Ryobi 40 Volt Battery Powered Brush Cutter Reviews
The research
- Why you should trust us
- Who this is for
- How we picked
- How we tested
- Our selection: Ego ST1511T Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload
- Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Runner-up: Ego ST1521S Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload
- Too dandy: Ryobi RY40270 40V Brushless Expand-It String Trimmer
- Also keen: Worx WG170.two GT Revolution 20V PowerShare String Trimmer and Edger
- Too great: Echo SRM-225 String Trimmer
- The competition
- Footnotes
Why you should trust united states of america
We've been covering outdoor power equipment since 2013, with guides to lawn mowers, snow blowers, and leaf blowers. All of this research and testing has given the states a firm grasp of what makes a practiced piece of lawn equipment. And information technology has provided us with a deep knowledge of the various manufacturers and their reputations for quality, availability, and customer service.
I as well accept extensive string trimmer experience. I currently live in New Hampshire and have most 2 acres of mowable backyard. After each cut, I spend roughly 30 minutes using a string trimmer around stone walls, blossom beds, pathways, and the craven coop. I also have well-nigh a half-mile of electric fence that needs to be maintained with a cord trimmer all summertime (any blade of grass that grows to touch the fence reduces its effectiveness).
Harry Sawyers, the editor of this guide and a former pro landscaper, has tested many of the trimmers at his Los Angeles property, which is also steep to mow in many places. The typical local do in this situation: Scrape it bare with a string trimmer and so there'due south null left to burn when fire season rolls around.
Who this is for
A string trimmer—too known equally a weed wacker, a strimmer, a weed whip, or a weed eater—is the perfect complement to a lawn mower, adding a nice, crisp finish to your lawn. Whereas lawn mowers are intended for broad-open areas, string trimmers are for cleaning up the edges and all the places the mower can't go: nooks, crannies, and tight spots between and under hedges; narrow pathways and steep inclines; in close quarters near mailbox poles, raised beds, trees, and lampposts; and along fences and walls.
Our string trimmer recommendations are for those who want a reliable, powerful tool to assistance with post-mow cleanup and weed clearing. We weren't looking for a pro-form tool that could exist used all day to flatten a hay field or that was necessarily durable plenty for abiding, rugged apply. We were looking for one that was convenient for intermittent regular utilise, with enough oomph to handle grass, thick weeds, and the occasional stalky shrub.
How nosotros picked
For this guide, nosotros focused on rechargeable cordless trimmers with enough power to cutting everything from simple lawn grass to thick overgrown weeds. Compared with gas cord trimmers, cordless models are quieter, need practically no ongoing maintenance, starting time with the printing of a button, emit no exhaust, and can "refuel" without requiring a separate run to the gas station. Over years, our testing has proved that the all-time cordless tools have the run time and cutting ability for everything but the most extreme clearing jobs. For all of this power and convenience, a cordless string trimmer is roughly the same price as a gas model—and even less, once you lot factor in the long-term cost of purchasing gas and oil and the time spent on maintenance. In some extreme circumstances, only a gas tool will do—and nosotros accept a gas-powered pick for those. But those rarely apply to most people'south needs, so the residue of this section outlines our criteria for cordless string trimmers.
Power: All of the cordless trimmers nosotros looked at can cutting regular lawn grass, but we wanted i that besides had the ability to handle tall weeds or densely overgrown grass. That's where nosotros started seeing significant differences among the models. The weaker trimmers strained their manner through tougher conditions, either getting bound up in the grass or pushing it over instead of cutting it. Going even deeper into the underbrush, only a couple of models could slice through really thick plants, like fat Japanese knotweed stalks. Although this is territory that really calls for a brush cutter, it'south comforting to know that some of the trimmers tin handle it in a pinch.
Nosotros did look at a number of very light-duty trimmers, ideal for smaller lawns. These use a thinner string and can cut grass and some weeds, but they struggle with thicker, stalkier plants.
Run fourth dimension and accuse time: Cordless trimmers typically come with a single battery, so it'southward crucial that they accept a decent run fourth dimension. When we took the trimmers (40-volt and up) out into an overgrown field, fifty-fifty the worst-performing cordless model cutting more 1,000 square feet of thick, dense grass. Translating this to more than practical terms, they could clear a 1-foot-broad strip of grass around an unabridged football game field. The all-time-performing trimmers cutting approximately iii,400 square feet, which translates into trimming the aforementioned 1-foot swath around the perimeter of more than than three and a quarter football fields. That's a lot. And keep in mind that we performed our examination in very hard cutting conditions, with the tools cranked to their highest speeds. Under regular conditions, run time is probable to be fifty-fifty longer.
