American Gardener YS24 YardStick 10-Inch 24-Volt Cordless String Trimmer
by American Gardener
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List Price: Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of American Gardener YS24 YardStick 10-Inch 24-Volt Cordless String Trimmer
Customer Review: Only For the Lightest of Light Jobs
Summary: 3 Stars
Like many people, I was tired of the strenuous task of getting my gas powered trimmer to start and having to mix gas and oil. In addition, it had a split line spool that was very, very difficult to wind correctly without tangling. I was hoping this yardstick would be the ultimate solution that would solve my problems since I had a relatively small lot. My hopes were dashed and by the third time I used it I was back in the market for a new gas trimmer.
It's not to say that this trimmer doesn't do what it says it does. However, if you've ever used a gas trimmer, getting used to the lack of power was very frustrating. On top of the fact that it's about half as powerful as a typical gas trimmer, it only had a single line. That's a double hit that caused what was a 15 minute trimming job to take 25 aggravating minutes.
The trimmer has difficulty trimming thick St. Augustine grass. Trying to dig out sprinklers? - forget about it. The line that came with the trimmer actually melted and stuck together causing on the order of six or seven stoppages each time I used it. I did get some thicker, heavier duty line at Lowe's and that solved the melting problem and actually helped on the wear of the line. I would definitely recommend doing that. The unit siezed up on me in the brutal summer heat here in Florida the second time I used it, however I came back in a half hour and it was fine. This trimmer is very compact and puts more pressure on your forearms instead of your back like the longer gas trimmers. My forearms (and I have strong ones) were very fatigued after using it each time.
I have to admit, there was no better feeling than just picking up the trimmer and pressing a button and you're off... but it's just not worth it. The battery life was fine for me as I never had an issue with that. The yardstick is for thin bladed grass and the lightest of light duty jobs. If you are looking for a magical solution for your gas trimmer, this is not it. I just bought a Craftsman 4-Cycle trimmer to replace it that is awesome and I hope to sell the yardstick at a garage sale for $20 or so.
Customer Review: End Your Research... The YardStick is #1
Summary: 5 Stars
Ease-of-Use and Versatility! That's why you should buy the 24-Volt YardStick Cordless Edger. I did. Think about it, why do you avoid trimming your lawn each and every week? The trimming and edging really doesn't take that long. In my case, the reason I only trimmed about once every three-weeks was, (1) I needed to uncoil one 100 ft. extension cord for the front yard, (2) secure and tie the cord at the source and around the trimmer's handle (to avoid the "Houston, we've got a problem" power outage), (3) avoid the cord itself, (4) work a strategy for getting the cord around trees and flower beds, (5) trim the yard, (6) then rewind and store the cord... only to repeat the process for the backyard! All the real work was in the prep and storage time. What needless pain.So, I did the research, and my wife got me the YardStick for Father's Day. I looked at other cordless trimmer/edgers, but the recommendations on Amazon for the YardStick, countered by user cautions/comments about other battery (awkward position of start/power switch) and gas edgers (noise/hassle), helped me take the plunge and try American Gardener. A look at American Gardener's web page will help anyone understand that "trimming is their thing."
I knew I'd received a quality product right out of the box. The YardStick, although not a lightweight, was balanced, comfortable to hold, easy to maneuver while being rugged with an elegant/practical design. I'm a tall person, so the "turn style-like" handle adjustments and easy conversion to edger-mode were important. The test drive was a blast. I was amazed at the "quiet" torque created by the 24-volt powerhouse. Cordless has come a long way. This is also the only dual ball-bearing motor I could find, and it hums. The precision of the edging feature was a welcomed surprise.
The chore that used to waste a good 35 minutes, now only took about 12- front AND back! Then, I just placed the YardStick in the charger for next week. Cool.
Customer Review: First-class product - but read the instructions - and dump the line!
