Tag: Electric tools

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7 Best Cordless Trimmer and Blower Combo Kits

greenworks trimmer blower combo kit

The best cordless trimmer and blower combinations are the ones that work together like MJ and Pippen. My favorite is the Greenworks 40V string trimmer and blower combo because it has a great battery system, brushless motor, and is very inexpensive.

Here’s a scenario. You just mow your lawn with one of our top-ranked electric mowers. You pop the battery off, and get to trimming around your driveway and garden beds with the trimmer, then quickly pop the battery onto your blower and finish the job.

You can grab the best string trimmer and blower combo on Amazon for a great price.

This is the dream scenario – efficient, seamless, emission free, and easy. While many of these tools can be bought directly from the manufacturer, Home Depot, or Lowes – we have found Amazon has them bundled into easy to assemble and low-cost kits. The trimmer and blower combinations listed below are going to get you there. 

The top 7 trimmer and blower combinations

7. Craftsman V20 String Trimmer and Blower Combo Kit, Cordless (CMCK297M1)

Craftsman provides some great household tools, from air pressurizers to vacuums. Craftsman does a great job in their V20 series by providing a pair of tools that help roll-up your garage into a convenient and easy-to-use kit.

Let’s start with the Craftsman V20 string trimmer. The string trimmer has an automatic line advancement, meaning you won’t have to constantly stop to lengthen the string in the trimmer when it runs low. The trimmer can also function as an edging tool, providing even more versatility to the overall combo kit.

The blower is also perfect for homeowners doing smaller jobs. A 350 CFM, 100 MPH blower has variable speed controlled by a trigger to match the size of the job. While this isn’t the most powerful blower on the market, it is definitely enough power to clear out your garage, patio, deck, or driveway. 

This product comes in at a great price and is actually listed as “Amazon’s Choice” for string trimmer and blower combo kits. You can find it on Amazon for a DEAL. Grab it today to take on any job around your home.

Sleek Craftsman design looks great in the garage.

6. BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX* POWERCONNECT 10 in. 2in1 Cordless String Trimmer/Edger + Sweeper Combo Kit (LCC222)

This one is super popular – and for good reason. The price on this blower combo kit is nearly impossible to beat.

One thing I love about both of these tools is that it takes Black and Decker’s super popular 20V max battery. For example, I have this battery and use it on my power drill. I could easily take it off of that and pop it onto the blower or trimmer.

While the trimmer here is pretty basic, it is going to be just fine for small yards. If you live in a townhome or otherwise have a tiny yard, this is all you will need.

The blower will leave a lot to be desired from a power perspective. It is super small and has an even smaller opening. BUT – this  may be all you need if you have a small yard. And as a positive, it is super quiet. Like eerily quiet.

You can buy this for right a super low price on Amazon, where it has almost 7,500 reviews (averaging 4.5 stars).

The low power, high value trimmer and blower kit.

5. Dewalt String Trimmer, DCST925 and DCBL720 Combo Kit (DCKO975M1)

While Dewalt isn’t recognized as much as some of the others for breadth of lawn equipment, they definitely have a solid core product line. We have reviewed their battery-powered mower in addition to the blower featured in this combo kit.

To summarize, the blower is pretty good but not great. It has a wide opening, which allows for a large jet stream of air, but the speed of the air isn’t as high as I would like. We review the whole thing in this blower review.

The string trimmer looks really sweet. In particular, we really like the squeeze handles at the top. Many manufacturers have normal triggers, but the squeeze triggers are so much easier to use and don’t cramp up your hands. 

This kit is great, but is a little on the pricier side. You can grab this kit on Amazon for cheap or so, depending on where you grab it. Check it out on Amazon to see where the best deal is today.

Dewalt has the great handle on the trimmer.

4. WORX WG928 GT 3.0 Grass Turbine 2 20V Batt/Charger Included String Trimmer Blower Combo Kit, Black and Orange

Well, that’s a mouthful but I wanted to make sure you knew which one I was talking about if you are perusing the online stores.

Here’s the thing I love about WORX. They have some great trimmers that double as edgers (see our GT Revolution review here). The trimmer listed here looks like it could double as an edger as well, has an intuitive, adjustable handle, and (my favorite) a battery that goes underneath the handle. The GT 3.0 trimmer is great trimmer aside from this combination kit.

The blower is okay. Probably on the lower end as far as speed goes. But that’s alright – you don’t need a ton of power unless you have a large yard or are working with wet leaves/grass. Remember to mow while it is dry and you will be fine.

Buy this trimmer and blower combination set on Amazon (currently on sale). This is a good deal – and people love this combo set. It has almost 17,000 reviews – by far the most of any of the combo kits out there.

The awesome trimmer and blower in the Worx combo kit.

3. EGO Power+ ST1502LB 15-Inch String Trimmer & 530CFM Blower Combo Kit with 2.5Ah Battery and Charger Included, Blower & Trimmer, Black

Why can’t they just name these products something simple? Like “EGO Combo kit” or something?

Anyways, this is one of the more impressive combo kits on the market. EGO has great stuff, but they tend to be pretty expensive. This combo kit is no exception. 

The blower is a beast at 530 CFMs, which means it is probably blowing air well north of 100mph (not listed in the specs). It also has a brushless motor, which means it is built to last. You can’t get much higher quality than this EGO blower. 

The trimmer looks pretty standard – it is definitely bigger than most of the other trimmers on this list at 15 inches. Both of these products take a 56V battery – which can be used with a bunch of their other products.

As far as combos go, this one can handle much more than small yards. I think this would work for medium to large yards as well (if  that suits you).

You can find it on Amazon for a good price today. I definitely recommend for larger yards.

EGO has the coolest looking lawn tools.

2. Ryobi One ONE+ 18-Volt Lithium-Ion String Trimmer/Edger and Blower Combo Kit 2.0 Ah Battery and Charger Included

While I am not a huge fan of Ryobi’s ONE+ series, I have to give it to them – this battery can do just about anything. I generally prefer the tools in their 40V battery line because they are heavier duty than the 18V battery in the ONE+ series. 

The main thing you are getting with this purchase is convenience. This is a relatively small Ryobi trimmer that can double as an edger (sorta). It is 10 inches, making it one of the smaller trimmers on here.

The blower will be great for things like a garage or patio, but honestly won’t get you very far in a bigger yard. The reason I ranked this set so highly is because Ryobi’s 18V battery in the ONE+ series can be used in a ton of other tools. That takes this product from a 2-tool kit, to about a 100-tool kit if you have the battery. 

The price is pretty dang good as well, selling for a good deal on Amazon right now, including the battery. Go grab it on Amazon and start building out your tool collection today.

Ryobi ONE+ blower and trimmer are super convenient.

1. Greenworks 40V Cordless String Trimmer and Leaf Blower Combo Kit, 2.0Ah Battery and Charger Included

Greenworks is hands down one of my favorite lawn tool brands on the market – especially in the battery-powered world. They differentiate themselves on one thing: quality. The 40V combo kit here is no exception.

The trimmer is relatively basic, but also comes with a nice edging guard that helps you edge the yard as well. It is 12 inches, putting it right in the sweet spot for edgers here. It also has the automatic line advancement, meaning you won’t have to take any breaks to readjust the trimming  line.

The  blower is great as well. It has over 390 CFM of power at 110 mph speeds. This is perfect for small jobs around the yard as well as patio, deck, garage, or any other hard surface. 

You will get 45 minutes of run time with these, which is more than enough for even medium sized yards. The 40V battery also works with 60+ other lawn tools from Greenworks including mowers, chainsaws, and anything else you could ever need if you move to a larger yard.

You can grab this bad boy on Amazon today for a ridiculously low price. There is a reason over 7,000 people have rated this combo kit 4.5 stars.

My favorite – Greenworks high quality blower and trimmer kit – for cheap.

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

We take our tests seriously.

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

The benefits of a battery-powered trimmer

There are a few reasons to check out an electric weed eater when picking out your next lawn and garden tool kit. As compared to gas-powered weed eaters, electric weed eaters tend to be easier to use and maintain. At the end of a long winter season, you may have to refuel your gas powered weed eater and crank it a few times before you can get it to start. With electric weed eaters, you simply place the battery and you are ready to go. 

Another benefit to electric trimmers is maintenance. You will not have to do anything to maintain an electric trimmer other than change out the line. No oil change, no filter change, and no messy gasoline spills. Just the normal string change and you are good to go.

Benefits of battery-powered blowers

Obviously you have two options when selecting a leaf blower: electric or gas.They are worlds apart in just about every aspect. Electric leaf blowers tend to be cheaper, less powerful, but easier to maintain. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I used to have a Ryobi leaf blower attachment that came on their 3-in-1 tool kit. I have now gone through two of the leaf blower heads in which they start making a high pitch scraping noise when I am using it. 

There are exceptions in the electric leaf blower world. One of those is the Ryobi 40V Brushless whisper series blower. It is quiet, extremely powerful, and built to last. It is, however, one of the most expensive electric blowers you can buy.

Gas blowers are superior from a power and durability standpoint. They are super strong, last many seasons, and quickly get the job done. They do require maintenance, gas, and crank-starts, which are a little more difficult for most people. I always recommend an electric blower for smaller yards, whereas larger yards are better served with gas blowers.

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3 Best Ryobi Leaf Blowers: Side-by-Side Comparison

The best Ryobi 40V blower is the Brushless Whisper series blower that is ultra powerful, quiet, and comes with a huge battery.

Ryobi 40V blowers come in many shapes, sizes, and strengths. Today, we are going to check out the Brushless Whisper series, the 110 MPH 525 CFM Jet-fan blower, and the RYOBI 40V 155 MPH 300 CFM Cordless Battery Jet Fan.

