Toro51484 Cordless 12-Inch 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Electric Trimmer/Edger,Red/Silver

I love this weed trimmer! It is easy to handle, maneuver around plants and not too heavy. This is my second one. The first is still running great, I bought this as an extra.

I've got a gas Stihl trimmer that I like a lot, but wanted to get a battery trimmer for edging the lawn. I installed pound-in plastic edging around the perimeter of the lawn and didn't want to tear it up with my bladed edger. This Toro does a great job. It easily flips into and out of edging mode. Battery life seems very good, though I've only depleted the battery once. Did a lot of trimming/edging on one charge.Replacement line spools were indeed hard to find. I ended up ordering three from USA Hardware. Give that site a try if you can't find the spools anywhere else. Seems strange that even the Toro web site didn't have replacement spools for this trimmer. Guess you're supposed to wind replacement line on the old spool, something I'm too lazy to do.Bottom line: this is a good battery-powered trimmer. My wife tried out another manufacturer's battery model (can't remember what it was) and she returned it the next day. Underpowered with poor battery life. This Toro is much better.

Hard to believe the battery life on these is so good. I own both this item and a hedge trimmer and they both use the same battery, so I can always have a fully charged one ready to go. I am so impressed that the power of this tool is so good, as well as the general functionality. The head swivels to do edging along a sidewalk or path and easily swivels back to normal. The line feeds out so nicely I don't even think about it like on my previous weed wackers. I really endorse this product, but I sure do wish Toro would come out with a flashlight that fits these batteries. My experience with other tools that run on batteries has shown me that I will use the flashlight way more than any tool, so please please make a flashlight to go with my tools

This is my 4th Toro trimmer. It is easy to use as I am 76 years old now and still find it a great tool. I do my own yard work and Toro is a great company asI have to Toro mowers.

This is a great trim but get a second battery. Good thing is the battery just dies so it’s not like you notice that the battery needs to charged until it dies. No power lost in the trimming is my point. Other than the battery no complaints. Light weight easy to use and put together.

I had high hopes for this trimmer, but it does not work. Phoning Toro only got me pointed to a Toro service dealer a long drive away who said he did not carry that model and was no help.[Added June 2013: After one year the battery stopped functioning entirely. The lights on it do not light at all when one pushes the red button. This model seems to have been discontinued. No replacement is available for the battery.]After about ten minutes of cutting grass some debris got sucked into the turning mechanism through the gap above the "spool retainer" and stopped the trimmer. I was only able to knock out some of it. There is no way to open that area of the trimmer (a point that the dealer confirmed). I tried the trimmer a second time and this time grass seemed to have gotten in the same area and stopped the trimmer.Amazon does not list its address (or dealer number) anywhere that I could find and that information is necessary even for registering the trimmer. I wish I had just made due with my cordless hedge trimmer or bought different trimmer and bought it from a local hardware store.

