Here’s the list of products reviewed. More details in the video description. Thank you! Makita: amzn.to/3yiUAYO DeWalt: amzn.to/3yoFDEn EGO: amzn.to/3N3nwYG Milwaukee: amzn.to/3ytYMVP Atlas: Available at Harbor Freight Kobalt: Available at Lowes Ryobi: amzn.to/3vW7lH4 ECHO: homedepot.sjv.io/ORdkor Greenworks: homedepot.sjv.io/doJ237
I wouldn't buy anything without checking for a Project Farm review first! Fair, real-world tests; thoughtful comments; and a complete lack of bias make this the gold standard of testing channels! Thanks for being our favorite consumer advocate!
I couldn't believe it, but he never did this testing with gas trimmers not even testing 2 cycles trimmers against 4 cycles ones. I needed to replace my trimmer and of course searched project farm to see how they performed and were rated. Sadly, I found only things like trimmer line and combo attachment test.
@@ogbobbye stihl and Husqvarna make a great professional series trimmers. I have had one of my stihl trimmers for twenty years of very hard use and it still runs like the day that bought it. All three of my trimmers are two cycle and can take the hard use. All day every day. I have a stihl FS-250R, KM-94R and Husqvarna 525L. Each one of these trimmers is worth every penny and I highly recommend. I run them hard and they just keep coming back for more with a full tank of two cycle mix.
Welp he does have little over 2500 patrons at atleast $1 donation monthly (righfuly earned) majorly of these purchases are patreon funded so really, you should be thanking those whom support. PF. But let's not forget the amount of time he spends to put these videos together! He rightfully deserves the support!
I love the thoughtfulness about how these reviews are planned and executed. FWIW, I bought the Kobalt bare tool on clearance for $80 and it is more than what I need for our 2 1/2 acre property. It is quiet, powerful, and doesn't vibrate much. Thanks again for this review!
I hope you understand how good this channel is. As a 22 year old without much experience these comparisons have helped me IMMENSELY when buying tools. Thank you for what you do.
@@danpro.u honestly I’m not even shopping for one right now lol. I just love watching his videos because I learn alot without having to do it the hard way!
I’ve watched this video twice because of the volume of information packed into it. This is by far the best product comparison video on UA-cam and in my opinion should be the standard by which all such videos should be measured. It is unbiased and not a second wasted. 5 stars
@@ProjectFarm Great stuff. I really enjoy these videos and testing methods. I'd like to see tests between those cellphone USB "power banks" and or "solar power banks"
@@ProjectFarm I'm looking to buy a draw knife for my first long bow build. Any chance you could test some out? You're the only guy whose opinion would sway my purchase
Your creativity for coming up with real world, repeatable, unbiased, data driven tests is unparalleled. I'm sure there's a lab or research development department somewhere that would pay very well for your set of skills sir. 👌🏾 Love the content and keep up the great work!!
For about 13 years now, I have owned and operated a licensed lawn maintenance business in northern Idaho and have been running the dual battery Makita commercially now for 3 years and have had ZERO issues with it! I did upgrade to a speed loading head and would highly recommend it! It has more than paid itself off with gas/oil mix savings for how much I work it. I haven't used any other electric trimmers and went with Makita because I already had 16 batteries, but again, no complaints at all. I rarely utilize the feature, but it is very handy to have the reverse spinning option, it automatically reverts to the regular rotation after 5 seconds. It's handy also for getting the backside of large square posts on vinyl fencing, as it's not possible to hit one side with one type of fixed rotation. You can also feather the throttle at any of the 3 speed settings. Great product! Thank you so much for making these extremely in-depth thorough un-biased videos, I just discovered your channel and subscribed, and am hooked and already recommending you to family and friends! I will most certainly be referencing your channel before any sort of purchases in the future 🙂 God bless
Hey, I saw your comment under a post knowing that you have a battery powered lawn mower, isn't it great? I’m doing a survey about using the electric outdoor powered equipment including the mower, but I’m not an electric mower owner. Could I exchange some opinions with you so that I might get some in-person experience? I’d like to pay 100 dollars for a conversation with you, appreciated!
You mention "more than paid itself off"... I'm wondering if you buy the pre-mixed gas which is like $20-25 a gallon? Because even at $3.50/gallon gas (plus whatever minimal expense adding the oil is), mixing it yourself isn't that expensive. As a homeowner I doubt I even go through a gallon a season, but I understand you do this daily/professionally...
@@timfischer no I never buy the pre mixed stuff, that’s a rip off in my book. I buy the silver stihl bottles of oil, HP ultra full synthetic 5 gallon mix containers that are about $8-$10 each and I buy non-ethanol premium gas, so it’s about $6 a gallon when mixed.
My god, we need a man like this everywhere. You sir put in so much work and I don’t think we can fully comprehend your dedication and will to please your viewers, but it’s not just that. You thoroughly enjoy doing this which makes it all the more better. Keep up the good work man
As someone with 15 years in product quality assurance... you sir are an absolute top-notch product tester. Personally I own the Milwaukee because it had an edger attachment and it's been great but I was really pleased to see that the DeWalt was such a beast. Excellent video!
Josh, what do you think of the vibration the Milwaukee showed in this test? Wondering if this sample was defective. I have several Milwaukee tools and they are all great without exception. My son has the EGO and loves it, but I'm leaning toward the DeWalt for a string trimmer.
@@ohger1 It's pretty subtle, and the only time I really feel it is after I'm finished trimming and edging (there's an edger attachment) my lawn... but it's nothing that would prevent me from buying this tool. I also have a large lawn that takes me about 1.5 hours to trim and edge.
@@oshkoshbjosh Josh, if it takes 1.5 hours to trim and edge I'm curious how many batteries you have to keep working. He said the Milwaukee ran for 16 minutes at full throttle. I realize you wouldn't go at full all the time you are working. How long does a charge last in real use?
I can not believe how thorough you are! I have been an electrician for 33 years now! I have had many apprentices under my wing over the years! I like to think I made them wonderful tradespeople, but I don''t think I could do what you do? God bless you and keep it up!
@@ProjectFarm Have you thought of any tests dealing with DR Power equipment items ? I know they are really pricey, but wonder if their items are worth the money they make ? Thank you.
I bought the Milwaukee, a couple weeks back. HD was offering a huge combo deal along with the 16" chainsaw that included 4 total batteries. I think the deal was more than $300 off. I feel vindicated in my purchase. I also like the versatility of being able to purchase the attachments. Great video, awesome work as always. FWIW: I didn't get much vibration from the Milwaukee, but then again, I was used to my old Craftsman 2-cycle that made my hand go numb!
I watched this video like handicapping a horse race. I had my money on the Milwaukee up until I saw the DeWalt clearly pull away from the field as they rounded the bend and came down the stretch. I ran out and bought the DeWalt after watching this and am very impressed with it all around. Fantastic product review. Thank you!
how does it compare to a good, old school still built with real metal gas trimmer? my husky just bit the dust after only a year, bent rod. 4th husky in 6 years. they just don't make good shit anymore.
@@r3wturb0x51 I just gave my shindaiwa to my son in law. I bought it 16 years ago and it is still running strong. I won a Milwaukee in a raffle and gave it a try. I don’t see me ever going back to gas. For real world trimming on a yard, the Milwaukee is amazing. I run it on the low speed most of the time and it trims anything I need. It I want to hit something tougher, I kick it up to full speed. I used my shindaiwa in lawn care and had 5 acres of my own I kept up. So it was no slouch
It's always tough when you're tied to a battery system when your favorite brand falls below par. Glad in this case that the Dewalt came out on top this time as I'm in a sea of Dewalt batteries. It'd be great to see a test of battery lawnmowers next, as its the next battery tool on my list to buy! Great video as always!
I just got a $400 Ryobi electric mower that is self propelled. I like it for what I use it for. I have lots of Ryobi 40v batteries so that helped with the decision. I have the electic snowblower too.
to be fair dewalt makes meh quality tools, and for once i feel like this channel did poor on demonstrating the tools due to the lack of using similar amp batteries or at minimum the best battery for each brand.
I bought an EGO last year and I have to say I really really love it, so much better than a gas trimmer. The electric autoreload is SO MUCH LESS HASSLE than my old gas one, cannot be overstated.
I went and bought the DeWalt and a bunch of attachments because of your review. Good job. Getting to a point where people won't buy a power tool unless you've tested it. Thanks
Project Farm is a "mind reader". I've been researching cordless trimmers all weekend! Looks like I'll have another Dewalt tool in my arsenal, Thanks bud!
I have the Ego trimmer and it certainly is a bit heavy. I'm 70 years old though and it's not too bad. I have the leafblower, edger and rotertiller attachments too and the 56 amp battery works wonderfully for these. I tire out before the battery does.
I’ve had the Milwaukee for a year and a half now. I haven’t started the gas trimmer since. I usually only need the low speed setting and can do my whole yard on one battery. So far I’ve been happy with the performance. Thanks for the great video!
As an owner of the Dewalt, I can attest to it's power and effectiveness. The battery didn't last that long in this test. But, if it takes 1/2 or 1/3 as long to achieve a task due to its power, then it's more effective than it appears, and working half as long is less grueling. I love this machine.
Thanks for the input. I have mostly dewalt 20V stuff and would love to be able to use the same chargers etc. so I was leaning toward Dewalt. This video plus your endorsement sealed the deal. Thanks
@@TheTurbomopar one thing you do not want is high current charging, even for larger batteries. I've seen battery packs destroyed by high current chargers
You're a legend man. I've been overwhelmed for years with battery powered tools and choosing a brand to go with and you're giving the most insightful and scientific tests that I've found. Thank you sir.
I stuck with craftsman. My grandfather used it a lot and we have a lot of craftsman 20v system stuff so buying a craftsman electric weedwacker was a great idea. And it has surprisingly good battery life.
I have the dewalt and am amazed at the power. Runs all my attachments (including a tiller, pole saw, and hedge trimmer) way better than the previous gas power head. Great video as always!
The company that I work at uses stihl electric weed whackers. They’re amazing. The batter is held in a pouch that you can wear as a back back, it around your waist so it lowers the weight of the trimmer down by a lot. The batteries last for ever too. They’re pretty awesome and really comfortable tools to use.
Long term tester here - the old version of the Kobalt was developed by Briggs & Stratton with it being sold through Snapper. I have had this weed eater with 2 batteries working great & zero issues since 2015. From 2015-2018 on 1 acre of land (with 2 batteries was plenty). Since 2019-2022 on .25 acre and still going strong. Just throwing in .02 for longevity test.
I own the same Kobalt trimmer used in this video and it performed in these tests as I expected. I wanted an attachment capable trimmer and already had the batteries, so also got the Kobalt 80v attachment capable version used since I could no longer find it in stores. Makes sense that the Kobalt performed badly in the torque test here. It really struggles with the more torque dependent attachments like the edger unfortunately.
I have ryobi in almost all my power tools. They may be middle of the pack, but they get the job done. I like that they don’t change the battery architecture every few years making batts obsolete. I have the brushless trimmer and I also bought the 4 cycle gas head that can use all the same attachments. It’s easy to grab the electric real quick and then the gas for bigger work.
