I gave up on 2-stroke power equipment, hello 40v cordless trimmer!

I just added the 18V ryobi tire and inflatable pump to my green tool list. It's the last thing I needed my giant compressor for. Poor Ingersol will probably never get a 220V circuit run for it now.

procker wrote: Curious as to how the 40v compare with the 18v that the cordless power tools use... Glad to hear Ryobi seems like a brand that works as its on my short list for cordless tools.

I have the 18V trimmer/edger combo and although I love it...next time I will be getting the 40V system.

Enyar wrote:

procker wrote: Curious as to how the 40v compare with the 18v that the cordless power tools use... Glad to hear Ryobi seems like a brand that works as its on my short list for cordless tools.

I have the 18V trimmer/edger combo and although I love it...next time I will be getting the 40V system.

The 40v will tear through some impressive weeds. It is more effective than my old plug-in trimmer. With the brush cutter attachment I tore through some nasty brush.

This might be something for me to look at once my corded black and decker wacker blows the bit.

Update!

I broke out the 40v trimmer for the first time this season. I went to get the mail and noticed that the strip of grass between my fence and the street was already overgrown. "Hmm, I should fix that". I walked into the house, grabbed the 40v at 12:04, walked into the garage and grabbed the trimmer at 12:05, as I walked up the driveway I put the battery in the trimmer and gave it a test spin to verify all was working. Trimmed the grass & weeds (roughly 65' x 3' strip), and was done by 12:10. Hang the trimmer back in the garage by 12:11, and back in my home office typing this by 12:13.

Damn skippy I made the right choice.

I just realized that two weeks after you started this thread, my wife got me the same trimmer for my birthday. And I asked for it for the same reasons.

What a great trimmer.

I have that plus a re-chargeable mower. Love them.

It's amazing what a short duty cycle requirement does to what you really want to use. I went years without using my gas trimmer. Now I use it all the time.

I picked up the matching Ryobi 40v trimmer & blower a couple weeks ago & have been happy with the results. It took slightly more than a full battery to blow off the roof, but I made it all the way around the yard with the trimmer - including chopping down som bamboo - on about 2/3rds charge.

I have the 40V Ryobi trimmer, the chainsaw, the axial leaf blower, pole saw, and hedgeclippers. I have two batteries.

I love them all and haven't had a bit of trouble out of any of them.

Got mine about a month ago. Haven't used it extensively, yet, but my time with it has been most happy.

String trimmer, Pole saw and hedge trimmer modes are all ways I've used it so far.

Big thing I like and didn't see coming was my ability to hold it any which way. With no hot muffler or such it's easy to hold it upside down, or by the shaft, whatever works. Not really a factor when using it as a string trimmer, but darn helpful when using the chainsaw or hedge trimmer attachments.

Didn't realize now much the noise and vibration of a gas unit screwed up quality string trimming. With the battery and motor it's very smooth and quiet (gears in the head are the loudest thing), and makes it much easier to get in close and accurately with the string around trees and such. I strongly suspect I'll use less string with this unit.

Power has been fine with the hedge trimmer and chainsaw attachments. No less so than with the gas engine power heads.

So far, in hard use, I'd say the battery lasts 1/2 - 3/4 an hour of actual use. Which is more than enough time to make me tired. That's running and cutting time, not time spent walking around or clearing the cut brush away.

Bonus (I hope) the wife should be able to use this. She has bad juju when it comes to string trimmers and such. They almost never start, and immediately break when she uses them. I hope with the battery unit she can and will happily pick it up and use it.

All in all, so far, I'm very pleased with it.

Next attachment, a rototiller piece.

where I live now, if I ever can afford a home, there isn't a yard that would require anything that burns hydrocarbons. I have an 80's string trimmer that was my grandfathers that honest to god could chop down a live oak if you kept feeding it string, but it has an extension cord.

Really looking forward to seeing how this turns out for you.

Update time!

