I want to buy a new electric strimmer. We already have a big petrol
one (which is also a brush cutter) but I want a more convenient and
lighter one to use mostly around lawns etc. Price isn't really an
issue, even the most expensive electric strimmers only seem to be £100
or so, however unless there's a real reason to go to a very expensive
one I'm probably looking at the £40 to £50 range.

Requirements a-

Must be reasonably light, the whole point is for it to be much
easier than the petrol one to use.

Autofeed of strimmer line

Possible a tilting head to make it easy to use for edging as well.


Some questions:-
How good are the automatic line feed systems now? I see that B&D
have a completely automatic system where you don't even have to
click a button to get more line. Does this work well?

Do the strimmers with wheels (optional) work well, it sounds quite
a good idea to take some of the weight off the user but is it
practical?

Are the Bosch models with light and heavy strimmer line any good?


What makes do people recommend, there seem to be mainly B&D, Bosch,
Draper and Viking (approximately that order in price too).

--
Chris Green

wrote:

Please say if you are directing follow ups to a different group,
X-posted and FU's set to URG

"Phil L" wrote in message
. uk...
wrote:

Please say if you are directing follow ups to a different group,
X-posted and FU's set to URG



I'd recommend B&D rechargeable with a ?2yr guarantee. I bought one a few
years ago - it was brilliant buy it went wrong just before the then 3yr
guarantee was up and the machine was almost totally rebuilt foc. Also no
cables to contend with.
Sally

On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 07:48:19 GMT, "SH" wrote:

~
~"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...
~ wrote:
~
~ Please say if you are directing follow ups to a different group,
~ X-posted and FU's set to URG
~
~
~
~I'd recommend B&D rechargeable with a ?2yr guarantee. I bought one a few
~years ago - it was brilliant buy it went wrong just before the then 3yr
~guarantee was up and the machine was almost totally rebuilt foc. Also no
~cables to contend with.
~Sally
~
~
I would NOT recommend a battery strimmer. They have a nasty habit of
losing charge progressively, and can't cut a wet paper bag.

I bought one for the allotment and within 6 months it would only strim
for 10 minutes as against the 30 it would to begin with. Waste of
money (I bought a petrol one after that). I have the cheapest B&D one
you can get for the back garden, but still wind up using the petrol
more often, simply because I don't have to worry about cables.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

"jane" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 07:48:19 GMT, "SH" wrote:

~
~"Phil L" wrote in message
.uk...
~ wrote:
~
~ Please say if you are directing follow ups to a different group,
~ X-posted and FU's set to URG
~
~
~
~I'd recommend B&D rechargeable with a ?2yr guarantee. I bought one a few
~years ago - it was brilliant buy it went wrong just before the then 3yr
~guarantee was up and the machine was almost totally rebuilt foc. Also no
~cables to contend with.
~Sally
~
~
I would NOT recommend a battery strimmer. They have a nasty habit of
losing charge progressively, and can't cut a wet paper bag.

I bought one for the allotment and within 6 months it would only strim
for 10 minutes as against the 30 it would to begin with. Waste of
money (I bought a petrol one after that). I have the cheapest B&D one
you can get for the back garden, but still wind up using the petrol
more often, simply because I don't have to worry about cables.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

Despite the last comment, I am very pleased with my rechargeable strimmer.
I had owned electric ones before and find this one far superior and much
easier to manoeuvre. It cuts well and has a lawn edge guide.

I will also say a good word for my B&D cordless Strimmer - the GLC2000
12v model. The big battery makes it a bit heavier than others but it's
more powerful too and I can get all my weekly trimming for a half-acre
garden done in the 30 minutes cutting time it gives me. Power hardly
drops off at all at the end. It's powerful enough to clear light
undergrowth as well as overgrown grass and it doubles up as a pretty
good lawn edger. The lack of cable combined with the automatic line
feed makes it very considerably faster than any corded trimmer.

I would add that the battery is a pig to remove and requires big hands
which, together with the weight might make this trimmer less suitable
for (some) women.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/product...0&r=2176&g=123

"Stan The Man" wrote in message
...
I will also say a good word for my B&D cordless Strimmer - the GLC2000
12v model. The big battery makes it a bit heavier than others but it's
more powerful too and I can get all my weekly trimming for a half-acre
garden done in the 30 minutes cutting time it gives me. Power hardly
drops off at all at the end. It's powerful enough to clear light
undergrowth as well as overgrown grass and it doubles up as a pretty
good lawn edger. The lack of cable combined with the automatic line
feed makes it very considerably faster than any corded trimmer.

I would add that the battery is a pig to remove and requires big hands
which, together with the weight might make this trimmer less suitable
for (some) women.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/product...0&r=2176&g=123

I've got that model and I'm a not particularly strong woman but I find it
OK, certainly a lot easier than having to manoeuvre a corded one! The
battery can be a bit awkward but is manageable. I agree, it is an excellent
lawn edger.

Thanks all, we've actually gone for the smallest corded B&D strimmer
with 'Reflex' autofeed. I've never found corded tools much of a
problem and it was certainly cheap at £19.99 so not much loss if it's
a failure.

So far it seems excellent and much more likely to get used than our
petrol engined one. The one thing I may improve is the length of the
cable.

--
Chris Green