Summer is here and the grass is growing, well at least for now until the drought hits. We have done a lot of reviews of tractors and lawnmowers, but not many on weed-whips. Well we have done a couple, but they have all been battery operated trimmers. Today we get to cover our first corded trimmer, the Black and Decker GH3000 7.5 amp trimmer which is a 14″.
I can’t say I am a huge fan of electric trimmers, well I am when I can’t get my gas one started, so I guess that is every time I mow my yard. Electric trimmers are nice because you don’t have to worry about mixing gas and trying to get it started, plus they tend to be quieter. The only downside is the cord, well at least for me.
We had the chance to test the Black and Decker GH3000 which we have used about 15 times, so not an entire season, but enough to get a good feel for the trimmer. The trimmer is light, weighing only 6.9 lbs. and has a cut path of 14″. One thing to note is trimmers don’t all use the same diameter of line. This trimmer uses a .80 in line so just make sure you are using the correct line with your trimmer. Another important stat is the 7.5 amp and is gear driven which we will touch more on in a bit.
A couple notable features of this trimmer is the Groom N’ Edge which allows the user to easily convert the trimmer from a weed-whip to an edger with a quick release latch. While with most trimmers you need to tap the trimmer on the ground to feed more line through, the Black and Decker will automatically perform this task for you.
All in all this is a nice trimmer. When edging I found the wheel to be a huge help in guiding me and keeping the lines straight. Cutting down taller grass with this trimmer is a snap and does a really good job. I like how easy it is to transition from trimmer to edger. We always like to see what other users are saying, so we checked out what others are saying about this trimmer. We found some similarities of pros and cons. Most of the pros match what we already discussed regarding power, lightweight and ease of use.
Some of the cons we saw were that it uses too much string and broken motors. In regards to the string, we do see it using a lot of string, but that is something to be expected since you are edging with this trimmer. When using as a weed-whip, I don’t see it really using a lot of string compared to some of the other ones I have used over the years. I do think the auto-feed has something to do with this since most of the time we manually have to advance the string, we don’t always do it quick enough. We tend to be cutting grass with a shorter string and not taking advantage of the true large cutting path. As an edger, we would expect to use a lot of string since this takes a toll on string. You are no longer just cutting grass. Now you’re cutting through dirt, hitting concrete and other things that are buried right along the edge of the grass. So again, not something out of the ordinary when you consider what you are doing. One way Black and Decker would combat this is by putting a larger spool on the trimmer, so it doesn’t feel like it runs out as quick.
Regarding the broker gears, we haven’t seen this. Again, we have only used it about 15 times this year. We bring this up because we have seen complaints about it and it was not just one person complaining of this. On one hand we do have to take this into consideration, but on the other hand, how many of these units are being sold since the price point is so low. So I am not sure what ratio is really breaking. I am not making excuses for Black and Decker because it is disappointing to see and I would be upset if this happened to me.
Great writeup Eric, that is pretty compact and has some power!
Good design, compact, lightweight, and ac which is more convenient then gas. But I just can’t trust B&D for quality.
I could never credit a corded trimmer, never! If anyone is interested out there, I have a Ryobi 40 volt trimmer, it has amazing power!!! It runs longer then my Husqvarna gas trimmer. Honestly. I have little more then an acre of grass and the battery lasts no problem and then some. No cords either to deal with. I must agree, can’t trust anything from Black and Decker, it’s trash. Want cordless power of a gas trimmer/edger try the 40v Ryobi. It’s incredible! Yes it edges great as well as it also has a wheel and auto-feed as well.
Thanks Lisa for the information about the Ryobi 40v trimmer. Let me ask you, how long have you had it? I’m wondering what kind of lifespan I could get with the batteries. Thanks
Harold, I have had mine for a 1 year and 4 months, it’s amazing! Batteries are holding up exactly the way they did on day 1. They offer a 3 year warranty on the batteries, so no worries. I just love the thing. Their 40v battery system is incredible.
Thanks Lisa! Maybe Eric and Dan can convince you to do a review for us? 🙂 I, for one, would like to know what you think.
Oh I would just like to add to this that Lisa is dead on correct. That 40v Ryobi is better then anything that I’ve used in the last 5 years. And trust me I’ve used them all. This Ryobi 40v is as close as you can get to a gas trimmer, but like said, I think it supersedes it most of the time. Definitely worth trying out.
Haha I find this hilarious that anyone would even think about Black and Decker especially corded. Seriously? Haha!
I own the cheapie B+D weed whacker from Home Depot. I think it cost $30 3 years ago. If you are just doing some grass trimming along the fence and lawn or some edging, it’s just fine. You don’t need a gas powered, turbo charged weeder. One thing is, once I owned a 2 string weeder and you needed 3 hands the put the string on the spool. 1 string is sufficient.