Description
From the manufacturer
BLACK+DECKER 18V Lithium-Ion Battery System
This product is part of the BLACK+DECKER 18V Lithium-Ion Battery System, where all batteries are interchangeable across the range of power tools and garden power tools. The simplicity of the solution is that with one battery fitting any of the products within the range, you can buy tools or batteries you need, when you need them.
BLACK+DECKER 18V String Strimmer 28cm
This 18V Strimmer by BLACK+DECKER is a powerful, ergonomically designed string trimmer that is ideal for trimming excess grass growing around a wall, fence, flowerbed or pathway and gives lawn borders a neat and tidy finish. Powered by E-drive technology, a high-torque gear system, the strimmer can power through the toughest overgrown areas quickly and without clogging.
It will cut up to 2500 linear metres in one charge, so you can complete most garden tasks without having to stop to recharge.
- E-Drive technology for powering through tougher areas.
- Line cutting speed 5500 – 7400 rpm.
- Automatic Feed System.
- Trim’n’Edge function.
- 9m trimming line included.
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Power and speedFeaturing E-Drive Technology – a high torque gear system, that powers through the toughest, overgrown areas at the same speed and without clogging. With the 5500-7400 rpm line cutting speed, you get full control over the power of the strimmer for ultimate tool performance. |
Automatic Feed SystemThanks to the Automatic Feed System, the strimmer lets you focus on the job. Straightforward and intuitive to use, it detects when the string wears off or snaps and without interrupting cutting, it automatically feeds a fresh cutting-length of line. |
Ease of useEasily adjustable secondary handle gives you additional control and better hold of the strimmer. The length of the telescopic tube can be easily to suit every user. Simply twist to lengthen the pole. |
Trim’n’EdgeGive your lawn neat edges with Trim’n’Edge feature. Simply swap between trimming and edging application by twisting the pole to give lawn borders a neat and tidy finish. |
J. McDonald –
BLACK+DECKER String Grass Trimmer.I’ve used this a couple of times now since I got it and so far I’ve had no issues with it; it’s relatively easy to set up and get to grips with out of the box – there’s a black safety button near the trigger that has to be held down when operating it (the accompanying manual has pictures but is a little vague about some features) but otherwise it’s uncomplicated, intuitive, simple to adjust and use.It seems a balanced and relatively lightweight unit when one first begins to use it, but beware – it’s quite taxing over a period of time, especially if one is using it on dense grass on the turbo setting, so give yourself frequent breaks and I recommend using it in short busts; the support handle and length adjustment can be customised to suit your hight and make using it a bit more comfortable; also, the battery is really only good for about 20 minutes tops if on the turbo setting, so consider a second battery if one has an extensive job to do.Mine came with a battery and charger; I didn’t pay too much attention to how long it took to charge, but the light flashes while charging and remains on when fully charged; the battery can be kept in the charger with the light showing to ensure it is fresh and ready when required.The strimmer spool is again uncomplicated and easy to use – unless one is careless in clipping kerbs or hard objects it should last for a good time.I’m quite happy with it; I’m no gardener – I got it to tame an unruly grassed area that has run riot and will need regular maintenance so I’ll soon find out if this tool has any serious drawbacks.
Sandy –
Instructions are just not good, only little images.took hour to assemble.The instructions are rubbish not any written words at all.A few images of how to assemble and not easy to see what is being done properly on fitting the guard onto the base.I had to work it out myself and it was too hard to put on by hand as in one of the images,I had to hammer it into place with a mallet to line the hole’s up to fit the screw in to secure the guard into place which took an hour to assemble because I was afraid it was going to break forcing the part into the place.You need to write instructions for the UK market so we know we are doing it correctly.Same with the changing the strimmer to a edger , that was hard to work out aswell and took 10 minutes of pulling around until it finally went round because the instructions are not clear again.It took 4 hours to charge and lasted about 35.minutes in all , 2 separate uses of 15 and 20 on eco mode, each time on the same day.I don’t know how the string feeds itself but it got caught on something and went long and then I’m the last 5 minutes use it went very short and I don’t know what to do with it or if it just goes ok when next used because it doesn’t show it on the instructions.
