Battery vs petrol.

[Trailoftears]

Still experimenting with battery vs petrol options and keeping an open mind.My battery infrastructure is makita due to heavy investments over the years,equally petrol-wise,its mainly stihl,again due to huge purchases over the years.On a negative note,my 36v mak. blower has been retired due to the annoyance of blowing down a say,600 metre drive then finding the batteries run out down the far end and a disconsolate trudge back to the car to change 2x 5 amp batteries-solution=a cheap makita 4 stroke blower that will run for several hours.

Also,a slight fail- the duc254 18v ch.saw-which I really like,but semi-retired due to the fact my tiny Mak.23cc top-handled saw will out perform it with virtually no weight penalty.Still,I keep an open mind,and am just using the makita 18v 15l backpack with NO pumping 👍A 10l would have suited me better,but I suspect that wont come to our shores.

Also just purchased the makita duh754s,which is basically the same config as the animal-aka stihl hs 87 r which will take a foot off a privet/lonicera hedge without breaking into a sweat!still this makita single-sided 30" bladed hedgetrimmer looks just the job for soft hedge cutting of privets/lonicera post the july 31st target of not cutting garden hedges due to nesting activity.so the weight save over the stihl is really good too.Being something of an old fart,my first criterion re:petrol vs battery,is to find out is the battery version lighter or heavier than the petrol version,if not, I'm afraid thats the end of the debate!

Edited June 15, 2023 by Trailoftears
Spelling mistake

[Muddy42]

I have a battery drill and screwdriver. Everything else is mains power (indoor workshop including mains power drill and pillar drill) or petrol (outdoors - strimmer, hedgecutter, chainsaws).

 

i have tried various battery tools and feel I have been relatively open minded - yes they are easy to start and maintain but the power is just woeful. They might suit an occasional non-practical user but for serious users they just dont come close yet.

 

[Trailoftears]

This sadly-and like lots of people I have many of the drill/impact drivers/circ.saws etc-which for my casual landscaping/diy use are totally brilliant.But as to outdoor power equipment on large country properties,they aren't there yet

[Trailoftears]

A good like for like comparison is the stihl hl 94 c-e petrol long reach hedgetrimmer with a 24" blade-which aint cheap.Compare to the hla 135 battery version-if you are buying it+realistically 2 batteries+charger too-its shockingly,much more expensive.More pertinately tho,objectively-you have a heavier machine (with battery inc.)+ a 4"shorter blade to boot,so that for me,kills the very idea of buying it even if I have the infrastructure to support it.Anyone who regularly uses these long-reach hedgetrimmers doesn't need me to tell them how taxing they are to use fully extended,and thats why I doubt sadly we are unlikely to ever see 30" cutting heads in the near future which would be ideal.So,I see no sense in buying a unit with a 20" blade that actually weighs more than a 24" blade petrol unit.

[pleasant]

Agree with both above. Ironically 'the best of both worlds' is actually corded electric.....lighter than both petrol and battery. Will run as long as petrol, more powerful than battery, virtually zero maintenance, with total reliability- it will either work or it won't- no halfway house like petrol. Cheaper to purchase than both petrol or battery.

 

Only downside is your power source and attachment to it thereof.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by pleasant

[pleasant]

14 minutes ago, Trailoftears said:

A good like for like comparison is the stihl hl 94 c-e petrol long reach hedgetrimmer with a 24" blade-which aint cheap.Compare to the hla 135 battery version-if you are buying it+realistically 2 batteries+charger too-its shockingly,much more expensive.More pertinately tho,objectively-you have a heavier machine (with battery inc.)+ a 4"shorter blade to boot,so that for me,kills the very idea of buying it even if I have the infrastructure to support it.Anyone who regularly uses these long-reach hedgetrimmers doesn't need me to tell them how taxing they are to use fully extended,and thats why I doubt sadly we are unlikely to ever see 30" cutting heads in the near future which would be ideal.So,I see no sense in buying a unit with a 20" blade that actually weighs more than a 24" blade petrol unit.

...and in future pretty much zero resale value of battery stuff. Unlike petrol.

 

Ok, I accept once it written down most companies aren't interested about selling used stuff on as it owes them nothing, but for sole traders, man in a van type guys, being able to make some money on your used kit if you have upgraded, or indeed, on the flip side being able to purchase a good used bit of kit given the price of the stuff new is very appealing if there's a healthy supply on the used market......but just a quick search through 'the bay' tells you pro used battery stuff ain't selling. Why would you risk spending several hundred quid on a used pro spec battery saw, when there's no telling if the battery will last a day, a week or a fortnight and it cost more than you paid for the machine to replace it.

 

Peoples confidence in used battery stuff starts at time of purchase. They say to me 'As long as the battery will last me three years or so that's fine' I am getting a lot of people with two, three, four year old stuff and they absolutely accept 'the battery is probably on its way out' so they are already resigned to the fact it's probably scrap. They expect them to fail......I cannot remember the same being said to me over petrol stuff. Ever.

Edited June 15, 2023 by pleasant

[Trailoftears]

In a way its totally stupid that the major manufacturers are attempting to push the battery system as a like for like re:petrol.In truth,mis-selling and lying about the battery products.In truth,most of us will accept slight compromises with battery products given the obvious gains-less decibels/lower noise levels,lack of fumes etc.But for instance,the stihl hs 87 r WILL cut 23mm stems for fun most of its life due to a low blade speed/heavy duty clutch+a 1" blade spacing.On the other hand my similar looking makita duh754s which spec says it too will too cut 23mm hedges-might do-straight out of the box with razor-sharp blades,give it a couple of weeks-with resin build up/unlucky nicks of hidden chicken wire etc-no way will it.All I want it to do is cut soft privet hedges,and I dont even expect it to cut 10mm hedges=therefore,I shant be dissapointed.But PLEASE dont tell me that a 18v battery hedgetrimmer can live its life cutting 23mm mixed ash/sycamore thorn trimmings-thats just plain silly+dishonest!

[Bolt]

17 minutes ago, pleasant said:

......I cannot remember the same being said to me over petrol stuff. Ever.

Said no one who ever had the misfortune to lug the last generation of the 200t up a tree.

[Bolt]

Poxy  little builders based battery tools like drills, drivers and saws are surely not supposed be the equivalent of proper arb tools, and I’m not really sure who ever genuinely suggested they were.

[Stere]

I have the two sided makita 18v trimmer best battery OPE tool I have used alot nicer to use than petrol. Cuts proabably about 15mm max id guess.

 

Don't rate the makita 18v topper or 2x18v brushcutter as highly as the hedge trimmer as petrol versions work better in performance but the  18v topper is handier than petrol in stop start situations - has to be nursed when used as think is only a 600w motor so can't do that much.

 

Was tempted with the blower but saw the battery life was terrible got a husky one,   4 stroke power to weight seems very inferior to 2 stroke....only benefit  less emissions & slight saving on fuel?

 

Like my makita corded chainsaw though its a very old design i  sure could be improved  with a brushless motor etc....

 

One thing annyoning about battery is why not be upfront about the motors Kw rating the datas always hidden away if even available?

 

As Kw rating gives a good indication of the machines preformance or lack of it...