American Gardener YS24 YardStick 10-Inch 24-Volt Cordless String Trimmer
by American Gardener
|
List Price: Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Tools and Hardware Reviews of American Gardener YS24 YardStick 10-Inch 24-Volt Cordless String Trimmer
Customer Review: deadweight
Summary: 1 Stars
After reading reviews both pro and con, I decided to try the AGY 24-volt trimmer. My biggest concern as a woman was its weight, but I figured that I am stronger than most and that the extra power would compensate for any fatigue. Only way to know was to try it for myself.
After charging it for the full 16 hours, I took it out to try on my two-week-neglected Bermuda grass lawn. First thing I noticed is that the weight is unevenly balanced so that my wrists rather than the support arm acted as the fulcrum, resulting in excessive strain and overcompensating through the shoulders. It also was a bit short for me (at 5'7") so that I had to hunch to get it to reach the edge of the sidewalk. After only ten minutes, I was definitely feeling it.
But the thing had power! Compared to the Black and Decker cordless models I had used previously, this baby was a champ, whacking through thick matted Bermuda turf as though it were bluegrass. I went all the way around my back yard, then the neighbors', then their front, sidewalk, flower beds, and got half way across my sidewalk before the battery wore down. Three to four times the battery life of the Black and Decker!
I did have to remove the spool to pull out more line two or three times in the half hour I used the trimmer, and it was harder to put back together than other units I have owned. But the heftier line diameter was a definite plus in chopping through bad stuff. I will say, though, that my edging was not nearly so neat as with more petite models -- not sure if I needed more practice or if it just cuts a choppy line. I did notice it did better when I stood on the grass side and faced the sidewalk --some kind of funky angle on the line as it exits the head.
Still undecided as to whether I would keep it, I put it back on the charger to power it back up. Was concerned about the numbness in the two fingers of my right hand that had supported the trigger -- strange for just a trimmer! But after twenty minutes or so, I had the use of my hand back. Gave it another several hour charge and went out to finish the front yard. Five minutes into some pretty happy whacking, kaput! No power. No response from either trigger, no nothing.
All I can say is that I am just glad mine died on the first day and not after I had recycled the box! I won't be keeping it or trying any other American Gardener trimmers.
Oh, and the charger requires you to hang the entire unit from the wall (others I have used required only the battery to be hung). This battery is not removable, nor is there a backup. My shop space is at a premium and the requirement of a full four vertical feet of trimmer recharging space was going to be a big sacrifice.
I guess I'll go back to Black and Decker -- their units only last a year or two and require frequent chargings, but at least they work!
Customer Review: Best Garden Tool I've Ever Purchased - REALLY!
Summary: 5 Stars
True story, I had a Troy-Bilt four-stroke weedeater from one of the home improvement stores that cost around $200 that was impossible to start.
I hated it. Once it was going, it was difficult to manage and would often "grab" the ground and dig into the grass and was generally frustrating to use. I hated dealing with the spool too.
A few weeks ago I went to do some trimming and tried to start the weedeater. I grew tired pulling the starter cord several dozen times and sat down on my steps to continue trying to start the weedeater.
As I pulled back with all my might, I forgot about the cast iron railing on the side of my steps and clobbered my hand. I instantly had a golf-ball sized lump on the back of my hand and I saw red. I picked the weedeater up over my head and smashed it repeatedly onto the ground, destroying it.
I should have done it a long time ago.
I told a friend about it and he said, "You know what I did that has been the best thing ever when it comes to weedeaters? I bought a battery powered weedeater."
Hmm, I don't like electric when internal combustion is an option. But I trust this friend and I decided that I was fed up with gas powered weedeaters - so I gave it a shot.
Enter the American Gardner 24 Volt Cordless Trimmer.
Best thing I've ever done when it comes to garden tools.
I even paid too much (when I came back to write this review the price has dropped $30!!!) and it arrived a little beat up by the UPS guy.
But BOY DOES IT WORK.
It has exactly the right amount of torque so I can control it easily and it cuts the grass, but does not dig into the grass or pull itself into the turf. It requires NO PULLING OF ANY CORDS to start. It just comes on when you press the button.
The spool works excellent and is easy to use. I found it wasn't chewing up the wire as often as my gas powered trimmers tend to use up the line also.
It is just ideal for around the house grass trimming.
Now I will say that it does not have the power for serious weeds with wood-like trunks. But for GRASS TRIMMING this is ideal.
I also tried to run the battery down the first time as this seems to be recommended for maximum battery life, but I gave up after 30+ minutes of continuous use. It was still running strong.
In short, this is REALLY worth getting if you have a basic house with grass trimming that needs to be done. For the price it is a STEAL right now, and it is well worth even the nearly $100 I originally paid.
Customer Review: YS24 not so great
Summary: 2 Stars
I went green and bought this more powerful trimmer when I had enough of my gas trimmer issues.
I felt it was comfortable to use, quiet and ran for at least an hour as described. It did struggle with the thick grass a bit but made it through in the end. I found I could trim and edge on the same charge.
I didnt care for the wheel edge trimmer. I found it trimmed the grass a half inch in from the edge, so I just did it by eye and liked the cut much better.
I liked the wall charger, just hang it up on the charger when done and it will charge it up and it will be ready for next time.