Liz –
A support sling would have helpedlovely light machine to use so cutting grass feels a bit less like hard work since dumping the heavy one I had, and it does just as good a job. Found it hard to use the first few times though because of the positioning of the switches you have to keep held down simultaneously. I remember thinking my fingers and thumb were not quite long enough without it causing a little discomfort. (These are 60 and 54mm respectively) but found it a bit easier after a few times using it, so maybe just needed to get used to it. I do think though, that having a support sling to attach to it would have helped with this.
Mr. R. Rushworth –
Convenient strinmerAfter half a dozen times of use I feel I can now revue this B&D strimmer.It’s very convenient, no wires, does the areas we need with charge left, easy to pop in the car and go do the other garden we look after, wife loves using it, not too heavy, easy to twist and setup for edging and folds down for storage.All posatives.The one negative for me is it only has one line feed out, so not as good/efficient as a dual feed, it niggles me a bit as I have a corded flymo with dual feed which cuts considerably better and quicker.
Nicholas Sales –
Around 45 minutes mixed use – excellent price / value balance, plus some tips to help you chooseSummary: easy to adjust, well made and good quality; I get about 45 minutes mixed (high and low speed) use out of a fully charged battery; cutting power and edging very good.As context, I was actually looking for a strimmer with a power cord, as I was expecting cordless ones to be a bit disappointing in performance and battery life. Doing my research, I found that a lot of people feel the same, and I also found that rechargeable strimmers are surprisingly expensive!I also found a lot of unknown brands, which were also fairly expensive, and had very mixed reviews. All this left me unwilling to purchase.So I started again, this time focusing my search on:- brand (focussing on well-known ones like Bosch and Black & Decker)- weight (as I realised this would be a potential drawback given weights of up to 3.5kg I’d found during the first search)- battery life (where I could find it – not all manufacturers give an estimate)- power (I wanted something that would be reasonable for fairly light use; I knew I wasn’t going to be clearing undergrowth on a regular basis!)I found that a lot of strimmers now use proprietary blades, which can be difficult to find, cost more than nylon line, and cause regular interruptions to use as they need to be changed fairly frequently. I decided to focus on nylon line strimmers.In the end, this Black & Decker strimmer was one of two on the shortlist, and was my choice due to the price! The other one came without a battery and charger, which added another £40 or so. I won’t name the other brand and prices go up and down a lot anyway, but do be aware of accidentally buying a so-called “bare” product!I’ve used it several times now, including clearing a friend’s much larger garden. Using the a mix of the normal (5500rpm) and turbo (7400rpm) I got about 45 minutes use from a full charge, which included a significant amount of “undergrowth” clearing that I wouldn’t typically be doing. Your usage will of course be different to mine, but if you’re doing normal speed trimming and edging, I’d expect to get 45 minutes to an hour out of the product on a single battery charge, which is hopefully plenty for the majority of gardens. (If yours needs more than an hours trimming each session, you’ve probably already got a gardener anyway!)Pros:- fairly lightweight (2.1kg)- well-balanced and significant adjustment in length- easy to assemble- uses nylon line, not proprietary bladesCons:- rechargeable battery has a finite life (so get a mains-powered or petrol driven one if you need open-ended usage)Tips:- watch out for “bare” products (i.e. without battery and charger) unless you’ve already got the battery on other tools from the same manufacturer- check out the weight of the strimmer: there’s variation by more than 1kg in otherwise similar models in some cases!- make sure you know whether it uses continuous nylon line or individual blades; I’d recommend line as it’s much easier to change and makes continuous use easierOverall, I happily recommend this, and even if it’s not for you, do consider if the criteria I’ve included in the review help you to choose your own (different) one.