Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Over the years I've used many Black & Decker products. Everything from power tools to lawn care equipment, most are as advertised and effectively do the job just as good as the higher priced competition. I haven't used a gas powered tool in over 12 years now. I've also gone the electric route as well. My eleven year old 18 volt B&D trimmer has more then proved itself and finally was put out to pasture. I'm still surprised that I got that much running time from the two 18 volt batteries that came with the unit. For quick and easy trimming, its been a capable tool. That said, I picked up the Black & Decker LST220 Grasshog Trimmer at my local hardware store last weekend.

After a quick inventory, I scanned over the brief instructions. Its pretty much cut and dry as to what's in the box. There's the trimmer, instructions, two batteries, cord, and a charger. The company also tags on a two year limited warranty. The instructions on Black & Decker tools are still amusing to say the least. It doesn't take a degree in rocket science to put a piece of their gear together. Knowing what I know about battery powered lawn tools, I knew I would need both batteries to complete the tasks in my large front and back yards. So I charged both of the 20 volt batteries for about 8 hours each.

Now the test. First off, the B&D LST220 Trimmer has a nice light feel to it. Like my older trimmer, the handle has a good ergonomic feel to it. It easily moves up and down and rotates a full 360 degrees. Adjustment is easy. It didn't take me long to find out about the line's new auto feed system. Its much nicer then the old bump and feed system. On average I found myself using about four of the 30' line spools a year. Only time will tell if that number drops with this new system.

The trimmer does seem faster. I don't doubt the advertised 7500 rpm a bit. The 12" trim path has not changed from my older model. The trigger configuration hasn't changed either. Its still has a nice feel. Trimming wise, this model operates smoothly without any hiccups. It does a great job of getting under bushes and around the fence line. Just like my older unit, I was not surprised that I had to utilize both batteries to get the front yard trimming done. I noticed a drop off in power at about 15 minutes. Good thing B&D includes two batteries. One battery doesn't come anywhere near getting the job done.

The metal guard for edging has stayed much the same design as the original model. Like my older B&D trimmers, the LST220 Trimmer is not capable of doing a great job of edging because of the steady drain on battery power. Even with two 20 volt batteries, its just not enough juice. I always have to break out my electric powered edger or hand tools to complete the task. Why Black & Decker even promotes its lineup of battery powered trimmers as edgers is a mystery to me.

Even though I am user of many Black & Decker products, I find the company's website limited on up to date product information. Product registration is available via the site. It seems that it took them ages to post a toll free number. Now depending on the product, there is a toll free number posted for each line. When I did contact customer service for other tools that I've owned, I've always received outstanding service. Signing up for the company newsletter via email is nothing more then receiving an occasion survey on products.

Even with its battery limitations, the Black & Decker LST220 Cordless Grass Hog Trimmer is a useful working tool in clearing out ground not accessible by a mower. When it comes to edging that's a different story. Personally I don't think there is any battery powered tool out there that certifies as a true edging tool. I know I've not seen or used one. Still, this Black & Decker tool covers the bases as a good gas free trimmer.

