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Keep your grass and other greenery tidy to become the envy of the neighborhood.
The string trimmer is both a blessing and a curse. It can be a tremendous labor-saving device that neatly tidies up shaggy grass along flower beds, around posts, and down the edge of sidewalks. But a string trimmer can also be a cranky nuisance when its line snaps or its head refuses to feed out more line. The Snap & Trim from Aero-Flex is an accessory that fits to a string trimmer and does away with trimmer line. The device is a shallow, dish-shaped holder with two flexible wing-like blades and a spinning glider disc that supports the trimmer head. In our test, we found that the device turns a string trimmer into a more precise and far more predictable tool, more like a mower. Installing the accessory on a trimmer is hassle-free and takes literally seconds.
Echo says this is the industry’s most powerful backpack blower, putting it in direct contention for that title with Stihl’s formidable BR800 C-E Magnum, a product we have awarded on more than one occasion for its outright leaf-blasting power. We can say that this machine is a leaf-moving monster. Point its tube. Pull its trigger. The hurricane-force wind emitted from its nozzle blasts and sends tumbling leaves, sticks, pine cones, litter, wood chips, and anything else in its path, wet or dry. The only thing we’ve seen more ferocious than this (generally speaking) are walk-behind blowers. But there’s more to like to the Echo than just its power. It starts on the first or second pull, has comfortable shoulder straps, and if you need a full day of moving leaves, it will do it for you because it’s a commercial-grade blower.
The BGA 200 is a unique solution to moving leaves and grass clippings. It has three power settings; the highest permits maximum air movement of 553 cubic feet per minute at 188 mph. The lowest setting gently pushes leaves and grass clippings off of paved surfaces. For multi-hour use, you can run it with a massive 28-pound backpack battery that hooks to the blower via a cord. For light-duty leaf clearing and to sweep clippings off of surfaces, use the typical Stihl AP battery nestled in a belt holder (the power cord runs from the battery holder to the blower). Either permits quiet and powerful debris removal.
Yes, this is an expensive solution to trimming grass. But this Stihl cuts with explosive, pro-grade power in both grass and weeds, and it’s extremely well mannered as it goes about its work. When you test as many pieces of outdoor power equipment as we do in a season, you appreciate lack of vibration, quietness, and good trigger response. The Stihl has all of those and a three-level power setting that helps you adjust output and conserve battery life. At the lowest setting, you have an almost gentle head speed for vertical trimming. At the highest, you can lean into tall grass and weeds. The middle setting covers a wide range of cutting conditions. The AutoCut head is not only reliable but easy to assemble and disassemble. If the string breaks too close to the head, you can grab the stub that’s left and (usually) feed out more string. If not, the head comes apart for rapid string readjustment.
The DCBL 722 is one of the lightest, easiest-handling, and least tiring leaf blowers that we’ve used. For that reason, more than its power, it’s a very effective yard care tool. It will easily handle dry leaves, tree bark fragments, small nuts, twigs, and dry pine cones when you’re working on normal-height cool-season grass. It has absolutely no problem blowing debris off of concrete or asphalt pavement. Although we didn’t try it on construction debris, our guess is that it’s a great fit for that, too, especially since it’s powered by the same 20-volt DeWalt battery that fits on many of the brand’s construction tools. We particularly like its large and comfortable variable speed trigger and the equally comfortable pivoting thumb latch immediately above it. We’re also fond of the nose cone that DeWalt calls a concentrator. Snapping it on the end of the blower tube narrows the air stream; removing it creates a more fan-shaped (but less powerful) blast.
Two side-saddle 20-volt batteries (4-Ah apiece) supply the hefty side-mount motor on the WG385. It looks like, feels like, and cuts like a solid little saw, as it amply demonstrated when we cut 78 wood discs from logs with it before the battery ran out. Other features we like are its crisp chain brake, large bar oil reservoir, an easy-to-grip oil cap, tool-free chain tightening, and a well-located button to help you quickly determine how much charge is left. If you’re invested in the Worx 20-volt and 40-volt power tools, this chainsaw would make a sensible addition to your arsenal.
