Are battery powered garden tools and blowers worth buying?

[purpleroad]

Is it worth getting battery powered garden tools or sticking to the petrol ones?

At my local power tool shop the guy was showing me mowers and Stihl battery powered hedge cutters saying the council uses them. I need a blower and have to decide whether to get a Stihl 86 or battery electric one.

Are the fumes pumped out bad for your health?

 

[Burnerman]

The only battery garden tool I'd consider would be a strimmer (maybe) and that would be a quality one such as Stihl.
Petrol machines have infinitely more power, and don't stop midway through the job (usually )
You don't use petrol machines indoors so the fumes aren't an issue.
John

 

[big-all]

i have a ryobi one+ strimmer had it for around 8-9years
its all i use to cut my small 3x7m grass patch also lend it to the neigboures to edge there lawns
ryobi do several battery tools for the house and garden using one18v batteries or two=36
https://uk.ryobitools.eu/one/

 

[Nige F]

saying the council uses them.

Are the fumes pumped out bad for your health?

The fumes are worse than if a catalytic converter ( like your car ) was fitted. Just more sales talk IMHO.

 

[purpleroad]

Got the 86 with vac attachment. . When sucking can you suck up on gravel or soily beds or will it break the shredder?

 

[Burnerman]

Avoid gravel - although the machine will have difficulty lifting it - the mulching fan won't like it.
Organic material only!
John

 

[Robotmannick]

I've been a staunch petrol fan forever. Battery tools are just not man enough. Until earlier this year...I was convinced to try a Stihl hedge trimmer and it blew my mind. I used it all day on a cherry picker, literally hours of trigger time and it still didn't run out of juice. Battery charges in about half an hour anyway, so if you do manage to run out, put it on charge, have a cup of tea, take a dump and it's ready to go again. I filled six 6ft x 8ft trailers in two days, cutting down conifers and laurel so plenty of cutting.

As a bonus, it's much lighter than a petrol one too, plus when working at height, there's no start/stopping as you reposition, nor violent pull-cord starting.

 

[purpleroad]

I've been a staunch petrol fan forever. Battery tools are just not man enough. Until earlier this year...I was convinced to try a Stihl hedge trimmer and it blew my mind. I used it all day on a cherry picker, literally hours of trigger time and it still didn't run out of juice. Battery charges in about half an hour anyway, so if you do manage to run out, put it on charge, have a cup of tea, take a dump and it's ready to go again. I filled six 6ft x 8ft trailers in two days, cutting down conifers and laurel so plenty of cutting.

As a bonus, it's much lighter than a petrol one too, plus when working at height, there's no start/stopping as you reposition, nor violent pull-cord starting.

And they're going to get better and better. Think when my current petrol hedgecutter goes will definitely look into them. Think they're expensive though. The exhaust as well, pumping out fumes all day can't be healthy.

Back to blowers, my new Stihl 86 combisucker has been annoying me. Well the vac/sucker component. The main nozel bit of sucker won't stay on easily. It's hard to attach. A bit of plastic has snapped off where it attaches to body. The guy in shop said that particular bit doesn't make any differencebut I am not so sure or maybe I am not attaching it properly. Also it keeps jamming with wet stuff. Finding it a headache. Sucked up a poo bag yesterday as well don't know if that will affect it.

Wondering whether to get a separate cheaper battery powered vac, preferably without mulcher purely for sucking . I think the mulcher might block more. Anyone know a cheap battery one?