Well, I done did it. At the beginning of this past summer, I needed to buy a string trimmer. So I decided to do a little science experiment and go electric on all my smaller lawn/garden equipment just to see what it’s like and if I liked it better. Even though I fix small engines for quite a few people every year and I’m more than capable of keeping my own equipment running. But for about the past 3 years as I’ve watched the capability of electric power equipment go up and up AND at the same time the price has come down, I’ve suspected that the average homeowner user would be better off with electric. It just eliminates so many hassles, or so I thought. Time to see for myself.
I can hear what some are thinking. “That’s crazy, Grouse. You’re a small engine guy. Are you going all Tesla-driving eco warrior on us? Just fix your old stuff and keep on rolling 2-stroke smoke, brother.” No, I haven’t Teslaed up. I needed to buy a string trimmer for the fishing camp in Canada anyway, so I decided to donate my well-used Husqvarna 128 trimmer and buy a new one for me.
My sons and I do a LOT of lawn mowing. In addition to our lawn, we also do the church’s residence for the pastor and through a church organization, we do 3 more lawns for elderly residents who need it and cannot afford commercial lawn service. My youngest son also has his own lawns he gets paid to do. On average, we mow/trim/blow 4-5 different lawns per week at least and we do other necessary maintenance such as tree trimming as needed.
I replaced my 2-smoker trimmer and blower with:
Milwaukee M18 Fuel string trimmer kit.
Milwaukee long-reach articulated hedge trimmer that works with above powerhead.
Milwaukee long-reach pole saw. Which also works off of the same powerhead that drives the trimmer.
Milwaukee M18 blower.
The choice of Milwaukee was 100% driven by the fact that I already have Milwaukee tools and M18 batteries and I’ve never had a bad tool from Milwaukee in 40 years of ownership.
Here are my season-long thoughts.
M18 String Trimmer – Awesome. I was an instant fan from the first use. Love it, would NEVER go back to a 2 stroker for the following reasons. First, it has all the power I need for lawn use and what surprised me is that it makes different power compared to gas equipment. Electric tools have superior torque, so there is no need to run the trimmer at WOT all the time. This tool has all the power of a gas version and then some, even at low RPMs there is plenty of grunt.
The best part though, is the total lack of noise and stink! No hot/sweaty ear muffs are required, no yelling over machine noise, and no stinking like smoke. Total Win. Another win is no starting the machine, shutting it off, restarting, etc. Pull the trigger and go.
And what about battery life? I use 5 AHR batteries because that’s what I already have and that is PLENTY of battery to hundreds of feet of trimming on the bigger lawns that we do. I would estimate that I can trim for 30-40 actual run-time minutes on a full battery. Which is more than enough to take care of the average suburban lawn’s trimming needs about twice over. On most of the places we mow, I can do the trimming on 2-3 lawns before the battery is low.
The hedge trimmer and pole saw attachments are like striking gold. The ability to reach 15+ feet in the air to trim branches with the pole saw is just so much safer and easier than climbing a ladder. The hedge trimmer was the biggest surprise. I thought I’d only use it a little, in fact, it’s so easy and productive, I use it all the time.
M18 Blower – Works great. I would say it has very comparable blowing power to a hand-held gas blower which is to say plenty for the home user.
Now we get to a little more of a mixed bag, however. I do like that it IS quieter than my old Stihl and of course, no stinkly gas exhaust fumes, but…
It’s still loud enough and with a high pitch, that I prefer to wear earplugs if using the machine at full speed. Also, since a blower has a constant load on the engine, the battery life is relatively short. About 15 minutes of steady blowing maximum on a 5.0 ahr battery at full power.
But of course, now the question is, how often do I just pin the throttle and blow for 15 minutes? Almost never. So in reality, for most mowing days, like the trimmer, one battery on the blower will do 2-3 normal residences. Doing a large property with a long driveway will take up most of one 5 ahr battery, but it does it just fine.
Obviously, I get that stumping up for an 8-10 ahr battery would be desirable in some instances, but has it been necessary to use these tools for a LOT of trimming and blowing? No!
Bottom line after a full summer of use: I think for the average homeowner-type user, electric power equipment is a complete win. Easier to use, all the power you really need, no gas/oil mixing, no starting, no storage/fuel/maintenance issues with plugged carbs and other fuel-related issues, and the units are quieter than their gas companions.
Oh and a final ancillary benefit. When Mrs Grouse wants the patio cleaned off, she now does it herself by grabbing the Milwaukee blower and pulling the trigger. THAT never happened back in the gas era.
Anyone else tried electric? What did you think?
