WHAT battery garden tools 2 buy?

Milwaukee: Quality, but $$ and not that wonderful

Husky: Three decades ago yes.

Ego: I have. It is great -- except loading line is a PIA, despite their claims.

It does not appear you can use the Oregon system on Ego. If you can, let me know...I will switch

 

Price wise they are all similar. I don't buy tools by brand, but I don't want to spend money on new ecosystem I regret later. Though, as I said I don't expect expanding tools based on the battery for this weed trimmer purchase.

Can someone show me the trimmer head attachment part in EGO trimmers? If it looks similar to Oregon trimmer I have now, there is a chance it will work.

 

I'm happy with my 40V Greenworks gear. Several secondhand batteries bought in 2017 still carry enough charge to be useful.

The walk-behind mower isn't particularly powerful but it is just enough to handle small areas that I can't do with my garden tractor.

The 14" split-shaft weed whacker has been fantastic, best of the bunch. Really fast for reloading the line, has good cutting power, and it is compatible with several other brands of split-shaft accessories. I've been using it with a brushcutter attachment and I'm eyeing the power broom lately.

We also have the little garden cultivator, which is light and maneuverable enough to use in little flower beds and raised garden beds.

The leaf blower isn't that strong but I understand they have a better axial version now. Hasn't bothered me enough to switch, the one we have works fine with a long gutter-cleaner nozzle as well as plain old leaf-pushing.

The compressor/inflator is fantastic, everything I needed in an air pump.

We tried the 12" snowshovel and that was the only letdown. It worked, but it didn't last. Stripped the gearbox after 3 seasons.

I also have the 120v inverter accessory for emergency power but never actually needed to use it.

 

I am going off the info on the Oregon site and they list the compatible tools.

Ego is not there. But, as I said, if is compatible, I would be on it.

At the moment I have coverted my three Stihls to magnesium fixed line heads. Running 130 line, I don't do much changing.

I would tear off my ego and take pix for you, but family is at the beach and I am alone with a badly strained, bruised arm, so I can't tear down the Ego.
kris

 

The Gator Speedload Trimmer Head compatible trimmer list does not have any battery operated trimmers. I suspect the connections are similar for both gas and battery trimmers, but I have not tested using this trimmer head on any other trimmer other than Oregon's own ST275 battery trimmer that just died. It is so much better than string, I will never go back to using a string head. I bought the line disks in bulk last year so I have a whole box of disks which can not be used in anything other than in the Gator Speedload Trimmer Head. Another reason I want to keep using the same trimmer. But the tool being discontinued and not serviceable, I have to find a trimmer compatible with the Gator Speedload head. I think the differences are just the size of attachment bolt. Only if I can tell the thread spec of the bolt for each candidate model without blindly ordering.

 

That speedload thing looks easy but expensive. The one I have is kind of like the Echo system- you pull 3 wingspans worth of bulk line out of the bulk line spool, and cut it off. Then feed it through the head so you have an equal amount sticking out each side. Twist the knob about 11 times and that's it, ready to rock.

Much cheaper than the preloaded spools because it uses the bulk stuff, but not actually difficult to deal with.

 

I recommend garden tools that use whichever batteries you are using. I was invested in Dewalt power tools, so I bought a Dewalt weed trimmer, so I could use my batteries.

 

Yeah, I have cheaper bulk line for my other two electric weed trimmers that failed me. Problem is not only it is tedious to load, but the line does not last. I'm constantly tapping to feed new line. With preloaded Gator disk, the line last long time. I only need to tap once or twice per session. One disk many months. I bought the disk by case, so it is almost as cheap as bulk line. Another reason I have to find a trimmer that is compatible with GSL head.

 

I have found that adapters for nearly any kind of battery to any tool can be found on AliExpress.

 

That is no longer an option for me. Oregon Tool discontinued battery tools. There is no more tools for sale. I have three batteries. I will continue to use them with the battery chainsaw I have. But I now need to replace weed trimmer. It will have to be a new ecosystem, unfortunately.

 

If you already own some other brand of power tools, I recommend you look for battery adapters online.

 

I doubt they make adaptor for Oregon Tool batteries. But thank you for the suggestion. As I said, I still have a chainsaw that use the battery, so not all is wasted. My other ecosystem is Ryobi One 18v tools. I already own its weed trimmer, but 18v system weed trimmer has no power for the task. It was a cheap tool, and it is no good for my 12 acres of wooded property.

 

Dixie chain saw angle grinder:

Works great on shrubbery:

• All of the hazards of a chain saw
• Quiet
• Reliable
• 1"-1.5" depth
• One handed operation

Bob Wilson

 

African or European Vega?

 

After months of searching, I could not find Oregon Tool trimmer that would work with batteries I already have. I ended up purchasing EGO 15" battery trimmer ST1521S. It was factory refurbished unit almost 40% cheaper than new unit (MSRP $249 NEW). Not the top of the line model, but came with one 2.5Ah battery and charger. The price I paid, $159, was less than what would cost to buy a single 2.5Ah battery without charger or tool. So, it was a bargain. Will see how it works.

 

I just came back in the house from trying out a pole saw kit and a long hedge trimmer kit that I got for my Greeenworks 40v weed whacker.

These are "universal" split-shaft drive accessories. So there's lots of gas and electric drives that work with them.

The ones I got are "wild badger" brand, about $50 each on Amazon. The polesaw easily paid for itself with the first use. They seem well made, with zerk fittings to keep them lubed and cool. They fit great with my electric powerhead and made the work go easily.

 

Well, I used the EGO ST1520 string trimmer now twice. It has more power than previous Oregon 40V battery operated trimmer for sure. Maybe because of 56V system on EGO. It is powerful, but the guard is useless, it spits bits and pieces of grass all over. Had to wear safety glass to operate. Wearing long work pants is a must on this trimmer. The power loading head works, but it is not as easy as the Oregon's Gator Speedload head system. It took at least 20 min to figure out how to load the line. Also, the 0.095in line that was already loaded did not last long. Maybe because of more power, the line seem to break every time it hits a rock or other hard object. This did not happen with the Oregon. I have not tried to see if I can swap the Gator Speedload head from Oregon onto the EGO yet. But that would be worth trying.

With the included 2.5Ah battery it is ~11lb, just about same weight as the Oregon weight. But the Oregon battery is 4.0Ah. The tool alone both weigh ~8lb. EGO 2.5Ah battery weighs 2lb14oz whereas Oregon's 4.0Ah battery weighs 2lb12oz. EGO battery has much beefier shell, adding to the total weight.

It worked fine for what I do around yard. But 2.5Ah battery lasted only 20 min or so of continuous work. Too short IMOH. The 2.5Ah battery alone is $200, or $80/Ah. The next size battery is 4.0Ah, at $279 or $70/Ah. The 5.0Ah at $329 is a bit more cost effective at $66/Ah. Those batteries alone are not good investment. I found factory refurbished blower kit and multi head system with pole saw kit. Each comes with a charger and a 2.5Ah battery. Total cost $367, less than buying two new 2.5Ah batteries, I get 2x 2.5Ah batteries, 2x Standard chargers, 1x Multi-head system power head, 1 pole saw attachment, and 1x 530 CFM leaf blower. This is another razor blade (or printer ink/toner) marketing, but I just ordered them.

If I need more battery, I may try cheap Chinese knock off EGO compatible batteries. I may end up wasting money on those copies, but price are just so much cheaper. I got to try to see how bad they really are.