Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 367
 Nice February 7, 2008
Ron (Jersey)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
This was a pleasant surprise when I first got it. A battery powered trimmer that actually had some zip to it. It certainly won't go through heavy brush, but it is good for basic lawn maintenance. A full charged battery lasts a long time. Just in case it is not enough they give you an extra one. If you have any of the other many Black N Decker 18 Volt cordless products, these batteries work in all of them. I haven't had any problems with the trimmer so far. Certainly my old gas powered on was more powerful, but with the gas and oil and the maintenance required, this cordless version is a pleasure to use. This is a terrific product if you are just edging and trimming your lawn.
A great utilitarian instrument! July 30, 2008
Judy K. Polhemus (LA)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
A new era of my life was begun this summer when I bought my own grass trimmer/edger and lawn mower. After five years of hiring one lawn service after another, I decided to mow and tidy my own lawn. Mind you, I am a senior citizen on the young end, a woman, and not a lover of machines with sharp edges that I must handle (not the edges, the machine). Just to make sure I could do this, I borrowed my brother's equipment. He showed me how to use them and I buzzed away.
On July 4th, I declared independence from lawn services by buying my own lawn mower and grass trimmer. I was nervous at first, but now I get out there and have the best time.
Here are the reasons that I like this particular trimmer (Black and Decker 18-volt cordless electric 12-inch Hog String Trimmer/Edger):
1. It is electric! That means no cord! When I was using my brother's corded unit, I kept thinking, wow, the person who invents a cordless unit will make a ton of money.
2. Other reviewers expressed dissatisfaction with the cordless machine because it was not strong enough or didn't last long enough or took too long to charge. Here are my findings:
a. Strong enough to do my job--didn't find this complaint true for me
b. I couldn't believe the unit faded out just as I finished. True, a yard any larger would require more charging.
c. The instructions say to keep the unit on the charger all the time. My unit is always ready to go when I am!
3. One of my biggest complaints about lawn services and one which they totally ignored me concerning was stripping the grass blades to just strings. These poor blades never got over the shock nor did they ever grow again. Since the lower part of my yard slopes, rain water washes the top layer of soil down the yard every time, creating a barren look. I could never get the grass to build up or soil to stay put. There are no stripped blades now!! The same is true wherever they trimmed: along brick edgers, around night lamp, and the area around my gigantic oak tree. Grass now grows right up to the roots which project from the trunk.
When I want to edge, I flip that shield over and edge away. Of course, one should always wear protective goggles.
Another great aspect of this trimmer is its spools of string. When I used my brother's, I had to restring the unit several times because the string became loose. My unit has already-strung spools to go with it. I can't believe how wonderfully this works! And no more bad words!
This trimmer is incredible and works only as well as the person in control! Plus, best bonus--my yard looks great!
B & D 12Inch Grasshog June 17, 2004
L. Macke (Woodstock, GA United States)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Unit was easy to assemble. Only a couple of items to put together. Lots of power and more then enough run time to trim my 1/2 acre lot with the two batteries. Best for regular grass and not heavy weeds. Unit is very light. Automatic line advance works great and speeds up the chores. Would purchase again and recommend
I find it very handy June 16, 2006
J. Neff (Michigan USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I did read the reviews on this item before I purchased it. I also have owned most of the conventional string trimmers. I wanted to get away from gas or cords so this looked really nice.
I purchased the string trimmer and then thought about it and purchased the Black and Decker blower seperately. They both come with 2 batteries. I was concerned about running out of power so the 4 batteries sounded really good to me.
I also wondered about the life span of the ni cad batteries. They do suffer from memory problems if they arn't charged correctly. I know from experience that you just run the battery down and then recharge it, it stops the memory problem that will rob your battery from charging it to quickly.
I also wondered if you could leave the battery in the charger for a long time without it ruining the battery. I read in the manuel that you can just leave it in the charger and when it comes to a complete charge the charger will just go to a maintaince level and not ruin the battery.
I have used this trimmer once now. I am happy with it. I read a review where someone said when he bumped the trimmer for more line the spool came off. If you read the manuel it says not to bump the trimmer IT IS NOT A BUMP FEED TRIMMER. So don't bump it on the ground it will just mess up the spool. IT IS A AUTO FEED system that seems to work nicely.
I take care of two yards that is just over half acre in size. The first battery ran low when I was about 75% finished. I think it went along time on the first battery. It trimmed everything in my yard that I wanted it to trim. I just use it on grass and small items like plants or weeds nothing big. It says not to use on large items in the manuel. It is not designed for trimming bigger things.
My gas operated trimmer is sitting in the garage for larger things that need trimming. But so far this battery operated trimmer is the only thing I will need in my yard.
I havn't started the blower up to see how it works. But I do have 4 batteries and feel I will need them all if I use the trimmer and blower at the same time.
When I purchased this trimmer I noticed I could get $30. off if I started a Amazon Charge card. I am cheap and got the card and I think $30. is dinner out with my wife and why not. I also use Amazon for free shipping. It took about 6 days to get here, but I was not in any hurry to do the yard work anyways, it wasn't going anywhere. I saved money with shipping, I saved money with the charge card and it came to me in a ok time. So far everything has worked out great.
I think you should buy this product if you have a smaller type yard and don't have any big expectations on it. It is light and easy to handle and the charge on the battery seems to last longer then I thought it would.
So I give it a thumbs up.
I couldn't have made a better choice in a cordless trimmer/edger August 4, 2006
db (Pennsylvania)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I've read all the reviews before purchasing this cordless trimmer/edger and almost didn't end up buying it due to the many poor reviews about insufficient battery run times even with small-sized yards. I have less than a 1/4 acre total lot but have plenty of trimming areas; one especially large area that borders woods with a tiny stream on my side. This area has thick 'wet' stalks and tough thorny weeds which will drain power and string). I've used this trimmer three times so far using just the one battery pack, and am now just at the end of it's run time from it's first initial charge. If you follow the charging directions and charge the packs exactly as directed, you'll be happy with your purchase. Also, the spool cap has yet to drop off like so many reviewers complained about. It has 2 tabs that snap-in and lock the cap in place, so maybe those reviewers were forgetting this is an automatic feed spool and have accidentally tapped it to release string causing the snap-in tabs to break off.
Granted- this trimmer will not be ideal for very large lawns and certainly not for commerical use, but it definitely has performed far better than what I was expecting after reading some of the poor ratings.... otherwise I would have still been searching for another cordless trimmer! [...]
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