I think I'm finally done with my 2-Stroke weed wacker and I'm in the market for a battery powered replacement. It starting leaking fuel while running and isn't worth making another repair on. At this point I'm not worried about brands, I know some people like to have all their batteries swap from tool to tool, but right now I just have one craftsman oscillating cutter and an older bosch drill. The drill could even use replacing at some point. I know all of the mechanics I work with have a good collection of Milwaukee tools and they all seem to like them, but I'm not sure that carries over to lawn and garden equipment.
What do you have and is it any good?
I have the EGO (also have their leaf blower). It works great. I can trim everything I need on one charge (30 minutes or so of trimming) and still have life left on the battery. One of the battery chargers died after a year but I had a second one from buying the leaf blower and that one is still going strong. I have been using them approximately 3 years now.
I'm invested in the Milwaukee M18 system, so I picked up a refurb M18 string trimmer for $119 last year. You'll want the 8.0/12.0ah batteries for solid run time.
The Quick Lok model is even more versatile and can take a bunch of attachments like a pole saw, edge, hedge trimmer, etc (sold separately):
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-FUEL-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Brushless-String-Grass-Trimmer-with-Attachment-Capability-Tool-Only-2825-20ST/307753204
The way I buy my Milwaukee stuff is I put an alert in SlickDeals, and then I wait for a good deal.
I got the dewalt 40v one so its compatible w the rest of my tools. Works like a weed eater.
I have the Ryobi One+ 18V and I like it a lot. Runs for a long time if you put a decent size battery in it. My arm gets tired before it stops.
I'm in the 40v Kobalt ecosystem. It's good, but a little frustrating. Lowe's owns Kobalt, and it seems like they're rebadging a few different brands back to their unique batteries. I like their variety of tools. My mower just passed the five year mark. The blower is really nice, with lots of flexibility in speeds. The snow shovel is clinging on, just barely avoiding being tossed on Craigslist, but that's another thread. The line trimmer? Mine is an older model. As far as I can tell, you're stuck with skinny 0.65 spool line. Ryobi sells blade kits for their mowers that are a intentional plastic molding away from fitting. Those were okay. It just feels like most of my line trimming time is winding blue line on to a spool. If they had a model that took bigger line or those pre-cut twizzler non-spooled lines, that'd be great.
Kobalt 40v also has their own powerwheels Jeep in the tool ecosystem, as well as an inverter/power bank that I want pretty badly, but can't seem to find anywhere. These lawn batteries are some pretty chunky battery packs, so maybe look for other ways to get use out of them when you're picking a system.
I have both Ryobi 18v and Kobalt 80v string trimmers and blowers (artifact of previously having a small vacation cottage). I use the Ryobis when I just need to do quick stuff like blow off the deck or trim up a few small yard spots. The Kobalts get used for the heavy stuff. I really like the Kobalt 80v blower. Good power with standard speed, GREAT power when you push the "turbo" button. Depending on the size of your yard, either would be a good choice IMO.
Kobalt 80 volt has served me well for around five years. The trimmer head was junk, but easy to upgrade. No regrets about buying it.
The 80V Kobalt that I see on the Lowe's website looks different, it's blue plastic and mine is black. Don't know if there's any other difference.
I have the Craftsman 60v tools. Trimmer, blower, and chainsaw. They have been awesome. Long battery life and as much or more power than their gas counterparts.
I have limited trimming to do, but my Milwaukee 18 volt with the 9.0 Amp hour battery goes a whole summer.
My inexpensive Black & Decker has a neat trick:
The line actually reliably seems to auto feed.
You don't bump it, you don't do anything. You just weed-whack.
I also like the feature where the head rotates 90 degrees and has a wheel so you can edge with it. It's small, it's not amazing at anything, it just actually seems to do what it does with very little mucking about.
I have 2 electric and 1 gas.
18v Makita which is outstanding for lawn edges and trimming thin grass round trees. Head can be rotated and you can use it cutting 'vertically', bump feed which works really well. Downside is very thin line which does wear out quickly. Battery life is OK and I have several batteries and multiple other tools.
36v Stihl which I use for longer grass and stuff like creeper. Has a bump feed head which works pretty well. Uses 2.4mm line which is a bit light for blackberry and some tougher weeds. When it breaks it does it flush with the head so you need to reload it - fortunately the reload system is pretty basic and doesn't need the winding action of most heads. Battery life is good - I get tired before it does. I also have a top handle chainsaw which uses the same battery.
Husqvarna gas whacker. Model 132 about 25 years old. Starts and runs well, no issues with fuel as I have lots of 2 stroke bikes. This thing is a beast and uses 3.2mm line and cuts a 5-600mm swathe. I also have a 4 leg grass blade and a circular saw blade for thicker scrub. Still great but is now overkill for my needs and it is pretty tiring as I age.
40v kobalt here, does really well for me. I've only managed to make it shut off from battery discharge heat once and had gotten a respectable amount of work done.