To be frank, I have not been a huge fan of Ryobi’s battery powered line. I have their 3-in-1 ExpandIt Ryobi 40V weed eater. This has a blower attachment and it has broken twice. Yep, twice. I have attached it, turned it on, and it has made a high pitched screaming noise and then lost about half of its power. That’s a 40V blower, these are 40V blowers – needless to say it is going to take a lot to impress me. 

Let’s check out what we will review today:

The Ryobi 40V blowers: Feature reviews

Let’s check out some of the features and break down what they really mean for us at home…staring at a wet leaf stuck to our driveway….and eventually walking up and scraping it off with the tip of the blower (not that this has ever happened to me). 

Power

Power surprisingly varies quite a bit between these: let’s investigate.

Brushless Whisper Series

The Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper blower is the industry’s most powerful cordless (electric) handheld (not backpack) blower. It comes with a “Speed Tip” that allows it to reach up to 190 MPH. Most handheld electric blowers come in at around 90 to 125 miles per hour, so this is actually a pretty significant boost. 

The brushless motor has a big part of how this blower is so powerful. The ability to not crush itself with heat and friction allows it to retain energy for actually doing its job instead of just getting hot for no reason. 

The Ryobi 40V blower from the “Brushless Whisper Series” is a powerful cordless blower. Despite the name sounding like a candle from the Bath and Bodyworks, this blower means business. 

Ryobi Brushless motors on leaf blowers

Although this sounds like an ASMR experience, it’s actually a powerful facet of a motor. A brushed motor means that there are blocks of carbon connected to a spring. These spin and change the magnetic polarity inside of a motor. Sadly, these can wear out overtime and otherwise cause significant heat while operating.

The Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper blower in all its glory.

Brushless motors include a computer chip that charges magnets and does not have any of this friction happening. The runtime is increased by about 50% when compared to brush motors. This also allows the motor to be much quieter, which is where the “Whisper” portion of the name comes in. 

110 MPH 525 CFM Variable-Speed Jet Fan

This blower is more recognizable because it is one of the more affordable battery powered blowers offered by Ryobi. It looks similar to the Brushless Whisper blower above, except has a wider opening.

To be honest, not a huge fan of the power of this blower. While the CFM is high, indicating a higher power output, the nozzle of this blower is really wide. So it is not a focused stream, but more of a wall of air that doesn’t do all that much good. This is good for very light work such as dry leaves or saw dust, but not for bigger jobs that require a faster air stream.

See how it has a really wide opening – almost a straight tube?

I would compare the power of this to the Dewalt blower we reviewed.

RYOBI 40V 155 MPH 300 CFM Cordless Battery Jet Fan

The 155 MPH 300 CFM Jet Fan is a mouthful, but also one of the lighter, easy to use blowers offered by Ryobi. I recently purchased this item and when it came, I had my doubts.

Now, I didn’t expect for it to be as strong as a backpack blower, but I was shocked at how good of a job it did, especially compared to my old 40V attachment. This thing did a pretty good job, especially compared to the one above. I took it out to my back deck and was able to blow most leaves off, with the exception of some that were stuck between boards or wedged up against the side of the railing. Not bad!

Ryobi 40V blowers: Durability

If you read the opening paragraphs of this review, you would know that I have gone through two Ryobi 40V blowers in the past few years. They keep breaking and grinding and squealing. One difference between the one that I own and this one is that this is a dedicated blower. My Ryobi 40V blower is an attachment and a total joke.

Brushless Whisper Series

The key differentiator is again the brushless motor. Without all of the friction inside of the motor, the brushless motors last way longer. Ryobi knows that and has backed it with a five year warranty. 

Frankly, the five year warranty is the longest I have seen on the market. That’s exceptional, especially for a battery-powered product. To top things off, the battery has a three year warranty. 

110 MPH 525 CFM Variable-Speed Jet Fan

I can’t knock this blower too much because it really is a standard electric blower. It does not have a brushless motor meaning that at some point, it is going to burn out. Whether or not that happens after 2 years or 3 years, it won’t last as long as the Brushless Whisper.

RYOBI 40V 155 MPH 300 CFM Cordless Battery Jet Fan

The 155 MPH 300 CFM blower is similar to the above. Probably a similar piece of equipment, but has less CFMs, meaning the engine isn’t moving as fast. This might make it last a tad longer. It still will not stack up to the Brushless Whisper series blower.

Battery Life on Ryobi 40V blowers

Let’s talk more about the battery on these blowers. The Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper blower has two 4.0 Ah batteries with a 40V rapid charger. This charger will juice the batteries up four times faster than a standard charger. Basically it can charge a battery from empty to full within about 40 minutes. 

While this does require the two batteries, it really can last for quite a while. I would say blowing leaves across a few acres would be easily doable with this battery life. These are the same batteries that power their mower, if that tells you anything. It mentions a 2 hour runtime, which is quite impressive. I have not used it for that long.

The other ones just require one 40V battery, which is great for charging purposes, but is going to run for about half as long. I imagine again that you will never fully run through the battery just blowing leaves.

Something great about these batteries is that they can be used with over 50 other Ryobi products. This really helps if you do have the mower or trimmer or any of their other products. Basically it can save you some money by purchasing the tool-only option that comes without the battery. 

Experience

It is all about the experience. What it sounds like and feels like. Let’s jump in.

Brushless Whisper Series

The whisper series name cracked me up, but after doing some more research on decibel levels I am shocked. This blower comes in at about 57 dB. That means absolutely nothing to me, so let me compare it to something else you may know. An electric toothbrush weighs in at about 55 dB of noise. The Ryobi 40V blower is stunningly quiet. 

One thing I cannot stand about my neighbors is the lawn care company they hire. They come in with these massive backpack blowers that are insanely loud. For some reason, they blow the entire street with absolutely no regard for human life. Truly, I cannot understand for the life of me why someone would want to use one of those blowers when you have one of these available and have a smaller job.

An older model of the 40V Ryobi Blower that is frankly pretty weak.

110 MPH 525 CFM Variable-Speed Jet Fan

Nothing sexy about this one. As I mentioned before, this is a very “stock” battery powered lawn mower. I don’t give this one a great experience score because it is going to be louder than the Brushless Whisper series AND the one below, with actually doing a worse job of blowing. You hate to see it!

RYOBI 40V 155 MPH 300 CFM Cordless Battery Jet Fan

This blower was slightly louder than I would have liked considering the lower CFM. But overall, this is a really light blower. Super easy to use and hangs down low to the ground, which is great for a tall freak like me. This was fun to use and I recommend it for lighter jobs, like your deck, garage, or patio. I got mine off of Amazon for a great price.

Usability

Usability is one of THE most important elements of a blower. It has to be comfortable and easy to use.

Brushless Whisper Series

Another great feature on the Ryobi 40V blower is the speed controller trigger and cruise control. This allows you to not have to squeeze and pass, but to simply adjust the cruise control and let your hands relax a little bit. 

Up close view of the trigger and cruise control of the Ryobi 40V blower.

This also includes a “turbo” button as though it is straight out of Fast N’ Furious, which increases the power. A potential situation here is that you are blowing dry leaves at a medium speed and realize that a wet leaf is stuck to the pavement at the bottom. You can press the turbo button and it will maximize the output of the blower for as long as its pressed, then will return back to the speed you had set previously.

110 MPH 525 CFM Variable-Speed Jet Fan

As mentioned in the name of the blower, this one has a nice variable speed trigger. This lets you pull the trigger up from a slight blow to all the way maxed out.

Scratching my head at who would want a blower to do a “soft blow”, but it is there if you want it. Another cool part about this one is that it can lock a speed in place. Not my cup of tea because I always max out, but some people might like it.

RYOBI 40V 155 MPH 300 CFM Cordless Battery Jet Fan

This one had the simplest functionality. Just a squeeze trigger and that’s about it. For me, I hold the trigger down the whole time on full blast, so it didn’t make that much of a difference.

As I mentioned earlier, it is super light and easy to use. Even with it hanging down lower, I did not feel much of a shoulder strain after about 20 minutes.

Assembly of the Ryobi 40V blower series

Okay – making some assumptions here, but I recently unpacked the 155 MPH 300 CFM blower and set it up. The others look to be even easier to assemble, but this one required about 20 seconds of assembly.

I bought the tool-only version because I have a 40V battery ready. This saved me about $40-50 which was huge!

I’ll frame out the step by step below:

It came shipped in this box! Not even a normal cardboard box could contain it!
When I unboxed it, it came like this. Just the long end of the blower and the main piece of equipment.
I immediately tossed out the instructions because I am a man suffering from toxic masculinity.
I simply snapped in the longer end of the blower to the main blower piece.
This shows how to assemble the whole thing – not sped up at all.

Ryobi 40V Blower prices

Let’s dig into the prices!

Brushless Whisper Series

Okay – I have spoken pretty glowingly about this blower so far, but one setback is the price. You can get some Ryobi blowers for less than $100 and this one will cost you over $300 for the tool + batteries. It is a great deal in that it reduces your time out in the yard. You can check the most recent price on Home Depot’s website.

Here is why I think it is worth it:

  • Five year tool warranty and three year battery warranty
  • Interchangeable battery with other Ryobi products
  • Strongest electric blower on the market
  • Easy to use and quiet

Folks, I have seen enough. I am officially recommending this blower. 

Curious at how the price of this one stacks up? Check out our lawn equipment cost guide.

110 MPH 525 CFM Variable-Speed Jet Fan

This one has been given an official “meh”. It comes in around $130 for the tool-only version. It is fine, but won’t last you very long and will keep you out in the yard for a while.