My problems began after using it 10 times before winter. I left it on the wall charger all Winter as I was supposed to do. Come Spring I had a hard time getting it off the wall charger to use it. It ran good and when I put it back on the wall charger it would not go back on propperly. I took the plug out of the wall hanger and tried to push it on the trimmer. No go. I got to looking at it and the plug in was oblong shaped and the plastic ring on the end looked like it was melted and out of shape.
I called customer support many times to get this resolved. First they said I needed a new battery(not covered), then the charger they werent sure if I needed to send in the old one first. Turned out no, just receipt and explination. I faxed in the receipt next day. called them to make sure they got it, they said they would take a message and have someone call me. A week later after hearing nothing nor recieving anything I called back. I got the same reply-take a message and someone will call you. They dont know if its been shipped, tracking number, nothing. So I am stuck waiting for them to call me to take the next step. I was able to trim a second time until the battery was out of juice. But I need to get the charger here so I can charge up the trimmer before I need to trim again. I have so far talked to them 6 times and still no charger.
They want you to send in this, explain that, wait for a call, dont know much about the stage its in. Hurry up and wait while your grass grows taller.
I have also recently noticed these are now available at Lowes for 79.99. If you are really interested.
If you prefer better service, which I do, I have seen the Craftsman 18volt that is promising and can be bought/serviced better locally.
In the end if this YS24 doesnt go after the charger issue, I will have got a dozen uses out of it and I will be done with it and American Gardener products and service.
Customer Review: Great home trimmer if you don't want a gas model
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this trimmer at the beginning of the 2009 season. I mow and trim twice a week and my lot is just over 1/2 acre and contains planting beds, a retaining wall and fences. I do a lot of trimming and edging.
PROS: Always starts, no gas to mix, easy to switch from trimming (horizontal) to edging (vertical). Charger mount helps to store the trimmer out of the way.
CONS: I am still manually advancing the string because other reviews on this product have advised doing so.
After not being able to get my gas trimmer started this year I thought I would give an electric model a try. The recent reviews for the Yardstick looked good so I ordered it. Although it arrived in only a few days that was enough time for me to read some of the older reviews that were much more negative about the product. Buyers remorse was setting in before the delivery arrived. When I opened the package I was reassured for two reasons. (1) Nothing about the product seemed in any way flimsy as some reviews had stated. (2) There was a replacement cutter, springs and other parts included with the product. Basically, the parts that were described as being of poor quality in earlier reviews were included in case replacement was needed. I charged up the unit overnight and used it the next day. I completed all trimming and edging in about 30 minutes without any battery performance problems. Since I have been using this trimmer twice a week for about 3 months I have at least 25 days of trimming on it. It's dirty, but other than that it works like the first day I used it. No need for any of the replacement parts, nothing has ever fallen off of it. I did have to open the string spool to pull the string out after edging too close to the road in front of my house but that has happened with any trimmer I have ever had.
There were many reviews that stated that the trimmer worked great the first time but then the battery would not hold a charge the second time. As I said above, I have not experienced this problem. I don't know if the frequency of use has anything to do with it. After doing some web searches I learned that this type of battery should not be exposed to extremes of heat and cold. Maybe that is what caused the other users their issue. I plan on bringing it into the basement in the winter.
SUMMARY: This is a solid, dependable trimmer. An excellent choice if you want to get away from mixing gas and oil.
Customer Review: The BEST Battery Trimmer!
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently moved from an apartment into buying a house. With a house (usually) comes yard care. I needed everything--lawn mower, trimmer, garden hose, rake--you name it!Gas trimmers were not considered. Friends' and co-workers' experience indicated they were loud, hard to start after a few years, and belch a continuous stream of blue smoke. Plus, I didn't want to deal with the mixing of gas and oil, and filling that wee little tank. Corded electric trimmers are fine, but my yard is big. It would take considerable time to handle the lengths of extension cord required.
So, I started to look closer at the battery powered trimmers available. I checked out the Black and Decker CST1000 and CST2000 (the "Grass Hog" models). The CST1000 was too light-duty, and the CST2000 had a gear drive I thought was doomed to fail after a few years of grass clippings and dust. Plus, neither model had a way to feed line manually in case of jams within the spool. The Toro 24 volt (model 51465) trimmer looked promising, but the safety switch was awkward and required too much constant effort. I didn't consider the 12 volt Toro because of the small 7" cut.
I had never heard of American Gardener before, but several selling points caught my eye. I liked the idea of 24 volts for power and run-time. And with a ball-bearing motor, I am hoping the trimmer lasts several seasons (Both Black and Decker and Toro DID NOT have double ball-bearing motors).
I had the "Yardstick" for a month and think it is well worth the money. The run-time is excellent. I swear I've had mine running for an hour almost continuously munching grass and weeds! The power is also excellent, and the motor is quiet and very smooth. The weight balance is good, and the safety switch is easy to operate for long periods of time. The housing is made of a thick rubbery plastic that looks like it would take the occasional "whoops!"
It is, in my opinion, superior to the other battery trimmers out there. Overall, a well engineered and made trimmer. The only "cons" I can think of is: It takes a long time to recharge (they all do). Figure about a day and a half after heavy use. And with 24 volts worth of batteries, it is no lightweight. But, I have had no trouble carrying for all the trimming I need to do (about an hour).
Kudos American Gardener!! HIGHLY recommended.