I am in the need of a weed eater and wanting to know what is worth purchasing? I have been into my local mitre 10 and was told by the shop assistant i would be better off purchasing an electric one, that being because i am female and it is light in weight.
Im interested in whats better for the long run, money wise. I would say I'm more than capable of operating a petrol weed eater if thats the best option. Anyway, i would love to know what everyone has, if its worth it and price purchased for.
TIA
Recommendations for Weed Eater/Line Trimmer
LHartaru on 15/10/2023 - 15:00
Comments
I would say medium size lawn, if its any help it takes me about 20 to 30 mins to mow my section. I currently mow once a week so would say id be using maybe once a week or once a fortnight
I have an 18V Makita DUR192 which I bought from Mitre 10. It's a breeze to use and cuts very nicely. I'd say with a full charge I can get about 30 minutes of run time on it which is more than sufficient for my needs.
If you don't have an 18v range of tools currently and don't have a plan on building one, I would suggest looking at petrol instead: cheaper (both for the tool itself and then not having to buy additional batteries if runtime isn't sufficient).
What are you trimming? Another decision you might need to make is whether you buy a multitool style one (which changeable heads, line trimmer + edger for example). Or brush cutter vs line trimmer.
I'd personally just buy a Stihl. Last time i looked it was Stihl and Huskvarna at the top of the Consumer report. They're entry level models aren't that much more expensive than what you pay for a M10 or Bunnings jobbie.
Last one I got is a Stihl cost me about $230 I think. Petrol. I'm personally wary of electrics as much as they are lovely for the environment, (supposedly), these Lithium Iron batteries can be very serious fire hazards.
Just like the one in the cellphone?
Is this a joke? You'd rather use a PETROL because of the fire risk from Lithium batteries?
You know petrol is explosive right?
Lithium batteries have so many protections built in. Especially power tool batteries. There is a BMS (battery management system) inside the power pack which monitors cell levels and over current protection circuits. They even have thermal sensors to cut off power if the temperature gets too high and the chargers have overcharge protection. They really are incredibly safe. Much, much safer than petrol.
I think you might also be missing the more obvious counter argument … we are talking about a line trimmer.
No matter if its battery, mains, or petrol, we are talking about a device that is designed to spin a piece of wire at 12,000 RPM, more than 600km/h with the sole purpose of wacking plants so hard that they break.
The battery is at the other end separated by a pole. It's physically impossible to weed whack the battery pack. You could throw a rock it and nothing would happen.
But a small petrol leak from not tightening the filler cap for example, coupled with a small spark and Boom! Petrol vapour is so much more dangerous.
Lithium batteries don't explode.
@felixfurtak: Oh sorry didn't make my point clear. I'm agreeing that a battery is hardly the thing that people should worry about when using a line trimmer.
I'd take a guess that the majority of line trimmer accidents and injuries are caused by people hitting their feet/shins with the line, or touching the hot motor and burning their hands.
I own a 900W electric line trimmer.
It runs on mains power rather than battery, so I just have a long extension lead that can reach my full property.It’s nice having electric as it starts instantly, no petrol or oil to worry about. But it’s a lot more powerful than a battery one, without needing to buy into any eco system either.
Have bought this one model, quite happy with.
https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/black-decker-18-volt-cordless…I've got this Ozito 36v one, goes well, had the 18v version with the tabs previously, the 36v is much better with the string and much more powerful, more weight however.
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ozito-pxc-36v-2-x-18v-300mm-cordl…I was using a Ryobi Petrol and moved onto a Makita DUR192, and very happy with it.
The main advantges of Makita DUR192 are: lighter weight, no petrol fumes, not as loud - dont even need ear muffs, no pulling the string to start.
Will not be going back to Petrol!
How big is your property/ how often do you think you'll use it?