Don’t just take my word for it – check out the reviews and price on Home Depot – a lot of people love it (including me).

RYOBI 40V 155 MPH 300 CFM Cordless Battery Jet Fan

This one is better! Not as nice as the Brushless Whisper blower, but definitely gets the job done efficiently. I bought the tool only version at Home Depot and have loved it so far.

The official review: Ryobi 40V blowers breakdown

FeatureBrushless Whisper110 MPH 525 CFM Variable-Speed Jet Fan RYOBI 40V 155 MPH 300 CFM Cordless Battery Jet Fan
Difficulty to useEasier to use cruise control functionAverage usabilityAverage usability
DurabilityVery durable and backed by warrantyNot that durableAverage durability
MaintenanceEasiest to maintain Easiest to maintain Easiest to maintain
ValueHighest valueLowest valueMedium value
For lots <10,000 sq. ftHighly recommendedRecommendedHighly recommended
For lots <1 acreHighly recommendedNot recommendedRecommended
For lots >1 acreHighly recommendedNot recommendedNot recommended

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

Ryobi 40V products

The Ryobi 40V series of products is supposed to be the convenient, all-in-one way to use one battery for hundreds of pieces of equipment. It is kind of weird how this builds brand loyalty and works to an extent. 

Step back and think about it – a battery takes up 8 inches of space in the garage, but having hundreds of big, interchangeable electric tools is supposed to be convenient? Isn’t that backwards? Shouldn’t they be making more compact tools or innovating in some other way? 

Enough of my soapbox. I’ve reviewed a few of their other products like the infamous Ryobi brushless lawn mower that I secretly love and similar products like Dewalt’s self-propelled lawn mower and 20V hedge trimmer that I did a full YouTube review about in my early days (and even a nice 60V chainsaw). Ryobi is about the same, but if you like neon green then go for it. 

If you want to see the Ryobi 40V vs the super powerful EGO 56V blower, check this out!

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7 Best Black and Decker Electric Hedge Trimmers

The best Black and Decker Hedge Trimmers is the Black & Decker 20V MAX 22 inch hedge trimmer because it is cordless, has decent length, and a strong battery system that works with other tools.

Let’s walk through our favorite black and decker hedge trimmers for everyone’s budget.

Top Black + Decker hedge trimmers:

Best Black and Decker Hedge Trimmers: Ranked in 2024

Let’s hop right in and rank these bad boys! It was tough to rank all of them, but I think we NAILED IT.

7. Black + Decker 40V Max Lithium Ion 22-inch Cordless Trimmer

  • What to love: This trimmer comes in at 22-inches long, putting it at the longer end of Black and Decker trimmers. It also has a wrap-around handle, meaning you aren’t having to torque your wrists at weird angles to get a good cut. 
  • What to not love: This trimmer has a 40V battery, which (in my experience) is less common among Black+Decker products. Also, this thing costs around $100, which is more expensive than most other hedge trimmers, but it is currently on sale on Amazon.

Look, it’s last on the list but it’s competing with 45 other trimmers. It is a great trimmer, especially if you are shorter and have a 40V battery already. 

Sadly, I have neither of those things. 

For those of you that are looking to get a premium hedge trimmer and could use the 40V battery with other tools, buy the 40V Max Lithium Ion 22-inch Trimmer on Amazon for a great price.

This bad boy is long!

6. Black and Decker 18-Inch Electric Hedge Trimmer (BEHT200)

The Black +Decker 18-inch Electric Hedge Trimmer is pretty basic – and that’s why I love it. First of all, it requires an extension cord. This can be a positive or a negative depending on your perspective. Sure, there’s no battery, but you also have to schlep around a cord and worry about chopping it in half. 

The 18-incher from Black and Decker is the perfect size, is super light-weight, and the same wrap around handle as the last trimmer. It also has a full-length handle, meaning your index finger won’t feel all the pressure (literally).

  • What to love: No battery running out, super lightweight, extremely inexpensive.
  • What to not love: Cord can drag you down. 

Right now, this puppy is selling on Amazon for less than $50. Yep. It is an incredible deal and will take care of pretty much any job you have. If you’re fine with an extension cord, then this will allow you to get going in your yard without any problem at all.

Grab it on Amazon today for astonishingly cheap.

The handle on this is really nice and out of the way of the cord.

5. BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Cordless Hedge Trimmer with Power Command Powercut, 22-Inch (LHT321FF)

Well, if it sounds like it means business, it probably does. This thing has the bells and whistles. Let’s check it out:

  • What to love: This is one of the longest hedge trimmers offered by Black and Decker at 22 inches. It also comes with a PowerCut button that provides additional power to cut through thicker branches. I also love the 20V battery, as this is what fits my current Black + Decker power drill.
  • What to not love: This trimmer has a higher price tag than most, but is honestly worth the money if you do a lot of trimming.

I gotta say, this is currently “Amazon’s Choice” for cordless trimmers. If you want to get the job done quickly, this thing will get you there. Grab it on Amazon (it’s currently on sale), and get started on those bushes today.

The extra power button is mindblowing.

4. Black + Decker Electric Hedge Trimmer, 16-inch (BEHT100)

The 16-inch BEHT100 from Black and Decker is a hedge trimmer that is simply….simple. It is the most basic, barebones trimmer offered by them. This means it is one of the smallest and lightest machines they sell.

  • What to love: The price. This thing currently costs $29 on Amazon. Unreal. It also is super lightweight (4 lbs). If you just want something inexpensive to get the job done, this is going to be just fine. 
  • What to not love: If you are looking for heavy duty action, it simply isn’t here. This is a corded trimmer, it isn’t very long, and its handle is more of a knob. It is basic – but you get what you pay for. 

If I’m a new homeowner and my house isn’t furnished yet because I just spent my life savings, then heck yeah I am grabbing this one. It truly is perfectly fine despite the lack of bells and whistles. 

Grab it for a super low price today on Amazon (like 6,000 others have) and go take care of those dang bushes.

Simple, yet elegant.

3. Black + Decker 40V Max Cordless Hedge Trimmer, 24-inch

Okay earlier when I said that number 7 was the biggest and baddest – I lied. This one has a 24-inch blade, or two feet of blades to reach the top of the bushes. It can also handle up to 6000 sq/ft of hedges before it needs to be charged. That’s insane.

  • Here’s what I love: The length is great, and as tall as I am I still cannot reach the tops of some of these even taller bushes. It has a nice wrap-around handle as well. 
  • Here’s what I don’t love: It is one of the heavier trimmers, at almost 7 lbs. It is also the most expensive. But again, you get what you pay for – and this is a lot of trimmer.

If you don’t mess around, grab this on Amazon for the best price I’ve seen. If you already have the battery, you can actually get it in Amazon for half-price if you get the tool-only version.

Looks sort of like one of those sharks.

2. BLACK+DECKER Electric Hedge Trimmer, 17-Inch (BEHT150)

So, this is basically the same as number four. Except an inch longer and basically the same price – why not go for it?

  • What to love: The price. This thing currently costs $32 on Amazon. Unreal. It also is super lightweight (4 lbs). If you just want something inexpensive to get the job done, this is going to be just fine. 
  • What to not love: If you are looking for heavy duty action, it simply isn’t here. This is a corded trimmer, it isn’t very long, and its handle is more of a knob. It is basic – but you get what you pay for. 

This one is perfect for new homeowners or people that are doing some relatively light work. This makes the most sense when you are shelling out a bunch of money for new lawn equipment. 

And it is precisely why I would just go grab it on Amazon for super cheap – an amazing price right now.

1. BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Cordless Hedge Trimmer, 22-Inch (LHT2220)

The best. I mean all the great things I have pointed out in the other trimmers – this one has. Not only is it 22inches, 20V battery powered (the more common battery type among Black and Decker products), has an amazing squeeze trigger, and a full-grip handle – it is also an amazing price. 

Currently it is available on Amazon for $89 – which is unheard of. It is super easy to use, comfortable to handle, super powerful, and light. 

If I’m grabbing a new hedge trimmer, hands-down I am getting this one. If you already have the battery like me, then you can get it on Amazon for super cheap of course – an absolute steal.

Just a beast. A no brainer.

Why we review lawn tools

We review lawn tools for the same reason you visited our site today. It is darn near impossible to figure out what to get for your yard. There are so many technical terms, online weirdos, and oddly named tools that make it difficult to really know what you are buying.

Our unusual testing methods.


Well, we at The Lawn Review got fed up with it and decided to translate this into English. Less focus on the technical specifications and more focus on how the tool works and whether or not you need it. 

So let’s get started!

What to look for in a Black + Decker Hedge Trimmer

When I’m looking for a Black + Decker Hedge Trimmer, I honestly don’t care that much about the specifications. It is something I am going to be holding up, sometimes over my head, with sharp blades. So I want to know what it feels like to use. These things can take your finger off (or worse) if you aren’t careful. 

That’s why I look at these few things:

  1. Weight – I don’t want something that is super heavy or hard to maneuver
  2. Power source – I either want to go battery-powered for full freedom, or get a hedge trimmer that can hold on to the dang cord and not easily unplug
  3. Handle and comfort – The handle needs to be intuitive, easy to use, and hopefully anti-vibration
  4. Blade length – I’m super tall, so I don’t have an issue with shorter blades, but longer ones obviously get you further.

With these things in mind, let’s rank the best available Black + Decker trimmers. Most of these are corded and a few even make our list of the best corded hedge trimmers.

Looking for cordless? Check out our best cordless hedge trimmers ranking.

