Strimmer advice please - blade v string

[mrsbusy]

Hi I'm trying to find some feedback on battery strimmers for my allotment. There is a communal petrol strimmer but it weighs a ton and I find it very difficult.
I have been using long handled shears which work well but it is slow work.
Is it worth buying my own? Are plastic blades ok? Any recommendations?
Thanks.

[peanut]

My neighbour has a Gtech battery strimmer which I used the other day, it has a plastic clip on blade. It did the job perfectly well and wasn't heavy to hold either.

[ameno]

I have a battery one which uses plastic string. It's a cheap model, so is a little under-powered, but it does the job pretty well (although it struggles a little with dense tussocks).
The higher the wattage of a battery model the more powerful it will be, but of course higher wattage ones are more expensive (mainly because they require a better battery, which are very costly).
Never seen one with plastic blades before, but I would assume them to be the same type that certain hover mowers use, so I imagine they work perfectly well.

[burnie]

I bought a battery string strimmer a few years back, it's a B&D one, very good, but as the string wears down I am spraying plastic waste all over my garden, not very environmentally friendly, when it wears out I shall not be replacing it, I might see if I can replace the string holder with a blade as an alternative. Only thing I would say is the blade might damage glass if you were near a cloche or greenhouse I guess?

[Plot70]

The trouble with blades is that when they wear out you are likely to have a lot of trouble getting new ones as they will disappear from the shelves when the model is discontinued. Yes they do suffer with "electric toothbrush syndrome".
At least with the string ones you can often reload the string spool.
All of them leave plastic fragments.
I have never seen any data on what exactly plastic fragments do to wild life. They certainly do not as far as I know have any ill effects on human beings who chew pen tops.

[DannyK]

I have a battery Makita strimmer that uses string. It uses same battery as my combo drill. Gives about 20 minutes.
Quite a few manufacturers now doing multiple tool ranges that take a common battery.
To see what's on offer have a look at Screwfix or Tool Station catalogues. But do some checking as they aren't always the cheapest. Also check reviews of both seller and tool. I was going to get a battery blower but Which said it only did 7 mins!

[Compostman2]

I use a Bosch 18v battery unit which has plastic clip in blade.

I buy 50 for a £10 off ebay but be aware there are two sizes 83 & 93mm works best with 93mm ones.

Have use of petrol strimmer on allotment but prefer the Bosch unit,

[Nicos]

Ours is a petrol strimmer but we have a nylon coated metal ‘string’ and it does a good job of cutting through thicker weeds etc. Not as good as a brush cutter but it gets through 1cm brambles which is fine with me!

[quanglewangle]

Slightly off topic...

There is strimmer cord and strimmer cord.

I always used to buy cheap generic stuff and the cassette emptied in no time, which is a pain since I have no feeling in my fingers and winding on takes me ages. One day I was forced into buy genuine Stihl cord and I haven't yet emptied the first wind-on. Lasts for ages.

Also, the square cross section seems to cut cleaner the the usual round cross section.

[bikermike]

I have a bosch battery strimmer (chosen as I have other bosch battery tools). It has a blade.
any blade wears down too, so it isn't plastic free, and the blades are not as easy to get as they should be.

it is like a garden strimmer and is good for keeping stuff tidy, but is very slow for heavily-overgrown areas.

Someone else at the plot has a Stihl one that looks more like a brush-cutter (long rod-shaped body, bigger cutter, batteries as counter-balance at the end behind the operative). Looks like something you'd want either as a shared item or if you had a large area to cut

[Snoop Puss]

As an alternative, would you consider a scythe? Weighs next to nothing, quiet, doesn't need recharging (though you do have to sharpen the blade regularly), no need to worry about replacement batteries, long-lasting blade. I bought a wooden-handled one with a short blade for weeds rather than grass. Does the job for me.

[greenishfing]

Over the years I've had all kinds of brushcutters/strimmers. I am now quite old (and female with osteoporosis). I cannot cope with the heavy petrol strimmers partly because of the weight but also to make matters worse I am left handed and they are so awkward to start and use.
Last year, during lockdown I decided we needed a strimmer. After reading reviews I bought a battery McAllister (about £60). I have used it for over a year now and it surpasses expectations. I can lift it with one finger!!!

[bikermike]

As an alternative, would you consider a scythe? Weighs next to nothing, quiet, doesn't need recharging (though you do have to sharpen the blade regularly), no need to worry about replacement batteries, long-lasting blade. I bought a wooden-handled one with a short blade for weeds rather than grass. Does the job for me.

Do you have the hourglass and cape too?

On the subject of battery-powered tools, it is worth (as has been said above) settling on one brand so you can switch about. I have two drills, a jigsaw and a strimmer from the same bosch range, and 3 battery packs. I try to take all three charged batteries if I'm going to the plot. I have a Waitrose wine bag which is for 6 bottles. It has one red handle and one green handle, so I put the three charged batteries in the three bottle pouches in the green-handle side, and put the flattened ones in the pouches on the red-handled side.

[Snoop Puss]

Do you have the hourglass and cape too?

Hourglass figure is that? I don't think I've ever had that.

[kris1960]

I have a SWIFT electric one with plastic blades. Its light, powerful and blades are easy and cheap to buy. I absolutely love it. rechargeable battery lasts very well, all day using hard in short bursts or about 3 hours continual.