BLACK+DECKER 40V MAX String Trimmer and Lawn Edger, 13 Inch Weed Eater, Far Reach, Battery and Charger Not Included (LST136B)

I had already bought the 40v hedge trimmer and light/medium duty patio blower with lithium batteries and been extremely happy with both. So when I saw the 40v strimmer without a battery for half the price on amazon I jumped on it as the trimmer takes the same kind of battery as the other tools. Our small house is on a 7,000 square foot plot of land. The house itself is about 1,000 square feet so most of that land is yard space and some of the grass areas get overgrown quickly. To make it easier to deal with those areas, we got this strimmer. Out of the box, it requires some basic assembly. It’s fairly light weight; only the shaft is made of metal. It’s mostly plastic including the silver motor housing that looks like metal in the photos. A simple clasp on the main shaft allows for some length adjustment. And the loop handle slides up and down the shaft with a similar clasp to adjust for a comfortable reach. Other than that, the strimmer has a simple dial to set the power/speed of the motor and a trigger that works in two stages to activate for safety. The battery is quite large but because it’s a lithium battery it isn’t that heavy. It slides into the base of the handle on tracks which are sprung. I used some dry ptfe spray to lubricate the slide because it can be quite stiff and hard to push the battery in far enough for the catch to activate. The battery has a small button and a row of LEDs that that light up to show to what extent the battery is charged when you turn the trimmer on. The battery charger is a largish cradle you drop the battery into. The battery charges in less than two hours and keeps its charge for a long time (weeks if you don’t use it). You can leave the battery in the charger since it does revert to a slow top up charge once full. The head of the strimmer rotates 90 degrees so you can do vertical or horizontal edging. There is a simple metal fence/guard that can be flipped out to help your measure the distance of the radius and more easily do lawn edging along paths and driveways. I tend to leave it out because it makes it much easier to gauge where the string reaches so you don’t waste as much of the reel needlessly. The reels are readily available at all my local hardware stores. The feed is automatic so you do not have to fiddle with the tool at all. Just plug in the battery, dial in the power you want to use and put it to work. Pull the trigger and off it goes. The strimmer has a lot of power and has no problems with thick overgrown Bermuda grass. It cuts through thick clumps between 1-2 feet tall with ease even on a lower setting. I’ve never had to turn it above 4 (the power range is 1 – 6). Because of the other tools I own in the same series I have two batteries. The strimmer lasts a long time. I’ve never used up more than half a charge and a battery lasts a long time even when the battery is also used in other tools like the hedge trimmer. I like all these 40v tools and highly recommend them.

We have the whole set of Black and Decker items that work with the 40 volt system and they are all excellent. We purchased this as a replacement to the one that had been in the original set. I had been a little too tough on it and managed to break the internal parts that control the spool feeder. So this time and plan on being a little nicer. That is not to say this is a flimsy item; quite the contrary. It put up with a lot of abuse before giving up the ghost. I really like the power of these items that the 40 volt batteries give. It powers through almost all tasks with ease and the batteries last through the whole yard. Being able to dial up or down the speed increases or decreases your run time based on what you're trying to accomplish. Need light yard work done, lower the speed and get more life. Cutting down your wife's "garden of Eden", then dial up the speed just plan on being done sooner (unless you have additional batteries) The head pivots to allow for edging as well as normal grass trimming. Changing spools is simple, and it is simple to reload your own (should you choose). It uses .065 filament which is good for not too heavy yard work. The only on-going issue was the bottom plastic part of the spooler tends to get worn out quickly so we had to order replacements after several months of use. The Black and Decker line of 40 volt yard tools is highly recommended.

Once again Amazon's reviews have steered me right! I read the good reviews on the "Black & Decker LST136B Lithium High Performance String Trimmer Bare Tool, 40-volt" and saved $65 by ordering it without the battery and getting the battery with the Black & Decker LHT2436 24-Inch 40-Volt Cordless Hedge Trimmer. So I'll be sharing the battery that came with the hedge trimmer with the sting trimmer. This replaced my old Ryobi gas string trimmer. After edging my entire front lawn area, which is substantial, it still had one bar showing on the battery and it worked just as well as my old gas trimmer. Maybe not quite as much power, but adequate for edging my lawn, which is all I need it for. Yes, you CAN edge your lawn with a string trimmer. It just takes some practice. I think it's easier than using a big gas-powered edger. I love how it quickly rotated for edging and the line feeds automatically. Really a great design. Also the shaft telescopes out, making a longer reach, which is nice since I'm 6' 3" tall. When I bought mine, I saved $15 more by buying the battery with the hedge trimmer instead of the string trimmer. Not sure why it was priced that way, but check that before ordering. (Update: Amazon has adjusted the price as of today so there is no price advantage regardless of which tool you buy without the battery) I really do not miss mixing gas and oil in a separate container from my regular gas. And it's so much quieter and light weight too. Couldn't be happier!

