40V MAX 13 in String Trimmer Edger Cordless with Adjustable Telescoping Pole, 2 in 1 Weed Wacker Lawn Edger, Includes Battery and Charger (LST136)

So I was skeptical (as most are) that this would not have the power and/or battery life to meet my expectations, but to try to eliminate the need to mix gas/oil etc, I decided to give it a shot. I also wanted something that my wife could easily use - light weight and no pull start. I have only used this once, but here are a few of my observations that will hopefully help you make a decision as to whether this is something you want to purchase or not. 1. Battery Life - the trimmer has 6 different power levels, so you control how long the battery lasts. I used level 4, and didn't really need to bump it up any higher. I was able to groom all of the landscaping around our house on one battery using level 4. The battery was pretty much drained after that, and it took me around 30 minutes. I did buy and extra battery for $50, which I always have ready in case the battery loses its charge, or I simply need more power. I feel like no matter how long the battery lasts, it isn't going to be good enough for some people. The way I see it, you need to look at the job you are trying to accomplish. If you can get it done in 30-45 minutes, then this trimmer (with two batteries) is going to be sufficient for the job. If you are looking at 0.50 acre+ jobs, that might take an hour or more to complete, then you are probably going to be disappointed, because the batteries might not make it the entire job. Make sure you evaluate your situation before making the investment. 2. Power - the power is extremely good for a battery powered trimmer/edger. I was able to cut through some thick grass/weeds around a fence line without even increasing the power to level 6. I could see if you are living in a rural area, you may choose a gas powered trimmer, as you are probably going to be dealing with a larger area and thicker, more rigid vegetation. 3. Lightweight - this is very lightweight. My wife is able to use it without complaining that it hurts her hands or back. It does have a lot of plastic on it, so if you are going to be throwing it in and out of a truck, it most likely will have broken parts. This wasn't made for heavy duty, commercial use. 4. Line Feed - B&D has a very nice auto-feed spool/line system. The line automatically feeds itself out as more line is needed. This is extremely nice, because you don't have to contantly be pulling on the line to feed more through as you bump up against fences, landscaping rocks, etc. 5. Value - this is where you have to make your decision. At $40-$70 per battery, you are commiting to around $200 for this trimmer and two Li-Ion batteries. Most gas powered trimmers run around $80-$100, and you are going to get more power out of them. You could argue that for this alone, this is not worth the money. Assuming the batteries are good quality, I am hoping to make up for it in the long run. I have only used this once, but with the two batteries, I don't see myself having any problems. As I said, the trimmer has PLENTY of power for an urban/suburban setting. I actually shaved a few spots on power level 4, because I got too close. 5 Stars for the kind of lawn I have. Plenty of power, sufficient battery life & lightweight.

