Customer Reviews

Factory Reconditioned Black & Decker NST2018R 18-Volt Cordless Electric 12-Inch Grass Hog String Trimmer/Edger

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Thought this was a good deal as a new one cost $99.99 but I neglected to read enough of the fine print. The reduction in cost comes from the fact that it ony comes with ONE battery as opposed to two for the new,in the fancy box model. Since the battery costs $50 when purchased separately,this is only a deal if you don't use it very much. I should have gone for the new one.

When I saw it was $[...] cheaper I thought what a great deal, why would you not buy the factory reconditioned model? What they don't tell you is that it only has one battery and not the two that the brand new, full price model comes with. To buy a 2nd battery it will set you back around $[...] after shipping. So instead of saving [...] bucks, you lose [...]. What a total ripoff. I'd avoid the reconditioned model unless you have plenty of extra batteries at home from other black & decker tools.

I purchased a factory-reconditioned version of this trimmer and I'm quite pleased with its performance for the price. This replaced my ancient Ryobi gas trimmer which was certainly more powerful but much less convenient.

I've used the Black & Decker trimmer for a few weeks now and it is perfect for trimming grass around yard obstacles and weeds growing in sidewalk cracks. I love the quiet convenience of battery power.

I have had my B&D trimmer now for about six years. The pro's of the trimmer are (compared to corded): There is no extension cord to un-spool, negotiate, and re-spool. (gas): There is no gas needed, no oil needed, no mixing gas and oil needed. No pulling a cord over and over to start. No 2-cyle motor, far fewer moving parts, very reliable. No tingly feeling in my hands and arms after trimming from the constant vibration of the gas trimmer. No sore back; the cordless trimmer is far lighter. No gas motor resting near head blowing exhaust into face. Cordless trimmer is probably like 80% quieter than a gas trimmer; it only makes noise when you pull the trigger. No grease or gunk stuck to trimmer. Head swivels for edging and trimming.
Cons: You will have to replace the Nicad batteries every two to three years at a cost of $65-$80 (compare this to the cost of gas and oil for two years with gas trimmer). You will have to remember to always charge your batteries before use. If you need or like something really powerful the cordless trimmer is not nearly as powerful as gas. The auto line feed does not always work well with the B&D trimmer (more on that below). For anything bigger than a small yard, you will need to change the battery (it comes with two). If you have more than 1 hours worth of trimming you will probably need an extra battery. The batteries will slowly lose charge over life of battery.

As a fix for the auto feed feeding too much line I wind my line the wrong way on the spool so that the auto feed will not work and the line will have to be fed manually. This is very easy to do and takes about 15 sec. I do not have any chain link and I do have a very large yard; I have to do a manual feed about once per trim. This saves a lot of line. Overall, for my suburban yard the B&D has plenty of power, just not as much as a gas trimmer. My B&D works great for what I use it for and I will buy another. I am spoiled now by cordless and will never go back to gas or corded...EVER.

I bought this so I didn't have to start up my gasoline string trimmer for lighter work. It is able to do heavier work than I expected, it is easy to handle and battery life is good. Customer support is also very good as I got a quick replacement for the defective charger shipped with the unit.

This item works very well and does exactly what you need for yardwork and comes with 2 batteries so you can use it while the other battery is charging and the batteries last a long time anyway. Trimming and edging are both very easy and loading the string works exactly as the instructions state.

I wore out a black and Decker 12 volt cordless (four years) and decided to buy the new 18 volt. The concept is great as long as you have extra batteries. I have had two of these now. Both tend to go through line like fly fishing. The line tends to continuously flow sending bits of line into the air and into my leg (ouch). The rep at the repair center (Dewalt) told me that I am too "aggressive". I never had a problem with the 12 volt. After the second trimmer return, the rep asked me what I wanted to do. I asked for a replacement. He refused to give me a replacement and told me that Black and Decker would send me a refund. I will have to say that B&D was great at sending me the first replacement. I also spoke to a yard person at Home Depot. He told me that he gets numerous complaints about the 18 volt using too much string. There must be a lot of aggressive trimmers out there.

The bottom line is... I think there is an inherent problem with this model. Purchase at you own risk.

This is the best deal I have had in a long time. Works every time. Two batteries and the guard flips to get at any angle. Great purchase.

This is not a replacement for a gas trimmer/edger if you want to do serious edging, but it's all right for trimming a little grass after mowing.

I've had my B&D 18V NST2018 string trimmer for 3 years and I love this thing. Granted it's not as powerful as a gas trimmer, but I could never get the @#%! gas trimmer to start anyway. And it's true that it does kind of automatically advance the trimmer line before it really needs to, but I buy the line spools online (amazon and an auction site) for much cheaper than store prices, especially if you buy in bulk. The B&D batteries are only about 1.3 to 1.7 amp hours, so you may need at least one spare to get the job gone if you have a LOT of trimming to do. I can trim my 8600 sq ft yard (around the foundation, driveway, fence in backyard, and the curb) on one charge easily, that's maybe 15 minutes of continuous use and my battery seems to still have a charge left. You can also buy refurbished batteries online (auction site) for much less than brand new. I also have the B&D 18V leaf blower and hedge trimmer. I love the blower to clear off the driveway and porch after mowing, and it's great for blowing out the garage floor, clear off the deck, etc. The hedge trimmer does a good job on hedges and bushes with branches about 1/4" or less. Overall, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!