stefcl100

Are there other hints that Makita could release a X4 platform? Earlier this year, a Makita rep told me about a new tool factory being built in Germany and a new platform in the 50-100v range, which I thought would correspond to the 58v mentioned by Kornomaniac. Could that new platform be X4? It seems that Makita keeps releasing X2 tools, (the DLM461z mower among other). With 4 slots chargers being released by other brands, could that make sense?

Are you happy with the mulching performance? I have got the LB5750 blower and the EGO power head, love them. I found the ST-150X trimmer disappointing, you are not missing anything imho.

Which kind of new battery can we expect? Something in the 18v range with larger potential? perhaps an equivalent to the bosch "core"? Or the rumored 50-60v platform dedicated to OPE?

Stanley "dirt monkey" posted a very negative review video of the Dewalt 2x20 mower on youtube. Perhaps his testing conditions are a bit extreme for this category of tool. Can't find information anywhere about this new Makita mower. Can you give a link?

Hurrah, the 18v chainsaw (DUC254Z) is finally arriving! Somebody on a Dewalt topic mentioned a Makita brushless mower with metal deck, is there any information about that?

I would like an EGO de-thatcher too, it must be feasible since it is already offered by several other manufacturers (Greenworks 40v and Einhell 2x18v have one, but both look a bit flimsy). Where I live, since scarifiers are only useful 1-2 times a year, renting them for the day is the common practice, I am not sure I would invest much money into it. About reel mowers, I like the idea but my experience with them has been terrible. As I moved to my new house 2 years ago, I purchased the Gardena 380 EC (corded version of the one on your first picture) after having read so much good about reel mowers, thinking that the small format would help me to turn around obstacles. My conclusion is that these things are only good for 25 square meters, perfectly flat city lawns (and on a more personal note, that I should never trust bloggers when it comes to tools). They don't generate any suction to lift the grass up (perhaps a more professional model does) so don't even think about mowing in the evening if the kids have been playing on the lawn during the day. Otherwise you'll have to repeat the process multiple times a week which is only suitable of you have a very small property or tons of free time.

I considered buying the Ryobi edger a little while ago. I changed my mind after having read too many reviews mentioning issues with the automatic feed system. That thing works by advancing the line every time the trigger is released, the problem is that it does so at a fast rate and regardless of whether more line is actually needed. Other than that, using a somewhat equivalent unit (Makita DUR181Z), I find the low weight and, more importantly, the pivoting head invaluable for edging. It is imho entirely justified to have an edger to complement a bigger string trimmer and use it for finishings. However I would personally not get the one from Ryobi, especially if I don't own their batteries. Moreover, if you are only interested by an edger, the newly released WG170 from Works seems superior in every way and comes with kitted batteries.

It's a french brand if I am not mistaken. Their "vinion" pruning shears are very popular in my region for vineyard work. I have seen some of their battery tools sold by specialized vendors, but they are very very very expensive.

Yes it is. I asked that exact question to the support a couple of days ago, trying to decide if I should simply replace the trimmer with the power head or switch to another brand. Under no load, the 15" trimmer max rotation speed is 5800 rpm, the power head goes up to 7000 rpm at max setting (that's 20% more). Having held both in my hands to compare, the difference in sound pressure is very noticeable at full throttle and seem to confirm that the power head spins faster. Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of added weight and way more vibrations. Back to the Dewalt mower, I noticed the relatively low runtime in many reviews. Not a good sign for those expecting a self propelled version.

Are we sure that this new OPE line will rely on regular block batteries? Since Makita's new battery platform is aimed toward the pro market, couldn't they surprise us by deciding to offer exclusively backpacks? Some other manufacturers seem to be going that route... Oregon 120v, Ego professional, also some Husqvarna's top tier tools have no battery slots and can only be powered by a backpack battery.

+1 I've recently bought the EGO 15" trimmer which is regarded as one the best battery trimmer on the market. It's a nice tool and can get some job done, but I still find it vastly underpowered compared to my Husqvarna 525LK. Rotation speed is what makes the difference. I also think that alkylate gasoline is a good option for most homeowners. Cost is a bit high but a good small engine should not consume much anyway.

Most of the concerns listed in my post come from an announcement topic in the EGO community forum, not from user reviews. I would not expect this model to be available in Europe anytime soon anyway. The current 21" brushless mower (LM2122E-SP) is being sold for the equivalent of approx. 1100 USD so I am not sure there is much room for a more expensive kit.