***UPDATE June 2017*** (1) Still running strong after all most 3 years of cutting through St. Augustine grass here in Texas. (2) I've had to re-string her 2x now. Not the easiest you'll ever do, but the 0.065 line from Lowe's works ok. Youtube has a few videos showing you how to do it, if you can't figure it out yourself. Key is you have to wind it really tight and line it up perfectly...or else it will jam. Lots of people probably buy the 12-buck 3-pack replacement spools, but I haven't needed to yet...and it will save you quite a bit of money if you can do it yourself. (3) I received the blower counterpart to this for Xmas a couple years ago, along with a 40v battery. Battery life was an issue before if I wanted to do all my yard, but a 36v + a 40v gives me enough juice to whack my whole property and then blow out the driveways and sidewalks. (4) Battery life still seems good. Dont' really detect much functional difference between the 36v and 40v batteries. (5) Good news is you can buy the blower/whacker as a combo for even less than what I paid for mine. (6) Using my dad's gas whacker with double 0.095 inch lines did make me realize how power you sacrifice for running this. It's an adjustment, no doubt about it. (7) The trade-offs from a gas whacker for (a) quiet, (b) virtually zero maintenance, and (c) no gas smell makes up for it. I'm halfway through my 3rd full summer with this bad boy, and the only maintenance has been adding new string. Bumping up from 4-stars to 5....because this really has been a great product! ****Original Review**** I've used my LST136 (w/ 36v battery) for about a full season now. Here's my thoughts so far.... PROS *Significantly more power than the 18vNicad & 20v Lithium tools of a generation ago (as to be expected). If you were underwhelmed by the underpowered older stuff, join the club! But no so with this. I hear things are even a bit better when the 40v 'upgrade'....but I can't say for sure. *The single-stringed trimmer is sufficient for household duties. *The rotating shaft is EXTREMELY easy to use. Takes only couple seconds to rotate back and forth. *Significantly lighter weight than any gas trimmer I've used. *Noticeably quiet. *Charges reasonably fast *Battery test button seems pretty accurate. *No problems with the automatic trim adjuster. *Set battery and go -- no worries about gas smell, mixing gas, tuning the carburetor, etc. CONS *Takes longer to edge same yard. A single-string (.65) trim works...but it doesn't cut through stuff nearly as fast as your .95 trim on an Echo, Stihl, or Hitachi. I suspect it probably takes me on average 33% longer w/ the 36v cordless than with the gas trimmers. *Battery life good, not great. My house is about 2000 sq/ft with about a 6000 sq/ft yard. Not huge by any means, and yet I can't do the entire yard on one charge. The way I get around that problem (w/ one battery) is that I typically alternate front/back trim each week. But even with that adjustment, I figure it still uses about 80-90% of the battery on Levels 2/3. *Battery will get hot if you use it constantly on. And then if you try to charge it after running it hard, expect the charger to allow a 'cool down' period before it can charge. *Tim 'the Toolman' Taylor would NOT be impressed!! BOTTOM LINE If you like yard with a sharp "edged" look around the borders, this might not be the trimmer for you -- it will take quite a bit of extra time (and extra battery life) to get that kind of look. But for the 'Average Weekend Joe' like me, I find it suits my current lifestyle pretty well. I did maintenance/landscaping for 4 years while in grad school, so I know my way around power tools. And there are days where I do miss having an Echo or Stihl in my back pocket when I need to plow through my edges quickly. But for what I need it to do, it get's the job done. And I figure most of the extra time it takes to use the B&D is time I'd be spending making trips to get gas, general maintenance and tuning the carburetor, and the like. I plan to add the cordless blower and trimmer in the future, which was the main reason I bought this to begin with.

** UPDATE, APRIL 28 ** After tracking down a way to contact the right person in Black & Decker Customer Service, I have to update my rating and revise my reveiw. Much to their credit, they made good and the replacement battery arrived today. OK, so I already bought a replacement and handed over another $80, but maybe it's a good idea to keep a spare handy anyway. Other than the issue I had with the battery, which has now been remedied, I really like the trimmer. It's not too heavy, it's pretty powerful, and it's a lot quieter/cleaner than my old 2-cycle gas engine beast. It's good for a homeowner with reasonably sized yard. Thank you Black & Decker for restoring my faith in Customer Service and replacing the defective battery without a challenge. ** UPDATE, APRIL 24 ** : For now I will increase it from 2 to 3 stars and maybe more later. After a few unsuccessful frustrating attempts to contact Black & Decker Customer Service by phone I used the email option and explained as below that the battery had failed after just 2 charges. Today I received a reply from Laurett in B&D Customer Care apologizing for in inconvenience and indicated they would be sending a new replacement battery and I should receive it within 7 business days. Now that's more like it! (I guess after so many miserable experiences with the unrelated to this episode but inappropriately named Comcast Customer Service, I had become cynical and lost my faith) If I really get in soon and it works I'll add another a star since I really do like the trimmer and it's performance a lot. It was just a battery issue. Bravo to Black & Decker for making it right! Since I already bought a new battery and charged it I'm stuck with two now, but that's OK since it's probably good to have a spare. _______________________________________________________ I purchased this string trimmer in June. It was fairly light, easy to handle, and worked exceptionally well for the rest of the season. The battery only required a charge twice the entire season, however the battery soon became a big headache. As fall came I removed the battery and kept it indoors for the winter rather than in the tool shed. A friend had advised that I do this claiming that lithium batteries should not be exposed to freezing temperatures for extended periods of time. Last week as spring finally arrived and the lawn needed attention I put the battery in the charger, however it would not take a charge and a red indicator light on the charger was blinking indicating a defective battery. Black & Decker customer service has not been helpful at all and I was advised to purchase a new battery. I have ordered one, however a new replacement battery cost me almost $80! The entire string trimmer new cost less than $150! I find it hard to believe that more than half of the cost of the trimmer is in the battery. A battery that was very well cared for and only had 2 charge cycles on it should not fail in the first place. I cannot recommend this trimmer regardless of how well it works when the battery is functioning.