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13 Best Electric Lawn Mowers for Small Yards

The best all-around electric mower for small yards is the EGO 56V 21 inch mower. It is a great size, very powerful, and can cut a small lawn for months on a single charge.

Electric mowers are one of the hottest items to buy because they tend to be cheaper, easier to store, and quieter than gas mowers.  First time home buyer? Recently downsized? Live in California? Sick of gas prices? Me too.

While there are a TON of electric mowers out there, some of them are crap and some of them are rip-offs. So, let’s cut through the noise as usual.

We’ve summed up our findings here:

Best electric mower for small yards: Ranked

There are so many options of electric mowers out there that it was tough to narrow it down. Luckily, I am a huge nerd about this stuff.

1. EGO Power+ LM2101 21 inch 56 V electric mower

Number one! The Ego Power+21 inch 56V mower is the one of the best electric mowers on the market. EGO makes a ton of different lawn tools and the mower is top of the line. EGO basically only makes electric lawn tools, so you know they have mastered the mower.

Yep we own this one as well.

One of the main benefits of this mower is the wide deck, meaning it has a decent cutting area with each pass you make. The larger the yard, the larger the cutting area.

21 inches is a perfect happy medium for small yards because it allows you to cover a good amount of ground while still being nimble.

This has all of the features you look for in an electric mower: a nice interoperable battery, easy to fold and store, durable, and powerful. Give it a look on Amazon (it is still kind of a secret). 

2. Greenworks 80V 21 inch Cordless Push Lawn Mower

I like Greenworks’ mowers because they tend to be pretty thoughtfully made. Their Greenworks 21-inch mower with an 80v battery is definitely up there for me. As one of the more popular electric mowers on the market (almost 6,000 reviews). 

This mower has dual blades, allowing for a better cut and for finer mulching. This is pretty equivalent to a gas mower, except the electric version where you can’t really tell a difference. Greenworks also has some super powerful tools like their blowers where this battery can be super helpful. The Greenworks 80V 21 inch mower has a great quality cut and is super quiet.

Highly recommended and a nice kick-off to our top three.

This is one of the most popular ones sold on Amazon (with almost 6k reviews). Don’t believe us? Go check out the other reviews at Amazon.

We like Greenworks because of their distinguished high-quality products.

3. Makita XML03CM1 Brushless 18” lawn mower

Makita makes really high quality power tools and so when they release an under-the-radar electric Makita mower with surprising power , you know it is going to be good. This sucker comes with 4 batteries, a metal deck, and a brushless motor. Basically everything you could like about an electric mower, the Makita has. Compared to most other mowers, this has a significantly longer run time.

For those with smaller yards, the 18 inch metal deck is just about ideal.

Love it.

The fact that you won’t burn all your batteries means that you will have plenty of juice left for your other Makita tools. 

The Makita XML03CM1 is just about perfect. If you get it without all the batteries, its actually pretty dang affordable on Amazon.

4. Ryobi 40V Brushless 20 inch electric lawn mower

The Ryobi 40V series lawn mower is part of a 40V battery series that makes a ton of good tools that you can use, including blowers and weed eaters. You can also use the battery in this mower for those. That is the type of interoperability I’m talking about!

This also has a brushless motor, is super simple to use, but sadly has a plastic deck – which is keeping out of the top 3. This is one of the most popular electric mowers in the world, so if you do go ahead with this purchase: you are in good company.

It is another medium sized mower that will get just about any small to mid sized yard done easily. Great purchase here, IMO if you can get it from an online retailer and ship it.

Our favorite Ryobi.

5. Black and Decker 40V Max Cordless Lawn mower

While I’m not a huge fan of black and decker, this is basically a mirror of the Ryobi mower. They are virtually identical in every aspect. Black and Decker also has a yuuuuuuuge collection of tools that take a 40v battery. 

This mower is slightly more versatile in that it has a thing called EDGEMAX that allows you to mow super close to other surfaces, which is nice. Otherwise, this one is orange and black colored, which I tend to favor more than the neon green of Ryobi. 

This one is also for sale on Amazon, but the price is hidden, so go check it out for yourself.

I recommend this one to anybody with Black and Decker tools already.

Can’t go wrong with this one.

6. Toro Recycler 22in SmartStow 60V max mower

There are a lot of things to like about this mower. First of all, I love Toro and have reviewed a ton of their mowers. They are always dependable and do an incredible job. This isn’t number one on this list for a couple of reasons.

It’s pretty big – maybe bigger than you need for a teeny tiny yard, but good for a small-medium yard. Another thing that is working against the battery version of the Toro recycler is the lack of battery interoperability. There just aren’t enough popular tools that the Toro battery works with. As a standalone, this is still a great option, however.

7. Dewalt 21.5 in 20V Max push mower

I like the Dewalt 21.5 in 20V mower because it is so simple. Dewalt has a jillion tools that you can use the battery with. If you look at this product, it is the most standard looking lawn mower in the world, other than the fact that it is bright yellow. 

This thing is pretty sweet.

The Dewalt 21.5 in 20V mower has a brushless motor as well, making it longer lasting and quieter. It has a big metal deck as well, which means you won’t have rocks cutting through the deck and breaking it completely. It is a pricier electric mower (around $550), but I think you get what you pay for here. 

For our full review, check out this post on our experience with the all-new Dewalt 20V mower review.

8. Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V 16in cordless mower

This one has so much potential! It has all the bells and whistles that you would want in an electric mower, but has a plastic deck still. The Ryobi ONE series is pretty popular and has a good amount of tools in it, but not as many as the 40V series from Ryobi. 

This is one of the nicer looking, mid-sized electric mowers on the market. It comes with two batteries that can be used in a bevy of other tools. It overall is a great mower, but gets dinged by me for not being a part of the 40V series and having a plastic deck. Still a good purchase if you are someone that has existing Ryobi ONE+ 18V batteries. You can find it for a decent price on Amazon if you get the tool-only version (meaning you use your same battery).

9. Greenworks PRO 17 inch 48V battery mower

Now that we are in the top 10, our game has stepped up quite a bit. This is another great Greenworks mower with a 17 inch deck (slightly larger than the previous Greenworks corded mower). It comes with two 24v batteries which appear to work with a couple of other Greenworks products, but not all of them.

This one will last you significantly longer than the other mowers and be able to take on much more work. The Greenworks PRO 17 inch 48V battery mower also offers a brushless motor, which makes it last much longer and is overall much quieter. It does still have a plastic deck, which I absolutely despise – so it is staying in the back half of this list.

Right now, Greenworks is selling mowers for a great price on Amazon, giving you a really good deal heading into the mowing season.

10. Greenworks 10A 16-inch corded electric mower

Alright, if you are looking for a slight step up from the Sun Joe MJ401E (reviewed above), this is it. It is still powered by an extension cord but is a couple of inches bigger and has a few more customizable features. This one could definitely get you much further than the Sun Joe and actually has a mulching feature as well. 

Greenworks is a little better than Sun Joe as a brand in my opinion. They make heavier-duty mowers and blowers and focus just on yard tools. Sun Joe is an outgrowth of Snow Joe, which was the original brand that made things like snow shovels.

This one is slightly more expensive than the Sun Joe, but still a steal (lol). Right now, it’s on sale at Amazon for a really good price.

11. Sun Joe MJ401E Mow Joe 14 inch electric mower

While this mower does get a couple dings from me, its price makes up for it. The first ding is that its plastic and looks like a turtle. Everything is plastic and likely won’t last a super long time. It is also tiny and requires an extension cord. 14 inches is not a big mower. 

Some other good Sun Joe swag.

But here are a few things I do like. This is perfect from people who live in a townhome or condo and have a little bit of grass. It’s going to cut the grass fine, but it’s not going to handle tough terrain or tall weeds. If you’re looking for something super cheap and easy to use, this is basically a little yard vacuum.

This one is EXTREMELY affordable and can be shipped straight to your house from Amazon.

12. Worx Power Share 14 in 40V cordless mower 

I’ve actually grown to love WORX products, including their mulcher and electric edger

One benefit to this mower is that the two 20V batteries can be used on most of their other products.

It’s plastic all over and only cuts ⅛ acre per charge. If you do like the Worx series however, you can use these batteries with any of their tools – which can save you a lot of money. The price tag is also around $300, making it a decent deal.

As one of the more affordable options, grab this one today on Amazon.

13. Green Machine 62V Cordless electric mower

Using our ranking criteria, this one would actually rank decently. It is missing in a couple big areas, however. The Green Machine 62V Cordless Mower is a no-name brand (sorry), and has a 62V battery that is not usable with probably any equipment you own today. 

A few positives: it has a metal deck and looks pretty nice. It has a decently large cutting deck as well, at 22 inches. This puts it in the higher end of our list if you have a small-to-medium sized yard. This mower seems to sell exclusively at Home Depot and exclusively online – and you can grab it here.

Why we review electric lawn mowers

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something. Always feel free to leave a comment or request a review using the form you see at the top of this page.

What to look for in an electric lawn mower

When looking to purchase an electric lawn mower, you need to make sure you understand what things matter. You will get hit with a lot of technical specifications and marketing tactics. Totally forget them and focus on the things that impact you. Below are my recommendations:

  1. Brand quality. Quality is going to be super important here. Everyone is in the electric mower game these days and there are a ton of junky mowers out there. Avoid anything from a weird brand on Amazon that takes 9 years to ship. It is probably being 3D printed in a Laotian bathroom. Go for brands that have consistent quality and focus on the details, not just flashy colors.
  2. Metal where it matters. Most electric mowers are plastic-y. Probably to reduce the weight of the mower so that the battery can get you further, but it feels cheap. Make sure to get metal where it matters – namely the deck. The deck is the part that covers the blades. Don’t get plastic here – a rock can rip through it.
  3. Battery interoperability. A ten dollar word used here, but really just make sure to buy a mower with a battery that is compatible with other electric tools. Ryobi has this, so does Dewalt, and so do some of the Greenworks products. This will save you garage clutter and plug space.
  4. Self-propelled or not. I actually don’t like the self-propelled feature. It doesn’t help you that much and it drains battery – I would pass here. This is a marketing gimmick in my opinion.