The backpack chemical sprayer is what makes me consider investing into the Ryobi one+ platform. As well as the brushless recipro saw. Unfortunately, they are not available in Europe for now. Exactly my thought. To the point I am starting to consider selling my Makita stuff and switching to Ryoby. I guess it would be somewhat of a regression on quality, but compensated with a guaranteed gain in quantity 😉. As a DIYer, there are many tools that I end up not buying because I can't justify paying the high tier price for occasional needs (the 400$ Makita 18v sprayer is among them). I also get the feeling that with all the progress being made on cordless tech, you can no longer expect nowadays tools to hold their value over years, making me even more reluctant to spend too much of my hard earned cash on best-in-class products if the immediate necessity isn't there.

It is still unclear to me if the dual battery system is actually going to make the mower more powerful in the sense of ability to go through taller grass and handle more difficult jobs or if (as early reading supects) it is only going to save you a trip to the garage to replace your empty battery. If it's only about runtime, I'd find the single battery mower more interesting since ending up with 2 dry batteries at the same time would be problematic and force you to interrupt my work for a long time, unless you have a total of 4 batteries and two chargers. Some of the early (unconfirmed) complaints I have read are: The use of a brushed motor, some tend to consider that brushless should be the new standard for battery OPE. No progress on deck design, many people have complained that mulching capabilities were not so great on the previous 21" model. Unlike its steel deck counterpart, the nose of this mower is too long and makes it difficult to get into corners

Please forgive me in advance if my question sounds ridiculous, I am absolutely not familiar with this kind of tool. I understand that it's not exactly one of those big corded compressors with 200 liter tanks, but would it still be possible to use it with a blow gun for cleaning stuff, for example a mower deck?

After having changed my mind 50 times between Makita, Husqvarna, Stihl and Ego, I finally decided to invest in Ego, starting with the LB5750 blower and ST1500 trimmer, along with a 6ah battery. I am very satisfied with the blower, the trimmer is nice and silent but its cutting power suffers a bit in comparison with my gas powered Husqvarna 525 LK. It took me about 25% more time than usual to finish the trimming job.

Yes, Honda's variants are available in my country too, they are surprisingly low-priced compared to their Ego equivalent. I even considered buying them but unfortunately, Honda's line doesn't seem to receive a lot of attention, the offered models are not exactly outdated but slowly aging, still no mower, no recent blowers, no multi tools, and available battery capacity is limited to 4ah. I have been visiting Honda's website regularly during the past months but I have not found any announcement regarding an extension of their battery line in 2018. I find it a bit surprising, at times when other major manufacturers are actively reinforcing their battery OPE offering.

Indeed, sorry guys, just realized I misread the technical data

Are you sure? I am not familiar with US units, but I thought one acre should be somewhere in the 4000-4100 m2 range?

Kaercher is well known for cleaning devices and pressure washers, during a visit to a local shop I noticed that they also have a battery OPE range : https://www.kaercher.com/uk/professional/park-city-solutions/leaf-blower-pack-gb-96217740.html https://www.kaercher.com/uk/professional/park-city-solutions/cs-330-bp-14421110.html https://www.kaercher.com/uk/professional/park-city-solutions/kaercher-ht-615-bp-14421130.html The battery is 50v rated, but like most of the lineup, it looks like a rebranded Ego 56v.

Is your decision to sell your Ego stuff based on tools quality or is it more about... let's say... battery consistency ? (sorry, non-english speaker)

@Jronman You are referring to their DUX60 (or XUX01Z in the US), a very interesting system indeed. However, I remember watching a review on youtube where the guy praised it for its power and high RPM but was slighly disappointed by runtime (only 20 mins with two 5 ah packs). He also claimed that the previous 36v string trimmer from makita used to last twice as much in comparison. I have yet to read other reviews confirming this.

It was a great review and I enjoyed reading it. No doubt that Ego makes great tools, but with so many OPE review videos on youtube being riddled with comments such as "It's crap, go buy an Ego" or "I am happy with my Ego" coming from their very enthusiastic (and sometimes slightly annoying) user community, it is doubly sane to hear opinions going against the flow.

Not really surprising, a lot of not so legal stuff can be found on Ebay or Amazon, think of all these super cheap windows or office CD keys that are sold without any certificate. Sometimes they come from sellers having tons of positive reviews. Are you using some? Put aside the ideological aspect, I am a bit reluctant to use battery packs from unknown brands, mainly for safety reasons.

Good point, I tend to forget hedge trimmers as they are not on my personal shopping list.