A little while back, Troy Bilt sent me their new TB57 Lithium Ion Battery Cordless String Trimmer to try out. That’s me, above, holding it gingerly and looking like I’m about to stroke its hair. What can I say? I’m not all that familiar with power equipment – I felt it best to approach with caution.
But before I get into my review, I wanted to reassure you that whenever I’m given something – whether it’s a book or a plant or a trimmer – I’m always honest about my experience with that product. I told the folks at Troy Bilt the same thing, and they were happy to hear it. They look for feedback and incorporate it into later models of their products. I like that.
So, without further ado, here’s what I liked about the trimmer (which, in my brain, will always be called a weed whacker):
* Unlike gas trimmers, this trimmer produces zero emissions. And unlike electric trimmers, there’s no cord.
* The rechargeable lithium ion battery really holds its charge – and the machine retains full power along with it. I’ve used it three times for between 10-30 minutes and it’ll still be good for another round. While I haven’t needed to recharge it yet, apparently that process takes just one hour.
*It’s convenient – there’s no cord to wind up or untangle, and no gas to refill. Just pick it up and go.
* At just 7lbs, it’s light for a weed whacker. It’s well balanced, which also helps.
This is almost the perfect trimmer for small space gardeners or those needing light-duty weed whacking done. It’s awesome for edging lawns, but save nastier tasks such as battling areas overgrown with hardcore weeds for a heavier-duty tool. Gas and electric trimmers still out-perform in terms of sheer power.
Now you’ll notice that I said *almost* the perfect trimmer. There are a couple of things I’d like to see changed with this model.
The first, something that seems to be universally annoying among weed whackers, is that the arm is too short, forcing me to have to stoop over to get at the weeds. Despite the fact that I literally look like a giant in this photo, I’m only 5’10 — tall for certain, but presumably guys are in the target market for this device, too. The arm could easily use another 6-8″.
My other comment on this product is that its efficiency could be improved with the addition of a double line, which seems like it’d be simple enough to add.
Fix those couple of things, Troy Bilt, and you’ll have created an ecologically sensitive, powerful little machine. Who knows? If I had a lawn, I’d probably buy one.
Carol says
I am so grateful for your review! This sounds like just what I need to clear the stairs going down into the middle and lower gardens and edging garden beds. Thank you and I glad I found your blog over at maydreamsgardens. I will explore your postings and revisit. Thank you!
cindy says
oh boy, i’m 5’4″ on a good day so it sound perfect for me and my small garden that could use a good edging and trim! thanks for the review.
Jen says
Other than the problems you mention, this sounds like a great replacement for my electric line trimmer… I’m not a fan of lawns in general, but I’m stuck with one for now, and I like the idea of rechargable/no emissions vs gas guzzler. thanks for the review!
and just a public service announcement to everyone to wear their safety boots and glasses even when using lighter duty trimmers- it sounds so goofy and doesn’t look sexy, but I see so many people using line trimmers wearing crocs and flip flops and no glasses, and I always worry they are gonna lose a toe or get a piece of gravel right in the eye!
Andrew says
I have something similar. it’s great. I don’t think they can do a double line on them because the electric motor doesn’t have enough torque, it would kill the batteries.
Rusty says
I just got mine a month ago. It is lightweight, which is great. I am so used to tap and go line release that I was worried that this would be a problem but it isn’t at all. I did my yard and both of my neighbors yards and the battery was at 75 percent. The past rechargeable trimmers I had were the same model, one by Black and Decker (lasted 3 years) and one from Wal Mart (lasted 2 months). They had a built-in battery. This unit, if the battery goes bad, just get another.