I own a Ryobi gas string trimmer with the quick connect brush cutter and it's a beast. Couldn't be happier with it based on the stuff I've gotta cut where I live.(very glad I didn't buy a Ryobi gas chainsaw tho) I really feel like Ryobi is strong in some areas and very very weak in others. As long as your tool works for you that's all that matters!
@@farstrider79 exactly. And I live in a literal jungle. I'm not using my Ryobi daily, but when I do use it it performs perfectly. And with non ethanol fuel I see it lasting for quite awhile
Some of my Ryobi batteries are ten years old and still going strong. My string trimmer is 18 volts. I have used the 40 volt model, and it was a beast, without using the max speed option.
I picked up the ryobi last week and I wasn’t expecting much out of a battery powered trimmer but it has been awesome. The best string trimmer I’ve ever owned actually. It’s hard to beat it’s performance for the price. Picked it up because I was tired of running out of gas and mixing gas and oil several times during the season. I’m on board with these battery powered yard tools. They’ve come a long way in the last 10 years. I haven’t had any problems with the torque slowing down but I’m just trimming my yard, no brush or anything.
I have 1.7 acres and 200 trees I trim periodically. I was skeptical a battery run device would work for me since I use 2 tanks of gas in my Stihl FS55 to get it all done. Quite to my surprise, the EGO can do it all and still have 2 out of 5 lights remaining on the battery charge. I am impressed.
Todd You are best at this game, Every other comparison reviewer channel on YT can learn a lot from you. No one is as thorough and objective as you. You deserve every bit of revenue you receive from this channel. Been watching you for quite a long time now and have watched you up your game. Well done sir !
Another great review. Thank you! As a homeowner I went with the Ryobi for its price and versatility. For $250 you get the trimmer, 4 ah battery, charger and a reasonably powerful blower. Unlike some of the competition, you can still use existing attachments available everywhere. I originally wanted the Ego but they made it proprietary, so I skipped it. I can trim 320ft of fencing, edge 640ft of sidewalk and blow all the debris away at my moms and still have power left to do my own house.
my mom got an ego. the trigger broke immediately haha. she is happy with her Ryobi now. plus heck them batteries work with alot of other ryobi product to
I also purchased the Ryobi and I'm very happy with it. Similar performance to the Echo and Stihl gas trimmers I've used before. The fact that you get a fast charger, a 4 ah battery, and it's fairly light helps too! For home use the Ryobi is all anyone would ever need.
I own an EGO string trimmer and everything you said about it is true. My gripes incoming: 1) The unit is heavy and fatiguing if you have a large yard to trim even with the 2.0 Ah battery that came with mine let alone using the 5.0 or 7.0 Ah batteries. 2) This is made worst by having the motor at the cutting end of the shaft, the damn thing just feels clumsy to use. 3) My last gripe is that the design of the cutting head on my 2017 model with the "carbon fiber" shaft, it's like the string is too high off of the ground and I would have to unnaturally tilt the trimmer at uncomfortable angles to get the string to trim flush with the ground. To clarify my sentiment - my ideal trimmer/brush cutter is my very old Shindiawa T-20 brush cutter that I bought in the early 1980s, it still runs great and it's like using a scalpel to EGO's axe. Thank you for your videos and I am really thinking about switching to that DeWalt trimmer.👍
All in on Ego. I sold all of my yard care equipment like my trimmer, edger, blower and mower and went to Ego and have not looked back. Simply phenomenal products you won't regret buying.
I have an Ego blower and hedge trimmer. I really like them but I'm a little concerned about buying replacement batteries in the future. They seem overpriced.
I bought two EGOs earlier this year to weed whack my half acre, very steep, hillside. The first one had the standard bump feed head, and the other was the model tested here. I was able to complete the job significantly faster (probably twice as fast) using the model with the auto feed rather than the bump head because the steep uneven slope caused me to waste line when I'd inadvertently strike the hillside. Something to consider for those working different terrains. After watching this video, I'm thinking that Milaukee or Dewalt would be nice to try, but the reason I went with the EGO was the massive battery. Two large batteries are definitely needed for doing a half acre job, so you can alternate the battery in service vs on the charger. Awesome video! Thanks for the hard work.
I went with ego because they had the best battery life at the time. I can do my front and back plus my neighbors front and the trimming and quick blowing on the same battery. Not saying they are the best now, other brands have definitely caught up and surpassed with electric lawn tools.
I love your thoroughness, detail, and the usefulness of your tests. You're about as close to Consumer Reports we can get. They don't test a lot of the tools you do. You seem to know what most guys are interested in. Keep up the good work, thanks.
My Ryobi trimmer motor started smoking at the 3 year mark due to high usage around the property. It always struggled a bit, but I was happy to finally get rid of the gas trimmer. I broke down and bought the DeWalt 60v thanks to you. It fantastic, like you demonstrated. Thanks much!
For me, EGO platform all the way, mower, edger, string trimmer, blower, 18 in chainsaw. The charger may be noisy but it has a cooling fan and it isn't on all the time. Great products that have not let me down for three years so far.
I agree mostly, though I have one 2.5ah battery that seems to be losing some runtime after 3 years, which is a bummer because of how expensive they are. I thought the Ego batteries would last longer than the competition.
@@kristoferbrown8007 it's all about how you maintain the battery. After you use a battery, if it's not RED or has more than a single light for remaining charge, leave it and don't charge it until before you use it again. Such as the day before. Lithium batteries don't like being charged and stored at peak capacity as that reduces their lifespan.
@@kristoferbrown8007 losing a bit of runtime after 3 years is about normal for battery to be fair... At least they have a great warranty. I have two 2.5AH batteries and one 5.0AH and just rotate through them basically.
I bought a DeWalt trimmer a while ago and yesterday as I was strolling through the hardware store I wondered if this Ryobi brand had anything to it. This video has taught me a lot about string trimmers and I'm so glad to see that I had by pure blind luck bought arguably the best one.
I bought the dewalt 20v max trimmer a couple of years ago. I hadn’t yet got into the flexvolt battery set and was on a small city lot with bluegrass. For that it worked fine, but wasn’t up to snuff for the woody brush at my current place. I replaced it with a stihl fs240, and didn’t look back. I wonder if the 60v flavor would have done the job, but I love the additional blade options and the handlebars with a husky harness is a lot easier on my back than any of the d handles I have used.
Ryobi sponsored a engineering capstone team at my school (GT) to work specifically on battery trimmer vibration, so hopefully there will be improvements seen in their upcoming models as the team was able to figure out some relatively straightforward solutions to the problem. I was in the same class but worked on another project.
That's pretty cool. I guess the solution is to put the motor on the string head, but that also removes the expand it possibilities that the other models have.
@@tmhunter7 there is a $300.00 ryobi with the carbon fiber shaft, motor on the head, 17in cut and 6amp hr battery. I think pf just missed seeing the better ryobi to test.
Had purchased the Ryobi a few years back for under $200 as a kit. Best deal IMO. At the time most of the others were behind it even in throttle response and cost more. Seems they have gotten better but still cost considerably more than you can typically get the Ryobi.
I bought the same Ryobi in the video a week before seeing this video. I love the trimmer and it reminds me of a gas without all the noise. I haven’t used a gas trimmer probably since 2001. Previously I had a Ryobi hybrid trimmer that worked with either 18V battery or extension cord. I almost always used it with extension cord for more consistent power and lack of breaks to change batteries. The motor recently burned out while using a battery on a simple task, the trimmer was nearly 15 years old anyway… I bought that new Ryobi and it was phenomenal. I’m finally able to tackle over grown grass that 6’+ that the old trimmer could never affect.
I've learned that if I have a lot of tall grass to cut with a trimmer, it's best to walk backwards while you trim. This keeps the grass from bunching up around the head. In the end, you have grass that's laid down nice and even, with no clumps. The string seems to last longer too as it's not trying to recut the grass clippings.
What about the grass that you step on before you cut it? Have you ever noticed any cutting differences due to that? I definitely agree about the clumping, and walking backwards seems good to me when applicable. Often by a road edge or something it's dangerous.
@@MrBradshawbenjamin stepping on it really doesn't seem to affect it that much. I have a long steep bank bedside the road I have to cut and since I've been doing it this way it really seems easier and faster.
We bought the DeWalt trimmer about 9 months ago and it has operated flawlessly. I didn't really want a battery powered trimmer but was pleasantly surprised at how well it cuts and handles.
I personally have the dewalt trimmer and absolutely love it. Excellent power and Excellent run time. I have been able to get up to 45 minutes on the dewalt on the high setting and even longer on the low. It has replaced the 36cc gas trimmer and in my opinion has more power than the gas. Excellent vid and keep up the excellent work.
How is the balance on it? I have the 20v version of the DeWalt and the balance is awful and very forward heavy toward the trimmer head; I run my 8Ah battery just to even it out. Otherwise, it gets plenty of run time and I have no complaints.
The balance is more towards the rear. With everything attached I have it balanced at the D handle fairly well. If I had to compare, I would say it is maybe better balanced than a gas weedeater. I think Project Farm shows the weight in the comparison.
I have the makita with the string trimmer and its really impressive. I bought the articulating hedge trimmer for blackberry bushes and other heavy vines around the property and it works really well and will even cut tree sprouts up to about 5/8". Last week i purchased the pole saw attatchment and drive shaft attatchment. Ive been cleaning up fruit trees and trimming oaks and cedars with it. It works really well but the vibration is much more noticable when it starts chewing up limbs. Overall im very happy with my property care setup now and could even go out and make some decent money with this tool.
Love the outdoor power equipment tests. Hoping to see more tests like these between weed eaters, chainsaws, mowers, and blowers. So many options these days. Would like to see the tools that run on 18v,24v power tool batteries compared with each other. And the other higher voltage tools compared to each other. Great tests anyways, as always!
Brad, He did a test of chain saws, both gas, and battery, he even tested different chains, and chain saw sharpeners. Just look through his list to find the test he has already done then watch. Good luck
I bought the Milwaukee since I already have tools that use same batteries. I think you rating for it was spot on. It has nice response and power, but does have a lot of vibration. Kudos, keep up the good work.
I have that exact same model ryobi trimmer. It works great around my house. I run it with a 6 amp battery that I share with it and a ryobi lawn mower. Unless my grass is unusually thick I can mow and trim my whole yard on a single charge of that battery.
That is cool. I like the ryobi stuff. All of my tools are Ridgid tools and had i thought about it at the time I would have just bought all ryobi stuff. They just have more options. I bought the 18v weed eater and then also bought the little handheld compressor. I am going to phase out all my ridgid tools to Ryobi and then next year I plan on investing in some of the 40v stuff. If batteries were all the same style for example 18v and 40v that could be interchangeable people would buy the better product and not worry about the battery brands. Brand buying is what keeps people stuck with their current brand.
@@peaceinator56 I don't have the edger yet but it's on my wish list to expand my collection in the future. Currently I just use the string trimmer to dig at my edges since my house doesn't have very much sidewalk area to worry about.
