I have to say that I’m quite chuffed to be writing a review for the Husqvarna cordless line trimmer because I really am quite stoked about it and very happy with it’s performance in all aspects, so let’s make a start with the beginning.
With enormous leaps forward in battery technology and cordless tools in recent years I first started looking at cordless line trimmers some years ago but could never pull the lever on any of them. I mainly didn’t trust that they would be up to the task at hand, right or wrong - I don’t know, nevertheless I kept putting a buying decision off. I had purchased a cordless blower about this same time and it was one of the most amazing game changing experiences which I was so pleased with having proceeded with, that I knew the change to a cordless line trimmer would also eventually follow.
It was now the end of 2018, and I began to look again at all the options available in the cordless line trimmer range, so many improvements kept progressing in this segment that I knew it wasn’t going away and that soon the time would come to make the leap of faith away from fuels and over to battery; at this stage my final preferences were down to two of the expensive contractor quality options, and two cheaper homeowner options. Needless to say that the Husqvarna cordless trimmer was one of those being considered in the higher quality and higher price range. I didn’t proceed with a purchase at this time either, I had other priorities requiring my attention and resources. I left it again, though I knew it would only be a brief tarry.
And finally came the end of 2019 and finally biting the bullet on a long awaited new machine. After serious health conditions which had been worsening year by year for such a long time, and now those problems reaching breaking point for my health and having serious effects in my life, and with no immediate remedial help on offer, I was faced with making many drastic and fast paced changes in many areas of life and reducing every possible strain on my body, and on the top of that list of changes was a no brainer, swapping out my old 6kg 4 stroke line trimmer with something much lighter, and cordless was now the only option. It was time, my hand had been forced.
Cordless Line Trimmer Options
I went back to the two pricier contractor grade models, two cheaper homeowner models, and through my research I found a middle of the road option too.
On visiting the retailer I quickly ruled out the cheaper homeowner options, instead inspecting the middle of the road option. I went home to give it thought and some research. The next day I went back to the same retailer to purchase the middle option. And… I couldn’t do it, it wasn’t right, limitations on the machine, of which couldn’t be modified, which I knew would have driven me nuts very quickly. Time to go home for a last bit of research for another night on the two professional models.
I settled on the Husqvarna cordless line trimmer, confident, though nervous of the final cost. The next day after a short day of work I ventured to a more specialised retailer, who was exceedingly helpful, and surprising even myself I made the purchase, with confidence and with no worry over cost. I was confident in the brand and that I would be getting something of very high quality.
This new trimmer would provide me 2kg in weight savings over the old trimmer, exactly what I needed due to worsening health issues. I was hoping this new machine would be another game changer, just like the cordless blower had been some time ago.
So that’s the history of what brought me to Husqvarna over the other options. So were my assumptions about this purchase right? Well if you read the beginning of this article, you already know the answer. Moving on...
The Husqvarna Cordless Line Trimmer Review
First, let’s start with the controls. If there was one thing which made me hesitant the most about this choice it was the controls. To begin with I didn’t know how long the ON button would stay active for before AUTO shutoff would occur, and I didn’t want to be looking down and pressing buttons every 10 seconds as I trimmed my lawn.
This worry was unfounded. The machine stays ON for enough time to stop trimming, walk out to the backyard and start trimming again without ever worrying about having to press buttons again. It does auto shutoff after a short period of time, but just enough time that it’s never a nuisance. So no problems in this area at all.
Next worry for me was that the head on these machines spins clockwise, which is opposite to the anti-clockwise rotation of Australian line trimmers. The trimmer has a reverse function which would achieve that same aim and produce the same power in reverse. But that was another button (the reverse button) to press before I could start trimming work. Which I thought would be another bother to put up with. Again, I am well pleased to say that I was wrong about this concern too.
So the way I worked around the trimmer spinning the opposite direction to that which I had been accustomed to for decades was to wind the line trimmer cord in the opposite direction on the head spool. And it works a treat, the line feeds off perfectly without any issue.
Pressing a second button to put the machine in reverse isn’t a hassle either, and leaving the trimmer for a minute or so in the ON position doesn’t make the reverse switch off or reset, though if the trimmer does self power OFF then yes the reverse button does need to be pressed again. Still, no issue at all.
It would be nice to have the Australian trimmers software programmed from the factory to run anti-clockwise natively. Perhaps they will in the future?
Eco-Mode On The Husqvarna Cordless Line Trimmer
Yes, another button to press before trimming, but once again it’s no issue at all. Whenever I power up the machine to go, I press three buttons taking about three seconds, much better than ever pulling that stupid pull cord on a petrol trimmer again.
Eco-mode is a power saving mode on the Husqvarna cordless line trimmer. I use it every single time I use the trimmer, never needing the full power of the machine, Eco-Mode has all the power I need, and even if the machine were a little short on power I find myself just naturally adapting to the machine and its capabilities and adjusting my work flow accordingly.v
Having said that, I’ve never used the trimmer for any heavier slashing work, though I could imagine needing full power for that purpose, albeit at the expense of shorter battery life on a charge.