Equipped with a 12-inch bar and a whole lot of spunk for a small saw, the CS24L410 turned in a fast and reliable performance. It churned through one cut after another until its battery was spent. Let’s say you had another battery on hand; that would enable a decent morning’s work turning out a small batch of firewood, dropping small trees, or removing overgrown bushes. The hand guard at the saw’s front is not a chain brake, but at least it’s not awkwardly positioned or sized to prevent a view of the cutline. Other things to like about this little saw: its large, tool-free handle that flips up to tighten the chain, the large oil fill cap on the side, and a well-designed handle that permits a good grip while wearing bulky work gloves.
If your overarching requirement is a quieter handheld blower, the RY404100 may be for you. It’s right to ask whether that comes at the expense of its leaf-moving power. The yellow-green leaf blower has enough power for dry leaf cover, removing grass clippings and leaves from paved surface and for garage or dryer vent clean out. It’s not the most powerful leaf blower we’ve used, but it’s certainly one of the most quiet and pleasant. Other features that contribute to its ease of use are a well-positioned latch to the left and above the adjustable-speed trigger, a booster button for more air output, and a detachable nose cone made out of rubber that concentrates the air speed up to 190 mph. The cone’s circumference is marked with the air speeds that it will produce at three intervals (from base to the tip): 190, 175, and 160 mph. You could slice the cone at any of the two intervals (175 and 160) shortening it to provide less air speed.
Backpack leaf blowers aren’t known for being quiet devices, yet the Husqvarna is in comparison to a gas-engine machine while still being an effective leaf mover. Powered by a pair of gigantic 40-volt, 7.5-Ah batteries and with a massive air intake on the left side of the housing, it doesn’t emit the typical howl, more like the sound from a gigantic vacuum cleaner. The blast of air emitting from its nozzle sweeps aside more than leaves, but also sticks, pine cones, seed pods, litter, and junk. It’s fairly powerful, if not in the same category as a gas-engine backpack blower. But it’s a whole lot more pleasant to use. One unusual feature is that the control handle tilts and rotates to any angle to suit the user, especially as he or she may work across the landscape, ducking under low branches, hopping across flower beds, maybe traversing a stone wall or two. The shoulder and chest straps are also quite comfortable. In all, the 340 iBT is a pleasure to use with decent power and comfort-enhancing features.
We’re partial to Husqvarna’s mid-duty professional leaf blowers, having owned and used a 130 BT blower for years. So we can vouch for these machines, particularly in terms of their leaf-moving ability, durability, and ease of starting. The 150 BT continues that fine tradition. This model has several improvements over our old timer. First, it’s got a lot more power. Second, it has improved shoulder, waist, and chest straps that not only make the machine easier to carry but more importantly help hold it to you if you have to work your way across a hillside or go over and around obstacles. Suppose you have to climb a ladder while wearing this thing, to get the leaves off a flat-roof building, like we used to have to do. You appreciate features like that. And in terms of the aforementioned easy starting, we found this machine started with a single pull, and a lazy one at that. So if you’re looking at the beefier end of the mid-duty range of backpack leaf blowers, look no further than the 150 BT.
The WG753 Nitro is a great little mower with a ton of nicely designed features: single-lever deck height adjustment that is among the best we’ve seen; one of the best fold-forward handle locking mechanisms ever developed (a pair of orange levers at the top of the handle); a bag that lifts and descends straight up and down between the handle bars; and a neat little pivoting lever to close the back of the deck for mulching or to open it for bagging. And speaking of bagging, it’s one of the better cordless baggers out there. Will it handle rough and tumble mowing? Good question. We raised up the deck, snapped on the robust side-discharge port, and walked it into the weeds. Its performance there was satisfactory (higher voltage mowers rule in the tall-grass test). But the sweet spot for this light, fast-stepping mower is zipping around the well-manicured landscape, bagging as it goes.
