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One of the few downsides to a lithium or any other battery operated trimmer are the charge times. While most will charge in about an hour or two, there are some models that can be charged in as little as 30 minutes. With that fast a charge time, it’s probably just as quick as running to the gas station to get gas for that antiquated gas trimmer. With all the time you are going to save by not having to pull start the darn things, you will probably end up on the plus side in terms of time wastage. Here are some excellent Trimmers that will charge really fast..

Black & Decker LST1018 12-Inch 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer/Edger with Quick Charger

Black & Decker LST1018 12-Inch 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer/Edger with Quick Charger Shop At Price Starting at $90.99 Customer Reviews

About the Black & Decker LST1018 12-Inch 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer/Edger with Quick Charger: The Black and Decker can be though of as the value option. Has pretty much all of the features the more expensive units have at a lower price. This one charges in about an hour, not quite as fast as more expensive units but still pretty quick compared to the multi hour charge times of the old NiCads.

Features:

• Lightweight 18-volt, 12-inch cordless string trimmer/edger
• Lithium-Ion battery is lighter and holds a longer charge; convenient 1-hour fast charger
• Ajustable length aluminum shaft and auxiliary handle
• Patented gear drive transmission amplifies motor torque for increased cutting power and performance
• Includes trimmer, 1 battery, and charger; weighs 6 pounds; 2-year warranty

Sun Joe TRJ600C Trimmer Joe 20-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer/Edger with One Battery and Quick Charger

Sun Joe TRJ600C Trimmer Joe 20-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer/Edger with One Battery and Quick Charger Shop At Price Starting at $85.00 Customer Reviews

About the Sun Joe TRJ600C Trimmer Joe 20-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless String Trimmer/Edger with One Battery and Quick Charger: The Sun Joe is another excellently priced value option. This one charges in about an hour so about the same speed as the Black and Decker above. Like the Black and Decker, the battery is compatible with other Sun Joe tools so that’s a real plus right there. It’s also the only 20v option on the list so if you need the extra juice, this is the one to get.

Features:

• The Sun Joe Trimmer Joe uses a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery and requires no power cord while operating
• Telescopic shaft is adjustable
• Incorporated safety features include steel guard and safety switch
• Starts instantly and provides effective, uninterrupted cutting
• 9-4/5-inch cutting swath is ideal for big jobs

WORX GT WG151.5 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger With Quick Charger

WORX GT WG151.5 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger With Quick Charger Shop At Price Starting at $127.99 Customer Reviews

About the WORX GT WG151.5 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger With Quick Charger: This one always makes these lists because it’s got all the good stuff. At about 30 minutes of charging time, it’s one of the fastest. Another nice thing about it is the fact that it’s one of the lightest too.

Features:

• In-line edging: Convert the GT trimmer into a walk-behind edger and vice-versa in a matter of seconds.
• Protection included: An adjustable spacer guard protects plants, flowers and garden furniture from damage while trimming.
• 90-degree tilting shaft orients the cutting head for sloped and hard-to-reach areas.
• 100% automatic single-line feed for best cutting performance.
• Lithium-ion battery technology: long life, no self discharge, light weight and no memory effect.

That good ol’ line feed is one of the biggest pains when dealing with trimmers. Wind as you might, sometimes it seems like you can never get it right. It works for 5 minutes, then it jams so you turn it off, rewind it again, start it and the whole thing repeats itself again. In short, a total waste of time! But fear not, changes in technology have brought us the bumpless auto feed. On cordless battery trimmers, it usually works by simply releasing the “Go” button and pressing it again. As it starts, the line feeds out just a bit. Really works great! These usually work by installing prewound spools that typically use a single line. Worry not if you are a veteran winder because you can simply wind your own on spent spools thus saving money. For the rest of us, we simply by a new prewound spool and off we go again. Can it get any simpler? Here are some excellent Lithium battery cordless trimmers with auto Line Feeds.

Best Value: The Black and Decker GrassHog LST220 offers an excellent value. For around 100 bucks, you get a 20V lithium power tool with auto line feed. Another cool feature is the ability to use the battery on other Black and Decker 20v lithium products. A real plus because Black and Decker has a lithium tool for replacing just about all annoying gas powered tools. View Best Priced LST220 at AMazon.com

WORX GT WG151.5 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger With Quick Charger

WORX GT WG151.5 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger With Quick Charger Shop At Price Starting at $127.99 Customer Reviews

About the WORX GT WG151.5 18-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger With Quick Charger: This is a great unit that has tons of features. Weighing in at only 6 lbs, this is one of the lighter units you can get. The quick 1/2 hr super fast charger cuts down on waiting between charges so this is a unit that can work for people with larger yards. As advertised, it uses 100% auto line feed so no need to bump it!

Features:

• In-line edging: Convert the GT trimmer into a walk-behind edger and vice-versa in a matter of seconds.
• Protection included: An adjustable spacer guard protects plants, flowers and garden furniture from damage while trimming.
• 90-degree tilting shaft orients the cutting head for sloped and hard-to-reach areas.
• 100% automatic single-line feed for best cutting performance.
• Lithium-ion battery technology: long life, no self discharge, light weight and no memory effect.