This is my first cordless electric trimmer. Despite of mediocre reviews at consumer reports I decided to try this one, after yet another half hour on my knees in the garage trying to start my diva-esque 3-year-old 2-cycle gas engine trimmer..
Shipping was slow, packing the worst I've ever seen from Amazon! But it worked, and it was fairly easy to put the parts together. I used it twice now, so here is my impression:
Sleek looks, length is adjustable (but barely enough for me, and I am only 6ft tall), charging really takes 8 hours for each battery (!), and the trimmer runs between 10 and 12 minutes with a fully charged battery - less if you are edging stubborn St Augustine grass.
It is louder than I expected, but still much better than a gas engine trimmer.
Trimming:
The line is a little thinner (.65) compared to my Ryobi gas trimmer (.80), the diameter of the cutting area is a lot smaller and it uses only one line instead of two, so it takes a little longer to trim the same area. But it still works fine on a regular size suburban lot like mine. I did not find anything that this trimmer would not 'mowe down', so this is a success! It takes a little more time, but the lower weight, noise and aggravation level are making up for it. No more mixing gas and oil and fiddling with starters..
Edging:
The Black&Decker is too weak, at least for edging the stubborn crawling shoots of our Floridian St Augustine grass. It still works, but I have to carry a manual pruning cutter with me and walk the edged line again to cut the remaining grass by hand.. I am not sure if the line is too soft or too thin or whether it is just the lack of power or rotation speed, all I can say is it cannot compare to a good gas powered edger.
The batteries are gone fast too, when you are edging. That's a disappoinment. Since this unit is very light weight and the batteries are small, it makes you wonder why they didn't double the battery size/capacity? It would still be very small and light weight..
All in all a really nice tool for a suburban lot, and good enough if you are willing to add some manual work here and there..
I consider trying the cordless lithium-ion leaf blower, but since that one comes only with one battery, I am worried it may work only a few minutes - waiting for your reviews!

I bought this product from my local "bigbox" store a month ago so thought I would drop a review here anyway. The LST220 came with two 20volt lithium ion batteries, a charger, and a leaf blower. I am not the least big mechanically inclined, but I put this wonder together in a few minutes. Batteries each take a full 8 hours to charge, which is a drawback for me, since they only gave me 20 minutes of weeding on each battery, and take 8 hours to charge each one. This unit's height can be adjusted with the quick easy turn of a collar, and the (.065) line is automatic--so no more bump & feed! It is so lightweight and easy to use, and I really do love the fact that I don't have to mess with pulling that nasty string a dozen times on a smelly gas-powered trimmer any more. With this model, all you do is push a button! The only cons would be that the battery lasts me 20 minutes of run time, so I get to do about 35-40 minutes total weed whacking using two batteries. Quite honestly, I can't stand doing much more than that anyway, but I called B&D to verify this, and was told that 20 minutes' run time is the best that I can expect to get for each battery. When I asked B&D why they don't make one with a longer battery life (an hour per battery would be good) I was told that it would make the unit much too heavy (huh??). An electric (corded) weed trimmer is not an option for me since I would have to have an 800ft. cord. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because of the short battery use; a quicker charge time would be a plus. Otherwise, I really enjoy using it, so much so that I think I'm addicted. Haven't had to change the spool yet, but will update this when I do.

UPDATE: By the time I had used this 12-14 times, I was only getting 7-10 minutes' run time from each battery. With 16+ hours charge time, it would take me 3-4 days to complete one small area. It's a shame really, as everything else about this machine is great. B&D told me not to expect more than 7 minutes of use from each battery. I ended up returning this weed whacker, and still looking for a good cordless. For those of you who claim to get 35+ minutes' continuous run time from each battery, I'd like to know how.

Awesome! I had the same basic trimmer only with ni-cad batteries instead of lithium-ion and felt it was ok but too heavy and battery life was too short. The lithium-ion is FAR superior. Light weight, lots of power, and got as much trimming done with one battery as I used to get with two ni-cad batteries. Yes, the recharge time is 8 hours per battery but I don't use it every day so have plenty of time to get the batteries charged between uses and lith-ion batteries hold their charge, unlike ni-cads which begin to slowly discharge as soon as you remove them from the charger whether they are used or not. I always got a backache from bending over awkwardly to use the old trimmer, this one is light enough that, if I keep the handle short, I can use it one-handed and can stand strighter. If you have LOTS of trimming to do you might want to get a quick charger or extra batteries but I was able to trim around 10 large trees, 2 garages, the house (30' X 40'), a swing set, and 200 feet of fencing using two batteries and could have done more if I'd needed to. You DO need to be aware that unlike ni-cads which lose their charge noticeably as they are used, lith-ion batteries keep their power quite steady right up to the point that they are completely discharged and they just quit abruptly.