Toro mowers have received more award recommendations from us than any other brand for two reasons: build quality and cut quality. And those were amply demonstrated in a recent test as the Toro turned in the best ratio of cut area per amp hour of battery in the self-propelled category, while at the same time not skimping on cut quality, mulch quality, and bagging. We attribute this outstanding mower performance to three features, all upgrades to the previous version of this machine. First, the air vent at the front of the deck seems to improve mulching and bagging performance. Toro calls it Vortex technology, a design to increase air flow in the same way as a hood scoop on a car. The company says it helps the grass stand straighter under the mower and the clippings to be suspended longer for more thorough mulching, but it also helps airflow into the bag. We can’t quantitatively verify that, but we can say our results indicate the design is successful. Next, the company’s redesigned “Atomic” blade configuration appears to assist the air flow and clipping movement. Finally, the three-phase, 60-volt motor is exceptionally efficient, resulting in a large cut area for a single battery. Toro has—wisely—not altered some of the previous features that make this mower work: rear wheel drive, a one-piece deck that’s all steel (no plastic nose), rear-wheel drive, 11-inch wheels to help it roll over roots and crevices, and the same fold-forward handle that was an industry breakthrough when it was introduced some years ago.
We love the power and versatility of gas-engine mowers. But after decades of testing them and many more decades of using them, we’re also keenly aware of their shortcomings: noise, smell, numerous hot surfaces, oil changes, tune-ups, and mechanical complexity. Electric mowers look more inviting with every passing year. But can they really go head-to-head with gas machines? And, more importantly, could they even be the better mowers?
We now have a lawnmower that answers “yes” to both those questions. This spring, outdoor power equipment manufacturer Ego rolled out its Z6, a $7,000, 52-inch battery-powered mower that does more than cut grass. It takes aim squarely at the frustrations that people have with gas-engine models and particularly with range anxiety—the concern of whether a battery mower can finish a large lawn without running out of juice. The company rates the Z6 as being able to mow 4 acres on one charge.
To do so, it equipped the machine with six removable 56-volt lithium-ion batteries, each a massive 12-Ah power pack. Its rated run time is 2 hours at slow speeds or about 100 minutes at its top 8 mph. Its batteries are designed to retain 80 percent of their charge after 500 cycles.
The machine has three levels of drive-control: Control, Standard, and Sport. Lap bar responsiveness is muted slightly in the basic Control setting. This helps a beginner get the feel of the machine. The Standard setting increases lap bar responsiveness and is useful for cutting long, straight rows. The Sport setting increases lap bar responsiveness still further and is for you if you value cutting speed.
(If you find the 52-inch version is out of stock, the 42 is still available.)
The 220iL is a competent weed slasher and edger. But it really stands out for the fact that you can run it with the head turning clockwise or counterclockwise. That feature provides maximum versatility because it can suit left-handed or right-handed users, but it also gives you more control of the direction the debris flies relative to the direction you walk with the trimmer. This helps you keep the thrown debris out of flower beds and enables easier handling of the machine while walking forward (instead of walking backward, as many people do). Bonus: It also helps you to more easily unwind grass tangled around the trimmer head.
The Makita is the lightest pro trimmer. And we liked most everything about it, from its solid-steel drive shaft to its three speed settings. All three have enough power for average jobs. The lowest sips power from the battery and provides a high degree of control, particularly when the trimmer is turned vertically like an edger. We also love the momentary reverse feature. Push its switch and the head briefly rotates opposite its normal position to clear grass and weeds that are wound around it.
This tool is better than the standard garden sprayer in several ways. First, you never need to pump it. Slip on a 20-volt battery and press the power button, and the compressor emits a low, unobtrusive hum as it pressurizes the 2-gallon container. It takes only a couple of minutes or so to bring the tool up to working pressure. From there you move along applying whatever liquid you happen to be applying, such as fertilizer, herbicide, or cleaning solution. The compressor kicks in as needed to re-pressurize the tank. The WG829 received bonus points for a base that keeps the tank standing securely upright, during liquid application and when stored. Built into the base is a small tray that protects the spray nozzle when the wand is snapped into place for storage.
Generations of log-splitters have felt the sting of a maul handle during missed swings. The Fiskars Pro IsoCore makes it a little less painful. We found that the shock from overstrikes where the handle met wood is vastly reduced —a steel insert and insulation sleeve below the blade ensure no damage is done.