Here is our full guide to buying an electric lawn mower – including some of the most common questions.

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Greenworks vs Sun Joe Dethatcher: Comparison Guide

The Greenworks dethatcher vs Sun Joe dethatcher is exactly like Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning. Both absolute greats, but Peyton clearly being the best. I like the Greenworks dethatcher better because it comes in at a lower price point.

My Greenworks dethatcher that I used when comparing against the Sun Joe dethatcher.

Just kidding – kind of. When looking for a lawn dethatcher, there are a few really important things to keep an eye on, and we will look at all of those here today. 

Jump ahead:

***Spoiler: Both are great, but we recommended the Greenworks dethatcher because of the price point. If you want a nicer version, check out the new cordless Greenworks dethatcher that I tested out here.

Greenworks dethatcher vs. Sun Joe dethatcher

Now that we know the how and why of dethatching, let’s roll up our sleeves and compare the top two choices. We will do a head-to-head comparison of the Sun Joe dethatcher vs the Greenworks dethatcher to make sure YOU make the best choice for YOU. 

To read our full product reviews, click here for the Sun Joe dethatcher and here for the Greenworks dethatcher.

The Sun Joe is slightly more powerful

Let’s start here with expectation setting. These tools are not yard beasts. They require an extension cord (remember those?) and a bit of time and patience. When looking at power, the difference is really marginal.

The Greenworks dethatcher comes in at about 10A of power, whereas the Sun Joe offers 12A. A here stands for Amperes, or units of electrical power output. In reality, this difference will not be very noticeable or even necessary. Power is not the name of the game, but being methodical and patient are. 

We tried it for real!

When it comes to this head to head, I’d love to make it a tie but the numbers just don’t work.

Sun Joe takes this round.

Usability comparison for these dethatchers

Alright, both of these operate basically the same. You plug them both in, press a button, then start slowly walking. When it comes to using a dethatcher, the most important aspect of the usability is really how much time you are going to be out there.

The amount of time you are out there is dependent on how wide the dethatcher is. Just like with mowers, the larger the blade size is, the larger the cutting path. The same is true with dethatchers. While they are notoriously small, every inch matters. 

The width of the Greenworks dethatcher is 14 inches, whereas the Sun Joe is only 12.6 inches. For usability, I am going to go with Greenworks dethatcher.

Slightly wider!

Add-ons to both Sun Joe and Greenworks dethatchers

The Sun Joe comes with a couple of add-ons that the Greenworks Dethatcher does not. Sun Joe offers a scarifier attachment and a bag for the thatch.

I don’t really think you need either. Definitely not the bag – the bag is useless because it is so small it gets full after about five feet of pushing. This will end up getting tossed. 

The scarifier is an attachment that you can put on the dethatcher that has a few blades on it that can cut up the thatch before using the dethatcher. I’m iffy on this one as well and don’t ever use it. Others seem to like it, but I never have time for it. 

The Greenworks is a bit cheaper

The Greenworks dethatcher comes in at a slightly lower price than and the Sun Joe dethatcher will cost you a slight bit more last time I checked.

As a reminder, the Greenworks does not have the attachments that the Sun Joe dethatcher has, but is wider. 

Our ranking table comparison

Hands down – the Greenworks dethatcher is the way to go here, folks.

CategoryGreenworks dethatcherSun Joe dethatcher
Power++
Usability++++++
Price++++++
Appearance+++++
Overall++++++

The Value of My Dethatcher

Dethatchers are a lesser-known lawn tool but that’s because most folks don’t care enough about their yard to use one. If you are reading this post, you are in the elite subgroup of yard enthusiasts who give a darn and are about to be the envy of all of your neighbors.

Dethatchers work by pulling up dead grass that is stuck to your lawn’s soil. 

“Wait a second, that stuff is bad?”

Well, maybe not BAD, but it limits the amount of nutrients your soil can take in. We go out and pull weeds in the garden bed because they can overtake our flowers and bushes. The same goes for our grass. The thatch is not going to take over your yard and is dead, but it is still taking up valuable real estate that could help grow more grass.

Thatch when it sees any open space in the soil.

When to dethatch your lawn

Dethatching your lawn should take place just prior to aerating and overseeding – so generally in the fall. For those of us that live in the South, this is sometime around mid to early October. If it’s too hot, the seed will dry up and not thrive. If it’s too cold, well, it is too late.

You can also dethatch at the end of a brutal winter to allow your soil to open up and breathe again before it warms up. So many lawns continue to limp into the spring because they are mushy and have a ton of moist thatch just clogging up the yard. Get rid of that.

Electric Dethatchers 101

Okay, let us make our way into the meat of this post. Old-school dethatchers are fine-toothed rakes that require you to physically make your way across the yard and pull up all the dead grass like a cave man. I do not recommend this to anybody that enjoys having a back. 

Doing my best.

On the flip side, there is a reason that motorized dethatchers are not gas-powered. Dethatchers, even motorized ones, require a slower movement across the yard. And honestly, that is a good thing. There’s no way to go through the process quickly. If you had a gas-powered dethatcher, you would basically till your entire yard and you might as well plant something else if you do that. 

Check out our web story about electric dethatchers and how satisfying they are.

Electric dethatchers are perfect because they are super light, easy to use, and simply hover across your yard, pulling up all the dead thatch. The two most popular electric dethatchers are the Greenworks dethatcher and the Sun Joe dethatcher. 

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Lawn Equipment Costs and Statistics: 2022 updates

Many people seeking to understand various lawn tools need a frame of reference for cost and power comparisons across types of lawn equipment. In this post, we will reference all types of residential lawn equipment to gather a reference resource for all savvy shoppers. Let’s get started!

Looking to update these numbers for 2023 lawn care costs? Click here!

Jump ahead:

Statistics about push mowers

When it comes to push mowers, there are really three main types of power sources:

  1. Battery-powered push mowers: These mowers are powered by a battery and can be easily re-charged and stored. Battery-powered mowers are typically less expensive, easier to store and maintain, and better suited for small yards.
  2. Gas-powered push mowers: These mowers are gasoline-powered and rely on refills, just like a car. Gas-powered push mowers tend to last much longer than electric mowers, but require yearly maintenance.
  3. Corded electric push mowers: Corded push mowers tend to be very similar to battery-powered mowers, except require a long extension cord for power. Be careful not to run it over with the blade!

The average cost of push mowers in 2022

Push mowers range in cost depending on how they are powered, the size of their engine, and the width of their cutting deck. Push mowers are one of the most popular types of mowers because most folks have relatively small yards.

As the rise of townhomes have grown, the small little yards associated with them can be easily taken care of with a small electric mower. Sun Joe offers a ton of these, but also has competition with Greenworks, Ryobi, and a handful of others.

Battery powered mower cost 2022

The average cost of a battery-powered push mower in 2022 is about $300, but can range from $75 – $550 depending on size and features.  

Some of the battery powered push mowers we have reviewed are:

The Greenworks cordless mower is very popular.

Interested in other electric mowers? Check out our list of Top 13 Best Electric Mowers for Small Yards in 2022.

Average cost of a gas push mower in 2022

The average cost of a gas-powered push mower in 2022 is about $250, but can range from $170 – $400.

Some of the gas-powered push mowers we have reviewed are:

The Troy Bilt TB160 was my first mower and still runs like new.

Average cost of an electric mower in 2022

The average cost of a corded electric push mower in 2022 is about $150, but can range from $70 to $200.

The average cost of a riding mower in 2022 (Lawn Tractor + Zero-Turn)

Riding mowers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The two you will recognize the most are lawn tractors and zero-turn mowers. 

Lawn tractors vs. zero-turn mowers

Lawn tractors tend to have a steering wheel where the engine sits between your legs. Zero-turn mowers have levers that help steer the mower. 

Lawn tractors are best for yards that are between ½ of an acre and 1.5 acres. Zero-turn mowers are great for those with 1.5 acres and above. 

Lawn tractor costs in 2022

The average cost of a lawn tractor in 2022 is about $2,300, but can range between $2,000 and $4,200.

Most lawn tractors sit right around the $2,000 to $3,000 range, but some newer electric lawn tractors can cost over $4,000.

Lawn tractors vary in price depending on their engine horsepower and their cutting width. As you would expect, larger engines and larger cutting decks increase the price of the lawn tractor.

Some of the lawn tractors that we have reviewed are:

The Cub Cadet XT2 is so hot right now.

Zero-turn mower costs in 2022

The average cost of a zero-turn mower in 2022 is about $4,500, but can range from $2,900 to $5,300. Zero-turn mowers range in price depending on the features and the size of the mower. 

Commercial zero-turn mowers can run as high as $10,000 in 2022. 

Some popular zero-turn mowers that we have reviewed include

The Ariens IKON XD52 is an absolute unit.

The average cost of a lawn service in 2022

The average cost of a lawn mowing service in 2022 is about $60 for lots < 10,000 sq. ft.

The average cost of a lawn mowing service for yards between 10,000 sq. ft and ½ acre is about $100 in 2022. 

The average cost of a lawn mowing service for an acre is $150-200 in 2022. 