Been watching you for a very long time and after pulling on my echo weed wacker today for a half hour to no avail, you helped me make my decision once again on my new Dewalt trimmer. I was leaning towards it anyway since I already have their tools and the flexvolt battery will work with everything else
Well this makes me feel even better about buying the dewalt trimmer last year. I bought the attachment capable one like shown in the video. I'm very happy with it and impressed with the power and run time. By far the easiest bump feed spool I've used. Coming from using all stihl 2 cycle trimmers in the past. I just wanted something to grab and go. My yard isn't that big but I can get 3 trims on low and 2 on high without it dropping a bar on the battery.
I bought the DeWalt at the beginning of summer, but mostly because I wanted to share batteries with my impact wrench. After watching your video, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. Great video.
I have an ego 56v dedicated trimmer, that thing is amazing. Had it for 3 years, you were right about the need to wear safety glasses using the thing but the power is unmatched and it never stalls.
Awesome video! It is not lost on me just how much work goes into making these videos, it has got to take you hours and days to put all this together and edit it and give us this great information. I just appreciate it so much. The best part of my week is Sunday project farm day. Thanks Todd
Thanks - bought the DeWalt and used it yesterday and it worked great with the Royobi attachments - pruner and edger. Ran it about 1 hour and battery was still 2/3 full. Used the trimmer, then edged, then pruner to cut down some small trees.
Im a women but i love this channel, it always tells me which product i want to spend my money on catered to my specific needs thanks, been here for since 200k
I went with the ego trimmer because its biggest selling point was the automatic string loader. Press the button and it loads the string for you. Love the objective testings you did. It really helps others the decision making easier. EDIT: the ego model I got came with the 2.5ah battery. The 4ah battery is considerably heavier. I used the trimmer primarily for cutting the edge of the lawn.
@@dennispope8160 that’s why I got their leaf blower and brushless sp mower as well. It beats having to winterize the gas machines and waste time with maintenance when I needed them to operate. It lets me do the work on the lawn and not on the equipment itself.
I am impressed with ego. I started with a lawn mower nine years ago. No issues. Bought the top model chainsaw because it offered twice the chain speed as the model tested here. Awesome to say the least. Thank you for your excellent reviews.
I bought the 4ah version with the LINE IQ head. Love that trimmer, and I would never go back to gas. My only complaint is the LINE IQ will only feed the line about 80% out to the guard.
One thing to remember when investing in electric lawn tools is the platform that supports that battery not just one tool..Ego was my choice and happy I made it. Excellent customer support too. Trimmer chainsaw blower and ridding mower all have been great.
Always a treat to watch you test things. It never ceases to amaze me the ingenuity you display and setting up your homemade testing. There's never a doubt to the validity of your findings and just how close in comparison your testing is to the real life average users method of usage. "Professional" testers such as Consumer Reports could learn a thing or two or twenty from your ability to provide concise, real world, unbiased and transparent testing with results the average consumer can then digest to make an educated purchase decision based on their needs. 👍👍👍
19:51 - YOU KNOW, you trust this channel for good testing and reviews, so you can just click the time stamp and see the final results. Thanks Project Farm for being our go to source. I wish we had an updated video, but this is still useful.
I own the 20v DeWalt string trimmer. I think it is amazing. I've had it for ~4 years and it's compatible with all their batteries (smaller 2 ah or 5ah for example, but also the bigger 6, 9 or 12v 20/60v flex volt batteries). It makes it much lighter weight than the 60v version and is much cheaper. It still has a low and high speed and is extremely powerful. I've gone full throttle through thick grass on a hot day for 10 minutes straight without it having problems. I've never once thought it needed more power, unlike any other gas trimmer I've ever used. I see no reason to have the 60v version unless you were literally trying to mow down a giant hay field and even then I think I would want the much lighter 20v version.
Any issues with having the motor at the trimmer head? I have considered buying that model but some reviews say that grass and dust end up in the motor since it's at the head and ruin it.
The nice thing about the 60v trimmer is it accepts most universal attachments. I own it and it's a wonderful trimmer, polesaw and edger. Ironically, it accepts Ryobi attachments while the Milwaukee doesn't.
I also own the 20v version but if you have a lot of trimming to do, the motor being at the trimmer head is a super pain in the butt. Really makes for sore biceps the next day!!
@@codyallen1431 I was noticing my older version is a bit different since it's not silver at the head. It has a small brushless motor. But it can definitely get tiring to swing back and forth after an hour
Great product review as always. I've been using the Makita for 3 years. I love it. It is crazy powerful; I have never needed to run at the top speed. I usually get about 30 minutes of trimming on the middle speed. I have several properties and normally go through one full load of line and two sets of batteries each time I trim. I would by another one in a minute.
totally agree with you, I just left a comment. I too only use the middle level, very rarely ever the top speed! I own and operate a lawn care business and use it commercially, now for 3 years with ZERO problems. I love it!
@@FreedomFox1 yessir! I have like 6 of the 18v 3.0 batteries but all my others are the 18v 5.0 which is all I run for better runtime :-) I also run these batteries in my makita drill, impact, sliding compound miter saw, etc. they are compatible in all of their 18v tool lineup
makita/dolmar and stihl are in my opinion the best for professional use. normally i can trim about 10km of lawn edges until i need to reload 16 ft of line. the trick is to (only possible for with the full pro gear) remove the lower part of the protection and use a bit longer line, while keeping the rpm down. additionally you can cut wide enough, you then can switch directly to the really big lawn mowers. cut down times to roughly 2/3 of normal. with the stihl kmr135a (multimotor, can mount loads of stuff, so totally overpowered), i get a little over 1h from the biggest non-backpack akku and about 30 min of cutting down hip height grass. one of the biggest factors in how clean the cuts are and how much akku/fuel you use, is the line. makita blue twisted roughly halfs the power consumption. (twisted is much sharper but not as strong, so needs to be kept at lower rpm).
I was really surprised to see how bad the Milwaukee was on vibration. They've done so well on that front on many of their other tools. Excellent video as always. Would love to see electric leaf blowers.
Agreed. I think the quick disconnect pole had something to do with it, wonder how the single piece non interchangeable pole model would have performed on that front.
Also suprised, though this is a 5 year old tool. For example their new Multi tool that came out recently is 2.5x less vibration over their older models, who knows maybe we will get a Gen 2 weed wacker
I've owned and used the Milwaukee for about 5 years. No problems. Plenty of power and quick battery recharge. It doesn't come with a shoulder strap, which I would recommend jimmy rigging one.
Good review as always. I do like a lot of the extra tests you added, such as how easily it dispenses line. While it's not completely comparable, consider adding a singular gas powered trimmer as a baseline of comparison for people who don't have battery tools at all. Same goes with plug in power tools when testing the battery variants. It might seem like a small thing, but it helps add context.
@@hkfan4596 You're correct, however, it's not about it winning or losing, it's about comparing it to what a lot of people have and is readily available. It's not supposed to be fair, it's supposed to be a point of reference.
@@hkfan4596 easily win? By what measure? They vibrate far more which is hell on the joints, they're heavier, they are much louder, cost money for fuel, etc. It's not just about power and endurance. Most people don't need a commercial quality trimmer
I have an Ego trimmer, and that thing has so much torque! I originally bought it to cut grass at a new house with unmaintained yard with many hidden items in the tall grass that no mower could have handled,and it worked perfectly. It's almost too powerful to use for my weekly trimming and edging. I bought a smaller 18V Ryobi for quick trim and edge work. But always go back to the Ego after winter and need to get major cutting complete for the first cut of the year.
Dude!! Please don't stop ever. I love the pace you have this is really good. No time to waste! :) I love how you think of everything to test! All review channels need to follow your example
I can tell from the wink of this guy that he is very caring and experienced, and of course I watch almost all of his videos. I love this channel and have bought several DeWalt tools because of him.😂
Great review as always, PF! I switched from a Husqvarna gasoline string trimmer to electric and couldn't be happier. For me, the choice was easy: Ryobi (the version with the plain shaft, not the carbon fiber one). The reason it was easy for ME to pick that unit was it's ability to accept the universal trimmer accessories I already own (blower, edger). Ryobi is the low-end brand coming out of TTI's stable, but I think it is a very fair value. Any of the units where the motor is in the head were automatically disqualified because they're a single-use tool from my perspective. Some that can take attachments only take their own brand, so again they were not in consideration. I've been using the Ryobi for 2-3 years now and not having to fiddle with priming and starting a gas engine is a godsend. Your test of cutting tall weeds in a meadow shows that the Ryobi isn't the fastest would be a slight concern for a bigger lot, but in my use on a suburban lawn it's not an issue. I'm also happy to report that I can edge and trim on LOW speed, which makes it very controllable and easy enough so even my wife can use it - plus it uses less battery. Initially, I thought the speed change is a gimmick but I'm impressed how well it works on low that I never bother with high except for the blower. The 3Ah battery lasts long enough to do trim, edge, and blow my entire yard with some power to spare. Other people might have different requirements, but for me the Ryobi is about as perfect as it gets. At the same time, I continue to be impressed how much Milwaukee has been able to squeeze out of the M18 platform. The DeWalt I really dig the FlexVolt system), Milwaukee, or Makita might be a better choice if you're already invested in that battery technology. For your average guy looking to buy an electric trimmer for the first time, I can only say: Run down to the store and do it. You won't regret it. After winter, there's no fussing with the motor. Plug in battery, go. It has made an onerous task much more enjoyable. One small edit: 13ft of line isn't a lot for the Ryobi, but I find that I don't have to mess with line changes often at all, something I attribute to me running it on low speed. I use the gray Husqvarna line that you deemed the best a few years ago and it's a great combination.
I just bought the Dewalt, and 1 thing they forgot to mention is that the charger is a standard 20v/12v Dewalt charger. The battery is actually comprised of 3 x 20v 3ah packs, and will work on any 20v tool. The flex part jumps it to 60v. I was pretty happy to get another charger for the 5 x 20v batteries I have already. Charged from empty in about 2 hours, 1 hour of constant use on low, never stalled at all. I only had to bump it once for the whole hour.
I never leave a comment on any UA-cam video however, you did such an excellent job on breaking down every aspect, as well as grading the weed eaters that I wanted to say GREAT JOB at this, as I'm sure the recording of this compilation took considerable time. BRAVO ZULU!!!
Thank you for this review! I thought I was being a dewalt fanboy thinking my trimmer was so powerful, glad to know I got a really good tool! Also a note that some trimmer brands have part replacements they sell at stores, which can affect whether the tool is worth the part replacement cost. It's very minor but a useful statistic.
I have it as well and was wondering the same thing. It's the best trimmer I've had by far (I've had and tried many over the years) and have had no issues trimming my 3/4 acre property a few times without having to recharge. I hated to pay what it cost, but VERY glad I did. I also have the 60v circular saw, so getting the extra 60v battery helped make the decision a little easier
That torque becomes really important if you bought a trimmer that also has an edger attachment. I have the Dewalt (may be a slightly different model, but looks very similar) and it rocks as an edger too.
@@Nate7700 and at only 18v! the 40, 56v systems perform really poorly. I have the ryobi 18v setup, and it edges and runs the pole saw just fine. btw the 18v is great for the lawn and house, it doesnt throw grass 80ft away like the 25cc echo i have, but edges and trims grass just fine.
One of my friends bought a DeWalt industrial cordless hammer drill. I saw he had a plaster cast on his left wrist, & asked what happened. He told me he was drilling a large hole in 6mm thick steel, using low gear. The drill bit jammed, & the torque of the drill busted his wrist.