According to Keen, the Troy—with its waterproof upper and anatomically shaped, asymmetrical carbon-fiber safety toes—is a medium-duty boot. So, it may not be the best option for heavy construction or extreme conditions on a daily basis. In testing we felt the comfort and middle-of-the-pack weight make it a good candidate for work that keeps you moving and on your feet. We found the Troys to be comfortable right out of the box, with no unusual pressure points, and wore them all day after putting them on. Sizing was spot on for our staff, and according to our tester, these only got more comfortable over time. The Troy has a partial rubber cap around the front of the toe where leather boots frequently get cuts or scuffs, a feature we’ve come to appreciate. Keen uses a rubber material across the forefoot as well, creating a hinge where leather can crack from repeated bending over time. Testing during the summer made us thankful for the breathable, waterproof lining, which helped keep out feet dry and comfortable on humid, 90-plus degree days.
These Wells Lamont gloves have set the standard for years. They’ve always been one of our favorites. Made from 100 percent full-grain cowhide, they quickly break-in and exemplify the phrase “fits like a glove,” making them instantly comfortable. The elastic wrist helps keep them in place without feeling restrictive, and the abrasion resistance of the natural leather is excellent. Perhaps the best part: They cost only $16.
DuroMax’s XP13000HXT is versatile solution for nearly anyone in any situation requiring auxiliary power. Capable of running on gasoline, propane, or natural gas, it gives you options when fuel supplies get scarce during natural disasters. And you can use it for home backup, portable power, or off-grid RV/mobile home power, with 50-amp and 30-amp twist lock outlets and a 30-amp RV outlet. The XP13000HXT couldn’t be more convenient to use either with its electric start. As a home back-up generator, it and its 13,000-watt start-up capacity mean you’ll be able to power many of your home’s critical circuits.
The WG761 is a substantial, metal-deck mower with four 20-volt batteries, each with 5-Ah capacity. One surprising design attribute on it that we’ve never seen in any other mower is that you can lift the entire battery pack off as a single module and plug it in wherever you like. We marched the Worx through tall spring grass and found a good cut quality and bagging. We liked its mulch-bag door lever. Pivot it from side to side. In one position, the door is open and clippings flow into the bag. In the other position, it’s closed and the mower mulches the clippings back into the lawn.
If your taste in outdoor power equipment leans toward plain yet capable equipment, this Makita fits the bill nicely. It’s a two-function machine (mulch and bag) that skips over fancy bells and whistles. Two hefty 18-volt, 5-Ah batteries power its 36-volt (brushed) motor, but the mower comes as a kit with four batteries, extending the cut per charge to a very large area. Its motor and battery bay are mounted on a perfectly formed domed plastic deck without any grass-catching obstructions. When you’re done mowing, you’ll find the deck is easy to clean. The XML11 CT’s drive motor-gear assembly at the rear axle is considerably larger than most mowers, reflecting Makita’s experience as a power tool company and motor builder. You control the mower’s ground speed with a simple pivoting lever on the operator’s left. Its cut quality and bagging performance were commendable. A removable plug slides into the back of the deck to seal it for mulching. Remove the plug to bag.
You’ve got it all with Ego’s mower. It has outstanding cut quality, so much so that will it make a healthy lawn look like velvet when you’re done. It’s also an excellent bagger, gathering pounds more grass per square foot of cut area than many mowers. Ego equipped it with an all-plastic deck that will never rust out and a tilt-forward handle that also easily adjusts to suit your height. To make it even easier to use, it has single-lever deck height adjustment and one of the better speed-control mechanisms we’ve seen–a simple dial that you rotate forward and back. Since it’s sold without a battery and charger, it’s up to you how much battery to put in it. The company recommends a battery with a minimum of 7.5 Ah of capacity, and that’s what we used. If your property is bigger or smaller, run a bigger or smaller battery.
Ego pulled out the stops in engineering this string trimmer. Start with the fact that you never have to bump feed the head. It feeds out string automatically. When you run out of string, feed a precut length of string through the head and press the rewind button at the end of the shaft. The string zooms into the head in seconds. Our test found the 56-volt brushless motor delivers power to spare and you have excellent control over that power with a two-speed selector switch that enables you to choose between going full out at vegetation or dialing back the speed if you find yourself cutting near delicate shrubs and you need to avoid collateral damage. That control is also improved with a telescoping shaft length; you adjust it to suit your tastes, and the shaft is carbon fiber. Its reduced weight also reduces your fatigue, further improving your control over the machine.
