Black & Decker NST2018 Grass Hog 12-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Electric String Trimmer with 2 Batteries
|
List Price: Our Price: $82.99 You Save: $108.67 (57%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $62.00 (click here) Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Black & Decker NST2018 Grass Hog 12-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Electric String Trimmer with 2 Batteries
Customer Review: A Decent Trimmer With Severe Limitations
Summary: 2 Stars
A cordless trimmer has several advantages, most of them obvious. NOT having to make, store, and add the gas-oil fuel mixture, pull-start the machine, inhale the smoky fumes, hear the very loud noise, and wield a heavy engine on a pole, are good things. This B&D trimmer starts and runs by holding down a button (after pushing a safety release), and is much lighter weight and quieter than a gas machine, making for less wear-and-tear on the user.
That being said, this unit has some drawbacks to be aware of before buying. The battery pack DOES only give you about 10-12 minutes of full-power. Fortunately it comes with two of them. (Too bad they take 6-8 HOURS to charge.) With a relatively small lot and a regular trimming schedule, I can get my street and driveway edges done, trees and mailbox edged, sprinkler heads cleared, and some weeds removed. I guess you could say the limited battery life gives you incentive to work fast!! In the event that the job takes more than 12 minutes, there's always the second battery.
However (there's always a however), the batteries lose power just sitting around, so if you use this unit infrequently, you will want to fully charge the batteries a day or two before you plan to do yard work. I have also discovered that the batteries lose power more slowly if they are stored indoors, and not outside in the hot and humid garage. I believe this temperature factor is noted in the B&D documentation on this product, or maybe I just read it somewhere.
The trimmer is a single string, not double like the gas Ryobi, and a self-feeder (no bumping). So far, the single string chops St Augustine grass like a hot knife through butter, and the string is feeding fine. RPMs are extremely high (when the battery is fresh), and long pants and goggles are always advisable when using this type of tool. I have not seen any evidence of excessive shrapnel ejection however.
I bought this unit at Lowes so I could bring it back if necessary. Glad I did, because all the units in that store looked like their boxes had been crushed and/or resealed, and sure enough, my unit's plastic housing was warped. (Note To Self: next time, make a thorough in-store inspection prior to purchase). A different store branch was able to exchange for a pristine unit, which is when I discovered that the assembly instructions are a joke! Tiny blurry pictures accompany the nebulous text, and it took me an hour to figure out how to attach the "auxiliary handle". A call to the B&D Help Center yielded someone who had absolutely no clue, but she did send me a free replacement handle and hardware which arrived eight days later. Anyone need an extra handle?
A useful feature is the rotating trimmer head, very easy to use, which allows you to switch between trimming around shrubbery, and edging. There is a flip-out metal edging guide, which works as advertised, however it is not held on by anything but pressure. If you go easy on this trimmer, it may last a while. But it does not have the apparent durability of the gas-powered professional units. It also does not have their weight, noise, or fuel hassles.
Bottom line: I am surprised at how well this unit actually trims, but be prepared to work fast, and begin charging your batteries the day before. I have not had any problems with the automatic line feed, and the unit has not used very much string in my first six trimmings (contrary to some reviews which claim this thing "eats" string). I would not buy this if you have a very big estate with lots of heavy trimming work. But at this price, with a two-year warranty, two batteries, and a small-to-moderate trimming agenda, this may be the string trimmer of your dreams. (Although if you dream about string trimmers, you really need to get a life.)
7/10/09 **UPDATE**
I am downgrading my rating on this product to two (2) stars, due to severe limitations caused by its battery power system. After about one year of ownership, and approximately 25 uses, I have found that the batteries for this unit are problemmatic. If you charge them immediately after usage and put them away (even indoors), after only one week they have only power enough for 3-5 minutes of trimming, maximum. If the storage time is two weeks, you may get only 1-2 minutes of maximum power trimming. This is totally unacceptable- in order to get 8-10 minutes of maximum speed from the motor, you must charge the battery the night before you plan to use it, and the charging cycle takes at least 12 hours. That renders the spontaneous use of this device impossible. These batteries can be used in other Black & Decker outdoor machinery, but given their poor performance, I would NOT be likely to buy into such a system. I will be going back to a 2-stroke gas engine string trimmer next year, probably another Ryobi.
Customer Review: A Good Buy for Smaller Properties
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this trimmer because I really like the the B&D cordless CM1200 mower so I thought I would give the trimmer a try. I finally used it the other day, and it worked very well. I live on about 0.25 acres, and I was able to trim everything using only one battery. I had some heavy brush at the back of my property, and it cut through it with no problem. The only problem was just as I was completing my trimming, the battery was dying. It only held the charge for maybe 20-30 minutes at the max. This would definitely be a good buy for someone with a small residential yard; however, I would not recommend it if you own a large piece of property, or for commercial use, because the battery life is just not long enough.Customer Review: A Winner
Summary: 5 Stars
This product does exactly as advertized. It tackles everything in my Florida yard, weeds and all. The battery lasts a good while before needing a recharge. My garage if full of B&D Orange. I've had extremely good luck with all their products. I would buy again in a heartbeat.Customer Review: A great boon to parttime gardeners
Summary: 4 Stars
I live in one of those communities that have common grounds which are kept up by a service; as a result, I only have to tend the grounds in and around my house. I used to have to lug a power cord out to do it. With this device, though, I can charge it up overnight and then bounce outside for perhaps 3 minutes of effort at the most. You have not experienced convenience until you've had the luxury of no gas and pullcord startup or long troublesome power cord, just a battery powered tool. It is definitely not for large estates, but for simple short jobs, it is perfect.Customer Review: A great replacement
Summary: 5 Stars
This B and D Grasshog replaced my old one which could no longer hold a charge. The battery on it was not replaceable. This new onw works great for me. I have 1/4 acre lot, so not 'large', but lot's of grass to trim. Battery life exceeds my needs and the unit works great otherwise.I have tried corded electric and gas, and this is the only style I would use.