Wow ... awesome objectivity, thoroughness, yet still short/sweet/and to the point, all of which so many UA-cam reviews come up short. With this one video, you just gained another subscriber. Thank You!
Watching this video made me feel good with my Milwaukee purchase. I got the solid shaft version and already have a lot of other M18 tools so it's a no brainer. The vibration is noticeable but nowhere near the vibration of any gas powered trimmer
Was literally having this convo with some coworkers early last week except they are dead set that you should only gas powered weed eaters for both personal and commercial use. Would’ve liked to seen some comparison with gas powered in the torque and the cut time/grass buildup while using tests. But all in all very helpful. Was definitely looking at getting the desalt trimmer before this video. This was that final reassurance to go ahead and get it. Thank you.
you won't regret it, having used gas professionally, the new battery ones aren't lacking in anything but run time. mine lxt x2 makita goes almost 45mins. I'd see if you could rent or try one without a shaft, the in head motors are crazy no vibration. not sure if Dewalt has a shaftless model, but definitely worth looking into.
Would've been nice to include a medium duty residential gas weed whacker and a heavy duty commercial 1 for comparison. Especially torque, vibration, cut time, and run time. Love your videos, you're awesome!
I have the 20v DeWalt trimmer(already in the ecosystem) and with the small 20v battery it can handle all the weeds for me and will run it on the low setting for well over 30 minutes. The big thick battery will do all the weeds AND do all the edging too. The high setting is mental, I would imagine for field use or something lol
@@Seasniffer69 yeah, same for x2 18v makita, I can cut nearly anything on low, high just throws the grass harder and faster and runs the battery down. having used gas stihls for 8 hrs a day continuous to clear fence lines and general trimming I don't miss them one bit, the vibration kills your elbows and wrists. some days I couldn't bend my arm after. holding an electric trimmer is like holding a stick that just knocks down grass. I feel like the electrics have better balance and are lighter also. on some models the low speeds are comparable to full tilt on gas, and like you said high just feels absurd.
I bought the Ego based on some other UA-cam reviewers and have to say it’s great. A little heavier with the big battery, but it just seems to do everything well. I had an Echo gas powered trimmer for 25 years and it was a great trimmer, but after using the battery powered trimmer for the last month, I wish I’d have made the swap to electric earlier. Certainly nice not messing with a gas engine!
I got EGO after my Ryobi died with a lot of smoke from the motor. Ryobi was almost new, I used it just 2 times. EGO is really nice, no issues with the weight. And after trimming around my house and under the fence (1.5 acres) it still has 50% charge left. Seeing that it is in the top range of this review is also nice.
If you have need of a push mower, catch one of the self-propelled Ego mowers on sale. Using the battery from the trimmer and a rapid charger Plus the original mower battery, you can run the mower as long as you keep swapping batteries. Have another battery from the Ego blower so. I can mow all day just swapping and rapid-charging.
I'd love to know how often manufactures contact you to challenge your results from these tests. Any ever threaten lawsuits? You do such a good job of giving all these tools a fair and equal chance to perform. I love this channel in that it's like Yelp or other review sources than you can mine for unbiased reviews before spending $ on these items.
I bought into the EGO system last year and have been happy with it thus far. I started with the trimmer (ST1521S) which is much lighter than the one you tested due to not having the auto-dispensing line which seems a bit boojee for my tastes. With the right line, I have had luck cutting through overgrown privet and blackberry almost 1/2" thick. I use the 2.5amp battery and I get a realistic 45 mins of consistent use from it, and the second battery charges to full power by the time the other dies - I can run without pause back to back. I picked up their Lawnmower (LM2135SP) a few weeks and it is a beast - I am very happy with it. I've tested the high-lift blade for bagging and the mulching blade. It cut through 15" high think grass and weeds without ever bogging down and gives a very clean cut. I have their 765CFM blower (LB7654) on the way and looking forward to continuing to build on the platform.
I have their chainsaw, two blowers, edge trimmer, pole saw, single and two stage, grass trimmer and my first purchase the agile, light and power self propelled lawn mower. I’m pleased with the overall performance and engineering of their products and I certainly didn’t want 8 different chargers and battery set ups in my quest for “the best”. Regarding their repair facility? I sent my broken mower and battery to them......,and they lost it. They did eventually send out new replacements but when their repair manager laughed at my situation they damn near lost me.
Stihl missed the boat for electric. While they've had them for a decade, they were extremely expensive, grossly underpowered, and often too small for most operators. To this day, they're not serious about electric tools. It's too bad.
I have about six (s)trimmers, most petrol. My biggest problems with them are a) getting them to run, b) getting the line to come out. Having recently ordered the Makita chainsaw and hedge trimmer thanks to you (and having just got two clone batteries), and being extremely satisfied with the Makita hammer drill which I can use with one hand (!), I'm naturally inclined to go with Makita, but will see some other reviews before deciding. Thanks for your incredible work.
I bought that same EGO to replace my commercial shindaiwa gas and couldn’t be happier, bought the EGO lawnmower next to replace my commercial Toro and equally as thrilled, great stuff!
I bought a worx love it free spools of line for life. Going on 7 years the batteries last just as long as they ever had and I love the easy switch from trimmer to edger
I have the Ryobi and have been very pleased with it. The grass here in FL is brutal so I ditched the string and installed plastic blades that make quick work of just about everything.
I have that Kobalt model, I have always been satisfied with it (which I guess what matters most) but wow I am kind of surprised to see that it was a lower performer on most of the tests overall. Thanks for the great vid!
I have the exact model in this video and I hate it. It does a great job but there are no attachments that will work on it and re-loading the trimmer head is a major pain! I can't even read the arrows on the head anymore. I tried to replace it with a head with blades but nothing will fit. Since they put the motor in the head the thread size they used is proprietary to that trimmer. I wish I would have known this stuff when I bought it. The only plus side to it is, I got it in a package deal with the blower for $300. The blower is fantastic! 👍
Here’s the list of products reviewed. More details in the video description. Thank you!
Makita: amzn.to/3yiUAYO
DeWalt: amzn.to/3yoFDEn
EGO: amzn.to/3N3nwYG
Milwaukee: amzn.to/3ytYMVP
Atlas: Available at Harbor Freight
Kobalt: Available at Lowes
Ryobi: amzn.to/3vW7lH4
ECHO: homedepot.sjv.io/ORdkor
Greenworks: homedepot.sjv.io/doJ237
I wouldn't buy anything without checking for a Project Farm review first! Fair, real-world tests; thoughtful comments; and a complete lack of bias make this the gold standard of testing channels! Thanks for being our favorite consumer advocate!
Thanks and you are welcome!
Agreed!
Since I've found him, I've definitely switched a few brands I buy for work n try to see if he has a review before any bigger purchases
I couldn't believe it, but he never did this testing with gas trimmers not even testing 2 cycles trimmers against 4 cycles ones. I needed to replace my trimmer and of course searched project farm to see how they performed and were rated. Sadly, I found only things like trimmer line and combo attachment test.
@@ogbobbye stihl and Husqvarna make a great professional series trimmers. I have had one of my stihl trimmers for twenty years of very hard use and it still runs like the day that bought it. All three of my trimmers are two cycle and can take the hard use. All day every day. I have a stihl FS-250R, KM-94R and Husqvarna 525L. Each one of these trimmers is worth every penny and I highly recommend. I run them hard and they just keep coming back for more with a full tank of two cycle mix.
You’re the science teacher we all wished we had in high school, educating while entertaining. Very impressive.
Thanks!
@@ProjectFarm which shape will protect the egg when dropped? The square or the triangle? We’re gonna test that!
Dude kid you not my science teacher literally gave us these exact lessons in a row #1 how to make acid #2 how to make cocaine #3 how to dissect a pig
Yes the us is a lost nstion war and death thats all that will be remembered…
Ikr
Can we all appreciate this man spent nearly $3,000 to test all these trimmers for us? Very impressive!!
Thanks!
Welp he does have little over 2500 patrons at atleast $1 donation monthly (righfuly earned) majorly of these purchases are patreon funded so really, you should be thanking those whom support. PF. But let's not forget the amount of time he spends to put these videos together! He rightfully deserves the support!
This "very impressive" was hilarious! 😆😆
do that for homeless or people who really need the money. btw he gets paid "UA-camr"
@Nedd Flanders must bee hard being this negative
I love the thoughtfulness about how these reviews are planned and executed.
FWIW, I bought the Kobalt bare tool on clearance for $80 and it is more than what I need for our 2 1/2 acre property. It is quiet, powerful, and doesn't vibrate much.
Thanks again for this review!
Thanks and you are welcome!
I hope you understand how good this channel is. As a 22 year old without much experience these comparisons have helped me IMMENSELY when buying tools. Thank you for what you do.
So what brand did you choose?
heck, I'm 51yo been in maintenance for 20 years and his research has saved me alot of buyers remorse!
@@danpro.u honestly I’m not even shopping for one right now lol. I just love watching his videos because I learn alot without having to do it the hard way!
@markwright2360 what did you choose? 😊
I’ve watched this video twice because of the volume of information packed into it. This is by far the best product comparison video on UA-cam and in my opinion should be the standard by which all such videos should be measured. It is unbiased and not a second wasted. 5 stars
Thanks so much!
he didnt compare the Toro !!! So he didnt compare all models
@@sbrodie08 I was hoping the Stihl would be in here.
You have the best review channel.
I agree💯 ProjectFarm there’s none in comparison👍
The UPS guy says to himself, "I know what the Project Farm man is testing this week" as he unloads about a dozen boxes. Thanks for a Sunday pick up.
You are welcome!
@@ProjectFarm Great stuff. I really enjoy these videos and testing methods. I'd like to see tests between those cellphone USB "power banks" and or "solar power banks"
Good thing you buy in bulk!
@@ProjectFarm I'm looking to buy a draw knife for my first long bow build. Any chance you could test some out? You're the only guy whose opinion would sway my purchase
@@ProjectFarm I would love to see some battery operated sprayers and poisons tested for getting rid of weeds!
Your creativity for coming up with real world, repeatable, unbiased, data driven tests is unparalleled. I'm sure there's a lab or research development department somewhere that would pay very well for your set of skills sir. 👌🏾 Love the content and keep up the great work!!
Thanks, will do!
For about 13 years now, I have owned and operated a licensed lawn maintenance business in northern Idaho and have been running the dual battery Makita commercially now for 3 years and have had ZERO issues with it! I did upgrade to a speed loading head and would highly recommend it! It has more than paid itself off with gas/oil mix savings for how much I work it. I haven't used any other electric trimmers and went with Makita because I already had 16 batteries, but again, no complaints at all. I rarely utilize the feature, but it is very handy to have the reverse spinning option, it automatically reverts to the regular rotation after 5 seconds. It's handy also for getting the backside of large square posts on vinyl fencing, as it's not possible to hit one side with one type of fixed rotation. You can also feather the throttle at any of the 3 speed settings. Great product!
