String Trimmers Reviews

I've used this electric mower for 3 years now and couldn't be more satisfied. I have several rental properties in an urban envirnonment. The lawns are all less than a quarter acre, some sloping off fairly dramatically. Light weight and good battery life make this cordless mower the perfect solution. I only need one mower for all the properties because its collapsible and fits easily in the trunk of my car and weighs very little when the battery is removed. The battery removes easily and since I purchased a couple of additional batteries I can easily do three properties in an afternoon. I don't use the bagger so I can't comment on that and I tried the optional edger and was not impressed so I returned it. One more thing, its very, very quiet and you don't have to wear a mask to protect yourself from fumes like you have to with a gas mower when your out mowing for several hours.

For small lawns, you cant beat this mower. I havnt found anything it cant mow through (with a charged battery of course). Im usually able to mow the front and back lawns and edge on one charge. If the lawn isnt too high the next week I can mow the entire property again on the same charge. This is for a 7000sqft property, so your mileage may vary.

The edger attachment works great for edging along sidewalks and trimming around most areas... but I still get out the trusty weed-whacker for more stubborn areas.

Pros:
Lightweight (try hanging YOUR gas mower on the wall!)
QUIET: I mow the lawn at dusk sometimes... the neighbors dont hear it!
CLEAN: No Pollution or fumes
Powerful enough for any lawn (IMO)
Great support from the manufacturer
Charge lasts a long time
Edger attachment works very well
Safety Key to keep the kids from using the mower

Cons:
Small cut diameter - so not for everyone's acre. Works great for my 7000sqft lot.
Small bag - many stops to empty catcher (use the mulcher)

This small, light weight trimming/edging tool cuts in 9-inch swathes at a time. Because of its size, it is more controllable than the larger (12" - 14") trimmers.

The larger, more powerful trimmers are not suitable for many lawns. I took back one because of its imprecise cutting. The powerful motor resulted in the shredding of a wood edging that separates the lawn from an adjacent mulched area.

One problem with all trimmers is that there is nothing to catch the flying bits of lawn. The only thing that might help in the future is to lay a sheet over the mulched area adjacent to the lawn to catch the cuttings, and move the sheet as I go along. Perhaps this should come with a sheet? Again, the smaller, less powerful machine's precision reduces excess trimmings. This is also a less noisy machine and is easier to store than the more powerful trimmers.

Features include a trimming option so that you can trim lawn under protruding bushes or around rocks, etc. There's also a locking feature for the electric cord. YOu do need to occasionally "bump" the machine (literally lighting hitting it against the lawn) to advance the cutting wire, this takes a little practice to get right. However, the learning curve is fast, after a few outings I thought this was a useful machine and money well spent.

If you have a Black and Decker strimmer that the TF-065 will fit, then this is the baby for you.
I tried an inferior third party spool but my length snapped and I was left with, what was to all intents and purposes, a spinning top attached to my appliance. Needless to say I took it back and got a replacement. Unfortunately this too broke so I returned it and got a third one. Again this broke so I decided thrice was enough and demanded my money back in full.
I then saw that Amazon sold these official B&D spools at an extremely competitive price and I promptly ordered one. Thanks again for a swift delivery Amazon !
I popped this aesthetically pleasing spool on and before I knew it my borders were neater than my "James Last Plays Elton John's Greatest Hits" LP! In short this spool is for you!..... unless, as otherwise stated, it doesn't fit your strimmer.

I tried a few other brands, and found this one to be the best of all.

This is a pricey item for a home user, but I have a lot of ivy as well as various grasses and other things that need trimming plus lots of edging to do. I have been using the Husqvarna 326LDx after my home-level trimmer died in the ivy (various internal parts simply disintegrated), and it works like a charm. I have bought a spare trimmer attachment so as to have both blade and string trimmers without changing the head. The edger works well too. It's worth your time shopping around for these things, though.

The old weed wacker that got thrown in the garbage had all the features typical of an electric model- difficult to spool, electrical cord too short, under powered for anything thicker than a pencil and the line snapped every two minutes. The line snapping would throw me into a rage after about the 10th time and I'd call it quits for the day- huge time eater! The weeds we had were dubbed "Mike Tyson Weeds", due to their stout and stubborn nature and they called for something more than the average weeder.

So, I shopped around and came across a salesperson who used to be in the returns and repair division for a "brand name company" for over 15 years. Let's break in and explain that I am easily the most skeptical person that I know and will only buy quality hardware, figuring it will pay off in lack of headaches over the years and I'll get a ton of enjoyment out of it. That said, I got real lucky with this guy because he explained everything, helping me bridge the electrical to gas powered gap. The average life of a weed wacker is up to 4 years, then the parts start to wear down and the issues begin with part replacement. This trimmer will last double of any trimmer on the market so forget about that extended warranty- this will out last it with flying colors. Big words, but listen on...

While the rest of the weed wacker industry is going towards a four stroke engine because it's quiter and more fuel effecient, this Husq remains a two stroke. Why's that? In my words, because this is some rocken' Euro design happening here. From the moment I picked up the precisely balanced machine I knew something BIG was about to change in my weed wacking life. It has a dual spool (two lines spooled individually) that runs titanium line that NEVER NEEDS MID-LINE RESPOOLING. It works because (so I think) the line is segmented about every 1/2" so that when you hit a rock or wall the line brake stops at that segment and does not rip out the line all the way to the spool. Brilliant design and, as it turns out, very easy to respool.