Summary: 5 Stars
Last year I retired my gas trimmer (too many expensive tune-ups, noisy, polluting, keeping 2T fuel a nuisance ) and bought the YardStick. It does an excellent job on my small lawn, and I have even used it for clearing long grass on a steep bank that I am attempting to reclaim (it worked, but was struggling somewhat). Contrary to other reviewers, I don't find it heavy or badly balanced, and it has two huge advantages. The first is the quick head rotation, switching from edging to trimming instantly. The second is the guide wheel, just above the spool, which allows me to maintain sharp edges without "wandering" into the lawn proper. But two cautions. The first is that it is fully mounted into the charging bracket when it is off-vertical! If you put it on vertically, see a green light and think you're alright, you'll be disappointed. Make sure it's slightly tilted and showing a red light, and you'll get a long running time per charge. The second is that it is definitely not an edging tool. Form your edges with a proper cutting tool, and then use the YardStick to maintain them, or you'll be frustrated by the slow progress and will use line by the mile (I pull out the line manually fairly frequently, and so avoid the nuisance of rethreading after a break). I strongly recommend this trimmer, without hesitation.
2010 updates: First: many reviewers complain about short battery life. See my comment above about the counter-intuitive way of plugging it in for recharging. Second: I have just bought my second Yardstick (batteries died on the first one, after a lot of hard use). The line broke every few feet of edging. Remedy: throw away the line that comes with the machine, and replace with 0.080" commercial grade shaped line (standard bulk supply from Home Depot). Today I completed my edging with no breaks, compared to 10 with the line supplied.
Customer Review: Works well, replaced gas trimmer
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using this about 6 weeks, it has worked well, and does a good job trimming thick Bermuda grass on a typical-size suburban lot. It does the job of a dirty finicky 2-cycle gas trimmer I had previously. Compared to the gas trimmer, this has a little less power and only one string (vs two), so its just a bit slower, but at the same time it seems to do a neater job as I feel I have more control.
I read other reviews from people that had trouble with the battery longevity. I have yet to measure that for myself but these sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries should work better and last longer than ni-cads, though one needs to follow instructions on keeping them charged and stored properly. Also it will harm the longevity of any battery to run it down to less than 20% charge. Absorbed glass mat (AGM) technology for SLA batteries (not used in supplied batteries) should do better with storage and be less sensitive to deep draining. When the time comes to replace the original batteries I hope to find some AGM SLA batteries in this form size from a 3rd party supplier, if not from the manufacturer.
UPDATE: The batteries lasted about 3 years for me. Their demise may have been hastened by the fact that we were reorganizing our garage over the winter and I left it unplugged while all that was going on and it took longer than we planned (several months). I easily found replacement batteries available from other suppliers. I got Powersonic 12V 3.4AmpHr AGM batteries that fit perfectly (two at $20 each) and the trimmer has worked like a charm all summer. I get plenty of power to do all the trimming of my city sized lot. People who are getting poor operating times or battery lifetimes may have gotten a unit that was "on the shelf" for a long time. The Lead-Acid batteries have a limited shelf life, particularly if they are not kept charged.
Customer Review: bad product - bad company
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Yardstick YS24 line trimmer to get away from the messy 2-stroke gas line trimmer that I was using. It didn't cut as well as the gas trimmer and did not last long enough on one charge to do all of my trimming but not having to mess with the gas and oil and fumes was great. Not lasting long enough was okay because the trimmer is somewhat heavy and after using it until the battery ran out I was ready for a break.
The problem is that the YS24 cheaply constructed and poorly designed. It is not balanced well at all and many of the components are made from hard thin plastic that will crack or break easily. While my wife was using it the tabs on the cup that hold the line spool in place broke, the trimmer became useless. I called Original Power, the manufacturer, and was told to call another company to order the part even though it should still be under warranty. The other company said that do not handle warranty claims only sell the parts. I called back to Original Power and spoke to Kris again and she informed me that the part I needed only carried a 6 month warranty. The warranty information in the manual says it has a two year warranty and only excludes the spool, shroud and batteries. This piece is poorly made and poorly designed and I have chosen not to give original power another $20 of my money to fix it as I can see this part will fail over and over again.
I'm very disappointed as this trimmer could be a perfect gas trimmer replacement for those looking to be greener in their lawn care. I was also considering buying a second YS24 since one would not last long enough to do all my trimming in one day.
I would not recommend buying this trimmer as is it poorly made/designed and the company does not stand behind their product or honor their warranty.