I ordered this trimmer after finding battery trimmers at Lowes hardware store. I had not realized that motor and battery technology had improved to such a degree as to make such a product viable. I don't buy much these days without checking reviews and this product was rated highly by many consumers (>250). The $99 blower and trimmer in Lowes was not worth the money in my opinion and a U-Tube video on the Kobalt product was not convincing especially at $150 + tax. I forgot to add the additional two years of warranty when I first ordered the machine so I cancelled the first order and added the extra 2 years of warranty which was about $9. Amazon was good enough to ship the second order for the same delivery date. There was a B&D promotion also and Amazon took care of that for me also since it did not show up at checkout ($10 off). Amazon support is excellent in my opinion. When the trimmer arrived I put it together immediately in about 5 mins (A handle and the guard, that was it). The battery had some charge in it so I took it for a trial run. I was impressed with the full power torque but I reduced the current by taking the adjustment down from the "9" setting to the "2" setting and it worked just fine. There is a simple adjustment for the length of the trimmer shaft and I soon started trimming. I had not realized that there was very little charge left but I still got down one side of the house before the battery started to fade. The battery charged fully in about an hour or so. The motor turns to make edging easier and there is a wire guide to make edging easier. I'm very impressed with this product so far although I have not yet put it to the test with a fully charged battery (1.5 Ah). I am delighted with the weight also and after bruising my fingers trying to start my 2-stroke trimmer I am convinced this is the way to go. The battery is very solid and has an easy way to latch and remove. Also, the battery has three indicators with a test button so that the charge can be checked. At some point it may be worth getting the larger battery (2 Ah) but for now I'll see how it goes. The batteries are warrantied for 3 years. This trimmer has a single string and after fiddling with a dual-string machine replacement spool I am very happy with the single string. It does not appear to affect the performance of the trimmer at all. I'm hoping the string advance is working as stated, time will tell. I have a purchased a number of Black and Decker products (e.g., hedge trimmers, drills, drill press) and I have never been disappointed. I still have the products and they still work well after many years of use. They sell good quality and well designed products at a very reasonable price. I'm glad they're still in business. I will likely continue buying their products because of the excellent price/performance ratio they provide. Of course I always come to Amazon to make the final purchase. Why go anywhere else? Day 2 I trimmed around the house and I had 1 green light left on the battery so I stuck it in the charger. Still happy with the product. The string failed to auto feed at one time so I had to pull off the string cover to get it to about a 4" length which meant pulling out the spool and making the adjustment. It's important to have the line wrapped evenly for the auto feed to work well. Practice makes perfect as they say. I did find I had to adjust the handle grip to suit my height but that's expected. It slides very easily up and down the shaft. The battery LEDs are very handy. Pay attention to removing the battery when you adjust the head (see the manual) as a safety precaution.

