The trimmer finally died… I suppose it was at least partially my fault as I did very little to care for it properly though on the other hand I’m not sure it ever functioned well. In any case, when I retrieved the trimmer from the shed and tried to crank it after several attempts I determined that it finally had given up. Gas was leaking out of the engine case.

I detached the trimmer attachment from the motor and tossed the motor. Perhaps some future yard sale shopper will benefit from the purchase of an inexpensive trimmer head along with a tiller and edger.

I wasn’t interested in spending a lot of money to replace it but I couldn’t find many good alternatives based on the various reviews I read. Initially, I looked for something that could use the old attachments but after a while it became less of a concern, especially since it may not be a major concern in the near future (a long story that is still in-progress).

While a gas-powered trimmer certainly has… power I decided to go a different route and instead purchase a DEWALT DCST920P1 20V Max 5.0 Ah Lithium Ion XR Brushless String Trimmer. I simply didn’t want to mess with an engine with moving parts that needs a good bit of maintenance and I’ve seen Dewalt tools in use and knew that the battery-powered tools usually have a surprising amount of power.

I wasn’t disappointed. The first time I used the trimmer (twice now) I quickly learned that it was much quieter and lighter and in terms of power it did not disappoint.

One fully-charged battery had just enough to charge to finish every spot in our yard that I usually hit (and it’s a good sized yard on a parcel of land about one acre in size). It actually died right after I finished the last spot. If you have a larger yard or simply like to trim everything in sight then you might want to purchase an extra battery.

That’s where the cost really gets you. At the time of purchase this trimmer cost about $199 but the trimmer itself can be purchased without a battery and charger for $99. Dewalt is proud of its batteries though that may be well deserved from what I have seen.

The only real problem I’ve discovered is that I have yet to determine whether or not I can adjust the guard (and I’ll admit that I haven’t checked the manual yet) as its default (and perhaps fixed) position kicks up a lot of debris directly onto myself.

I am very happy with this purchase. It’s effective and easy to use.