As a reminder, lawn service usually comes every week or every other week during peak season. These costs can add up extremely quickly, making do-it-yourself lawn mowing easily the most affordable option.

Leaf blowers: A 2022 guide to cost and choice

Leaf blowers come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from some that seem to have the power of a hair blower to others that can send a sailboat across the Atlantic. When it comes to leaf blowers, there are three main types: handheld electric, handheld gasoline, and backpack blowers. 

Handheld electric blowers are slightly more expensive than gas blowers and are often the least powerful. There are a few exceptions, but these hold true. 

Who should buy an electric blower?

Electric blowers are great for those looking for quick, small jobs around the yard. This would include blowing out the garage, blowing off the driveway or back deck, or collecting leaves for a smaller yard. 

Electric blowers have a huge upside in that they are very easy to start and maintain, only requiring a charged battery to begin the work

Average cost of an electric leaf blower in 2022

The average cost of an electric leaf blower in 2022 is $175, but can range from $70 to $350 depending on the quality. 

Some of our favorite electric leaf blowers include:

The Ryobi Brushless Whisper blower is a beast.

Who should buy a gas leaf blower?

Handheld gasoline blowers provide a step up in power, but often require air filter changes and other minorly inconvenient maintenance. Gas blowers are great for people who have up to an acre or so of land and feel comfortable walking around and using the blower. 

Likewise, gas blowers are great for folks who receive a significant amount of leaves, regardless of lawn size. Gas blowers can help move leaves off of your yard much more quickly and will leave less wet leaves stuck behind.

Average cost of a gas leaf blower in 2022

Gas blowers cost about $150, but range from $100 – $250 depending on size and power. 

One of our favorite handheld gas blowers that we have reviewed is the Husqvarna 125B. This blower has an attachment on the end that can provide a super concentrated stream of air, with the ability to blow anything away.

We also love the Stihl BG 86 C – check out our video review on YouTube!

The cool flat tip on the Husqvarna 125B.

Who should buy a backpack blower?

Backpack blowers are the most powerful, expensive, and loudest blowers on the market. These are made popular by commercial landscapers, but anyone with an acre or above could majorly benefit from these.

Backpack blowers provide very high amounts of power and come with the added comfort of straps, advanced features, and an easy to use handle. 

Average cost of a backpack blower in 2022

Backpack blowers will run you about $350 in 2022, but can range from $250 to $750 depending on the size and power.

Some of our favorite backpack blower reviews include:

The Stihl BR600 is a beast and you look like a teenage mutant ninja turtle when you wear it.

Trimmers or Weed Eaters costs in 2022

Trimmers, lovingly known as weed eaters, are tools used to cut grass precisely. These are often used in harder to reach areas, to clear brush, or to fine tune the edges of a property.

Trimmers come in both gas and electric powered forms, with electric becoming more popular. Electric trimmers are very easy to use, but can be less powerful. A plus side to electric trimmers is that they often come with multiple interchangeable heads, allowing for edger, blower, and hedge trimmer attachments to all fit the same body.

Gas trimmers provide relentless, reliable power and are often used by those with bigger yards and of course, commercial landscapers. 

Average cost of an electric trimmer in 2022

Some of our electric trimmer reviews can be found here:

I have the Ryobi 40V trimmer….and I do not like it.

Average cost of a gas trimmer in 2022

The average cost of a gas trimmer in 2022 is about $180, but ranges from $150 to $430 depending on power and included attachments.

Some of our favorite gas trimmer reviews are below:

The ECHO SRM 225 has a powerful trimmer head.

Pressure washer costs in 2022

Pressure washers come in two major forms: gas and electric. Electric pressure washers tend to have less power and lower reliability. Gas pressure washers are more powerful and can get extremely pricey.

Who should buy an electric pressure washer?

Electric pressure washers are great for people who are doing lighter jobs. The perfect person to buy an electric pressure washer is someone looking to clean their windows, their car or boat, or garage door. 

Electric pressure washers are less expensive and relatively easy to use. If you are looking to blast away all of the grime from your long driveway, electric pressure washers will not be the best choice for you.

Average cost of an electric pressure washer in 2022

The average cost of an electric pressure washer is about $190, but ranges from $60 to $300 depending on power and size.

Some of our favorite electric pressure washers include:

The Sun Joe SPX3000 is one of the hottest pressure washers on Amazon.

Who should buy a gas pressure washer?

Gas pressure washers are great for all of the same reasons as an electric pressure washer, but can also remove paint, blast dirt and grime off of old surfaces, and more. 

Gas pressure washers have serious power, but are also pretty loud. They will be more reliable, but also require a little bit of maintenance.

Average cost of a gas pressure washer in 2022

The average cost of a gas pressure washer in 2022 is about $400, but can range from $250 to $1,000 depending on power.

Some of our favorite gas pressure washers include:

The Dewalt 3400 PSI pressure washer provides intense power.

Dethatcher costs in 2022

Dethatchers are lawn tools that pull up thatch, or dead grass, from the bottom of your yard. Thatch forms over time and can suffocate your soil, leaving poor conditions for your healthy grass to grow.

Many people dethatch their lawns before they aerate and seed in the fall. Dethatchers have grown in popularity. They are often electric, corded devices that replace the traditional dethatching rakes. 

Dethatchers typically come corded, meaning you need a long extension cord to operate them in your yard. They are not a danger to your cord like a normal mower, but actually have small metal tines. The tines stick out (kind of like the metal springs in a chip bag clip), and kick up the thatch from the soil.

Average cost of a dethatcher in 2022

The average dethatcher will cost about $150, but ranges from $130 to $200 depending on the width of the machine.

Two of our favorite dethatcher reviews are below:

The Sun Joe Dethatcher is one of the hottest lawn care items in 2022.
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Why The Greenworks 2000 PSI Pressure Washer is Great For Windows

The Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer is a super popular pressure washer made by the folks over at Greenworks.

The unmistakable color scheme on the Greenworks pressure washer.

Bottom line: The 2000 PSI pressure washer from Greenworks is great for light duty jobs like siding on your house, windows, or cars. You can grab it here on Amazon.

Many folks have asked us to review this product because they have a huge presence on Amazon with a ton of reviews. Let’s roll up our sleeves and figure out whether or not this pressure washer is right for you. 

Jump ahead:

Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer: Feature review

The Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer has a lot to like, but also has some quirks and nuances that make it different from its competitors. Let’s get started.

Power expectations at 2000 PSI

Okay – as I mentioned earlier, power is something that is as important as you need it to be. For those of us just washing windows, cars, garage doors, siding or other lighter-duty jobs, you frankly do not need much power. 

The Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer has…..2000 PSI. To put this in perspective, this is on the lower end of the spectrum when evaluating pressure washers AKA not that much power. 

If you are looking to blast away all the dirt and grime from your driveway or sidewalk, the Greenworks pressure washer will simply not be sufficient (unless you want to take 40 hours to do this). You see, pressure can be modified by the size of the nozzle head. Smaller nozzles = higher amounts of power. 

Putting the nozzles on is a snap, literally!

By simple math (or something), smaller nozzles deliver higher power with the tradeoff that you can cover less area. The purpose of this demonstration was to highlight that nozzle modification will only get you so far. If you don’t have the power of a higher PSI engine, typically delivered by a gas-powered engine, you won’t ever be able to get to a high power level. 

You will see a similar phenomenon from Greenworks biggest rival, Sun Joe. They have a similar wildly popular pressure washer called the SPX3000, which we review here.

If you want more power, check out the Greenworks or Ryobi pressure washers at 3000 PSI.

Usability of electric pressure washers

Alright, now that we understand the power limitations (which is not necessarily a bad thing), let’s talk about the usability of this machine. When I say usability, I mean operator experience. What is it like to actually use this product? What should the ideal product feel like?

Well, this product is easy to use. Frankly, any electric pressure washer is going to be easy to use because it has fewer moving parts and requires less tinkering to get started. 

We love how this has a quick-on switch.

The Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer comes with a soap dispensing kit as well as a soap nozzle. These are ideal for providing a soapy base before washing off all of the dirt and grime for whatever is on the other end of the pressure washer. Most pressure washers have some sort of functionality like this that makes the job super easy. 

You can see the electric cord and the blue 25 foot hose.

Now here comes the downside. The Greenworks pressure washer only has a 25 foot hose. While this is fine, many of its competitors have longer hoses – closer to 35 or 40 feet. This means you have to stop what you are doing and move the base. Not the worst thing in the world, but I guarantee there will be times you will have to stop and move the base around, left wishing that your hose was a few feet longer.

Durability of the Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer

Now that we have a good understanding of what kind of power and usability quirks the Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer has, let’s review the durability. It is difficult to define what good durability is for a pressure washer. Most folks do not use their pressure washer more than a few times per year. 

If I am being totally honest, I’ve read a ton of other user reviews and there are a lot of good ones, but also a lot of bad ones. Most of the bad ones talk about some sort of leak in the pressure box. That being said, the whole dang machine is made of plastic – there are going to be some that get manufactured and break. 

I also don’t think this has a brushless motor which is super surprising for a Greenworks pressure washer.

Its so durable that you can use it on top of rocks!

Price and value: Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer

I have left you on pins and needles for the past few seconds. Is this a good value?

The Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer is a great value. The price is constantly changing, but you can check it here on Amazon. You get about what you pay for. This is a good deal on ANY pressure washer, but if you can get it on sale, this becomes a good value. 

The official review: Greenworks 2000 PSI pressure washer

FeatureGreenworks 2000 PSI pressure washerGas powered pressure washer
Difficulty to useLess difficult to useMore difficult to start 
DurabilitySomewhat durableVery durable
MaintenanceEasiest to maintainLess easy to maintain
ValueMedium valueMedium value
Small jobsHighly recommendedHighly recommended
Medium jobsRecommendedHighly recommended
Heavy jobsNot recommendedHighly recommended

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

How we review tools.

