Customer Reviews

Greenworks 21212 13-Inch 4 Amp Electric String Trimmer/Edger With Telescoping Handle

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I hate to buy products that have not been reviewed by other Amazonians, which I have come to rely on when making purchases, but I took the risk this time - and I am glad I did and I am happy to write a review.

I replaced a 15 inch Weedeater with the 13 inch Greenworks trimmer. I got about 60 uses out of the Weedeather before it ceased to function. It was too large and too heavy and bulky for my yard where I have a lot of fences and landscaping rocks to trim around. The fact that the trimmer has TWO trim lines is also very important because the string lasts longer and the two lines cut about twice as fast.

The Weedeater's string advance system never worked well - had to turn the unit over and pull out the string by hand. BUT THE GREENWORKS TRIMMER LINE ADVANCE ACTUALLY WORKS!!! Just release the ON trigger for two seconds and it advances automatically (you will hear it click). I wear the the strings down really fast trimming around rocks, so I have to click it off and on several times to get the string out to full length, but that takes about 5 seconds. I think the unit will not use (waste) as much string as the Weedeater. The 4 amp motor has sufficient power for fast trimming.

The unit was double boxed for shipping. It has an adjustable length handle, which is still a bit short for someone who is 6'4", but it works well. It was very easy to assemble - about 10 minutes. I would estimate it cut my trim time from 1.5 hours to about 45 minutes.

It would be great if Amazon also carried the refill spools of line.

I want to love this but 1st impressions are this:
I am biased coming from a gas trimmer that has attachments for blower and edger.

1) It starts right away and just keeps working till you turn it off. Power is less than my gas trimmer but worth it to just have an instant on.

2) The shaft is short. It adjusts but from super small to short. I am 6'1" and wish it extended some more. I read the other review of the taller guy who said it was fine... perhaps I will get use to it... but 1st impression.. it is short!

3) I could not figure out the auto line advancement. I ended up manually advancing it with the button on the bottom of the spool. I have read releasing the button and starting again advances the line.. but it occasionally seems to not work and I manually push the button on the bottom.

4) No extra line. I am going to go ahead and order more line right now.... not a new spool since that is $16 for a back of 3 (Greenworks 29242 3-Pack Replacement Trimmer Line Spool for 21052 and 21212). These spools are out of stock anyways! FYI: The line has to be 0.65in diameter. I will order this for $7: Weed Eater 952701594 0.065-Inch-by-200-Foot Bulk Round String Trimmer Line
FYI - The spool is 2 lines... not the single line spool for different models.

5) Edging: Rotating the unit to edge with the guard extended is odd. I need to be on the opposite side of where I normally edge. I need to be on the grass facing the curb. That is the only way to handle it to cut along the concrete edge... the guide is not designed to rest on the concrete either.. to run along... you have to drag the guard into a channel you create with the line.

6) The Cord: The balance between instant power vs freedom is a fine line. having a cord gives POWER! No batteries to deal with. A cord can limit you quickly though having fun cutting. I ended up getting a 100ft cord with a new winder: Green Leaf WW-1 Wonder Winder Hand Crank Extension Cord Winder which is $19 and is a great thing to have if you use any wired lawn equipment.

Overall... it does the job. I would love to get a battery version but hear horrible things about them not lasting long enough to do the whole yard. This is an inexpensive trimmer and is great for small yards. I have not dealt with replacing line yet, but will come back later and let you all know.

The plastic bottom does get scrapped a lot. I hope this thing lasts.

UPDATE: May 22, 2011 - Down to 3 stars.
Well... I bought some replacement string [...] and I ATTEMPTED to restring the empty spool BUT... no matter how well I wind it... when I run it the 1st time... it runs out long and wraps around the spool getting caught. I have to cut it free and restring again. I have yet to have this thing work without the original spool.

The company website says that these come with an extra spool.. which it does not. There is no way to order replacement spool that is pre-wound since it is out of stock. The worst is.. I JUST tossed the box yesterday thinking I would not run into any issues.. so I cannot return it! That sucks.

I have tried re-stringing it 4x so far and each time it gets caught. I am wasting line here. Be warned.