I have been using the 18V version of this trimmer for about 10-12 years and have been reasonably happy with it. It did not quite have the power of a gas trimmer but it did the job with far less hassle than the gas trimmers we had been using. The biggest drawback to it was the battery consumption. I have an acre property, with about 120 feet of driveway with lawn on both sides. Edging the driveway alone required more than one battery. trimming around the half-acre of fenced backyard and various backyard objects (kids swingset, grill, etc) would require more than one battery. In all we needed 3 batteries to get through all our trimming and edging needs, and sometimes (not often) we would use up all 3 before getting it all done. We had to take care to get the most important parts done first just in case, and go back out after a battery recharge to complete the job. When the 18V batteries began to fail I went looking for replacements and came across this 40V model and based on other reviews I decided to give it a try, and I can say I am extremely happy! The trimmer itself is mostly the same as the 18V model with the exception of the power control. More on that later. It uses the same line spool so I was able to use the line we already had on hand, and save a couple of parts from the spool head of the old model for later use. The two features that really set this apart from the old model are Power and Battery Consumption. Firstly, the POWER: This model easily rivals the gas powered models I have used (admittedly not 'professional' grade models). With the power control set on 3 it gives me enough power to get that really sharp edge on the driveway that the 18V model simply could not. With the power control set to 1 I still have sufficient power to trim around the fence line and other objects. Occasionally I will set it to 2 to get through some weeds or to trim a larger area of grass where the mower doesn't fit. The biggest advantage to me however, is that this model gets through everything I need it to do with just ONE battery, and with power to spare! The power meter on the battery still has 2 of its 3 status lights on when I am done. There are some reviews on the replacement 40V battery which point to the lack of a cut-off circuit on the trimmer to protect the battery, and this is true. The trimmer will not cut off automatically when the battery is low, and this can be a big problem for a Lithium Ion battery of this type since this type of battery will suffer irreparable damage if it is drained below a certain point. Care must be taken not to allow this to occur. As I mentioned previously, this model is able to complete all the work on one battery that the previous model needed 3 to perform, and has power to spare, so the first thing to know is you should ALWAYS recharge the battery after every use, even if you use it only a few minutes. A small charge will not damage this type of battery, there is no 'memory' effect with this battery type. It also is not a problem to leave the battery on the charger between uses. Secondly, keep a careful eye on the battery power meter when using it. There is a small button next to 3 LED lights. Push the button and the lights will indicate the battery state. When only one LED lights, you can still continue to work but check the battery state even more frequently and STOP as soon as no lights come on. Continued use below this battery charge state may cause the battery to fail prematurely. Such failure is likely to be complete, meaning the battery will no longer take any charge at all. This is typical of Lithium Ion batteries and is not a manufacturing fault. Thirdly, use only as much power as you need. The power control has settings of 1-6. The higher the power setting, the lower the runtime you will get from a battery charge. As stated previously I use 3 for edging on my driveway and 1 for regular trimming. I have not had a need to use a setting higher than 3 but I have no thick weeds to trim. Some other reviewers have complained about the string feeder using too much string. This may be true, I have not personally compared the usage with a bump feed trimmer, but I can say the feed mechanism works much more reliably than the bump-feed mechanisms I have used in the past. It is a very simple mechanism, just a single moving part which is replaceable. The cap which holds the spool in place will wear out after a few years. After all it is spinning and does at times accidentally make contact with the ground. It is easily replaceable and is not expensive. I have not found the string usage to be a problem. I think overall, when one compares the cost of the gas+oil plus the bump-feed string usage of a gas powered trimmer with the cost of electricity to charge the battery plus the cost of string, I suspect this model still comes out ahead and it wins hands down in convenience and ease of use. Update 8/30/2017: After a year and almost through our second season with this, I am still very pleased with this product. It still gets the job done on a single battery with power to spare and I've had no issues with it whatsoever.