Black & Decker LST220 12-Inch 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless GrassHog Trimmer/Edger

Black & Decker LST220 12-Inch 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless GrassHog Trimmer/Edger Shop At Price Starting at $99.99 Customer Reviews

About the Black & Decker LST220 12-Inch 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless GrassHog Trimmer/Edger:The Black and Decker LST220 represents an excellent value. Of course its got the auto line feeder as you would expect from this list. In addition, it has more than enough power with it’s 20 volt battery. Another plus is the ability to use the same battery on other Black and decker 20v xyzHog equipment. Very handy if you’ve had it with all gas tools in general.

Features:

• Cordless trimmer/edger delivers 7,500 rpm and a wide, 12-inch cutting swath for effective trimming
• Powered by 20-volt Max lithium-ion battery, with longer lifespan and charge retention than NiCad batteries (includes 2 batteries)
• Unique spool system uses centrifugal force to automatically feed out more line when you need it
• Easily converts from a trimmer to an edger; instantly starts everytime with the pull of a trigger
• 2-year limited warranty; includes Energy Star-qualified charger
  • 20 Volt Lithium Ion Trimmer/Edger
  • 6.0 amp hour Battery and Charger Included
  • Easy conversion to edger
  • 12-inch cutting swath
  • 4 Year Parts & Labor Warranty, 1 Year Warranty On Battery

Greenworks 21602 20-Volt Lithium Ion 12-Inch Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger with 6 Amp/Hour Extended Run-Time Lithium Ion Battery & Charger

Greenworks 21602 20-Volt Lithium Ion 12-Inch Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger with 6 Amp/Hour Extended Run-Time Lithium Ion Battery & Charger Shop At Price Starting at $150 Customer Reviews

About the Greenworks 21602 20-Volt Lithium Ion 12-Inch Cordless Electric String Trimmer/Edger with 6 Amp/Hour Extended Run-Time Lithium Ion Battery & Charger:The Greenworks unit is one of the more advanced units on the market. Unit provides one of the longer run times of any unit. It’s also lightweight and has the auto line feed we’re all looking for.

Features:

The Ryobi P2002 is one of the few, if not one of the only  lithium trimmers available from the big box stores such as Home Depot and Lowes. This is a nice trimmer for home owners with smaller properties or those who don’t require heavy trimming.   Features include auto line feed, easy start motor  and horizontally swivel head. That being said, it does have some drawbacks compared to some of the higher end 18 volt lithiums available online.

View other 18V Lithium Trimmers

Operation

Like most lithium trimmers, the Ryobi is quite easy to operate. Simply press the safety button and squeeze the trigger.  Though it is much easier to start than those painful pull start trimmers, the safety button is in a bit of an odd position for righties and must be pressed with your pointing finger instead of your thumb. This gets a bit fatiguing on your finger when you start/stop a few times which is required for line feeding.  It would have been nice to have the button on the thumb side (for right handers). Lefties will not have a problem with this.

One of the nicest things about this trimmer is the no bump head. Simply start/stop the trimmer and the line automatically feeds. What’s great about this mechanism is that the spools are prewound so replacing the string is extremely easy. No more of that awful winding which never quite turns out and constantly jams your line feed on traditional trimmers. That being said, it does add to the operating costs as each spool is about $4 and are sold in packs of 3 for around $12-$13.  Of course you can also wind your used spools with new string if you prefer.

Handling the trimmer is pretty easy as it is lighter than your typical gas trimmer.  Having said that, this trimmer is still relatively heavy when compared to other 18v trimmers that weigh considerably less.  The telescoping pole is quite nice and easily adjusted by twisting 2 screw adjusters on the pole. Very nice feature for those of us who are vertically challenged.  The last feature of note is the  vertically swiveling head. A nice thought but not very functional as the range is quite so it does not offer much by way of functionality.

Operational wise, the Ryobi is not bad though it does leave a few things to be desired, primarily the safety button, weight and the useless swiveling head. The Safety button will prove to be very annoying to right handers. The weight might prove to be an issue for those looking for something that is light weight especially when trimmers like  Worx GT only weight in at 6 lbs yet only cost about $30 more.

Power

The P2002 has plenty of power for the average home owner.  Goes through regular grass quite easily as you would expect. However, if you have heavy weeds or Johnson Grass issues, the Ryobi will have a bit of an issue. It will go though them but battery life will suffer.  You may want to consider a 20V trimmer if heavy weeds, over grown areas,  or Johnson Grass are issues on your property.

Battery and Charging

Battery life on the P2002 is pretty good provided you keep to light duty.  About 45 minutes is the limit on a full charge when doing light or average weed eating. If you have really heavy weeds or over grown areas, run time may be as little as 15 minutes or less as it has to work extra hard on getting through the heavier stuff.

Like most lithium powered devices, charging is relatively quick when compared to older NiCd technology. This one comes with a very nice charging station that will charge the standard battery in about 1 hr.

One of the highlights of the P2002 is the One+ feature that allows you to use the battery on other Ryobi One+ products.  So if you have other One+ tools, then you may want to consider the P2002.

Conclusion

The P2002 is a a decent performer. There are a few things that could be better like the weight and safety button but all in all most will find this an adequate trimmer. Having said that, unless you are in a pinch for a replacement and need a new trimmer ASAP from the store, I would recommend passing on this one and going for one of the the higher end models available online  such as the Worx GT which  is a far superior and lighter unit yet only costs an extra $30.