But charge fourth dimension is a different story. Most of these trimmers use big batteries, and they can accept a while to make full up. Because information technology's entirely possible for the battery to empty out during utilize, we wanted a tool with the shortest possible accuse time, minimizing downtime.
Comfort and remainder: Trimmers, in an ergonomic sense, are picayune more than a long pole with a weight on each end. They can be bad-mannered tools to handle, so during our testing, we looked at the overall residual of each model and how easy each one was to carry around. Some come with clips for shoulder straps, which is a nice impact. As well important: how maneuverable and responsive they are. A successful model should accept a lot of precision up at the trimmer head, making it easy to cut the grass—without harming the flowers.
Easy line change: With constant whipping and cutting, trimmer cord breaks at a relatively quick rate, and so it's not uncommon to take to install a new cord every few trimmer sessions. Putting new string on a trimmer has long been the nigh frustrating attribute of a cord trimmer, but new models are making this easier with automated or transmission systems to reel the line into the head of the tool.
Droppings baby-sit: Down at the trimmer head, in that location is a shield to protect the anxiety and lower legs from flying droppings. In our tests, nosotros establish that wider guards were better. Some models (usually those designed with the pro in listen) had narrow guards, and they stopped some debris but non all, leaving our legs and feet stained green by the end of a trimming session. The larger guards don't stop everything, merely they exercise a much better chore.
Cost: Unlike with outdoor equipment such as chainsaws and lawn mowers, with a string trimmer, going cordless doesn't consequence in a price premium. The all-time straight-shaft gas trimmers are mostly in the $175 to $250 range, which is virtually where the solid xl-volt-plus cordless trimmers land. Again, this is just upfront pricing and doesn't take into account long-term costs like gas and maintenance (which add to the cost of gas trimmers). Smaller trimmers, powered by eighteen- and 20-volt batteries, are usually in the $100 range.
Looking at models to test, we dismissed anything priced too far over $250. This was because nosotros constitute too many highly rated models in the $150 to $250 range to justify going across that marking. This determination eliminated cordless models from pro names—such every bit Husqvarna and Stihl—offering trimmers in the $300 range that don't even include a battery. You lot do non need to pay that much for basic lawn maintenance.
How we tested
To see how the trimmers handled different grasses—and plants—we tested them in New Hampshire at a rural holding with all-encompassing trimming needs: 187 feet of rock wall, 182 feet of divide-rail argue, 180 feet of garden fencing, 137 anxiety of blossom beds, 150 feet around a diverseness of structures and sheds, 51 anxiety of miscellaneous trimming (effectually trees and big rocks), and an additional 556 foursquare feet of hillside clearing (where information technology's as well dangerous to use a mower). Nosotros also used many of them to clear a Los Angeles hillside, which was covered with 3-foot-tall grasses, saplings, and nettlesome thistles.
We used the trimmers betwixt rose bushes, down the edge of a driveway, and around burn down pits. During testing, we paid attention to overall ease of use, balance, ergonomics, treatment, and noise.
For comparative run time and power, we hauled many of the trimmers out to an overgrown field and drained their batteries by clearing giant swaths of thick grass and dense weeds, and then calculating the total foursquare footage each tool was able to handle. To examination each trimmer's upper range, nosotros pitted each one against a large stand of Japanese knotweed.
Finally, to confirm our findings, nosotros've spent years using our picks and other leading contenders for our day-to-mean solar day string trimming needs at a variety of properties.
Our option: Ego ST1511T Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload
Our pick
Of all the trimmers nosotros've tested, the Ego ST1511T Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload combines raw cut power, finesse, handling, convenience, and run time in a way none of the others practise. It also has the easiest line-load system we've tested, likewise equally a telescoping shaft and quick handle adjustment, to accommodate people of all heights. All of the Ego trimmers we've tested accept marathon-like run times, frequently outlasting the others by nearly 40% (and in most cases by more than l%). The ST1511T has the power to piece through dense grass, gnarly weeds, and fifty-fifty ane-inch-thick Japanese knotweed without slowing down. All of this cutting ability is harnessed with a smooth, variable-speed trigger, which makes fragile work only as piece of cake as brute-force clear-cut. Though none of the trimmers we tested were repose, the Ego ST1511T had the nicest audio, emitting a low-pitched hum, rather than the high, squealing whine of some of the others. This Ego completes the package with great balance, comfy grips, and a uncomplicated bump-feed line accelerate.