I've had a Ryobi Professional gas trimmer for 15 years. Possibly one of the best lawn tools I've ever had. When I bought it, I was trimming a 5 acre lot. Now, I have a 1/2 acre lot. It takes me about 10 minutes to do all of my trimming. I wanted something lighter and easier to maintain and operate. I needed something I could grab off the wall and use without worrying about reloading a spindle or mixing more fuel when either are needed. I got sucked in by the Worx GT 2.0 commercials. I purchased the 40v model. After putting the Worx together, I knew immediately it was not the right trimmer for me. It's length was a tad shorter than I needed (I'm 5'8") and a few key features were missing that I only found in the Black & Decker. While I had been waiting on the Worx to be delivered, I was in a local big box and looked at their battery operated models. The Kobalt (40v) and Black & Decker (36v) models had a nice look and feel. After the Worx was delivered and my initial disappointment set in, I went to the web and did some more research on the Kobalt and Black & Decker. I found a few too many negative or mediocre reviews on the Kobalt. The Black & Decker line seem to have more positive reviews and more desirable features. So, I decided to order the LST136W 40v from Amazon. Upon opening the box, I started getting positive vibes. Assembly was quick and simple. After attaching the battery, only the handle and debris shield needed to be affixed. The box also contained the charger. The LST136W is slightly longer than the Worx GT. I don't think the units are greatly different in length, but the position of the handle on the B&D makes the unit position longer than the Worx. I'll admit the B&D isn't as "gas trimmer" looking as the Worx, but it doesn't take long to realize looks aren't everything. The B&D has a few superior design advantages I've found should be "must" haves on any battery operated trimmer. 1) Battery level indicator. Wonder how much charge you've got left in your battery? The B&D has you covered. A little push button is located on the battery. Push it and any of 4 LEDs on the power meter light up. 4 LEDs is a full charge. It's an under stated feature needed on battery operated equipment. You may not realize how much you look at the gas tank to estimate your job time until you don't have it any more. Trimmer been sitting for a while? Don't remember how much time/battery you consumed last time you used it? Push the battery and immediately know if you've got enough charge to finish the job. After using it 10 minutes on Level 1, I still have 4 LEDs. 2) Power level selector. Here's a feature I thought was trivial when I ordered the unit. Then after assembling the unit and giving it a few whirls on different power levels, I realized this is a great power saving little feature for the average home owner. Most home owners who trim regularly will never need more than Level 1 or 2. But, if you've got a few or more weeks of over growth, it's nice to know Level 6 will rip through it. Obviously, it's nice to know Level 6 is there, but I just did my first trimming on normal growth using Level 1 without an issue. Save battery and get the job done. Try that with most other units that have one speed. 3) Fixed flip flower guard. Why is this better than the "adjustable" flower guards? After using it the first time you'll understand that most adjustable guards will push in when you start bumping it on the basement concrete blocks, landscaping/retaining wall blocks, other landscaping fixtures, trees and even the mailbox. Adjustable guards will slowly slide backwards with each bump. The B&D's flip guard isn't going anywhere. The B&D's weight distribution is a little front oriented, but I'm sure if I moved the handle's position I could balance it better. But so far, I'm very impressed with this general/light duty trimmer. Overall, it's the little differences that make the B&D LST136W a much better cordless trimmer. If you're thinking of making the switch from gas to battery, make sure you match your expectations and needs to the right drive type. If you trim a lot of heavy grass or rough areas, you'll want to stick with the raw power and cutting ability of a gas powered trimmer. But if you need a general/light duty trimmer and want the convenience of a battery operated trimmer... make sure the B&D LST136W is on your short list.

Love this thing. Very easy to use and the way it self feeds line is practically magic, no hands needed, no fussing no mussing. Love the telescoping shaft to get just the right height for back comfort. I ran it at high speed mostly the first time because we had just moved into the house and it was a bit overgrown but the battery lasted for both my front and back yard. The next time, I ran it at lower speeds which was plenty of power. I think in the future I'll be able to do the yard three times on one spool of line and one and a half times on a battery charge.

This is update to my review below. I've had this trimmer now for its second season. I just bought it last July. I have lowered this trimmer by two stars for two reasons. The first reason is that the auto feed stopped working as I have read in previous reviews; it also uses a lot of string (which is expensive). Second the 40V battery stopped charging. I did everything the instructions said including charging during the winters and keeping the battery indoors and out of the cold. However; now I believe it is either the contacts in the charger or the contacts on the battery. Unfortunately; I cannot tell? I first tried cleaning the contacts with a cotton swap and alcohol but that didn't work. Then I tried playing with battery and charger to see if I could get it blinking green. I noticed that when I first put the battery in I saw green but went immediately to red and no movement of the battery would help. Then I noticed when I had the battery in the charger and plugged it in; it also went green to red so then I knew it was something with the contacts so my last attempt was to set the battery on the charger loosely but not pushed in. Then I took my finger and tapped it in on the contact end. Amazingly the contacts met and the battery started to charge. It is charging now. I don't know if this can be repeated but I just purchased a 20 volt backup unit (also Black and Decker). This one has a button to feed the string with an extra battery. I'm sure this might fail as well but as long as the battery charges and the trimmer works; I can deal with feeding the string on a manual basis. A new battery would have been $96 with tax and this trimmer with batteries and a spoon was $101 with the $10 rebate. I love a battery trimmer and will never change back. Forget electric cords or gas. Pulling a cord around with you or pulling a cord 20 times to get it started is not acceptable (plus gas and oil). Black and Decker is the only reasonable battery powered trimmer out there that I see and is basically a good trimmer. I use bulk string to save money. $5 dollars a pop for string is just too much. I hope this review helps with someone who has the same battery issue with this trimmer. I believe if my charger/battery has this issue; others may as well. Thanks for reading. I have owned my house for 25 years and gone through gas and corded trimmers. I have a 75 by 125 ft chain linked fenced in back yard which is usually too much for these trimmers and string is constantly destroyed or drawn into the fence using up tons of string. The feeds usually break in time with the constantly hitting the feed. I have tried those trimmer attachments that supposedly do not break but have proved to be a disappointment. This is one of the best trimmers I have ever used for the price point. The battery has not disappointed yet after almost two months of use and my grass grows extremely fast during the summers. I no longer have to pull cords 10 or 15 times. I usually have it charging while I mow so its ready to go when I'm done. The battery lasts for all the trimming I need to do on my 1/4 acre although I don't think these batteries are meant to stay charged for long trimming jobs. I have no heavy brush and its only grass so its powerful enough for my purposes. I never need to have it at full power which gives me more time. The auto feed works well and I am still on the original string that came with the trimmer. I purchased a 3 pack to go along with this so I expect the string to last a couple of more summers. The battery will be stored in the house over the winter but we will see how it performs next summer. At $80 for a battery I hope to get at least a few good years. Last as for the chain link. The trimmer comes with a metal guard that drops down. By using this guard I am always the correct distance from the wire so I have had to no problems with trimming along the fence line. So far so good! Seems perfect for my property size and needs. Highly recommended for 1/4 acre or less.

