Weed Wacker recommendations

[97RangerXLT]

The head is the problem tbh. It goes splodey after a year or so. There are no replacement parts, or there weren't at the time.

that is good to know. it seemed like a better design than the Bauer one too.

AJ

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

that is good to know. it seemed like a better design than the Bauer one too.

AJ

Oh, and I have a 3/8 royobi impact.

My dewalt 1/4 would rip the chuck out of it.

 

[Shran]

How far away from 110v power do you need to trim? There are literal piles of corded weed eaters at every thrift store I go to right now for $10 or less. If you just need to do around the house, 100' or less, that might be a good option. Save up and buy a decent cordless one in the future.

Ryobi is probably the only "cheap" brand I'd go with. Interchangeable batteries being the main factor there! If you are looking at any other cheap brand, then I don't think it matters to be honest, close your eyes and pick one. Chances are very high that 3-4 years from now you won't be able to get batteries for it or it'll wear out.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I have a Ryobi 1/2" impact.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I have a Ryobi 1/2" impact.

........and?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

The dewalt is better. And twice the price. It does what I need it to. And I have breaker bars and snipes if needed.
If I wasn't invested in ryobi for the last 30 years I might go to a different platform. But I can still use the same batteries on drills that are 25 years old. Cant say the same for any other platform.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

that is good to know. it seemed like a better design than the Bauer one too.

AJ

The atlas stuff is worth it for the pole saw if nothing else. Makes a badass limbing saw after you fell a tree. Haven't killed it yet, which is impressive for me with plastic tools.

But yeah. Didn't like the 80v weedeater. The string head went dead (wore thru the plastic) in about a year of use. I made a blade head fit it for some more mileage, but it was so inefficient I wound up buying the biggest stihl commercial 2 stroke they made to avoid future headaches. Three years on that one, no hiccups. The weed guard SUCKS tho.

 

[MISWFL]

All, thank you for your suggestions. still not sure what I want, but as much as I would love a Stihl or Echo, the price of one is more than I can eat right now. I am also seriously looking at battery. my goal is to get it done under 200 bucks and at this point I am leaning towards a Bauer model. I looked at the Ryobi mentioned above, and they have the best price. for 140, I can get the tool, battery and charger. the comparable Bauer will run me closer to 180 with no coupons available.

But why spend another 40 bucks? the Bauer is marked as comparible to the Ryobi one, and pretty much looks the same functionality wise. But the Ryobi battery system does not have as much tools offered as Bauer. right now, I have very little in cordless tools, I got a craftsman impact drill for christmas a few years ago and it actually is pretty decent for what it is, but Craftsman being what it is, I don't think I want to go that route for getting into cordless. I also have a no name leaf blower that came with two batteries and a charger for christmas this past year, but cannot find it at all, and the battery packs seem to be unobtanium when or if I need to replace them, so while It works good now, I have little hope of getting batteries as they fail and it is less than 9 months old.

Ryobi and Bauer both seem to be in for the long haul, so I feel reasonably assured that I can get batteries for either one. But, Ryobi does not make a battery power impact driver in 3/8 or 1/2 inch. Bauer does. both do have leaf blowers. also looking at a possible 8" chain saw for limbs and pruning that will make my life easier. so it seems that Bauer is the possible best choice.

@PetroleumJunkie412 what was your main complaint on the HF Atlas 80 volt weed wacker? I have been looking at that, and it is a bit more than my price range, but Dad has the leaf blower as well and he loves it too. I liked the design of the head of the atlas, but I am wondering what your issues were with it?

AJ

Not sure about Bauer, but Ryobi can't be recommended for a new purchase. Their batteries suck, especially the 18 volt ones. If I was paying new tool prices, I'd only go with EGO at Lowe's and see if the add on extended warranty will kick in after the already great EGO 3/5year battery/tool warranty expires. The basic 15" EGO 56 volt bump feed trimmer is being discontinued. I got mine new for half price with the 3/5 year warranty. Unfortunately you can't get the extended warranty with clearance tools.