Thank you so much for making these extremely in-depth thorough un-biased videos, I just discovered your channel and subscribed, and am hooked and already recommending you to family and friends! I will most certainly be referencing your channel before any sort of purchases in the future 🙂 God bless
Thanks and you are welcome! Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Hey, I saw your comment under a post knowing that you have a battery powered lawn mower, isn't it great? I’m doing a survey about using the electric outdoor powered equipment including the mower, but I’m not an electric mower owner. Could I exchange some opinions with you so that I might get some in-person experience? I’d like to pay 100 dollars for a conversation with you, appreciated!
I've been considering getting some of their productss
You mention "more than paid itself off"... I'm wondering if you buy the pre-mixed gas which is like $20-25 a gallon? Because even at $3.50/gallon gas (plus whatever minimal expense adding the oil is), mixing it yourself isn't that expensive. As a homeowner I doubt I even go through a gallon a season, but I understand you do this daily/professionally...
@@timfischer no I never buy the pre mixed stuff, that’s a rip off in my book. I buy the silver stihl bottles of oil, HP ultra full synthetic 5 gallon mix containers that are about $8-$10 each and I buy non-ethanol premium gas, so it’s about $6 a gallon when mixed.
My god, we need a man like this everywhere. You sir put in so much work and I don’t think we can fully comprehend your dedication and will to please your viewers, but it’s not just that. You thoroughly enjoy doing this which makes it all the more better. Keep up the good work man
Make me wonder what he does for a day job...LOL
As someone with 15 years in product quality assurance... you sir are an absolute top-notch product tester. Personally I own the Milwaukee because it had an edger attachment and it's been great but I was really pleased to see that the DeWalt was such a beast. Excellent video!
Thanks so much!
Josh, what do you think of the vibration the Milwaukee showed in this test? Wondering if this sample was defective. I have several Milwaukee tools and they are all great without exception. My son has the EGO and loves it, but I'm leaning toward the DeWalt for a string trimmer.
@@ohger1 It's pretty subtle, and the only time I really feel it is after I'm finished trimming and edging (there's an edger attachment) my lawn... but it's nothing that would prevent me from buying this tool. I also have a large lawn that takes me about 1.5 hours to trim and edge.
@@oshkoshbjosh Thanks.
@@oshkoshbjosh Josh, if it takes 1.5 hours to trim and edge I'm curious how many batteries you have to keep working. He said the Milwaukee ran for 16 minutes at full throttle. I realize you wouldn't go at full all the time you are working. How long does a charge last in real use?
I can not believe how thorough you are! I have been an electrician for 33 years now! I have had many apprentices under my wing over the years! I like to think I made them wonderful tradespeople, but I don''t think I could do what you do?
God bless you and keep it up!
Thanks so much!
Fantastic testing as always! An incredible amount of time and money goes into making these videos. Thank you! A++
Thank you very much!
We can’t limit this legend to A++
If you have a vagina.
@@ProjectFarm can you transform red diesel, and make it clear or yellow? that will be an cool subject!
@@ProjectFarm Have you thought of any tests dealing with DR Power equipment items ? I know they are really pricey, but wonder if their items are worth the money they make ?
Thank you.
I bought the Milwaukee, a couple weeks back. HD was offering a huge combo deal along with the 16" chainsaw that included 4 total batteries. I think the deal was more than $300 off. I feel vindicated in my purchase. I also like the versatility of being able to purchase the attachments. Great video, awesome work as always. FWIW: I didn't get much vibration from the Milwaukee, but then again, I was used to my old Craftsman 2-cycle that made my hand go numb!
Thanks for sharing.
I dont shop at hd since they’ve told us to be less white. I go to lowes now
home depot has a deal right now in my area buy the trimmer get the blower free so i bought it. haven't tried it yet though
@@KamalasVACANTwomb Lowes is the elitist libtard store though.
@@KamalasVACANTwomb Lowes literally is saying the same thing look it up.
I watched this video like handicapping a horse race. I had my money on the Milwaukee up until I saw the DeWalt clearly pull away from the field as they rounded the bend and came down the stretch. I ran out and bought the DeWalt after watching this and am very impressed with it all around. Fantastic product review. Thank you!
Thanks and you are welcome!
All of our cordless in the house are Dewalt. The batteries are nice.
Chainsaw, chopsaw, grinder, impact, drill. Looking at the walk behind mower.
how does it compare to a good, old school still built with real metal gas trimmer? my husky just bit the dust after only a year, bent rod. 4th husky in 6 years. they just don't make good shit anymore.
👍🤣
@@r3wturb0x51 I just gave my shindaiwa to my son in law. I bought it 16 years ago and it is still running strong. I won a Milwaukee in a raffle and gave it a try. I don’t see me ever going back to gas. For real world trimming on a yard, the Milwaukee is amazing. I run it on the low speed most of the time and it trims anything I need. It I want to hit something tougher, I kick it up to full speed. I used my shindaiwa in lawn care and had 5 acres of my own I kept up. So it was no slouch
As a new homeowner, I can’t emphasize how useful your videos are, Todd. Thanks brother!
You are welcome! Glad to hear!
It's always tough when you're tied to a battery system when your favorite brand falls below par. Glad in this case that the Dewalt came out on top this time as I'm in a sea of Dewalt batteries. It'd be great to see a test of battery lawnmowers next, as its the next battery tool on my list to buy! Great video as always!
Thanks! Thanks for the video idea.
The concord Carpenter has a full mower test. Dewalts aint that great tbh
I just got a $400 Ryobi electric mower that is self propelled. I like it for what I use it for. I have lots of Ryobi 40v batteries so that helped with the decision. I have the electic snowblower too.
to be fair dewalt makes meh quality tools, and for once i feel like this channel did poor on demonstrating the tools due to the lack of using similar amp batteries or at minimum the best battery for each brand.
There are a lot of batterie adapters out there now
I bought an EGO last year and I have to say I really really love it, so much better than a gas trimmer. The electric autoreload is SO MUCH LESS HASSLE than my old gas one, cannot be overstated.
I have the Makita, and after changing the bump head to a non-bump, I absolutely love it. This thing is a beast!
I went and bought the DeWalt and a bunch of attachments because of your review. Good job. Getting to a point where people won't buy a power tool unless you've tested it. Thanks
Project Farm is a "mind reader". I've been researching cordless trimmers all weekend! Looks like I'll have another Dewalt tool in my arsenal, Thanks bud!
Awesome! Thank you
Fr
Same here!
Fact
No kidding same thing here!
I have the Ego trimmer and it certainly is a bit heavy. I'm 70 years old though and it's not too bad. I have the leafblower, edger and rotertiller attachments too and the 56 amp battery works wonderfully for these. I tire out before the battery does.
I’ve had the Milwaukee for a year and a half now. I haven’t started the gas trimmer since. I usually only need the low speed setting and can do my whole yard on one battery. So far I’ve been happy with the performance. Thanks for the great video!
Thank you!
This is absolutely the most complete and five-star ***** video review I've ever seen so far. Very high quality. Great job!
Thanks so much!
As an owner of the Dewalt, I can attest to it's power and effectiveness. The battery didn't last that long in this test. But, if it takes 1/2 or 1/3 as long to achieve a task due to its power, then it's more effective than it appears, and working half as long is less grueling. I love this machine.
I also have many of the attachments and they're great as well.
it also take longer to charge because typical DeWalt gives you a slow charger for a large battery
Does the power make that much difference? I -never- run the milwaukee at full power but a 9 amp battery lasts me around an hour
Thanks for the input. I have mostly dewalt 20V stuff and would love to be able to use the same chargers etc. so I was leaning toward Dewalt. This video plus your endorsement sealed the deal. Thanks
@@TheTurbomopar one thing you do not want is high current charging, even for larger batteries. I've seen battery packs destroyed by high current chargers
You're a legend man. I've been overwhelmed for years with battery powered tools and choosing a brand to go with and you're giving the most insightful and scientific tests that I've found. Thank you sir.
You are welcome!
I stuck with craftsman. My grandfather used it a lot and we have a lot of craftsman 20v system stuff so buying a craftsman electric weedwacker was a great idea. And it has surprisingly good battery life.
What did you go with Fallon?
I have the dewalt and am amazed at the power. Runs all my attachments (including a tiller, pole saw, and hedge trimmer) way better than the previous gas power head. Great video as always!
The company that I work at uses stihl electric weed whackers. They’re amazing. The batter is held in a pouch that you can wear as a back back, it around your waist so it lowers the weight of the trimmer down by a lot. The batteries last for ever too. They’re pretty awesome and really comfortable tools to use.
Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a good deal.
Those things are expensive as hell
@@BeerkegGarage oh yeah, way too expensive
Long term tester here - the old version of the Kobalt was developed by Briggs & Stratton with it being sold through Snapper. I have had this weed eater with 2 batteries working great & zero issues since 2015. From 2015-2018 on 1 acre of land (with 2 batteries was plenty). Since 2019-2022 on .25 acre and still going strong.
Just throwing in .02 for longevity test.
I own the same Kobalt trimmer used in this video and it performed in these tests as I expected. I wanted an attachment capable trimmer and already had the batteries, so also got the Kobalt 80v attachment capable version used since I could no longer find it in stores. Makes sense that the Kobalt performed badly in the torque test here. It really struggles with the more torque dependent attachments like the edger unfortunately.
I have ryobi in almost all my power tools. They may be middle of the pack, but they get the job done. I like that they don’t change the battery architecture every few years making batts obsolete. I have the brushless trimmer and I also bought the 4 cycle gas head that can use all the same attachments. It’s easy to grab the electric real quick and then the gas for bigger work.
Thanks for sharing.
I own a Ryobi gas string trimmer with the quick connect brush cutter and it's a beast.
Couldn't be happier with it based on the stuff I've gotta cut where I live.(very glad I didn't buy a Ryobi gas chainsaw tho) I really feel like Ryobi is strong in some areas and very very weak in others.
As long as your tool works for you that's all that matters!
They're middle of the pack, but that's what your paying for also. I like expensive tools at work, but at home, Ryobi has served me well.
@@farstrider79 exactly. And I live in a literal jungle. I'm not using my Ryobi daily, but when I do use it it performs perfectly. And with non ethanol fuel I see it lasting for quite awhile
Some of my Ryobi batteries are ten years old and still going strong. My string trimmer is 18 volts. I have used the 40 volt model, and it was a beast, without using the max speed option.
I picked up the ryobi last week and I wasn’t expecting much out of a battery powered trimmer but it has been awesome. The best string trimmer I’ve ever owned actually. It’s hard to beat it’s performance for the price. Picked it up because I was tired of running out of gas and mixing gas and oil several times during the season. I’m on board with these battery powered yard tools. They’ve come a long way in the last 10 years. I haven’t had any problems with the torque slowing down but I’m just trimming my yard, no brush or anything.
Thanks for sharing.
The lower noise factor is great on the electric trimmer I use. I can actually listen to things on my headphones while weed whipping.
I have 1.7 acres and 200 trees I trim periodically. I was skeptical a battery run device would work for me since I use 2 tanks of gas in my Stihl FS55 to get it all done. Quite to my surprise, the EGO can do it all and still have 2 out of 5 lights remaining on the battery charge. I am impressed.
Thanks for sharing.
I love all my Ego tools, definitely do not miss the gas and maintenance. They have some great engineers over there.
ICE will idle between locations while Battery isn't being consumed.
