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Which piece of outdoor power tool/equipment that you own is your favorite to operate?

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Comments

  • whlinderwhlinder Member Posts: 4,753 Standard Supporter
    Powerwasher

    I'll agree the noise is annoying, but most of these have noise anyway.

    A snowblower would be a once per decade use here, but with the sidewalk on the other side of the street and my house facing south with the driveway angled upwards I get a lot of melting support, plus I am good to shovel.

  • 1to392831weretaken1to392831weretaken Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 7,602 Swaye's Wigwam
    Leaf Blower

    All about the batteries. I never want to own another thing with a tiny carburetor on it. String trimmer, snow blower, lawn tractor, leaf blower, chainsaw: all batteries.

    It's nearly impossible for anyone here to have more Dewalt tools than me (not a fan, just locked into the battery system like said above), but their early string trimmer sucked dick. Died in three uses, then the replacement died in two. The EGO string trimmer is superior in every way. I ended up going EGO for yard tools and DeWalt for everything else.

  • YellowSnowYellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 35,373 Founders Club
    Snowblower

    I have a Honda mower (160 CC) that I bought used from that store on Aurora across from 7-11 back in like 2015. Finally changed its oil too…ha, ha. Runs like a fucking champ. When it dies, I'll consider and electric mower but until then…nah.

    I don't see electric ever being a solution to heavy duty snow blowing. I have some neighbors with an electric snow "thrower" and that thing it worthless as tits on a boar for any decent amount of snow.

  • chuckchuck Member, Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 11,016 Swaye's Wigwam
    F.O. Row Peter Puffer, You Left Off...

    My father in law has the same unit and did the same. Actually he bought it and his neighbors pay their part by cleaning his driveway with it. It's very easy and nice to use. He can actually handle it fine himself and this is an 84 y/o guy who takes a couple of minutes to climb a short flight of stairs

  • dirtysouwfdawgdirtysouwfdawg Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 13,000 Swaye's Wigwam
    Weed Wacker or Edger

    perfect lines from the edger give my OCD mind a hard on. It’s also instant gratification and the details of the details when it comes to proper lawn maintenance.

  • 1to392831weretaken1to392831weretaken Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 7,602 Swaye's Wigwam
    Leaf Blower

    If they can get a 5000 pound car to 60 mph in two seconds with electric, I think they'll eventually crack the snow throwing code… For what it's worth, I don't even have the most powerful EGO snow blower, and it kicked ass clearing my 2500 square foot driveway when it was buried under 6" of wet snow last winter. I share it with my brother, and he clears his whole road with it so he can get out.

  • YellowSnowYellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 35,373 Founders Club
    Snowblower

    In theory, something like this guy could have enough charge to work for our couple of driveways, back alley and sidewalks. But damn they are spendy at $1400 with batteries. And you gotta promise me those batteries won't catch on fire.

    https://egopowerplus.com/two-stage-snow-blower-snt2400/

  • BleachedAnusDawgBleachedAnusDawg Member Posts: 11,484
    Lawn Mower (ride on or push)

    Just store it in one of your Duck neighbors' garages.

  • YellowSnowYellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 35,373 Founders Club
    Snowblower

    My snow blower co-op is with a Duck, but his garage is smaller than mine so the blower usually lives with me.

  • dfleadflea Member Posts: 7,233
    Chainsaw

    I get more done with the backpack blower than anything else, but you just can't beat what a chain saw gets done. I love the way a saw with a sharp chain buzzes through a tree. I should have been a logger.

  • huskyhooliganhuskyhooligan Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 5,418 Swaye's Wigwam
    Chainsaw

    My chainsaws are trash but they do the job. Slicing through wood is cathartic. I have an extension for one that is great for pruning. I have a long pruner I love as well. Fortunate part of living in the PNW, its pretty difficult to kill shrubs or trees.

  • 1to392831weretaken1to392831weretaken Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 7,602 Swaye's Wigwam
    Leaf Blower

    The first draft of my post got a bit too technical into motor torque and horsepower (the blower you pictured above is only 5.5hp, which can be matched by an electric motor that would fit in a thermos), but it ended with something like "the only thing keeping gas powered yard tools in existence is the cost of batteries."

    So, you're absolutely right at the moment. Getting a cordless tool that is the match of gas-powered for certain applications is still very hard. My main critique was your assertion that you don't see electric ever replacing gas. It is inevitable. Cheap enough batteries, and it doesn't matter how long they last: pop in a fresh one and keep on going.

    As for the EGO batteries starting on fire, I've actually had one fail on me. Didn't start on fire at all, just probably got charge imbalance due to a failed BMS. I took it apart to attempt to test and replace the failed cell, but those fuckers pot the circuit board end in epoxy! These aren't LiPo, they're much safer chemistry. The batteries have thermal protection circuitry, which is actually one of the things that keeps them out of prime time at the current level of the tech. A battery that theoretically could clear an aircraft carrier deck of snow comes to a screeching halt after 100 feet of blowing because it overheats. Then you can't put it on the charger until it cools down.

    After my drunk concrete guy poured my shop foundation, I checked it with a transit laser, finding it to be 3/4" off between the highest and lowest spot on the wall, and no way was I going to frame on that. Luckily, the DeWalt 60V (actually 54, but marketing) grinder is a BEAST. Traced that transit laser's line on the wall at the height of the lowest spot, then spent three days with a cheap HF diamond wheel and a square to check my work. Had that thing flat and level to 1/16". It would have only taken a day if it weren't for the batteries not being rated for that kind of continuous horsepower. The battery would overheat after about 20 minutes of holding the trigger down, then refuse to charge until cooled off. I had to buy a third battery ("look, Honey: it came with a sawzall!…") and get a system going: One battery on the grinder, one battery on the charger, one battery in the freezer getting ready to charge.

    I've been hearing "solid state is just around the corner!" for like ten years at this point, but that would put an end to the thermal management concerns.

  • dannarcdannarc Member Posts: 2,394
    edited October 20
    Leaf Blower

    I like my Stihl Magnum back pack blower, it weighs 157lb and sounds like a big block Chevy @chuck on those cool, crisp fall mornings. If you’re not careful it can take the paint off your house, ask my neighbor how I know this

  • PurpleThrobberPurpleThrobber Member Posts: 44,075 Standard Supporter
    F.O. Row Peter Puffer, You Left Off...

    I need to change my vote

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