So I have looked over every brand out there and settled on this Toro based on 4 people giving it "5 star" reviews.I am a current Toro owner with a 2 stroke GAS power head and 4 different attachments (trimmer, edger, blower and tiller). I love it but am ready for something lighter, easier to store and easier to deal with (no gas mixes, pulling starter cords, etc).So I was excited to look into this product and could not wait to use it!BUT here is what I found;1) I am 5'4"... and the design of the shaft/angle made it feel like I was hunching over to get to the sweet spot for a good clean edge. My gas Toro you can twist around easily (although heavier) but the shaft length gave me that ability to do so. This thing feels like a toy (sort of) by comparison. DO NOT confuse this for a power to power comparison. This thing has plenty of power, I am sure that the 20v lithium battery is also up to the challenge... but when you get this in your hands and you are confined to using it within its operational range (angle of head and short length of shaft) it feels like a toy and you are compromising your body position to try to get the best angle of attack on your lawn. This did not work for me.2) I need a trimmer and edger combo.... the trimmer was OK for wacking against a fence line or brick BUT was not very good around flower beds and weird spots due to the limitations stated above.... BUT what was absolutely horrible was the edger ability. The head has a significant amount of play.... so when you are rolling down the sidewalk to get that "straight line".... good luck! The slop in the moving rotating head makes it hard to stabilize. On top of that poor design the edger has a SMALL single wheel that you are balancing on. Between both design flaws you have little control over the edger portion. I want sharp crisp lines for my lush St. Augustine grass... this edger feature was chopping my edges up. In my opinion this device should not be marketed as an edger.I give this 2 stars because it is easy to use (pop in the battery and go, no gas or pulling to start) and for the Lithium technology which is very cool.... trimming is an ok function but I guess that depends on how you feel "bending" to use it. I can get over that to some degree but the edger portion of this product is that bad. In theory this is a great product... not so much in the real world. I do have to admit that it is much lighter than my gas powered Toro... which is what I want!I used this for half of my yard and gave up on it.... when it came time for flowerbeds and edging a sharp line I pulled out the heavy over-powered Toro 2 stroke to complete the task.Note: I am in manufacturing (electronics) and understand the world manufacturing process. To me all these 18/20/24 volt trimmers look alike from a core design stand point.... Worx, Black & Decker, Toro, Ryobi, Craftsman, Sun Joe, etc, etc... they all have that same extendable shaft and twist head design with the handle in the same spot. I believe all of these brands to be made in the same factory. There are color, cosmetic and even slight design changes between the different brands but at the core of it the same motors and batteries and core components. That being said I have tried to identify one of these units to give me the best compromise. I still want to ditch the gas power head for a a 20v or 24v light weight trimmer that can actually edge. I am looking at the Worx 155 since the head looks to lock into position and has a twin wheel design for the edger... the wheels are larger and spread apart so stability should be better. I am returning the Toro for sure.*** UPDATE *** - 6/10/12 I could not wait so ran down to Lowe's to look/test the Worx 155 model. At the store I was able to hold it in my hand and get a feel for it. Even though it still feels kind of like a toy (the light weight body makes it feel toy'ish) the design is far superior compared to the Toro. In my hands it feels more natural... and the twin wheel design made it feel good for edging. Yes, I looked like an idiot "role playing" in Lowe's pretending to be edging... but before I plopped down another $119.99 on a 2 in 1 edger/trimmer I wanted to get a feel for the item. I did buy it and will be testing it this week in the back yard... will update soon.*** UPDATE 2 *** - I took back the 20v version of the Worx GT and found a 24v version with blower for $149 off ebay... direct from Worx (which sells on ebay direct). I will review the 24v model once it arrives. For $20 more I gained the 24v model and a blower. Hopefully it is a better alternative than the poorly designed Toro.*** UPDATE 3 *** 6/15/12 - I received the Worx 24 volt trimmer/edger with blower today... and could not wait to get home and try it out. I charged the battery at work where I received the package. I already sold off my gas Toro so my lawn was in need of a good trim at this point. WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER! This unit is by far superior to the Toro... which based on reviews of both units I would not have thought.The adjustments of the Work were much better than the Toro. Actually it had one more way to adjust vs. the Toro... so getting the head set in just about any position was pretty easy. What is important to me is if the head locks firmly into position without any "play" in the mechanism. Here is a rundown by feature;1) 24 Volt battery - Let's get real here.... I would suggest having at least 2 batteries for whatever brand cordless weed wacker you choose. Lithium is far superior to NiCD batteries.... and the higher the voltage the stronger, longer lasting the device will be. I am able to trim, edge and blow off the sidewalks and driveway with power to spare... so 1 battery is all you need.... but I believe in being prepared for anything, so having an extra on tap will get you through even the roughest small to moderate suburb type lawn.2) Edger... unlike the Toro this unit was awesome. The twin wheel design is much better and the head stays firmly in place. Switching between the two is a breeze. I was able to get a straight edge right out of the gate... it was fairly intuitive. The Toro was so "out of control" that I spent more time jacking with the weed eater than actually edging. I was done in no time and was impressed with the results.3) Trimmer... pretty straight forward here! Edging along brick and fence was a breeze... adjusting the head to do around flower beds was quick and easy.4) Blower - I love this thing too! This is great for blowing the grass off... but also for "sweeping" out the garage quickly or blowing off the back patio without getting into a gas device or breaking out an extension cord. One thing to consider is that this is a battery hog device... based on reviews I have read. So it is great for quick and easy tasks for sure.... but I would not expect to blow off the entire lawn. My extra battery that I am getting would be useful in case I need to use this for a longer period of time.I truly like this device as a whole... especially for $150 for the kit it is a steal! But here are some points to consider and a couple of minor dislikes;* This is not a long, heavy gas powered weed eater. So I found myself readjusting to a shorter, lighter device. Kind of like going from driving a truck and switching to a compact car. Both get the job done... but both drive differently. The Worx GT is very light... feather light... for a guy like me, almost too light. But it beats lugging around a heavy unit. for sure! Go to Lowes and grab the one off the demo shelf before you buy one.* Power - This unit has enough power to draw blood if you hit someone with the trimmer string.... so I am pretty sure that a blade of grass does not stand a chance. If you are a "Tim the tool man Taylor" kind of guy... where more power means something to you then don't be afraid of these battery operated units. Both the Toro and the Worx GT have more than enough power for the task.*Dislikes - The string tends to not roll out like it should... I think it is the "Double Helix" designed string that binds against itself. I already bought some replacement string from Amazon... so I will spool up with that instead. I read that from reviews of the Worx GT... so I was aware of the binding issue. This was NO BIG DEAL because the string mechanism is the easiest I have ever seen. Far easier than any gas powered unit I have owned.OVERALL - A huge one stop shop, easy to use, minimal maintenance, ready to go device! No gas, very quiet, plenty of power, highly portable... this thing meets all of my requirements and then some. Is it better than a gas unit? I'd say yes... cheaper, lighter, gets the same job done, less maintenance by far, etc. I am impressed... even if it is just day 1 as a first time user.If you have any questions please ask. I maintain all of my Amazon reviews... I know how hard it is to get good feedback so I try very hard to be as accurate as I can. Good luck with your future purchase of a lithium weed wacker! ;)

Easy to buy pre-loaded spools to replace old ones.

So far works like a charm.

really easy to use. Battery lasts about 45 minutes...would love to purchase a spare battery for it so that I could be charging one while trimming so would be ready when the first one dies. Haven't found one yet. It's a tough little trimmer & does a great job though!

Perfect for my wife to handle