Father's Day Review: Black & Decker Grasshog Trimmer

The good people at Black & Decker want you to know about their Grasshog Trimmer & Edger. This is a review, not a giveaway.

They sent me this cordless trimmer and edger for review, just in time for you to run out and buy it for Father's Day. :)  And, they are sponsoring a Get It Done contest for which you can upload photos of your unfinished project in order to Cordless & Smart Technology tools. Yay!

I unwrapped the cordless edger and trimmer and handed it to Beloved, who was skeptical. He's burned out at least one cordless trimmer in his time, and he wasn't yet confident in Black & Decker's yard tools.

It turns out that he was wrong.

Beloved:

"Immediately out of the box, I was impressed that it didn't come in 127 pieces.  All told, the main shaft, the guard (2 pieces) and the handle took about 5 minutes to put together.  Right away I put one in the "Bonus" column for noticing the trimmer came with not one, but TWO rechargeable batteries.  Which is a must for big projects.  Experience told me that it would be too easy for this to come ready for battle and I was right.  A quick 2 minute glance at the manual said the initial charge of the battery would take 9 hours (6-9 hours for subsequent recharges).   So out of the box, the only way you are doing work with this trimmer the same day is if you pick it up from the store at sunrise.  Otherwise, you are once again putting it off until tomorrow.  Since there was a bonus battery, I find this minor annoyance a push.  

Day two I was able to get to work right away.  The first thing I did was a one around every spot in my lot that had trimming needs.  Along flower bed edging, base of tree trunks, under bushes, along a fence line and even just some spot in the yard where my wife got out of control with the mower.  This trimmer is quiet compared to other corded trimmers (I have one) and especially gas ones.  The trimmer does not need to be slammed on the ground to let out more line.  The automatic line feed adds a nice feature, especially since a previously owned trimmer met its demise from repeated smashing.  This trimmer also felt light.  I'm not sure if it was because I wasn't constantly adjusting the electrical cord or what, but by the end of the review, I still had fresh forearms.  After a good 10-15 minutes of solid trimming, the unit still had plenty of juice so I then went on to the real test - edging. 

A quick twist and lock of bottom of the shaft sets the trimmer up for edging.  Another nice touch is the flip out metal guide to run along the edge of the cement to get a nice straight edge line.  I did a 400 foot side walk on both sides and a 25 foot driveway the same way.  Not until the last 3 feet of the driveway did I notice the trimmer start to lose power.  Realizing that I did not let off the trigger much the entire time and going over some parts a couple of times, I expected this would probably be as much as I would get out it.  Selfishly, that is all I really wanted - to not have to put off the rest of the work until the battery is done recharging.  However, having that bonus battery would have given another 20-25 minutes of trimming time.  Once again, I have to give it to B&D for putting that extra battery in there.

All said, this trimmer impressed me.  Somewhat quiet, no smashing to let our line, a nice wide guard to keep you clean and a light, comfortable machine to carry around.  Before the review, I had told my wife that Black & Decker has always made good easy-to-use gadgets for doing light work around the house.  They have nearly perfected small rechargeable tools for quick and easy project use (screwdrivers, cutters, etc.)  I did not expect this thing to give me the edging look like you see in the pictures on the box - BUT IT DID!  Like all "weed wackers" that are tipped upside down, you will not be able to get through overgrowth of dirt that has intercepted your sidewalk, but if you can clean that up along the edges of your sidewalks, patios and driveways during spring cleanup, this trimmer will make maintaining that look all summer a breeze.  Not having to string two 100 ft extension cords behind you to get caught on posts and trees when you are trying to keep your yard looking clean makes this trimmer and good piece of equipment to keep in your garage.  The only thing better would be a nuclear-powered battery system (two batteries, of course) that could trim out those pesky feeder trees in the bushes.  Don't throw away the axe just yet.  Consider me impressed, B&D."

Well, there you have it, from the father. Check it out for Father's Day.