Batteries, Charger, Run Time
If you recall from earlier in the article that my urgency in switching to a cordless trimmer was to reduce machine weight due to health issues. For this purpose I chose the lighter 5 amp batteries for use in the machine, which brings the total weight to about 4kg. Oh how nice that has been to drop just 2kg from my arms and shoulders while using a line trimmer, brilliant.
With these 5 amp batteries I would imagine that one could comfortably trim about 5-6 regular home lawns before draining the battery on Eco-Mode, so long as the lawns were regularly well maintained. For someone who uses a trimmer to also cut lawn edges then perhaps this would reduce cutting time on each battery. For me, it is an absolutely perfect runtime and I am very well pleased.
The charger sure is a pretty thing and does the job as intended. Initially after purchase I found it tricky to pull the battery out from the charger, but a little experience taught me to easily click the battery out of the cradle by a gentle push at the back of the battery, instead of pulling it from the front.
I don’t know much about batteries, I can only go by what I myself have learned elsewhere, that there is a big difference in the quality of batteries in cordless tools, and I am assured that the Husqvarna uses top of the line components in their batteries, of which I have no complaint at all, you can see and touch the quality of the product very easily, even for the novice in these things.
There is also a battery charge gauge built into every battery, to quickly see the charge rate remaining with the press of a button, without having to remove the battery from the trimmer.
If I could say a single thing about this entire unit, trimmer, batteries and charger that I didn’t like or that I would like changed, it would be the shape of the batteries. There is no flat surface, and just putting it down on a table will cause it to rock until it stabilises. The shape of the battery is very squared or cube-like almost, which makes it difficult to properly hold in your hand without possibly losing grip. And speaking of grip, the batteries are very glossy which again makes it easy to slip out of a hand, which I myself have done so soon after purchase when a battery went tumbling onto an asphalt road. A little redesign on this front would be an appreciated improvement.
So I will say this for everyone who does buy a Husky cordless trimmer, grip the battery tight, every time, and you shouldn’t run into any problems.
Using The Machine
I had the guard changed over to a guard from a Husqvarna 525 petrol trimmer, This allowed me extra line length in the cutting swathe which I absolutely needed for my own applications and preference. Lengthening the line swathe would also reduce the run-time on the battery, so be aware of this if you choose to do it. The lessened run-time that I get would be reflected in the run-times I quoted earlier in the article. The mower shop where I bought the machine from had 525 guards in stock from contractors who had their guards removed when they purchased new 525s, and so the shop was kind enough to provide and fit one for free.
The Husqvarna cordless line trimmer is an absolute beauty to use, very light, very well balanced, even though I had to retrain myself when switching from a petrol machine to a cordless model. Petrol trimmers have all the weight at the back where the engine is, while cordless trimmers usually have an electric motor near the cutting head and the rear end of the machine is lighter than a petrol model, making the cutting head area heavier of course, but the overall balance of the machine is very good, even though it takes a little re-training of the brain to get used to.
The trimmer has a nice bump feed head which is a pleasure to use, the overall feel and use of the trimmer is an absolute pleasure to use, something I’ve never said about a line trimmer in my life.
I started life with this trimmer using 2.0mm line, with the intended purpose to be able to increase runtime on my battery by using skinnier line. This experiment with using 2.0mm line lasted about 10 minutes before I switch back to 2.4mm. Nothing to do with machine performance at all, we just all have our own preferences with these things, and I only include this information so that anyone else considering this same purchase can know exactly how I have my machine setup as I do this review.
I have heard elsewhere that some operators have found overheating errors on their machines while using a 525 guard with the longer swathe and while using 2.4mm line. I can say that having run this machine for most of last summer with this exact setup that I have never had this occur for me even once. I’ve encountered no issues of the like whatsoever. The machine has run flawlessly.
I’m not really sure what else there is to say at this point other than to wrap this up.
Using the Husqvarna cordless line trimmer is an absolute delight and a pleasure, I love this machine, I love using it every time I pick it up. I look forward to using it every day that I do use it. I personally cannot fault it in any major way. Husqvarna hit a home run here, I can only highly recommend this trimmer to anyone who may be looking for such a machine similar to that which I purchased.
Again, my only little hiccup is the shape and gloss of the battery, but that just means us being a bit more careful when handling. Oh, and natively spinning anti-clockwise would also be a bonus.
My purchase included the line trimmer skin, two 5 amp batteries, and the orange charger. The dealer was very kind in throwing in some high quality line, a free 525 guard, and a very small discount off the RRP. I am very pleased from start to finish, absolutely chuffed.
I understand this is an expensive choice for many people and wouldn’t be suitable for all, but for those to whom this machine and this price range would be suitable, I can say that you get what you pay for here, high quality all the way in a delightful machine.
Suitable for the contractor? Yes, I believe it is, absolutely, though contractors may want a bigger battery, or may prefer to reduce their daily work fatigue by choosing to run the lighter batteries.
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