UPDATE June 2, 2011: Still Three stars...
I ended up getting the line manually strung.. FINALLY. (No replacement spools to speak of out there). The instructions seemed wrong so I had to disregard the instructions completely and go with the picture on the web and common sense. I miss the freedom of a gas trimmer... but having the Green Leaf WW-1 Wonder Winder and a long cord has been excellent balance of both. If I had to do it over I would get the bigger head... and longer shaft (I think).

I have used a lot of different electric weedeaters over the years and just have to say that this little Greenworks is the best of all of them. I am a 60-year-old woman so weight is an issue and the Greenworks is extremely light and easy to hold. Also like the on switch, which is a couple of inches long instead of just being big enough to hold with one finger. There is very little vibration compared to others I have used, so your hand and arm aren't tingling for the next few hours. The telescoping handle is a great feature so you can really adjust the height to match your own. You know how with most weedeaters you can spend more time with trying to keep the string untangled or getting cut off or changing string than you do actually working. I can use this weedeater for hours and never have to stop once for any type of maintenance and there will still be string left. The double string is very durable and does one heck of a job on even tall weeds. The extension cord can be attached so it doesn't come off, which is a nice feature. I have over an acre of almost solid weeds to deal with so am truly appreciative of this great little machine. Makes my life a whole lot easier. I highly recommend the Greenworks Electric String Trimmer/Edger, worth every penny.

I have used this trimmer just once so far and it performed well. Primary purpose is to keep groundcover and weeds in check in our slate walking paths. The trimmer did that job. I also did some edging along the patio and that was fine as well.

It's worked well for us ever since we bought it last summer (2010). But extra string for it though since it doesn't come with extra. It's sturdy and gives a nice, clean cut! The "guide" that is attached to it is well placed!

I've used this a few times now, and I think it's my favorite of the trimmers I've used. The only downside is its approach to auto-feeding the cutting line. Any time you stop the trimmer for two seconds, it lets out 1/4 inch more line. After leaving bits of blue cutting line all over my yard, I switched to keeping the trimmer on while I walked around the yard. Not a big deal, really, but something to note.

I like this trimmer. I used it for the first time and was very impressed. It is light weight yet its design and build quality makes it feel like a very sturdy power tool. The motor on this unit is well balanced and emits a nice purring sound with little vibration compared to other corded trimmers that I have used. I use it mainly for edging my lawn and this 13" trimmer had plenty of power and did the job efficiently. The unit was easy to manipulate and its reduced vibration made this tool a joy to use.

The lock mechanisms for the 2-way rear handle and the telescoping boom works well. The auto feed spool can be controlled simply with the trigger. It worked well and the advancing of the strings was never a distraction so one can concentrate on the trimming.

Kudos to Greenworks for designing this nice 13" 4-Amp trimmer.

Very pleased with this string trimmer, I purchased the 13" one. It is light weight and well balanced. After use, I do not get the tingling in my arms and hands as other trimmers have caused in the past. I am a 70 yr female with lots of weeds at least 12" or more in height and it is working for me. It does very well in cutting through the tough weeds and with the lesser ones it cuts through in a flash. Have used battery trimmers in the past and always out of charge. So glad I finally decided to purchase an item that does a good job for me. Especially for the ladies - you should try this unit, I'm sure you will like it.

This is my first trimmer. I saw the good review and the price and decided to give it a shot. It arrived last week and I used it once so far. I really like it. Light weight, powerful and get the job done.

I heard a lot of advice from various people about what to look for in a trimmer/edger. It was important to me to buy an electric one, and I'm not very tall so I hoped to find something that wouldn't be too awkward for me to handle. I heard all kinds of horror stories about winding the string by hand on other trimmers. This one met my needs exactly. It's lightweight, not too tall for me, versatile, and works like a charm. It's quite powerful and if you aren't careful you can put a pretty big gash in the ground with it, so those who say electric isn't powerful enough must need way more power than I do. You can flip it from edger to trimmer very easily. Advancing the string is really easy too. I haven't had to change the spool yet, but it looks pretty straightforward. You have to plug it in, but I knew that before buying and was fine with it. I dreaded when I might accidentally hit the power cord with the trimmer, and it did happen briefly once, but it didn't damage the power cord at all (phew!). All in all, I'm happy with it and my yard looks great! The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that the support handle has a tendency to slip around a little, even when tightened. I think it has to do with the plastic covering on the tube part.