Ego equals homeowner quality. There's no way an electric weedeater can outperform a gas powered weedeater.
@Frfggg Ffgcdkkd i have a 10 year old Milwaukee battery which i'm still using in tools.
Todd
You are best at this game, Every other comparison reviewer channel on YT can learn a lot from you. No one is as thorough and objective as you. You deserve every bit of revenue you receive from this channel. Been watching you for quite a long time now and have watched you up your game.
Well done sir !
Thanks so much! Thanks for being a loyal fan!
Another great review. Thank you! As a homeowner I went with the Ryobi for its price and versatility. For $250 you get the trimmer, 4 ah battery, charger and a reasonably powerful blower. Unlike some of the competition, you can still use existing attachments available everywhere. I originally wanted the Ego but they made it proprietary, so I skipped it. I can trim 320ft of fencing, edge 640ft of sidewalk and blow all the debris away at my moms and still have power left to do my own house.
You are welcome!
my mom got an ego. the trigger broke immediately haha. she is happy with her Ryobi now. plus heck them batteries work with alot of other ryobi product to
I also purchased the Ryobi and I'm very happy with it. Similar performance to the Echo and Stihl gas trimmers I've used before. The fact that you get a fast charger, a 4 ah battery, and it's fairly light helps too! For home use the Ryobi is all anyone would ever need.
I own an EGO string trimmer and everything you said about it is true. My gripes incoming:
1) The unit is heavy and fatiguing if you have a large yard to trim even with the 2.0 Ah battery that came with mine let alone using the 5.0 or 7.0 Ah batteries.
2) This is made worst by having the motor at the cutting end of the shaft, the damn thing just feels clumsy to use.
3) My last gripe is that the design of the cutting head on my 2017 model with the "carbon fiber" shaft, it's like the string is too high off of the ground and I would have to unnaturally tilt the trimmer at uncomfortable angles to get the string to trim flush with the ground.
To clarify my sentiment - my ideal trimmer/brush cutter is my very old Shindiawa T-20 brush cutter that I bought in the early 1980s, it still runs great and it's like using a scalpel to EGO's axe.
Thank you for your videos and I am really thinking about switching to that DeWalt trimmer.👍
All in on Ego. I sold all of my yard care equipment like my trimmer, edger, blower and mower and went to Ego and have not looked back. Simply phenomenal products you won't regret buying.
Thanks for sharing.
I did the same and I completely agree. Going on two years with my EGO equipment.
@@TheShootingBrake same here ego had been awesome
I have an Ego blower and hedge trimmer. I really like them but I'm a little concerned about buying replacement batteries in the future. They seem overpriced.
I’m team Ego as well. Now I have to problem of always thinking I need more batteries and implements
I bought two EGOs earlier this year to weed whack my half acre, very steep, hillside. The first one had the standard bump feed head, and the other was the model tested here. I was able to complete the job significantly faster (probably twice as fast) using the model with the auto feed rather than the bump head because the steep uneven slope caused me to waste line when I'd inadvertently strike the hillside. Something to consider for those working different terrains.
After watching this video, I'm thinking that Milaukee or Dewalt would be nice to try, but the reason I went with the EGO was the massive battery. Two large batteries are definitely needed for doing a half acre job, so you can alternate the battery in service vs on the charger.
Awesome video! Thanks for the hard work.
Thanks and you are welcome!
You can pick up bigger batteries for the dewalt if you decide to go that route.
Bigger batteries are also available for the EGO... insanely expensive, at least in Canada
I went with ego because they had the best battery life at the time. I can do my front and back plus my neighbors front and the trimming and quick blowing on the same battery. Not saying they are the best now, other brands have definitely caught up and surpassed with electric lawn tools.
Also went with PF's trimmer line recommendation and haven't looked back.
I love your thoroughness, detail, and the usefulness of your tests. You're about as close to Consumer Reports we can get. They don't test a lot of the tools you do. You seem to know what most guys are interested in. Keep up the good work, thanks.
Thanks, will do!
AND DIY women !
Are you kiddind. Consumer Reports would have picked the Tundra or Camry
@@rjdef9534 I kiddind you knot.
My Ryobi trimmer motor started smoking at the 3 year mark due to high usage around the property. It always struggled a bit, but I was happy to finally get rid of the gas trimmer. I broke down and bought the DeWalt 60v thanks to you. It fantastic, like you demonstrated. Thanks much!
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing.
Stay away from Ryobi. That should be common sense if you watch Project Farm religiously
For me, EGO platform all the way, mower, edger, string trimmer, blower, 18 in chainsaw. The charger may be noisy but it has a cooling fan and it isn't on all the time. Great products that have not let me down for three years so far.
I agree mostly, though I have one 2.5ah battery that seems to be losing some runtime after 3 years, which is a bummer because of how expensive they are. I thought the Ego batteries would last longer than the competition.
@@kristoferbrown8007 it's all about how you maintain the battery.
After you use a battery, if it's not RED or has more than a single light for remaining charge, leave it and don't charge it until before you use it again. Such as the day before.
Lithium batteries don't like being charged and stored at peak capacity as that reduces their lifespan.
@@viet0ne It can be luck of the draw, batteries are made by a thousand brands and the cheapest ones find themselves in power tools.
@@kristoferbrown8007 losing a bit of runtime after 3 years is about normal for battery to be fair... At least they have a great warranty. I have two 2.5AH batteries and one 5.0AH and just rotate through them basically.
Thanks for sharing.
I bought a DeWalt trimmer a while ago and yesterday as I was strolling through the hardware store I wondered if this Ryobi brand had anything to it. This video has taught me a lot about string trimmers and I'm so glad to see that I had by pure blind luck bought arguably the best one.
Thanks for sharing.
I actually thought of buying Ryobi before, but after watching this video, I changed my my to go for DeWalt.
I bought the dewalt 20v max trimmer a couple of years ago. I hadn’t yet got into the flexvolt battery set and was on a small city lot with bluegrass. For that it worked fine, but wasn’t up to snuff for the woody brush at my current place. I replaced it with a stihl fs240, and didn’t look back. I wonder if the 60v flavor would have done the job, but I love the additional blade options and the handlebars with a husky harness is a lot easier on my back than any of the d handles I have used.
Ryobi sponsored a engineering capstone team at my school (GT) to work specifically on battery trimmer vibration, so hopefully there will be improvements seen in their upcoming models as the team was able to figure out some relatively straightforward solutions to the problem. I was in the same class but worked on another project.
That's pretty cool. I guess the solution is to put the motor on the string head, but that also removes the expand it possibilities that the other models have.
Was George P. Burdell on that team?
That's awesome. What were the solution ideas?
@@tmhunter7 there is a $300.00 ryobi with the carbon fiber shaft, motor on the head, 17in cut and 6amp hr battery. I think pf just missed seeing the better ryobi to test.
Maybe I shouldn’t watch this. I have no problem with my ryobi.
Had purchased the Ryobi a few years back for under $200 as a kit. Best deal IMO. At the time most of the others were behind it even in throttle response and cost more. Seems they have gotten better but still cost considerably more than you can typically get the Ryobi.
Thanks for the feedback.
Dewalt for me
I bought the same Ryobi in the video a week before seeing this video. I love the trimmer and it reminds me of a gas without all the noise. I haven’t used a gas trimmer probably since 2001. Previously I had a Ryobi hybrid trimmer that worked with either 18V battery or extension cord. I almost always used it with extension cord for more consistent power and lack of breaks to change batteries. The motor recently burned out while using a battery on a simple task, the trimmer was nearly 15 years old anyway… I bought that new Ryobi and it was phenomenal. I’m finally able to tackle over grown grass that 6’+ that the old trimmer could never affect.
Thanks for sharing.
I went with the Ryobi 40v. Overall best value for the money, warranty and long-term use. My other Ryobi tools are still going strong.
Thanks for the feedback.
I've learned that if I have a lot of tall grass to cut with a trimmer, it's best to walk backwards while you trim. This keeps the grass from bunching up around the head. In the end, you have grass that's laid down nice and even, with no clumps. The string seems to last longer too as it's not trying to recut the grass clippings.
What about the grass that you step on before you cut it? Have you ever noticed any cutting differences due to that? I definitely agree about the clumping, and walking backwards seems good to me when applicable. Often by a road edge or something it's dangerous.
@@MrBradshawbenjamin stepping on it really doesn't seem to affect it that much. I have a long steep bank bedside the road I have to cut and since I've been doing it this way it really seems easier and faster.
@@wvbassassassin ok sweet, thanks!
We bought the DeWalt trimmer about 9 months ago and it has operated flawlessly. I didn't really want a battery powered trimmer but was pleasantly surprised at how well it cuts and handles.
Thanks for sharing.
I personally have the dewalt trimmer and absolutely love it. Excellent power and Excellent run time. I have been able to get up to 45 minutes on the dewalt on the high setting and even longer on the low. It has replaced the 36cc gas trimmer and in my opinion has more power than the gas. Excellent vid and keep up the excellent work.
Thank you!
How is the balance on it? I have the 20v version of the DeWalt and the balance is awful and very forward heavy toward the trimmer head; I run my 8Ah battery just to even it out. Otherwise, it gets plenty of run time and I have no complaints.
The balance is more towards the rear. With everything attached I have it balanced at the D handle fairly well. If I had to compare, I would say it is maybe better balanced than a gas weedeater. I think Project Farm shows the weight in the comparison.
@@RandomZ88 , thanks for the feedback. I'll keep in mind for when I have the need ( or the itch) to upgrade units.
@@fatfredthe28th glad I could help
I have the makita with the string trimmer and its really impressive. I bought the articulating hedge trimmer for blackberry bushes and other heavy vines around the property and it works really well and will even cut tree sprouts up to about 5/8". Last week i purchased the pole saw attatchment and drive shaft attatchment. Ive been cleaning up fruit trees and trimming oaks and cedars with it. It works really well but the vibration is much more noticable when it starts chewing up limbs. Overall im very happy with my property care setup now and could even go out and make some decent money with this tool.
This Review was very helpful in Buying my New EGO Trimmer this last weekend. Thank-you!
Very welcome! Glad to hear!
One of the best review videos for any group of products I’ve ever seen! So much information packed in with great qualitative observations.
Thanks so much!
Love the outdoor power equipment tests. Hoping to see more tests like these between weed eaters, chainsaws, mowers, and blowers. So many options these days. Would like to see the tools that run on 18v,24v power tool batteries compared with each other. And the other higher voltage tools compared to each other. Great tests anyways, as always!
Thanks! Thanks for the suggestion.
@@ProjectFarm think you can throw in Stihl too?
I would also like to see higher end tools compared. So a second video on this subject would be much appreciated :)
Yes, outdoor blower test would be great.
Brad,
He did a test of chain saws, both gas, and battery, he even tested different chains, and chain saw sharpeners. Just look through his list to find the test he has already done then watch. Good luck
I bought the Milwaukee since I already have tools that use same batteries. I think you rating for it was spot on. It has nice response and power, but does have a lot of vibration. Kudos, keep up the good work.
Thanks, will do! Thanks for the feedback.