Pros:

** Weeds eat great.
** Get 30 minutes of constant power from two lithium batteries
** Light-weight and easy to handle
** Great price considering the two lithium batteries

Non Pros:
** Takes several hours to fully charge the batteries. So if 30 minutes isn't enough cut time for you before recharging, then you may wish to purchase additional batteries.

I'm a skeptic about everything I buy. Search everything prior to buying. After much research I chose this 20 volt trimmer. I own .46 acres with a fenced yard and I am able to finish all the trimming with one battery. It's almost perfect for this acreage because the battery usually dies right at the end of trimming. Approximately 15-20 min of continuous run time.
Hope this helps.

What's appealing:
1. Two batteries, which give extended work time, and one can expand the arsenal of B&D tools that use the same type of batteries;
2. Lithium technology, batteries are supposed to last longer and hold charge better than traditional NiCd batteries, although a couple prior reviews have indicated that this may not be necessarily true. And think about your laptop batteries, overtime they will gradually lose capacity too, so don't hold too much expectation when this tool grows old with you;
3. Quiet, no gas smell. While working, it just produces slightly high-pitched humming sound.

What's not
1. Battery life, even with two batteries, total work time can be only around 30 minutes. So if you want to work through a big yard, it can be a bit annoying, unless you plan to buy additional cordless tools that supply additional batteries. So I would not recommended this for use in big yard or heavy workload.
2. Trimmer works fine, but edger is so-so. I have tried it on my drive way (~50 ft long), whose edge was partially covered by Bermuda grass. This thing worked for only one side before a fully-charged battery gave up. What it did to the edge didn't look very attractive either, with part of the edge cleanly cut through and part barely showing a dent (thick grass). So if you have heavy edging job, don't rely on this.
3. The automatic trim line feeder doesn't appear working properly. At times it can be shorter than the edge guide and needs to be pulled out manually, although it doesn't bother me too much yet. Will see how it behaves in the future.

Overall, I like the idea of using rechargeable Li-battery without having to worry about pulling-start a gas engine. When using it, there is no smell, no strain (light weight). I use it to cut the crabgrass that are bearing seeds too, easy job. Additional purchase of power tools will give me more batteries to use on each individual tool, so the next thing I probably need to do is to better organize my garage so that the power lines for all the chargers wouldn't tangle together (already have a Black & Decker CM1936 19-Inch 36-Volt Cordless Electric Lawn Mower With Removable Battery and a Black & Decker RB-3610 36-Volt Battery for CM1936 Lawn Mower. :)

If you throw your money in the street, at least you might have some small pleasure as people pick it up. Because there will be NO pleasure when you buy this piece of poo-poo. It will charge completely for a short period of time - perhaps one month, when you get to use it for a maximum of 20 mns. Subsequently, within a few months, it will not longer take a charger. The response from B&D? Buy a new battery. Oh yes, they cost $40. Do that and everything will work for a short period of time - this time two full months - then the same thing again. I was telling someone at work my story and they told me that the same thing happened to them, except B&D paid for their first battery.

This is not a good investment. Please buy something else.

I just received the LST-220, charged the batteries for 8 hours each, and got about 20 minutes of use TOTAL before having to recharge both batteries for another 8 hours each. I am returning this product. It works fine, but 20 minutes of use is not enough to get even minor jobs done. Terrible product in this way.

I bought this trimmer last week (although from a different website) and it's great. It's easy to assemble, and having charged the batteries overnight, I was in business in less than 10 minutes. It's powerful and it was able to clear a clump of weeds on the side of my house very easily. It was able to cut through fairly thick stems without much effort.

It converts very easily to an edger. And contrary to some of the reviews I've seen, the batteries didn't drain any faster when used as an edger. It does a great job as an edger as well. The edging guide helps create neat lines along the driveway and walkways.

The batteries take about 8 hours each to be fully charged. I was able to get about 30 minutes on one battery and I was done edging and trimming before the second one ran out. The charger has a built-in protection mechanism to prevent charging the batteries when they're hot, improving the life of these lithium ion batteries.

The trimmer is a bit heavy, but it's something I have to get used to. Overall, a great edger and trimmer.