Customer Reviews

Black & Decker 12-Inch 12-Volt Cordless Electric String Trimmer and Edger CST2000

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

This trimmer is an excellent choice for the average homeowner. I have had mine for about 6 months. It's the perfect combo of power, ease of use, and weight. It is a little heavier than a corded electric because of the battery, but it is much lighter than a gas powered. The auto feed spool makes it very easy to use even though you will use more line that you would with a bump feed model. For me, it's well worth the wasted line not to have to worry about "pulling" more line. I haven't had any mechanical problems at all, and the spool was easy to change. Buy a 3 pack spool replacement package when you buy it. The most persuasive agrument I can give you is that my wife loves using it, and she is really, really picky. If you are weed wacking a 3 acre farm or weeds that 2 feet tall, this is not the choice for you, but I have found that I trim much more often becuase it is soo easy to start using and put away. Consequently, the weeds never get a chance to get very tall.

I have owned my Grass Hog for over a year now...and still love it. It offers the best features of gas-powered and electric trimmers. First, no gas to buy, no oil to mix, no plugs to foul, no noise and vibration and no trying to get the engine started plus no need to fuss with dragging an electric cord around. The battery sits where a gas-powered engine would normally reside -- this balances the trimmer making it easier to use than traditional corded models. The auto-feed system works great and the string is easy to replace. The rotating head makes edging easy.

I have a 3/4 acre corner lot with a fence, a sidewalk around two sides and a great deal of stone edging around trees. I can easily trim the entire yard on one charge. When I hang up the trimmer, it recharges and remains charged until needed again...very cool.

There are a few places where this trimmer may not be well-suited. It does not have the power of high-end gas models. This limits its usefulness in heavy weeds and underbrush. It has plenty of power for the average suburban yard but trimming hay from around horse-farm fences would be about its upper limit. It also would not work for a lawn-care service as it has to recharge for several hours once the battery drains.

For the average suburban lawn, this is the way to go. Mine has never failed to please!

I love this string trimmer! And after having tried a time or two to use a "bump-feed" trimmer, I never thought I'd have anything good to say about a string trimmer.

I've got about 900 feet of curbing to edge. And no, the first time I edged with this cordless model I didn't get quite done before it ran out of juice. But it only left me about 30 feet shy of getting the job done, and I'd been cutting through stuff that hadn't been edged in weeks, so I thought that was still a pretty good performance.

After that first time though, the trimmer makes it completely through the edging on a single charge with no problem. I do recharge it overnight after edging so I can do the trimming around the trees on day 2. But I typically spread the yard work over a couple of days anyway (evening: edge/mow/sweep; following morning: trimming and general tree/shrub work) so that's no problem for me.

I haven't found the weight of the machine to be much of an issue. Doesn't seem to bother me when edging at all. I notice it some toward the end of the trimming around trees/beds, but it's not bad. And I'm a middle aged woman who doesn't exercise. If I can handle this machine, you can too!

This machine is SUCH an improvement over the gas edger I'd been using--quiet, quick and easy start up, good performance--and is light years ahead of bump-feed trimmers in terms of ease of use. At least for me. I love it!

I was skeptical after wondering if this item was slightly heavy. It might be to some, but it's only 10.1 pounds. I also had a concern that the battery might not last long enough or provide enough power. Far from it. I would recommend this to anyone who wants convience with a normal home lot. Black and Decker has come thru again. The edger works great and cutting thick weeds is a breeze.

The quality of the construction of this trimmer is very good. Black and Decker has a good reputation, but for (price), I think they need to go back to the drawing board with this one. The two issues I have are weight and power. 13 lbs may not seem like much, but after trimming my lawn for a few minutes, my arm nearly fell off. This thing is too heavy! Also, for a 12 volt cordless system, there is not enough power to trim efficiently. I frequently found myself going back and doing the same area due to the slow rotation of the trim line. I've had the Weed Eater for years and I'll think I'll get a new one of those. The B&D is going back.

Black and Decker has really done it with this cordless trimmer. I can't count how many people who were staring at me wondering what I was doing while I trimmed my yard with a edger that was quiet and needed no electric cord. I know the first thing you are thinking is that there cannot be enough juice to do the job but there is. However, this unit is a great trimmer but horrible edger unless you really don't mind how your lawn looks as long as its cut. You cannot get that great looking trench look with this trimmer/edger like you can with a solid electric or gas edger. But when it comes to eatin up weeds it will do the trick. I found it works very well with yards that are kept up and not neglected. If you are one of those people who lets their yard go and looking like a rainforest before cutting it down, then you will get very frustrated with this trimmer. Rainforest yard keepers, you are better off with a gas trimmer. One tip that I have found is to take bursts of power on the trimmer instead of holding the trigger down for long periods of time. Excessive trigger holds will heat up the battery and decrease your charge quicker. All-in-all this is a very nice trimmer that will attack just about any yard. But if you desire that well trimmed, trenched cut edge for your yard then you are better off going with a solid edger.

The yearly ritual around our house for the backyard garden is to trim and weed out the overgrowth that magically appears every springtime. We have had gardeners do the job, but this was not looking looking too good since it was costing quite a bit when we totalled the yearly maintainance fees. I wanted a weeder/trimmer that was non-gasoline powered and cordless too. I saw the B&D Grass Hog and bought one, in hopes that this would save us some money. The set-up of the unit is easy. A few screws, charge up the battery, (it will take overnight) and you are good to go. The first thing that you will notice is that it is pretty heavy for a trimmer/weed whacker. This is due to the heavy lead-acid battery that is perched at the top of the unit. The second thing that is noticed is it's power. I was able to whack and trim the heaviest grasses and weeds. The big problem is the extremely short usage time per charge. I was only able to use the Grass Hog continuously for only about 12 to 15 minutes before it ran down and stopped working. This is not acceptable. In fact, it is a down right failure for usefulness as far as a garden tool. I cannot perceive why Black and Decker would even market and sell this item because the effective run time is so low. I am returning this unit. In the meanwhile, I have discovered that other cordless trimmers last up to 40 minutes for about the same price as the Black and Decker. If this was a final exam for the cordless Grass Hog, it would receive a grade of D.

I have used the Black & Decker trimmer for the past month (the grass is just starting to grow here) and have been really impressed with the cutting and quiet performance of the tool. I was looking for an alternative to regular electric trimmers with out the hassle of dragging out the extension cord each time and this one delivers. Its also quiet, and there is no maintenance. I also think it looks cool, my neighbors have all asked me about it. I recommend it highly.

I found the trimmer good for my small lot and average trimming. At the beginning of the fourth summer, I have the same problem others have had - the battery doesn't hold much of a charge. Had a hard time finding a replacement battery but have ordered one from DeWalt at http://www.dewaltservicenet.com. You have to enter the model number (CST2000) and order the battery that way. As of this writing, they have batteries in stock for $30 including S&H. Hope this helps someone.

The first year I had this trimmer it worked great on my 80x120 foot lot. The second year it started to lose all it's power by the fourth or fifth trimming. After "playing" with the local B&D service center I took matters into my own hands. I discovered after taking the battery pack apart that the sealed lead acid (SLA) battery was made by Panasonic. I found a source for the battery on the web and ordered a replacement. It worked great until the following year. I then realized it was the cheap charger that B&D furnishes that was causing the problem. I ordered a [price] automatic charger from my internet battery source.
No more battery or charging problems! I'm back to enjoying using the trimmer again.