The Ego ST1511T'southward power and run time stand far in a higher place those of the other trimmers we looked at. We did a battery examination on an before model, and the Ego, on a single battery charge, cut downward about three,400 foursquare feet of dense field grass, weeds, and stalky shrubs (in an area nearly 60 by threescore feet). At the time, the next-best trimmer cut about just two,100 square feet (almost xl% less); beyond that, the others cut ane,600 square feet or less (less than 50% of what the Ego accomplished). Putting the Ego's performance in perspective, it could trim a 1-foot-wide swath of grass that was ii-thirds of a mile long on a single bombardment charge. That's easily enough to handle all just the well-nigh expansive lawns. Knowing this, it's no surprise that on a single charge, the Ego ST1511T handled the trimming needs of a big New Hampshire belongings (which requires nearly 900 linear feet of trimming and an additional 556 square anxiety of mowing, in apartment areas a mower can't become to).
If you do get stranded with an empty bombardment, the Ego'southward charger tin can deliver a total bombardment in well-nigh 40 minutes. If you'd rather take the balls of a second battery (though we don't call back it'due south necessary), additional ones are available, ranging from nearly $150 to $400, depending on ampere hours.
The Ego'southward power is as impressive as its run fourth dimension, and none of the other trimmers we tested could match its sheer cutting force. While trimming in the field or on the Los Angeles hillside, we never had to end, hesitate, or fifty-fifty slow down when using the Ego. It cutting as fast as nosotros could swing the trimmer head. Other trimmers bound themselves upwards in the tall grass or (when faced with a dense patch) pushed the grass over rather than cutting information technology. On thick Japanese knotweed, the Ego blazed correct through ane-inch-thick stalks similar they weren't even at that place. Other trimmers either took much longer to do this or couldn't make the cut at all.
But the Ego isn't just for clear-cutting fields and destroying the invasive Japanese knotweed (although information technology's certainly wonderful for that). The trimmer has 2 speeds and a variable-speed trigger. This set-up offers full control of the cutting head, allowing you to discover a cutting speed that fits the task, from diggings away at thick weeds to finesse work around the perennials and delicate surfaces (like painted siding or lattice). In those more-delicate areas, nosotros switched to the depression speed setting, so we could maintain the ease of a full trigger pull merely not take the trimmer at top speed.
Aside from its power, run time, and control, this tool's ergonomics are among the best we tested. The Ego weighs a piffling over 10 pounds, so it wasn't the lightest of the agglomeration. But it was still very easy to manage due to its nice residue and the addition of a telescoping shaft and a quick adjustment on the handle (on previous Ego models, the handle can exist moved only by loosening a series of screws). These two features make information technology possible to customize the ergonomics of the Ego to a wide diversity of body heights and types, something we've never really seen on these larger trimmers. The quick handle conform too makes information technology easy to change the grip, if you utilize the trimmer as an edger.
The Ego is a dual-line unit of measurement, meaning that two strings extend from the cutting head. And it comes equipped with a 0.095-inch trimmer line, which is on the thicker side and contributes to the trimmer's cutting ability (a broad multifariousness of 0.095 string is available). This Ego can accept smaller lines, which, as a company rep told united states, "will actually increase the run fourth dimension, merely it will go through more lines, considering the thinner the line, the more breakage." All of the more than-powerful units nosotros tested were dual-line cutters, and the majority of them took 0.095 string.
This Ego has the easiest line-load organisation we've ever used, a process described in detail in the Ego ST1510T transmission (PDF). When all of the string is used up, just load almost 16 feet of line through the trimmer head and so that there are 8 anxiety sticking out of each side, and then popular its cover on. Then with the press of a button, the line automatically retracts into the trimmer head, so the whole tool is set up to go in seconds. It's hard to overstate what an improvement this is to what'south ofttimes the single-worst aspect of using a string trimmer. With almost other trimmers, the entire trimmer caput needs to exist disassembled and the new line manually wound onto the spool (which is always a deadening process). Ego'southward organization is a much-needed improvement in this area.
If the string breaks while you're trimming, the Ego has an easy crash-land-feed line advance. Simply tap the bottom of the trimmer head against the basis, and a length of string is fed from an internal spool housed inside information technology. A small-scale edge on the underside of the debris shield then cuts the stop of the string to the proper length. The spool tin can hold almost xvi anxiety of cord, so yous'll have a abiding supply, which is essential for longer or more aggressive trimming sessions.
Another impressive element of the Ego is its noise—or, rather, lack of noise. The trimmers nosotros tested had noises ranging from high squeal to hair-dryer hum, and the Ego was among the quietest we looked at. It's non an unpleasant sound, and because the Ego's motor is down at the cutting head, information technology'south far away from the ear, lessening the effect even more than. This is in stark contrast with gas trimmers, which position the engine at your elbow and scream like fighter jets. The Ego'southward relatively pleasant sound is not but good for your own hearing but a courtesy to your neighbors, too.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
As with anything, the Ego ST1511T is not perfect, but none of the drawbacks come close to offsetting all of the good the tool provides.
