****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This review is based on first use with 1 &1/2 charges..If I run into trouble and have to return it, I will update my experience. Battery life: about as expected and advertised. I trimmed f1/4 1 acre residential yard trimming heavy grass, including weeds with stalks up to 3/8" diameter& chain link fences in 1 1/2 charges. it has to run full throttle to cut the thick stuff, whereas my gas trimmer didn't. but then my gas trimmer blew up after maybe 25 uses and cost $200 and I got this one for $109 and can replace it without batteries for under $6o and it does the same job in the same time and is actually easier to use since it is lighter. Charges fast. Says 1 hour for this size battery, but maybe faster..\Weight: unlike gas models this unit is heavy at the cutting end. The battery is extremely light weight even not comparative to it's size, but I'd still rather own two 2 AH batteries than one 4AH. The string seems to be nothing generic like you can buy in bulk and I think more durable. Operation: it is not overpowered like the gas ones, therefore I don't recommend the 20V single string model to anyone who is trimming anything in addition to regularly mowed grass such as thick stalk weeds like I needed to cut. And obviously even this 40V model is not suitable for commercial, every day use..Regarding string feeding complaints in reviews: despite all the complaints and bad reviews here about this auto-feed design not feeding out, I had no problem with mine. I think the bad reviews based upon the supposed non feeding issue are due to the reviewers not reading the instructions. If they called support, i suspect the issue was resolved and they've all been too lazy or perhaps personally dishonest to change their reviews to reflect their mistakes. But if I am wrong and mine has an issue, I know I can depend upon Amazon and GteenWorks to resolve the issue for me. Feeding discussion continued: twice the string got short and i had to do what the instructions say, which is to pull the trigger for 2-5 seconds and then let off the trigger for 2-5 seconds before resuming work. one time when one string went up inside the spool, I had to take the spool out and refeed the line through the hole. Twice more I had to press the button in the side of the spool hub and manually pull out the strings on both sides. But most of the time it fed out automatically just as it says it does. And frankly, it works at least as well as my old bump feed one and if it stops auto feeding entirely, I would put up with having to stop once in a while and manually extracting the lines as described above, it works that good and costs so little comparative to rival products..I also almost sent it back the same day, today. because I placed it on charge after I finished the yard and in about 5 minutes the green "done" light came on and would not go off even if I unplugged everything and plugged it back on, it went right to "done charging". intent on sending it back I disassembled it and threw it in the box and went online and requested a return. Amazon automatically created a new order to replace it at 0$ an said I had a month to return this one. So then I looked at the battery again, which I had left in the charger plugged in, and it was charging and the read "charging light was on. It finally took a full charge.supposedly if a hot pack is plugged into the charger, it says teh hot pack indicator light is supposed to be orange. Well I am assuming that that was the problem, a hot pack, but the orange light never came on, just the red and green ones. So I am assuming that there is a minor malfunction in the charger either once or permanent that didn't let it show the "hot pack" delay it was in before I packed it up.I greatfully unpacked and reassembled it because I don't like being suckered by garbage products for any amount of $. I'd rather be wrong and have to repack and unpack something than actually have to return it because it's phony garbage. The only pleasure I get out of that experience is when i'm smearing the truth all over Amazon about my bad experience with the product with almost vengeful zeal.