I added the axial blower attachment to my arsenal.

This thing is awesome. Yeah, it does drain the battery fairly fast, but I can blow leaves off my sidewalk and nearly my entire driveway on one charge. It moves leaves as good as my old gas blower did. I'm still happy overall with the 40v system.

But gasoline smells good.

I would love to upgrade to battery stuff but with the proliferation of everyone else getting frustrated with 2-stroke stuff, I have a garage full of free 2 stroke equipment.  A couple screws and a quick cleanout with brake cleaner and bingo... working 2-stroke equipment.

When I did small engine repair, I was always so shocked at the crazy number of mowers, snow blowers, and weed whackers that were crusty in the carb, but I never had that problem with one exception.  I let my pressure washer sit for three years and it needed help.

But I honestly just go to the gas station and get cheap, alcoholic 87 octane and keep it in gas cans.  I do have a jug of sta-bil, but I can't remember ever using it.  I fully understand why ethanol sucks because I've seen it thousands of times, but I wonder why it never came to my garage?

I have the Cobalt/Lowe's 80 volt. Attachments are the string trimmer, pole saw and edger. It's a beast, I've cut down some trees with it.

Update time!

IT FINALLY BROKE!!! Well, part of it at least:

The clamp that holds the attachments to the power head stripped. It isn't unusual for me to use three different attachments during a single round of yard work. I guess my ham-fisted enthusiasm stripped both the T-bolt and the clamp welded nut. Solution? I ordered a pair of generic trimmer attachment clamps from Amazon for $9, they will be here in two days.

Other than the clamp the overall unit has been a workhorse. I can't believe I'm five years in on it. Battery is still fine, motor works great, plenty of power to run the brush cutter. Outside of the $200 lawn tractor I got a decade ago (still running), this is been the best lawn tool purchase I've ever made.

I stronly hold the opinion that battery is gonna eat what's left of 2-stroke's lunch. I know they're easily worked on and repaired, but when you're tool is literally "But battery in and turn on" levels of "complicated" and their design means 50:50 distribution is easy, only a full company of landscapers or someone with an acreage would need gasoline anymore.

The other great advantage is all the things you can also use that battery in. Ryobi and Makita are obvious with their HUGE number of tools, but there's also a growing number of people whom are buying EGO 56v batteries for things like electric bikes: Here's a short video on one. EGO's have internal BMS systems and active cooling to keep the cells properly maintained, so combine that with their charger and warranty and I could see a big cottage industry popping up that adds them to tons of hobbyist things.

I've recently bought an EGO mower and edger. Likely get the blower soon too. 
 

I purchased the same 40v Ryobi a few years ago and I'll never go back to 2 stroke. I love it and have even added a blower and small chainsaw to the mix. For light duty, it's hard to beat.

I've got the same trimmer, and the matching 18" mower. We have a small yard so it's perfectly quiet, and there's no gas to deal with. One battery will mow the whole lawn, and run the trimmer with some charge left over. 

I bought an 80V Kobalt last year and absolutely love it.  I have a pretty large yard with a ton of trimming every week and it does a fantastic job.  I was coming from a 4 stroke, which I still have, and was initially going to use that for the large wooded area behind the house.  It hasn't been touched since I bought the electric.  Typically I can go then entire summer on 2 to 3 charges.  The same battery also runs the electric mower which I might try next year.  I would never go back to gas in way after using this.  Just pick it up and go, zero maintenance except for the cord.  

I have the same 40v trimmer as well as the backpack blower and the chainsaw. I love them.

Trimmer is a couple years old and takes all of the attachments from my old 2 stroke trimmer.

Anybody have the 40v Ryobi backpack blower? 
 

edit- I see Preach has one. How is the run time at max velocity?

I have a 20v Ryobi  that works fine for my very small  yard , 

it will knock down thick foot tall weeds behind the garage  about as good as the corded one  and so much easier , 

and back there only gets wacked a couple times a year !