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

About Greenworks

Greenworks is not necessarily a household name…..yet. They make battery powered yard tools such as robotic lawn mowers, power tools, snow blowers, leaf blowers, and lawn mowers. 

Click here to check out our review of their dethatcher and their cordless lawn mower.

Greenworks is known for having a green and black color scheme on all of their products – not to be confused with the NEON green and black of Ryobi. Let me clarify one thing – nobody in the commercial lawn care or tool world is using Greenworks. Their products are specifically tailored for lighter use situations that can thrive off of a battery.

Logo!

Frankly, most BIG jobs require more reliable power sources that can pack more power. That is not to say that Greenworks products do not have any power, but they simply will not be able to handle the same body of work that gas powered devices can when you get to really big jobs. 

What to look for in a pressure washer

When looking for a pressure washer, you want to have a good understanding of the jobs you want to get done. Most people use pressure washers to deep clean their patio, porch, driveways, windows, or other external surfaces around the house. Most pressure washers are good for these jobs as they are relatively light work and do not require excessive force.

Nice big wheels and a sturdy base.

For those of us cleaning the spray paint off of our cars from our crazy ex-girlfriends, you might want one that has a little more “umph” behind it. 

Things to consider before buying a pressure washer 

Some common considerations for those looking for a pressure washer include the following:

  • Ability to add soap to the hose instead of schlepping around a bucket with soap
  • Multiple nozzle types for whichever job you need
  • Length of pole (if cleaning exterior of house, not having one of these could limit how high you can reach)
  • Storage capability and maintenance requirements
  • PSI level for either commercial or residential use
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Snow Shovels Are Insane Inventions: Check out Snow Joe’s

The Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel is a 24-volt 10-inch product that makes shoveling snow a walk in the park. We all know when that first snow of the year comes, we dread the idea of getting bundled up first thing in the morning and shoveling snow.

Have you ever seen anything like it?

The cordless snow shovel takes that task and speeds it up by about 10x. Let’s figure out what the heck this thing does:

The Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel: Features

When evaluating the snow joe cordless snow shovel, you have to think through which aspects are important to you. Things to consider when picking ANY outdoor tool are power, usability, and price. Let’s get started below.

Surprising power on the Snow Joe Snow Shovel

If you are wondering what the heck this thing does, imagine a vacuum. Now, picture it doing the opposite of what a vacuum does. Got something in mind? This is what you should be picturing:  a vacuum looking instrument that pushes whatever is front of it into the air. 

Is this what you were picturing?

Yep, it is kind of a weird image, but you get the idea. The Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel is not the most powerful snow tool on the planet, but it can get most minor-to-moderate jobs done. The 24V battery will allow for over 1,600 lbs of snow to be moved during a single charge. 

The Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel can handle up to six inches deep of snow with a clearing path of about 10 inches wide. This is ideal for sidewalks, decks, and patios. For larger things like your entire driveway, this is going to take a while. If you have a long driveway, then I would probably suggest a snow blower like the PowerSmart Snow Blower (click here to check out our review). 

Needless to say, for most small jobs you will be fine. If you are expecting more than six inches of snow, you may have to get out there and start working while it is still snowing to allow for several passes. The snow launches about 15-20 feet in front of you and is enough to get it off of a decent sized back porch. 

Using a snow shovel comparted to a snow blower

What the Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel lacks in raw power, it makes up in usability. The heavy duty 2-blade paddle auger is relentless as it digs through the powder and launches it into the air in a single motion (snow thrower). 

I love that this is a battery-powered item as well. In the winter, the last thing you want to be doing is tinkering in the garage trying to get a gas powered engine started while wearing a huge jacket and thick gloves. The string-pull system can be pretty painful on the hands when it is cold outside. Walking into the garage and pulling this sucker off the wall is going to be way better than going out to the shed and lugging around some 100+ lb snow blower.

I also love how easy this thing is to push around. It comes with a handle in the front that usually accompanies things like weed eaters. This limits the need to bend over like a normal shovel and allows for good traction to the surface and easier retraction to make more passes. This also has a scraper on the bottom to make sure you are not just skimming snow off of the top of the sidewalk, but truly scraping it down to the surface. 

Convenient.

The battery takes almost two hours to charge for a decent turnaround time if you have to make multiple passes. One of the most important things to note is that this machine weighs less than 10 lbs. Yep, that’s comparable to a lot of metal snow shovels, except it is machine powered and works for you. 

Price and value of the Snow Joe Snow Shovel

The Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel comes in at around $150-$175 (depending on which battery size you get). You can also get the tool-only version for $100 if you have a compatible Snow or Sun Joe battery already. 

Let’s be very clear. This is a machine built for convenience and for quick jobs. This is not a mega-powerful two-stage snow blower. With that in mind, I think this is a great price. When it comes to clearing off snow in the winter, time is of the absolute essence. From soup to nuts, this machine is going to save you the most time.

Looks like it is on sale right now on Amazon – check out the options for batteries or tool-only by clicking below. I recommend this if you want something quick before the snow starts coming in.

A deeper dive on the Snow Joe Snow Shovel

Think about it – when going to clear snow you want to spend the least amount of time out in the cold as possible. This saves you time in so many ways – from the start up and storage to the quick push job enabled by the speedy blades and light weight, to the charging and putting back up. 

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, check out this corded electric option I found on Amazon.

The Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel is a great value and you will be so glad you have it when that first (or fifth) snow hits.

The official review: Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel

The Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel is an absolute bomb. Powerful, light, easy to use, and inexpensive. I recommend it for places that receive up to six inches of snow at a time and for smaller areas. To check out the Snow Joe Cordless Snow Shovel on Amazon, check out this link.

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

How we review tools.

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

About Cordless Snow Shovels

Alright, I will be the first to admit that when I first saw this thing I had no friggin idea what it did. It looks like something you would use to pick up dog poop or something. But after doing some more digging (ha), this thing is actually pretty cool.

Another snow shovel.

It is a battery powered, handheld device that will help propel the snow way out in front of you, requiring you to never schlep a big pile of snow in the air and throw out your back. It is a snow thrower, not a snow blower and below is the difference. 

Snow thrower vs. snow blower

Many people ask what the difference is between a snow blower and a snow thrower. Let me tell you right now, both are far superior to a standard manual snow shovel. While snow blowers and snow throwers build significantly less character for young men, they are much easier to use and more effective for clearing out large amounts of snow. 

THIS is a big ole snow blower.

In short, snow throwers launch snow 10-15 feet away and are generally more narrow. Snow blowers launch snow 25-30 feet away and are wider. Snow blowers are heavier duty and can also handle many, many inches of snow. At the end of the day, it will be much more fun to launch the snow into the neighbor’s yard instead of just the edge of your own yard.

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Dewalt’s 60V Chainsaw Provides Raw Power: My Experience

The DeWalt 60V Chainsaw comes from of the most trusted tool brands in American history. The company has been around since WW1 so you know they put out a good product.

DeWalt is actually owned by Stanley Black & Decker. All these companies are intertwined somehow.

This 60V chainsaw incorporates DeWalt’s new FLEXVOLT battery technology. Basically the interchangeable battery back “flexes” it’s voltage to the appropriate setting for the particular type of tool it’s attached to. So the same battery that runs this chainsaw can also run your drill or grinder but at a reduced voltage. Saving you tons on runtime and energy on the jobsite. How about that!? 

Here is what we will review today:

Dewalt has a few other products we have reviewed including their 20V hedge trimmer and their 20V lawn mower as well as their Dewalt Air Compressors.

Dewalt Chainsaw Review: Features

On to the product review itself… Man I thought there was no way an electric chainsaw would stand up to the likes of Stihl or Husqvarna but this buddy ain’t no joke! This saw cuts about 70 6×6 inch logs per charge.

Is that enough? Seems like a lot to me.

Power and cutting ability

For the average homeowner or small-scale professional this should be ample power! If not, you could buy another battery pack. This uses a lithium ion battery so there should be no power drain, basically you keep cutting at the exact same rate until the battery runs out. That’s pretty cool man.

Dewalt has a few powerful 60V tools.

Chain system operations

This chainsaw comes stocked with a tool-free chain tensioning system. This is big. If you’ve ever tried to adjust the tension of a chainsaw with a tool you’ll know what I’m talking about. Last year I took down a Bradford pear (these stupid trees should be illegal in my opinion) in my front yard and spent half the dang time adjusting the tension. It was very obnoxious. 

At this point, we were already sold – so we got it on Amazon. You can check the price by following this link.

Maintaining the Dewalt electric chainsaw

A pretty much standard function on all chainsaws now is the auto-oiling system for chain lubrication. Honestly, I didn’t even know you had to put chain oil in chainsaws when I first started. I thought it was like oil for your car that you just changed out periodically. Burned up a good Stihl chain that way. Whoops. You live and you learn. 

Should have oiled this more.

This product is not extremely light like you’d think it would be for an electric saw. It weighs just over 12 lbs which isn’t light. I guess I could use the workout but after a while my arms would be worn out. 

Downsides to this chainsaw

Some of the cons I’ve seen in other reviews are the chain cover is made of plastic and easily slips around. This causes you to need to tighten the bar and chain constantly.

For a small job I don’t think this is a huge deal. I’ve also seen quite a few complaints about the oil reservoir being too small. Every chainsaw I’ve ever used has a small oil reservoir. That’s pretty par for the course honestly. 

Another issue I’ve seen has been the battery being difficult to remove. I could see that as a pretty sizable annoyance but nothing to cause me not to buy the product. 

