Gas or electric weed eater?

[Mac11FA]

I have decided that I am going to have to get a weed eater. I have less than a 1/2 acre lot in a subdivision so it is going to be used primarily just around the house and some edging. I do realize that a gas will have more power but I am not trailblazing through the woods. I do not have the need for interchangeable attachments. I have had a gas weed eater in the past and it worked fine. There are additional expenses in using a gas over an electric, I am looking at the cost of overall ownership. Whatcha think? I can't get a goat as we have an HOA!

 

[Willy Leadwell]

I have decided that I am going to have to get a weed eater. I have less than a 1/2 acre lot in a subdivision so it is going to be used primarily just around the house and some edging. I do realize that a gas will have more power but I am not trailblazing through the woods. I do not have the need for interchangeable attachments. I have had a gas weed eater in the past and it worked fine. There are additional expenses in using a gas over an electric, I am looking at the cost of overall ownership. Whatcha think? I can't get a goat as we have an HOA!

Gas doesn't necessarily make more power anymore. Electric motors and batteries have come a long way in the last few years. I would base it on the amount of time it will take you to do the job. If it's so small that there's virtually no chance you'll have to stop and re-charge in the middle of the job, or spend a ton on spare batteries (lithium batteries ain't cheap) then I'd go electric.

 

[Mac11FA]

Any suggestions on a particular brand of electric? I am looking into the $100 to $150 price range. Probably going to get a 36V to 40V model.

 

[Willy Leadwell]

Any suggestions on a particular brand of electric? I am looking into the $100 to $150 price range. Probably going to get a 36V to 40V model.

Echo makes some good stuff, but they'll be substantially above your budget. I'd take a good look at the reviews and go from there. I've had a bunch of the Ryobi stuff in the past and have since started replacing my drills, impacts, saws, etc. with Milwaukee. Sometimes it's true that you get what you pay for.

 

[jaques]

It all depends how much you need to use it for. If you have a lot to cut then go with gas, but if not I would go with electric.

 

[Mac11FA]

Well, I took the plunge and bought the Worx 40V electric string trimmer. It took all of 10 minutes to assemble and 90 minutes for the battery to charge. I used it to trim around the house, areas around the patio that the mower wouldn't reach and around the trees and flower beds. I used the middle speed setting and it cut right through everything with no issues. I would say that I had around 15 minutes of constant use and had about 1/2 charge left on battery. I did not use it to edge anything yet as I ran out of time due to the rain. I was very please and purchased from Amazon so I saved a little bit over Home Depot. Thanks for the input!