Great tool at a reasonable
Written: Sep 08 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lightweight, versatile, excellent value
Cons: Too easily triggered start
The Bottom Line: The Hog is versatile, easy to handle, smooth-running and a real bargain at even a higher price than I paid.
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| vnewell123's Full Review: Black & Decker 12" Automatic Feed Trimmer / Grass ... |
All the string trimmers I've used were really disappointing: I had to watch constantly to be sure the string was still long enough to cut, and they needed to be "bumped" to pay out more line so often that they wasted a lot of my time -- especially since the string seemed to tangle so often. As a result, I was edging and trimming far less often than I should have been, until both jobs had become daunting. In desperation, I bought a Grass Hog.
I've only used it once, but it was for four hours (yeah, I told you things were out of control!), and I was delighted. It was easy to assemble; wonderfully light-weight; adjustable as to height, orientation and angle of the handle; the cutting head easily turned from horizontal (for trimming) to vertical (for edging); and the trigger made it easy to adjust the speed at which the string revolved. After a few minutes, I got the hang of it; after half an hour I learned to use it at jobs that Black & Decker never dreamed of.
I started out by cutting down all the annual plants in a large flower bed. They were all soft (e.g., petunias) but had grown in very thick. The Hog did spray the juicy green bits all over (my safety glasses had to be cleaned every 3-4 minutes) but it did the work quickly. It was easy to control, so much so that I could cut the plants down to just above the soaker hose without ever damaging the latter. It even cut through a stand of vinca (periwinkle) vines that defied many of my grass sheers.
Emboldened, I used it all around my perennials, like a vaccuum cleaner, to cut weeds down to the ground. I've never enjoyed weeding so much! Then I turned it loose on the weeds and small tree sprouts in the "catwalk" between my flower beds and my fence. It complained but ultimately zapped even the mimosa and Rose of Sharon plants that had sprung up there.
Now I was on a roll and started to cut loose. (Black & Decker liability lawyers, stop reading right here). With a few adjustments to the handle and head, I ran the thing up and down the fence, slicing off the twining weeds and tree sprouts. I actually ran it right ON the fence, and it did the job admirably with damaging the (painted!) chain links. Further encouraged, I used it as a hedge trimmer of sorts, cutting back the vine creeping over from next door and "hedging" back some of my ornamental grasses that had arched into the catwalk. The Hog performed bravely and admirably throughout, and the string never tangled and otherwise "tied up" my work. What's more, it had used up only about one-third of the spool.
Have I mentioned that I hate to trim and edge? I hate it so much that I will go to most any lengths to eliminate areas that require trimming, trying to arrange it so that the regular lawn mower can do the whole job. In a fit of vengeance, I took the Hog all the way down a fenceline that need to be trimmed after everymowing -- and cut the grass there right down to the dirt. The Hog threw a lot of dirt around (which would have been dangerous to bystanders) but after a few passes it left my nemesis scalped.
Now for the edging. I had used my new Black & Decker Edge Hog two weeks ago to *ahem* locate the edge of the sidewalk and then do a good clean cut through grasses that would have challenged a machete. As a result, I could see the edge just fine, but the grass along the edge looked, well, more chewed up than trimmed. The Grass Hog "barbered" it admirably. It has a metal prong attached to the head which you can fit into the edge "cut", so that you can run it quite quickly along the cut without hopping onto the walk or chewing further into the lawn. It even handles corners and curves, with some practice and patience. The result: a real edge, with a grass line that looked almost as though it had been trimmed with a scissors. And I still had more string on the reel!
Apart from some quibbles here and there, the Hog was splendid -- but its most serious shortcoming is really very serious. The trigger to start it is relatively large and exposed on both sides, and because there's no catch on it, it is FAR too easy to start it up by mistake. While you're operating it, a very small amount of pressure (e.g., while you change the angle of your hold or stop to fling the electric cord out of harm's way) will start it up unexpectedly. Similarly, if you've laid it down or leaned against something, it can start up on its own if it slips or is struck at just the right angle in the trigger area. You could be seriously injured if this occurred, not only by the trimmer itself, but also if it cut through your electric line. To avoid this danger, I unplugged the cord (at the Hog's end, not at the outlet) every time I set it aside. That's a lot of wear and tear on the cord, and since the Hog's receptacle is a bit awkward, it takes more time and patience than you'd think.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vnewell123
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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