The Dewalt 60V chainsaw has more power than meets the eye.

My Recommendation: This is a keeper

Ultimately, would I recommend you buy this? If you live on an acre with some moderately sized trees or own a small landscaping company where you’d need to do occasional trimming, yes. I think the power and battery life would more than suffice for your project needs. If you’re doing a lot of big cutting then you’d need something a little more substantial.

This fireman is using it according to Dewalt.

Dewalt has some great 60V lawn tools like their string trimmer, which we reviewed.

Where to buy Dewalt battery-powered chainsaw

Dewalt tools, including this chainsaw can be found online at Home Depot and picked up in store. Check out the price at Home Depot here.

We always recommend grabbing products like this on Amazon because you can check for sales frequently. You can go straight to this product on Amazon by clicking here.

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

How we spend our time.

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

How chainsaws came about

Chainsaws as we know them today have been around for about a hundred years or so. They started out in California when Samuel Bens was cutting down giant redwoods. Can you imagine cutting  down one of those big huge trees with a hand saw? Gotta be impossible, right? There had to be a better way. The original products were actually used by two people and not on a bar like they are today. Talk about danger.

Wow. Dangerous. Photo cred: Antique trader.

Nowadays they’re more compact and used by a single operator. They can be electric or gas powered chainsaws. Most people assume gas is more powerful and rightly so. But the tides are beginning to run as battery technology continues to evolve. People use chainsaws to cut down trees, knock off limbs, harvest wood and scare people during Halloween! 

What To Look For In a Chainsaw

A solid chainsaw is one of the most important tools a homeowner can have. Buying the right one is absolutely essential to your kids thinking you’re a cool man or woman. Chainsaws come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, type and models. Most are either gas or electric powered. Depending on your application of course, most people can get away with a 14” bar and chain. Unless you’re cutting up massive trees you probably don’t need anything bigger than that. 

Photo courtesy of Dewalt.

In addition to that, most people nowadays can probably get away with an electric model vs a more powerful, smoother cutting gas powered model. But it’s all personal preference. However, honestly I tend to always go with the bigger more powerful engines because I think they’ll last longer. So far that’s proven to be true, but I could just be wasting money. 

Just make sure your chainsaw at least has a kickback reduction feature. This prevents you from losing one of your precious fingers! You only have 10 of them ya know! Kickback reductions can be in the form of the chain or bar itself. Basically these just prevent you from cutting too aggressively which prevents your saw from bouncing back on you. Or a chain brake which causes the chain to stop when it hits something hard or moves too abruptly 

Other features that are nice to have are more comfort-centric. These include tool-less tensioners, mufflers, anti-vibration, automatic chain oilers, etc. 

To summarize, look for:

  • Bar length
  • Kicback reduction
  • Anti-vibration technology
  • Automatic chain oilers
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I’ve Used The Ryobi 40V Expand-It Weed Eater For 7 Years

The Ryobi 40V weed eater was the first weed eater I ever owned, so it makes this product super easy to review.

In fact, I bought the Expand-It version with the blower and edger attachments. Ryobi has a series of 40V lawn equipment, most notably the tools I just mentioned here. Recently, Ryobi has gotten into the lawn mower game as well. 

The Ryobi 40V weed eater is a great trimmer but there are a few things you should know before buying. For starters, don’t get the blower attachment. Secondly, buy a different weed eater string (like this one). Otherwise – the edger attachment is great and the whole tool has lasted me well over 5 years.

You can grab it with the battery on Amazon for a great price or at Home Depot (where it may actually be cheaper).

Today we are going to review:

Why would I buy a Ryobi electric weed eater?

There are a few reasons to check out an electric weed eater when picking out your next lawn and garden tool kit. As compared to gas-powered weed eaters, electric weed eaters tend to be easier to use and maintain. At the end of a long winter season, you may have to refuel your gas powered weed eater and crank it a few times before you can get it to start. With the Ryobi 40V weed eater and other electric weed eaters, you simply place the battery and you are ready to go. 

Another benefit to electric trimmers and attachment capable systems is the lack of maintenance. You will not have to do anything to maintain an electric trimmer other than change out the line. No oil change, no filter change, and no messy gasoline spills. 

If you are a Ryobi loyalist and have one of their mowers, then you can actually use this same 40 volt battery in both the mower and the trimmer. More on that later. 

Ryobi 40V weed eater parts

The diagram below shows all of the parts involved in the Ryobi 40V weed eater. As you can see, this product detaches just below the handle to allow for other attachments. 

To detach the attachments, simply untwist the knob and press the silver button to pull out the attachment. Likewise, to reattach another attachment, simply align the silver button with the hole and slide in. Twist the knob to tighten in place and you are ready to go.

As you can see, the bottom has a “Reel Easy” (ha) bump feed string head with a “speed” winder. When you get low on string, the head has a button that will push out a little bit more if tapped.

The “Reel Easy” head of the Ryobi 40V trimmer.

Ryobi 40V weed eater tool only

If you already have a Ryobi 40V battery, you can purchase this product “tool-only”. A tool only product comes without the battery and is generally a lower price. This is great for those that have multiple Ryobi products, like the Ryobi mower.

Ryobi 40V weed eater diagram from Ryobi’s website.

Reviewing the Ryobi battery-powered weed eater

Let’s take a look at all of the things you should consider before buying a new weed eater.

Power output on the Ryobi 40V weed eater

The Ryobi 40V Expand It system has a modest amount of power. Honestly, I did not feel like the weed eater packed nearly the punch that its gas powered counterparts do.

Further, the electric weed eaters have to really “wind up” and get momentum before they reach their full speed. Because this tool isn’t specifically designed for weed eaters, it has to be very adaptable in how it produces power.

There is a little rod that twists around inside the attachment which drives the speed of the head. Torque is applied all the way down the rod and you can tell a lot of energy gets lost in the process. 

If you are looking for a weed eater that can take on a big job, the Ryobi 40V weed eater simply is not your tool. For small yards and some light brushwork, this weed eater will do just fine. 

A step up in power from this weed eater is the slightly more expensive EGO Power+ Multi-head tool with the string trimmer attachment is amazing.

Durability and usability

The Ryobi weed eater is one that has lasted surprisingly long. I have had mine for over three years and only replaced the line one time. It has consistently operated at full capacity and I have never had issues with breaking, slowing down, or otherwise. One thing I don’t like about the handle of this particular weed eater is that it always feels like it is in the wrong spot. 

With the Ryobi 40V weed whacker having multiple attachment heads, it means you can really slide the attachment into the tool facing any direction. While this might seem convenient, it’s really hard to tell which angle you should keep it at for the best trim job. When I use the weed eater, I feel like I am holding the trimmer at a weird angle and twisting my wrists or arms to make it go where I want it to go – not very comfortable.

Make sure not to get this one.

UPDATE: I took the guard off of this weed eater and it performs way better and is so much easier to use. Take it off and throw it out!

Comfort and feel

Another downside of this weed eater is the balance. Consider that this battery is also used on their lawn mower and a ton of other products in their 40V lineup of tools, meaning it is quite heavy. The tool feels great, light, and balanced before I add the battery. Once the battery is added, you have to exert a lot of upward pressure on the back of the weed eater, making straight lines and other maneuvering very difficult. 

I know it sounds silly, but when you start to feel that burn in your shoulder and neck area from holding a weird position, you will regret not buying a better balanced product. I have not seen an available shoulder sling or other device that can help keep it aligned, either. 

The heavy battery that accompanies the Ryobi 40V weed eater.

Maintenance and string replacement of the Ryobi electric weed eater

As mentioned previously, maintenance is not required at all on this product. You will have to replace the strings, however. Replacing the strings on this weed eater was one of the more infuriating moments of my life. I really struggled to figure it out on my own and had to make the below video on YouTube to get it right. 

Finally got it!

Replacing strings on these is super frustrating because you have to very delicately weave it through while trying to maintain the bundled line from falling out and making a big slinky.

Battery life

The Ryobi 40V battery is also used for the mower, so you better hope that it lasts for a long time if you only use the weed eater. It does. The weed eater lasts a really long time in my experience.

When I have used this attachment, I usually start with the trimmer attachment, then switch to the edging attachment, then finish off with the blower. To my knowledge, I have only gone through the battery fully one time. The first day of the spring season, I edged my lawn for the first time of the year and dug up a lot of dirt. When finishing off with the mower, the battery died. 

For most small jobs and especially for the weed eater, you will not have any issues with getting your job completed.

The official review of the Expand-It system

FeatureRyobi 40V weed eaterGas powered weed eater
Difficulty to useLess easy to maneuverEasier to maneuver
DurabilityVery durableVery durable
MaintenanceEasiest to maintainLess easy to maintain
ValueMedium valueHigh value
For lots <10,000 sq. ftHighly recommendedLess recommended
For lots <1 acreRecommendedHighly recommended
For lots >1 acreNot recommendedHighly recommended

To summarize our review, the Ryobi 40V weed eater is a good weed eater if you have a relatively small yard and/or small job. This weed eater is simply not very comfortable to use, but makes up for the lack of comfort with sheer convenience. The ability to just attach the battery and start on the job makes this super easy for those with not much land to cover.

The fully assembled Ryobi 40V weed eater.

I recommend this weed eater due to the ability to leverage this battery with other Ryobi tools, its convenience and simplicity, and using the various attachments to have an all-in-one approach to taking care of your yard.

If you have a big yard or typically spend a lot of time trimming, I would check out one of the gas powered weed eaters like the ECHO SRM-225, a staple in the lawn community. 

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

We have great ways of testing.

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

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