to cycle and run units wide open. If they lasted too long they would re engineer certain parts so that they only lasted a certain amount of time. Lab guy said it depended on the sell price of the unit as to the life cycle expected.
They had some big spots on the floor of the cells where units had completely melted.
Posted by artompkins
Orange Beach, Al
Member since May 2010
5808 posts
Posted on 6/14/22 at 9:30 pm to
I have the Echo 58v and it lasted exactly 2 years using it about every other week during season.
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