I have that exact same model ryobi trimmer. It works great around my house. I run it with a 6 amp battery that I share with it and a ryobi lawn mower. Unless my grass is unusually thick I can mow and trim my whole yard on a single charge of that battery.
That is cool. I like the ryobi stuff. All of my tools are Ridgid tools and had i thought about it at the time I would have just bought all ryobi stuff. They just have more options. I bought the 18v weed eater and then also bought the little handheld compressor. I am going to phase out all my ridgid tools to Ryobi and then next year I plan on investing in some of the 40v stuff.
If batteries were all the same style for example 18v and 40v that could be interchangeable people would buy the better product and not worry about the battery brands. Brand buying is what keeps people stuck with their current brand.
Same. I can do my whole front and backyard without killing the battery. It's not beast but way easier than gas, gets the job done. You got the edger?
@@peaceinator56 I don't have the edger yet but it's on my wish list to expand my collection in the future. Currently I just use the string trimmer to dig at my edges since my house doesn't have very much sidewalk area to worry about.
Thanks for sharing.
Been watching you for a very long time and after pulling on my echo weed wacker today for a half hour to no avail, you helped me make my decision once again on my new Dewalt trimmer. I was leaning towards it anyway since I already have their tools and the flexvolt battery will work with everything else
Well this makes me feel even better about buying the dewalt trimmer last year. I bought the attachment capable one like shown in the video. I'm very happy with it and impressed with the power and run time. By far the easiest bump feed spool I've used. Coming from using all stihl 2 cycle trimmers in the past. I just wanted something to grab and go. My yard isn't that big but I can get 3 trims on low and 2 on high without it dropping a bar on the battery.
Thanks for sharing.
I bought the DeWalt at the beginning of summer, but mostly because I wanted to share batteries with my impact wrench. After watching your video, I'm pretty happy with my purchase. Great video.
Thanks! Thanks for the feedback.
Just wish the dewalt lasted.
They tend to just stop working within a year due to electrical failure
I have an ego 56v dedicated trimmer, that thing is amazing. Had it for 3 years, you were right about the need to wear safety glasses using the thing but the power is unmatched and it never stalls.
Ditto. I've never stalled mine. I don't even think its possible :)
As a first time homeowner, your videos are gold. Unbias and thorough testing!
This man's effort is amazing. His testing makes it much easier to see what's going to work .
Thanks!
Awesome video! It is not lost on me just how much work goes into making these videos, it has got to take you hours and days to put all this together and edit it and give us this great information. I just appreciate it so much. The best part of my week is Sunday project farm day. Thanks Todd
@SaltyMasshole until tonight @4:30 avocado time. lol
Thanks! Hearing you say that means a lot to me!
Thanks - bought the DeWalt and used it yesterday and it worked great with the Royobi attachments - pruner and edger. Ran it about 1 hour and battery was still 2/3 full. Used the trimmer, then edged, then pruner to cut down some small trees.
Great feedback. Thank you!
Im a women but i love this channel, it always tells me which product i want to spend my money on catered to my specific needs thanks, been here for since 200k
Thanks for sharing.
I went with the ego trimmer because its biggest selling point was the automatic string loader. Press the button and it loads the string for you.
Love the objective testings you did. It really helps others the decision making easier.
EDIT: the ego model I got came with the 2.5ah battery. The 4ah battery is considerably heavier. I used the trimmer primarily for cutting the edge of the lawn.
I went with the ego because of the convenient battery interchange with all their other great tools.
I just posted the exact same thing.
@@dennispope8160 that’s why I got their leaf blower and brushless sp mower as well.
It beats having to winterize the gas machines and waste time with maintenance when I needed them to operate. It lets me do the work on the lawn and not on the equipment itself.
I am impressed with ego. I started with a lawn mower nine years ago. No issues. Bought the top model chainsaw because it offered twice the chain speed as the model tested here. Awesome to say the least. Thank you for your excellent reviews.
I bought the 4ah version with the LINE IQ head. Love that trimmer, and I would never go back to gas. My only complaint is the LINE IQ will only feed the line about 80% out to the guard.
One thing to remember when investing in electric lawn tools is the platform that supports that battery not just one tool..Ego was my choice and happy I made it. Excellent customer support too. Trimmer chainsaw blower and ridding mower all have been great.
same here, and their leaf blower is a great way to cool off fast lol
Thanks for sharing.
Always a treat to watch you test things. It never ceases to amaze me the ingenuity you display and setting up your homemade testing. There's never a doubt to the validity of your findings and just how close in comparison your testing is to the real life average users method of usage. "Professional" testers such as Consumer Reports could learn a thing or two or twenty from your ability to provide concise, real world, unbiased and transparent testing with results the average consumer can then digest to make an educated purchase decision based on their needs. 👍👍👍
Thanks!
19:51 - YOU KNOW, you trust this channel for good testing and reviews, so you can just click the time stamp and see the final results. Thanks Project Farm for being our go to source. I wish we had an updated video, but this is still useful.
I own the 20v DeWalt string trimmer. I think it is amazing. I've had it for ~4 years and it's compatible with all their batteries (smaller 2 ah or 5ah for example, but also the bigger 6, 9 or 12v 20/60v flex volt batteries). It makes it much lighter weight than the 60v version and is much cheaper. It still has a low and high speed and is extremely powerful. I've gone full throttle through thick grass on a hot day for 10 minutes straight without it having problems. I've never once thought it needed more power, unlike any other gas trimmer I've ever used. I see no reason to have the 60v version unless you were literally trying to mow down a giant hay field and even then I think I would want the much lighter 20v version.
Thanks for sharing.
Any issues with having the motor at the trimmer head? I have considered buying that model but some reviews say that grass and dust end up in the motor since it's at the head and ruin it.
The nice thing about the 60v trimmer is it accepts most universal attachments. I own it and it's a wonderful trimmer, polesaw and edger. Ironically, it accepts Ryobi attachments while the Milwaukee doesn't.
I also own the 20v version but if you have a lot of trimming to do, the motor being at the trimmer head is a super pain in the butt. Really makes for sore biceps the next day!!
@@codyallen1431 I was noticing my older version is a bit different since it's not silver at the head. It has a small brushless motor. But it can definitely get tiring to swing back and forth after an hour
Great product review as always. I've been using the Makita for 3 years. I love it. It is crazy powerful; I have never needed to run at the top speed. I usually get about 30 minutes of trimming on the middle speed. I have several properties and normally go through one full load of line and two sets of batteries each time I trim. I would by another one in a minute.
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
totally agree with you, I just left a comment. I too only use the middle level, very rarely ever the top speed! I own and operate a lawn care business and use it commercially, now for 3 years with ZERO problems. I love it!
@@battlefieldking8749 Does the Makita trimmer use the same 18v batteries as the drills and impacts?
@@FreedomFox1 yessir! I have like 6 of the 18v 3.0 batteries but all my others are the 18v 5.0 which is all I run for better runtime :-) I also run these batteries in my makita drill, impact, sliding compound miter saw, etc. they are compatible in all of their 18v tool lineup
makita/dolmar and stihl are in my opinion the best for professional use. normally i can trim about 10km of lawn edges until i need to reload 16 ft of line. the trick is to (only possible for with the full pro gear) remove the lower part of the protection and use a bit longer line, while keeping the rpm down. additionally you can cut wide enough, you then can switch directly to the really big lawn mowers. cut down times to roughly 2/3 of normal. with the stihl kmr135a (multimotor, can mount loads of stuff, so totally overpowered), i get a little over 1h from the biggest non-backpack akku and about 30 min of cutting down hip height grass.
one of the biggest factors in how clean the cuts are and how much akku/fuel you use, is the line. makita blue twisted roughly halfs the power consumption. (twisted is much sharper but not as strong, so needs to be kept at lower rpm).
I was really surprised to see how bad the Milwaukee was on vibration. They've done so well on that front on many of their other tools.
Excellent video as always. Would love to see electric leaf blowers.
Agreed. I think the quick disconnect pole had something to do with it, wonder how the single piece non interchangeable pole model would have performed on that front.
It's surprising since ryobi is owned by Milwaukee's patent company TTI, so I'm surprised they didn't use some tech from the ryobi trimmer
Also suprised, though this is a 5 year old tool. For example their new Multi tool that came out recently is 2.5x less vibration over their older models, who knows maybe we will get a Gen 2 weed wacker
Electric as in corded or cordless? Because I believe he did cordless already.
@@Tool_Addicted_Carpenter Wait he did? Did I miss it somehow?
brb
Edit: Nothing comes up when I search "leaf" or "blower."
I've owned and used the Milwaukee for about 5 years. No problems. Plenty of power and quick battery recharge. It doesn't come with a shoulder strap, which I would recommend jimmy rigging one.
Good review as always. I do like a lot of the extra tests you added, such as how easily it dispenses line. While it's not completely comparable, consider adding a singular gas powered trimmer as a baseline of comparison for people who don't have battery tools at all. Same goes with plug in power tools when testing the battery variants. It might seem like a small thing, but it helps add context.
Thanks!
A commercial grade gas trimmer will easily win
@@hkfan4596 Of course it will. The point is to give a frame of reference to better convey the battery trimmer capability, not compete.
@@hkfan4596 You're correct, however, it's not about it winning or losing, it's about comparing it to what a lot of people have and is readily available. It's not supposed to be fair, it's supposed to be a point of reference.
@@hkfan4596 easily win? By what measure? They vibrate far more which is hell on the joints, they're heavier, they are much louder, cost money for fuel, etc. It's not just about power and endurance. Most people don't need a commercial quality trimmer
I have an Ego trimmer, and that thing has so much torque! I originally bought it to cut grass at a new house with unmaintained yard with many hidden items in the tall grass that no mower could have handled,and it worked perfectly. It's almost too powerful to use for my weekly trimming and edging. I bought a smaller 18V Ryobi for quick trim and edge work. But always go back to the Ego after winter and need to get major cutting complete for the first cut of the year.
Thanks for sharing.
I just bought the Ego since you recommended it and my Ryobi broke a year after I bought it .hope the Ego goes well for me :)
Dude!! Please don't stop ever. I love the pace you have this is really good. No time to waste! :) I love how you think of everything to test! All review channels need to follow your example
Thanks so much!
I can tell from the wink of this guy that he is very caring and experienced, and of course I watch almost all of his videos. I love this channel and have bought several DeWalt tools because of him.😂
Thanks so much!
Great review as always, PF! I switched from a Husqvarna gasoline string trimmer to electric and couldn't be happier. For me, the choice was easy: Ryobi (the version with the plain shaft, not the carbon fiber one). The reason it was easy for ME to pick that unit was it's ability to accept the universal trimmer accessories I already own (blower, edger). Ryobi is the low-end brand coming out of TTI's stable, but I think it is a very fair value. Any of the units where the motor is in the head were automatically disqualified because they're a single-use tool from my perspective. Some that can take attachments only take their own brand, so again they were not in consideration. I've been using the Ryobi for 2-3 years now and not having to fiddle with priming and starting a gas engine is a godsend. Your test of cutting tall weeds in a meadow shows that the Ryobi isn't the fastest would be a slight concern for a bigger lot, but in my use on a suburban lawn it's not an issue. I'm also happy to report that I can edge and trim on LOW speed, which makes it very controllable and easy enough so even my wife can use it - plus it uses less battery. Initially, I thought the speed change is a gimmick but I'm impressed how well it works on low that I never bother with high except for the blower. The 3Ah battery lasts long enough to do trim, edge, and blow my entire yard with some power to spare.