This Ryobi is the only all-wheel-drive battery mower we have yet seen, so if you have a rugged property to cut, it’s worth considering. But you don’t have to operate in all-wheel drive. A simple rocker switch on its control panel kicks in the front axle when you need it. Adjust its deck height with one lever. Use another lever to swing shut its mulching door to mulch or open the door to allow the machine to bag. Its cutting and bagging ability are both excellent, both on level ground and in operating in all-wheel drive climbing a steep hill.
This hand-held blower puts a lot of debris moving ability at your disposal. Its variable output ranges from 260 to 580 cfm, but when you press the Turbo button, you produce a blast of 765 cfm air–perfect to peel off some wet leaves or move a clump of twigs. The secret to the machine’s success, Ego says, is that its 56-volt brushless DC motor spins a turbine fan blade, with a rated top air speed of 200 mph. We haven’t measured and verified the air speed and volume numbers yet, but we could confirm that the blower is well balanced, handles easily, runs without vibration, and blasted loose the leaves and grass at which we pointed it.
This DeWalt is a hard-charging trimmer that slashed through the tough stuff. Because it’s so aggressive, we appreciated the large deflector shield behind the line head–the largest in the test, and we think the safest, especially when you’re cutting down fibrous stalks and the debris starts to fly. If you’re plugged into DeWalt’s FlexVolt system, the large 60-volt battery that comes with the trimmer also works in its circular saw, big drills, pavement breakers, power cutters, and more. And a final entry in the Like column for the big yellow trimmer is its high-low speed switch. High handles thick and tough growth; low lets you trim with greater finesse and conserve battery charge.
Makita builds this mower for contractors, but it’s a good choice for any homeowner with a lot of grass to mow and who need three functions: mulch, bag, and side discharge. Its credentials are solid: a 21-inch steel deck, 9-in. tires front and rear, single-lever deck height adjustment and an outstanding cut quality. Its bagging ability will give a gas engine mower a run for its money. Its design emphasis is on simplicity and durability, so there are a few tradeoffs. First, the handle features a very rugged bolted construction, so it doesn’t fold forward for easy or compact storage. Second, there is a manual selector switch to take you from one battery bank to the other. When the first pair of batteries runs down and the mower stops, you bend down and switch to the second position and its pair of batteries. Summary, this is a great mower with a bag that lifts up through the handle, precise speed selection, and good mowing capability on level ground, uphill, sidehill and down.
A leader in terms of raw weed-slashing power is this Husqvarna, offering close to the power afforded by a gas-engine trimmer. Ours was equipped with a massive 7.5-Ah battery (weighing 4.2 pounds, the heaviest in the test). But with that comes tremendous run time. Keep in mind that if you spend more time trimming tall grass and tough weeds, chances are pretty good that you’ll run out of string before you run out of battery. That was our finding. If you’re trimming ordinary grass, that massive battery will see you through most of a day’s work, especially if you use the SavE setting, which reduces speed of the output shaft from 5,800 rpm to 4,640 rpm. We found that setting delivered more than adequate speed for standard trimming work.
We have long familiarity with Skil power tools, but this was the first time we tried the company’s mowers. We were pleased with its two-function performance. Its cut quality was very good, and its bagging was also respectable (it does not side discharge). Skil’s mower is also well mannered. The handle folds forward for storage, telescopes in length and easily adjusts through three angles; the bag does not lift up easily through the handle, however. The handle adjustability, combined with knob-controlled ground speed, make the SM4910-10 very adaptable to suit a variety of people. Its single-lever deck-height adjustment gives you a maximum of 4 inches of clearance from the ground to the bottom of the deck; raised way up, the mower looks like an off-road vehicle. When the grass is tall, you’ll be glad you have that much height adjustment. The underside of the deck is a well-shaped dome; its among the easiest decks we have seen to clean of moist grass clippings. Slip out the battery, turn the mower on its side, and with a couple of wipes, you’re done.