Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi all, am looking to buy a cordless strimmer but I want to know your ideas first! I'm on a budget (aren't we all?) but i'd really like your reccomendations. Although I have a lot of brambles down the bottom of my plot, most of what it would be dealing with is grass, nettles, etc. Any ideas welcome
Raine

Having experience of a cordless hedge trimmer, buy one with the biggest and best battery.

A cordless strimmer with a small battery will easily exhaust it quickly on brambles cos they are tougher to cut: (Believe me I know from cutting hedges).

Best to look at all the technical data: and read Which reports at your library.


If it says 20 minutes is running time before a recharge, assume the last 5 minutes will be at a much slower speed and you cannot cut anything thick at the end.

I looked at strimmers 3 years ago: concluded I was better doing it by hand as we have a large garden and the battery would not last all the way round. Of course you may get a spare battery but this can be very expensive (2/3 price of a complete unit) so may be uneconomic.

You also need a FAST charger (1 hour). Slow ones mean only 1 cut/day.

The above requirements mean a cheap strimmer is unlikely to be acceptable but wdik?

I bought a cordless battery strimmer from a well known DIY store, £25.

Strims well for 15 minutes then as MF says, it goes very slowly.

However, for doing around the plot it works really well and definately better for me than buying and keeping an expensive petrol version.

For home I have a corded version for more power and longevity, but for the plot this one is perfect.

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http://tinyurl.com/2zsp5c looks good.

I got a Spear and Jackson Petrol strimmer from ARGOS for £40. Works lovely.

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we bouht a rechargable one from argus gave up on it after the plastic feed broke off on the 2nd one, now have a petrol one its a bit tempermental to start but otherwise going strong

See if it's possible to get a second battery to prolong your cutting time or just as a back up.

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Digger-07

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right" Henry Ford.

Thanks all, i have gone for a cheap one at the moment but may live to regret it, I was going for the one that you recommended, NOG but when i GOT TO aRGOS there were none left and I couldn't resist! I'll let you know how I get on.
Raine

I bought one from Aldi, £22 I seem to remember. It charges in 1 hour, and works fine on light stuff like grass, struggles with docks and nettles, but ideal for grass paths and edges on the lottie, so long as they haven't been allowed to 'get away'. At the moment, fairly pleased with it, but it doesn't run for very long without needing a recharge.

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Bonnie Rait

Just a little note B&Q have petrol driven trimmers @ £55.63 (reduced) The make is Home Line. Quality looks OK!

Madderbat says I will have to pass my test before using it!

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