Other people might have different requirements, but for me the Ryobi is about as perfect as it gets. At the same time, I continue to be impressed how much Milwaukee has been able to squeeze out of the M18 platform. The DeWalt I really dig the FlexVolt system), Milwaukee, or Makita might be a better choice if you're already invested in that battery technology. For your average guy looking to buy an electric trimmer for the first time, I can only say: Run down to the store and do it. You won't regret it. After winter, there's no fussing with the motor. Plug in battery, go. It has made an onerous task much more enjoyable.
One small edit: 13ft of line isn't a lot for the Ryobi, but I find that I don't have to mess with line changes often at all, something I attribute to me running it on low speed. I use the gray Husqvarna line that you deemed the best a few years ago and it's a great combination.
Thanks! Thanks for sharing.
I just bought the Dewalt, and 1 thing they forgot to mention is that the charger is a standard 20v/12v Dewalt charger. The battery is actually comprised of 3 x 20v 3ah packs, and will work on any 20v tool. The flex part jumps it to 60v. I was pretty happy to get another charger for the 5 x 20v batteries I have already. Charged from empty in about 2 hours, 1 hour of constant use on low, never stalled at all. I only had to bump it once for the whole hour.
Thanks for sharing.
Flex fast charger is loud !! :)
My rapid m18 definitely has higher pitch.
Where did you get the dewalt? Cant find it.
@@Druain Home Depot
I never leave a comment on any UA-cam video however, you did such an excellent job on breaking down every aspect, as well as grading the weed eaters that I wanted to say GREAT JOB at this, as I'm sure the recording of this compilation took considerable time. BRAVO ZULU!!!
Thanks so much!
You spoil us ! I appreciate you. You pack so much in to these . I was thinking the DeWalt looked pretty good too . Thanks
You're welcome!
Thank you for this review! I thought I was being a dewalt fanboy thinking my trimmer was so powerful, glad to know I got a really good tool! Also a note that some trimmer brands have part replacements they sell at stores, which can affect whether the tool is worth the part replacement cost. It's very minor but a useful statistic.
You are welcome!
I have it as well and was wondering the same thing. It's the best trimmer I've had by far (I've had and tried many over the years) and have had no issues trimming my 3/4 acre property a few times without having to recharge. I hated to pay what it cost, but VERY glad I did. I also have the 60v circular saw, so getting the extra 60v battery helped make the decision a little easier
That torque becomes really important if you bought a trimmer that also has an edger attachment. I have the Dewalt (may be a slightly different model, but looks very similar) and it rocks as an edger too.
Thats a good point, or the pull saw attachment. My Milwaukee is a great edger and pullsaw but the more torque the better!
Thanks for sharing.
@@Nate7700 and at only 18v! the 40, 56v systems perform really poorly. I have the ryobi 18v setup, and it edges and runs the pole saw just fine. btw the 18v is great for the lawn and house, it doesnt throw grass 80ft away like the 25cc echo i have, but edges and trims grass just fine.
Sorry. Only the Beatles rock.
One of my friends bought a DeWalt industrial cordless hammer drill. I saw he had a plaster cast on his left wrist, & asked what happened. He told me he was drilling a large hole in 6mm thick steel, using low gear. The drill bit jammed, & the torque of the drill busted his wrist.
Wow ... awesome objectivity, thoroughness, yet still short/sweet/and to the point, all of which so many UA-cam reviews come up short. With this one video, you just gained another subscriber. Thank You!
Thanks! Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Watching this video made me feel good with my Milwaukee purchase. I got the solid shaft version and already have a lot of other M18 tools so it's a no brainer. The vibration is noticeable but nowhere near the vibration of any gas powered trimmer
Was literally having this convo with some coworkers early last week except they are dead set that you should only gas powered weed eaters for both personal and commercial use. Would’ve liked to seen some comparison with gas powered in the torque and the cut time/grass buildup while using tests. But all in all very helpful. Was definitely looking at getting the desalt trimmer before this video. This was that final reassurance to go ahead and get it. Thank you.
you won't regret it, having used gas professionally, the new battery ones aren't lacking in anything but run time. mine lxt x2 makita goes almost 45mins.
I'd see if you could rent or try one without a shaft, the in head motors are crazy no vibration. not sure if Dewalt has a shaftless model, but definitely worth looking into.
Would've been nice to include a medium duty residential gas weed whacker and a heavy duty commercial 1 for comparison. Especially torque, vibration, cut time, and run time. Love your videos, you're awesome!
Thanks! Thanks for the suggestions.
Redmax for the win
I have the 20v DeWalt trimmer(already in the ecosystem) and with the small 20v battery it can handle all the weeds for me and will run it on the low setting for well over 30 minutes. The big thick battery will do all the weeds AND do all the edging too.
The high setting is mental, I would imagine for field use or something lol
@@Seasniffer69 yeah, same for x2 18v makita, I can cut nearly anything on low, high just throws the grass harder and faster and runs the battery down.
having used gas stihls for 8 hrs a day continuous to clear fence lines and general trimming I don't miss them one bit, the vibration kills your elbows and wrists. some days I couldn't bend my arm after. holding an electric trimmer is like holding a stick that just knocks down grass. I feel like the electrics have better balance and are lighter also. on some models the low speeds are comparable to full tilt on gas, and like you said high just feels absurd.
@@matthewmenteer5673 one should use the shoulder strap in that circumstance.
I bought the Ego based on some other UA-cam reviewers and have to say it’s great. A little heavier with the big battery, but it just seems to do everything well. I had an Echo gas powered trimmer for 25 years and it was a great trimmer, but after using the battery powered trimmer for the last month, I wish I’d have made the swap to electric earlier. Certainly nice not messing with a gas engine!
Thanks for the feedback.
I've been looking at the Ego electric trimmer and other equipment, so this is good to hear, thanks!
I got EGO after my Ryobi died with a lot of smoke from the motor. Ryobi was almost new, I used it just 2 times. EGO is really nice, no issues with the weight. And after trimming around my house and under the fence (1.5 acres) it still has 50% charge left. Seeing that it is in the top range of this review is also nice.
bet it dont last as long as the echo over 25 years.
If you have need of a push mower, catch one of the self-propelled Ego mowers on sale. Using the battery from the trimmer and a rapid charger Plus the original mower battery, you can run the mower as long as you keep swapping batteries. Have another battery from the Ego blower so. I can mow all day just swapping and rapid-charging.
This year I bought an EGO base model trimmer based on this review thanks so much!
You are welcome!
I'd love to know how often manufactures contact you to challenge your results from these tests. Any ever threaten lawsuits? You do such a good job of giving all these tools a fair and equal chance to perform. I love this channel in that it's like Yelp or other review sources than you can mine for unbiased reviews before spending $ on these items.
I got the MIlwaukee a few years back I love how easy the line replacement is. I got a package deal at Home Depot, it included the blower free.
Thanks for sharing.
I bought into the EGO system last year and have been happy with it thus far. I started with the trimmer (ST1521S) which is much lighter than the one you tested due to not having the auto-dispensing line which seems a bit boojee for my tastes. With the right line, I have had luck cutting through overgrown privet and blackberry almost 1/2" thick. I use the 2.5amp battery and I get a realistic 45 mins of consistent use from it, and the second battery charges to full power by the time the other dies - I can run without pause back to back. I picked up their Lawnmower (LM2135SP) a few weeks and it is a beast - I am very happy with it. I've tested the high-lift blade for bagging and the mulching blade. It cut through 15" high think grass and weeds without ever bogging down and gives a very clean cut. I have their 765CFM blower (LB7654) on the way and looking forward to continuing to build on the platform.
Thanks for sharing.
I have their chainsaw, two blowers, edge trimmer, pole saw, single and two stage, grass trimmer and my first purchase the agile, light and power self propelled lawn mower. I’m pleased with the overall performance and engineering of their products and I certainly didn’t want 8 different chargers and battery set ups in my quest for “the best”. Regarding their repair facility? I sent my broken mower and battery to them......,and they lost it. They did eventually send out new replacements but when their repair manager laughed at my situation they damn near lost me.
Thank you for the feedback I’m going with Milwaukee for my lawn care needs appreciate it and you now have a new subscriber
You are welcome! Thanks for watching and subscribing!
I must say, I'm surprised to see Stihl and Husqvarna missing from this shootout. Both have a large variety of battery trimmers available.
Thanks for the feedback.
Stihl missed the boat for electric. While they've had them for a decade, they were extremely expensive, grossly underpowered, and often too small for most operators. To this day, they're not serious about electric tools. It's too bad.
So do i! Missing out on the biggest players is a bit sad.
I was hoping for the toro
You don't see them in the big box stores, soooooooooo.....that may have had something to do with their omission from this test.
I have about six (s)trimmers, most petrol. My biggest problems with them are a) getting them to run, b) getting the line to come out.
Having recently ordered the Makita chainsaw and hedge trimmer thanks to you (and having just got two clone batteries), and being extremely satisfied with the Makita hammer drill which I can use with one hand (!), I'm naturally inclined to go with Makita, but will see some other reviews before deciding. Thanks for your incredible work.
Thank you for sharing!
I bought that same EGO to replace my commercial shindaiwa gas and couldn’t be happier, bought the EGO lawnmower next to replace my commercial Toro and equally as thrilled, great stuff!
Great feedback! Thank you
I bought the bottom of the line EGO trimmer and blower combo from ACE last week. They're more than sufficient for my yard. I love them
That ego had some pretty cool features I've never seen before.
@@ozzypawsborneprinceofbarkness I've had those for 3yrs and they just work. of course I upgraded to the newest now but I had no issues
I bought a worx love it free spools of line for life. Going on 7 years the batteries last just as long as they ever had and I love the easy switch from trimmer to edger
Thanks for sharing.
I have the Ryobi and have been very pleased with it. The grass here in FL is brutal so I ditched the string and installed plastic blades that make quick work of just about everything.
18 or 40 volt model? I have the 18, and would like to try the plastic blades. Any recomendations?
@@robertheinkel6225 40v. The 18v couldn't cut the mustard here in FL
I have that Kobalt model, I have always been satisfied with it (which I guess what matters most) but wow I am kind of surprised to see that it was a lower performer on most of the tests overall. Thanks for the great vid!
You are welcome!
I got one(previous gen) and the mower free, so I'm not complaining. I upped the gauge of the trimmer wire and it eats up most stuff.
I have the exact model in this video and I hate it. It does a great job but there are no attachments that will work on it and re-loading the trimmer head is a major pain! I can't even read the arrows on the head anymore. I tried to replace it with a head with blades but nothing will fit. Since they put the motor in the head the thread size they used is proprietary to that trimmer. I wish I would have known this stuff when I bought it.
The only plus side to it is, I got it in a package deal with the blower for $300. The blower is fantastic! 👍
Been waiting on this comparison! Thank you for all your hard work sir!
Thank you very much!
Had a Dewalt years and it’s been great. I use it on very tall grass and brambles. 👍🏻🇨🇦
Thanks for sharing.