This is second one purchased In 2 years. They work very well, love how the coils of string work. The 40 volt is stronger than most. The downside is don’t expect much more than 2 years out of trimmer or battery. The replacement batteries are not too expensive. The 40v system is strong and battery lasts about 25-30 minutes per charge. Best to have 2 batteries on hand. Also keep at least 4-5 coils of string. It’s very easy to change out string. I like it a lot but don’t expect long life. If you can get a 3 or 4 year warranty, get it. Otherwise, be happy with 2 years. It’s little over $100 investment not counting extra string. I can’t stand to fight with the gas ones!! They break down also especially the carburetors.

This is my 2nd one, same model. The last one lasted about 10 years, Great trimmer and price

This trimmer is sturdy and strong. Part of my property is essentially a meadow with tall grasses. This thing cuts through thick grass and weeds exceptionally well. I use it a lot and never cease to be impressed at how tough it is. As my meadow is too steep for a lawn mower, I must cut it all with this. I’ve had several and found that they last 2-3 years under challenging conditions (maybe a hundred hours of use). The mode of failure is always the bearings wearing out. I can’t imagine how long it would last if used under normal operating conditions.

We've been switching over from the loud gas engines to the Black & Decker battery lineup. I love the chainsaw, which was my initial purchase. My 13-year old is now mowing lawns, but wasn't strong enough for our gas trimmer, so this was the next addition. It works so simply with telescoping length adjustment, easy start and stop, auto-feeding string, light weight and quiet. PERFECT! It's only weakness is the thick, course grass and weeds. For the tough stuff, that's where I helped out with the gas trimmer. But once that initial cut is out of the way in the Spring, he can easily maintain it with the battery operated trimmer. We also just purchased the hedge pruner to replace our electric pruner (in which I got tangled in the cord last year and, with a zap, cut a $35 cord. The freedom with the battery is amazing. Never looking back. Highly recommend. Having multiple batteries and chargers is proving necessary. We now have 4 batteries and 2 chargers. Works out very well for a day of yard work. The mower may be next.

Was hesitant after reading the reviews on all the things that went wrong for those users. I have the 40v hedge trimmer for three years or so and liked it so when our Worx string trimmer died I was shopping around. Was going back and forth Worx and this. I've used this for 3 or 4 times so far and here's my take on it. What I like: - Feels substantial in my hands but not too heavy to use for an extended period. - It's powerful on the first level, sometimes I would bump that up to 2 or 3 for thicker grass clumps or weeds. - The head rotates easily back and forth from trimming to edging. - One full battery charge lasts 45 minutes or so. Most of the time that's enough for me to complete all the trimming. If I don't keep up with the trimming and let it go a little wild, I will need the second battery pack. Bought a second one figuring that might happen occasionally. Something to look it for: I've also read a lot of reviews for bad line feed. Luckily I've not experienced it thus far so I'll be paying attention to it.

A replacement for my original. Just right.

Have had several of these LST 136 model trimmers. Durable and easy to work with. This is just the trimmer, no battery or charger as already had these.

bought this and the lawn mower. works perfectly. have used twice now and very well balanced with battery on. Also no difficulties at all with the feeding of the cutting line. smooth. very happy so far

I just wore an identical one out after about 6 years. I bought the bare tool and I use the battery and charger from the original tool. I am satisfied enough with the performance of the trimmer and its life span to buy the second one. Good power and performance for residential use.

This is a good deal! I had worn out my previous lawn trimmer, same model-- the plastic which holds in place the gears meshing as one trims had melted, meaning "this trimmer is toast"-- so needed a replacement, and was not keen to buy unnecessary extra charger and battery. Perfect solution!