The front handle's immovability is one drawback. It is cushioned with a foam padding, and even though it'south very comfortable (and something nosotros came to appreciate during longer trimming sessions), nosotros do worry it could tear easily if snagged on a hook, a nailhead, or maybe even a rose thorn. Most other trimmer handles are plastic or take a sparse layer of rubbery padding. Even after several years of using a like Ego, notwithstanding, we've found that the handle has held up well, with only i pocket-sized tear.
Runner-up: Ego ST1521S Power+ Cord Trimmer with Powerload
Runner-up
If the Ego ST1511T is non available, our adjacent selection is the Ego ST1521S Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload. It's Ego's previous version of the tool, and it is virtually identical to the ST1511T, other than that the shaft is not telescoping and the trigger blueprint is slightly dissimilar. The ST1521S costs well-nigh the same every bit the ST1511T, then nosotros'd always opt for our principal pick kickoff. Simply if y'all need something in a hurry and the ST1511T is non available, this is an excellent second option. You tin expect near the same ability, run time, and charge time, as with our main pick.
Too smashing: Ryobi RY40270 40V Brushless Expand-It String Trimmer
Also great
If neither Ego model is bachelor, we also like the Ryobi RY40270 40V Brushless Expand-It String Trimmer. It doesn't compete with the ability of the Egos, merely it does offer plenty to go any typical job done. Information technology has a manual-crank line-load system that's easy to use (although not as easy as that of our master pick). And we should annotation the Ryobi is louder and heavier than the Egos, plus a fiddling harder to maneuver.
Overall, the Ryobi's performance on a full charge was in the middle of the pack—simply over half of what the Egos accomplished on a full accuse. And in patches of really thick, tall grass, the Ryobi trimmer head occasionally got wound up in the grass or just pushed information technology over instead of cutting it. And the Ryobi couldn't sever the Japanese knotweed stalks as efficiently as the Egos. Withal, when it came to regular trimming—even in heavier weed areas—this trimmer had little problem on multiple hilly properties in Los Angeles in jump 2020.
Because the Ryobi is "attachment-ready," you can remove the trimmer head and supervene upon information technology with a number of other tools, such as a brush cutter, a pole saw, or even a cultivator. We tested many of these attachments and were impressed with the results. Using the cultivator with a fully charged bombardment, we were able to work for an uninterrupted xv minutes and tilled a 2-by-xx-pes (40 square anxiety) area of the field into a set-to-go garden bed. For a second examination, on softer ground, we tilled up to a 10-past-10-foot area (100 square feet) on a single charge. In these instances, managing the cultivator is physically enervating, just these tests demonstrate that the Ryobi is capable of cleaning upward garden rows or tilling flower beds in the jump.
We as well liked the pole saw attachment. We were able to cut down a number of branches and pocket-size trees that had fallen over a brook and we couldn't attain with a traditional chainsaw. In 2021, a tree worker borrowed it in a pinch and was impressed with how easy it was to use. The brush cutter worked as advertised too. In general, we were impressed with how all of the attachments performed when attached to the cordless tool.
If you do become the attachment route and want to be able to jump apace from task to task, yous may consider purchasing a second bombardment for about $140.
The Ryobi has a few downsides. First, it's heavy. At xi½ pounds, it's nearly a pound and a one-half more than our pick, a weight that takes its cost later on a while. On the Ego ST1511T, the motor is located down at the cut caput, in result counterbalancing the weight of the bombardment. But on the Ryobi, the motor is upward past the handle. With this configuration, the residuum felt slightly off, and information technology took a picayune more effort to swing the car around. And in tight spots, like betwixt rose bushes, the Ryobi didn't experience as nimble as the Ego.
Compared with the Ego, the Ryobi is loud—a squeal-like, whiny loud. We recommend using ear protection no matter which cord trimmer you use. Simply even with padded ears, it's easy to pick up on the Ryobi's whine.
Also bully: Echo SRM-225 Cord Trimmer
As well keen
Despite all the benefits of a cordless model, in some rare situations a gas model will be the all-time pick—namely for immigration large amounts of grass, either on a steep hillside or on a massive property that lacks a user-friendly identify to recharge. For this kind of piece of work, we recommend the Echo SRM-225 String Trimmer. It'southward roughly the same price as the Ego ST1511S.