As if that weren't enough, the Husq starts up every time without fuss, which could have been a real detractor for those unsure about moving towards a gas powered machine. It weighs less than the four strokes by a lot, is longer so it reaches into those deep dark areas, is the best balanced (checked out all the models at Lowes, HD, and John Deer) and, the best for last, there is an optional brush blade attachment. Ooooh, yeh, that thing will take down HUGE bushes, much less my now seemingly puny weeds.

Which brings us back to the Mike Tyson weeds. No mercy and a few hours later I happily brought them to their knees in what would have taken me two days with the other weed wacker!!! Do the math- this thing saves.

Note that the Husq is powerful and I highly recommend that you check out getting a face guard and helmet. Husq sells a unit that combines a helmet with hearing protection and a face guard. Buy it and you will never regret it. The mesh face guard allows rocks and debris to bounce off harmlessly while allowing for complete ventilation, unlike a cheaper plastic face guard. The ear protection can pop up away from the ears while the helmet stays firmly in place. Get one and get this weed wacker- you will not regret it. One year later, I don't!

Well balanced, flawless Honda 4 cycle engine saves mixing of gas and oil. Very quiet compared to any other trimmers.

I have a 3 acre heavily wooded lot and the annual chore of trimming and limbing was not fun... until now!

I finally broke down and bought the Husqvarna 326P4 pruner. I was unsure whether to buy the P4 (13' reach) or the P5 (16' reach) but my dealer recommended the P4 and said if I didn't like it, I could trade up to the P5 (for the price difference). After using the P4 for a year, I have found the P4 to perfect for my woodlot. Over 80% of limbs I need to trim are within the 13' reach. (If your trees are more mature and spread out, the P5 may work out better).

But the real value of this pruner becomes apparent after the limbs are on the ground! You can slice and dice the limbs into manageable sections without bending and stooping (what a back saver). The 6' shaft is the perfect length for cutting back thorned locust trees and other tough to reach pruning jobs (this task would not be as easy with the longer p5).
I can now trim more in 30-40 minutes than what I could accomplish in 6 hours with a manual polesaw or with ladders and chainsaw (not the safest activity). In fact, it takes me far longer to haul the branches to the chipping pile than it does to cut them down. I can't say enough about this saw.

The 12" bar gives more than enough cutting range and the chain (3/8" low profile Oregon chain) has a narrow kerf and minimizes damage to the tree. You typically don't need to do an undercut unless the tree bark strips easily (maple, etc.) The saw is very smooth and extremely well balanced (comes with a shoulder hardness that carries the weight of the saw (around 11 pounds) except when you are reaching the top of the cutting range. The 1.2 hp is more than adequate. It starts easily and requires almost no maintenance.

I was very skeptical about spending $100's on yard trimming equipment. But on becoming a new homeowner recently w/lots of lawn/trees/hedges, I've been forced to look around. The real reason I first considered Mantis e-system was because I have several VERY tall bushes I needed to really trim back, and I didn't want to do it on a ladder. I tried a cheap (bought at Home Depot) electric hedge trimmer "on a stick" that proved highly unsatisfactory. The balance was terrible (The electic motor was at the END of the trimmer next to the blade, making it agony to hold out at arms length.) So I finally gave in and bought the Mantis power head and hedge attachment, as well as the pruner. Trimming those bushes with those two attachments was wonderful! The power-head is VERY NICELY balanced with the motor counter-weighting the trimmer/pruner. And the build quality is superb--these are not Black/Decker (border-line cheap) quality tools--they're industrial. Lots of light/strong cast aluminum and obviously highly-machined metal parts. Very powerful motor--hedge-trimmer didn't bog down cutting through 1/4"+ branches, and the pruner easily went through a few 2-3" limbs without bogging down at all.

I had a very minor problem with the oiling mechanism on the pruner not oiling as much as I thought it should, and Mantis's customer service response was immediate and wonderfully thorough, leaving me extremely satisfied. (Actually, that is the reason I was motivated to finally write this review--they are expensive tools, so one expects them to be high quality (which they are). But it was the customer service that has really won me over.)

I have also bought the line trimmer and edger attachments, not so much because I need them, but because I have so fallen in love with these tools.

I've used all tools about a month now, and have had no further problems or complaints. These tools are superior to any electric trimming tool I've used, and are comparable/better than the (admitedly few) gas-powered tools I've used.

Note: I've just reread my posting, and it sounds like an infomercial. But it's not. I'm not in any way associated with Mantis--I just really came to enjoy these tools.

The item was not assembled correctly at the factory. The cutting head would not turn. Called Weedeater customer service and they advised me to take unit to an authorized dealer. ..which we did. Had to wait a week to get it fixed and then they wanted to charge me $20.00. I stood my ground and told them the warranty covered parts and LABOR for 2 years. Once I got the unit home and used it I was very pleased with the way it started, cut the weeds/grass and over all handling by using the cutting line samples that came with the unit.

However, when I got ready to use the "suggested also to purchase" line I thought it looked too large for unit. In checking the instruction manual it says to use only 115 and the "suggested" is 135. I would have thought since it was listed along with the WT3100 it would be the proper size. Did I assume too much?

Now after less than three hours of use the starter rope is no longer recoiling like it should. So will have to take it back to the authorized repair dealer...which is not real close to my home. Will also probably have to argue with them again it is to be no charge.

This is a wonderful product. I am a 63 year old lady and can operate it with ease. It is very lightweight and easy to start. Would highly recommend it for men and women.

A superior little weed whacker that requires minimal set up, starts easily, and is a joy to use. No more stiff back from lugging your weed whacker, just push it around on the large, easy turning wheels and trim to your heart's content. Line is very easy to change too. This is a super tool, highly recommended.