I have purchased this trimmer a few times over the years as I have a large property that gives it a lot of use, and this is by far the best trimmer I have owned. I’ve had several very expensive (and heavy) gas trimmers, but I prefer this one over all others. It’s easy to use, maintain and is relatively lightweight. I bought this one as a back-up and because it was advertised as including a new type of battery charger (flat sit-in model). This was one of the main reasons for buying it again as I have several of the original chargers (upright slide-in style) along with several more of the attachment-style chargers (they flop/fall all over once the heavy battery is attached). I guess after ordering it twice and getting the old style charger instead of the new, they have now finally updated the photo to show the actual charger they’ve been shipping (old floppy attachment-style). Too bad, as the other newer style looked more functional.

I initially purchased the LST201-CA model but was really disappointed by the lack of power. Having switched from corded to cordless I didn't want to break the bank. However like the saying goes, you get what you pay for. So I returned the 201 and purchased this one. What can I say, it's like night and day. The power and performance is just what I was looking for. I don't have a huge front and backyard however I also don't want to have to go over the same area multiple times. Spending a bit more was well worth it.

Pros: + Easy to use + Fast delivery + Good packaging + Lightweight (not the lightest electric string trimmer, but much lighter than a gas-powered model) + Simple operation with a safety lock and trigger + Secure and easy-to-use shaft locking mechanism + Adjustable shaft length + Adjustable front handle position + Comfortable square-shaped handle + Good cutting power, although battery life decreases significantly at higher power levels. Even at power level 2 out of 6, it can cut small weeds along borders, while power level 4 is sufficient for trimming lawn edges. + Okay charging time (approximately 4 hours for a full charge) Cons: - Battery life is fairly short (about 20~25 minutes of continuous cutting at half speed) - The charger cannot be mounted on a wall or workbench, and it does not have an on/off switch - The motor head only rotates 180° with no intermediate locking positions (not a major issue thanks to the handle design) - The handle has no rubber or cushioned grip—it is entirely plastic Suggestions for Improvement: * Include a replacement spool * Include a shoulder strap * Offer a higher-capacity battery (at least 3 Ah would provide noticeably longer runtime, enough for a city small yard at full speed) * Replace the current battery dock charger with a wall-mountable charger or a plug-in charging system

My old trimmer had a battery that was so heavy, it was uncomfortable to use. This trimmer is lightweight and has enough battery change to do my entire yard easily. The adjustable speed is convenient for some areas with thicker growth. Would recommend.

I found this string trimmer too heavy for me . We have a heavy gas-powered string trimmer but I was looking for something lighter I could handle easily. I returned this model and purchased a lighter Black and Decker version, which I have yet to try. We generally have good luck with Black and Decker.