We tested the Echo in Los Angeles on a steep rear hillside (approximately 2,000 square feet), which Wirecutter senior editor Harry Sawyers has to clear every twelvemonth before Southern California's burn flavour. In bound 2016, he purchased the SRM-225 for the job, subsequently trying (and returning) Echo's lighter-duty curved-shaft model. The gas engine appealed to Harry at the fourth dimension, and information technology'southward still working perfectly afterwards 4 years of intermittent heavy utilise and minimal maintenance. (But Harry said if he were shopping today, in spring 2021, he'd probably become a cordless tool instead.)
Hither's the appeal of a gas engine: With an ample supply of fuel and trimming line, you lot've got limitless run time for an all-day chore, which is the reliable, durable Echo'southward primary duty. This trimmer'south engine is as easy every bit whatever mod ii-stroke engine to showtime. And Harry found he'd rather pay a slight premium for a tin can of premixed Trufuel l:1 Mix Engineered Fuel+Oil than fuss with his own mixing ratios. The premix saves an boosted trip to a gas station, and the can is stabilized and able to be stored at habitation for years.
The Echo is available at Home Depot, where it currently carries a four.6 rating across most 7,000 client reviews. We've been covering lawn equipment since 2013, and we can land that a rating this high, with this many reviews, on a gas-powered slice of outdoor equipment is extremely rare and likely indicates a unique level of quality. This model shares some bug mutual to any other gas trimmer—it'due south super-loud, it vibrates your hands at total throttle, and it's stiff enough to kicking all kinds of junk upwardly into your face. Wear eye and ear protection, long pants, and gloves to be safe when using it.
The competition
The Ego ST1502-SA Power+ String Trimmer was previously our runner-up pick. It has like capabilities to the other Ego trimmers, but it besides has a manual line load, which is more slow than what'due south on the newer models. This trimmer is commonly a little less expensive than the others, but non plenty to make information technology a more appealing choice.
In 2021, we tested two other smaller trimmers alongside the Worx, both typically priced under $125. The Ryobi P2030 18-Volt String Trimmer and Edger is very small and has none of the ergonomic adjustments that made the Worx so successful. The P2030 is very cheap, but we call back the Worx is worth the actress investment. The Ryobi P2080 18-Volt String Trimmer/Edger has a telescoping shaft, but without the pivot at the trimmer head, its ergonomics are not as good as those of the Worx, specially for taller people. Neither of these models has the mini-mower function, and both of them are louder, peculiarly when the motor is first engaged.
In 2021, we also looked at the larger Ryobi P20120VNM eighteen-Volt Brushless String Trimmer. This is a solid trimmer, and it has a nice feel to it. Simply the motor is slow to become to total speed, resulting in an extremely loud slapping audio as the auto-feed line hits against the cutter. Information technology'due south such an unexpected noise that our testers thought the trimmer was broken. A nearby kid said, "That affair sounds terrible. What is it?" Once the motor is at full speed and the line is cut, it's yet loud.
Ryobi has 2 other attachment-capable 40-volt models, just neither matches the power of our runner-up option. The Ryobi RY40230 comes with a smaller battery; the RY40250 has a brushed motor, non the brushless one on our also-great pick, the RY40270. All iii Ryobis are priced similarly, so we prefer the one with the larger battery and more-efficient motor, especially since it might be powering some of the more-draining attachments, like the cultivator.
Ryobi's straight-up twoscore-volt string trimmer, the RY40240, comes with a smaller, 1.5 Ah battery, and it has an auto line-advance system, which extends a quarter-inch of line each time the trigger is released. We did not like the abiding clicking dissonance of the cord being trimmed. Nosotros also weren't fond of all the little pieces of string that were ejected.
We thought the DeWalt DCST920P1 20V Max Cord Trimmer was low-cal, agile, and very comfortable to utilise, despite not having the run fourth dimension of the others or enough power to handle some of the more rigid shrubs and weeds. As for its downsides, nosotros grew frustrated with the small debris baby-sit, which caused our legs and shoes to be covered with grass trimmings. This small baby-sit is used on other DeWalts we didn't test, including the DCST925M1 and the DCST970X1S. But if y'all already have a stockpile of DeWalt batteries and aren't interested in investing in a new battery platform, any of these DeWalts volition work only fine, every bit long every bit y'all're enlightened of the droppings guard's shortcomings.
We tested the attachment-capable Kobalt KST 140XB-06 80V Max Straight Brushless Cordless String Trimmer and didn't like the weight or the fussy interface. In addition to the regular trigger, information technology has an annoying activation button that you need to printing each time you start the tool (just if you shut the tool off for but a few moments, you lot don't accept to re-printing the push). It also has merely two speeds and no true variable-speed trigger.
Footnotes
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-string-trimmers/
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