Craftsman 18V Convertible Cordless Line Trimmer/Power Handle Combo Reviews

I received the Craftsman 18v Convertible power handle and trimmer combo from my wife as an early Father's Day gift (actually got it in late April, I think).  I have been using it at least once a week every since.  The trimmer/power handle combo came with a charging station, and my wife got an extra battery, which I would recommend for anyone purchasing this unit.  I charged both batteries before using the unit the first time, according to the instructions.

First thing I noticed right away was that the charging station, although advertised as charging two batteries "at the same time", is not...

The Craftsman 18 volt cordless trimmer is pure junk.  It was marked down to $59.88 but isn't actually worth 59 cents!  It's so cheap that I can't afford it!!  Here's why - the salesman told me to charge it for 24 to 48 hours before use.  I actually had the battery in the charger for about 90 hours before I got around to using it.  Trimmed grass around the edge of the deck and four tree trunks, a total of about ten minutes, before the thing ran out of power.  How can they sell something that works for a total of 10 minutes and then dies???!!??  Sears has been on the ropes for years.  Kenmore,...

I've only had the unit for one week.   Gave it it's first one hour charge - green light.  Began trimming.   Power is fine.  Vibration greater than one would expect for a battery powered device yet not bad.   Balance is off/weak as is the convert to edger.    My Yard is small <.25 an acre yet plenty of nooks edges and crannies - worked fine with full power all the way.  While some short comings such as the balance.  I'd say for a small yard it's just what I needed.  Mixed fuel/oil was  pain and while I liked my old electric plug-in trimmer - getting the darn cord out was such a nuissance...

Craftsman 18v Convertible Cordless Line Trimmer/Power Handle Combo

Pros:

• Inexpensive to run
• Cordless
• Strong enough for any job I've thrown in its way
• Light weight
• Brilliant design of the charger/storage rack combination
• The fantastic Power Handle attachments available
• 1 year Craftsman Power Tool warranty

Tips for battery performance:

• After charging the battery the first time it only lasted for about 7 minutes of run time.  I made sure the battery was completely discharged and then placed it back on the charger overnight.  When I used the trimmer the next day it ran like a champ! ...

Don't buy this!  It's a piece of junk.

Bought this trimmer Monday, charged it overnight and tried to use it today (Wednesday).  Trimmed 12 feet and the battery was completely dead.  Recharged it and tried again.......................lasted 1 minute before the battery was dead again.  Taking it back tomorrow.  Not buying another Craftsman, had better battery life with my 'bargain basement' Black and Decker.

I bought mine two summers ago for my small yard. Summer number one it worked ok, not great not badly. Summer two the battery pooped out before I could finish the lawn, not happy. This summer the thing wouldnt hold juice for more than five minutes. I will never buy another one of these considering the replacement battery cost more than half the price of the trimmer when it was new.

I love not having to reel out a 100' cord to use this. It's light and maneuverable -- so much so that my 10 year old daughter could quickly master it to trim our grass. Pretty nifty. The bump line feeder doesn't work so well. You have to manually pull out the line, which is not a huge deal. The battery last for about 20-25 minutes in full use in line trimming mode. Enough for one big lawn trim (actually we did our neighbors yard too).

I am getting the blower sweeper attachment and another battery.

Not impressed at all. returned it after 3 weeks. Charged the battery for 1 full week, because we went on vacation. Got back, used it for 15 minutes before it died completely, and all I was doing was trimming the edges.

Went with Gas powered. Lot more expensive, but it works forever...

Bought this unit at half of retail price and was warned but ignored.  Charged it and used it once and ran beautiful for really long time.  Put on charger and when I went to use 2nd time,  it ran for about 15 feet and quit.  Thinking perhaps I did not get on charger correctly,  charged for 2 more days and ran about 15 feet again,  so returned to Sears for money back yesterday.  Am quite disappointed as it is light weight and well balanced for short person,  but not any good if it will not retain charge and perhaps that is why they are closing them out at half price.

Yes, I knew from other reviews that the amount of work I could do each time I charged the battery was not going to be a lot, but my yard is small and I thought that only a few minutes of power would be enough.

Problems started when the battery would not even charge. I kept trying different ways, and for longer periods of time, but no luck. Worse luck was that because of my stubbornness, I wasted time, and when I tried to return the product, it was too late, and Sears would not take it back.

Advice: even if you are ok with how much work you can accomplish with each charge, you also have to consider...

Craftsman 18volt convertible cordless trimmer.  All in all it's Ok for the price.  The battery runs out of power after about 10-15 minutes of hard use, like sidewalk edging.  My back hurts after using it since the pole extension should be adjustable for longer length.  I am only 5'-7" and have to bend over to use it properly.  The 'safety switch' is a terrible design and with having to push and squeeze the handle while also holding it makes my hand ache after 10 minutes of use.  Even my 15 year old son has complained about the switch.  I am going to rewire the switch and put in a simple...