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Hi,
I've been using the Stihl battery system for about 18 months now and have been generally really pleased with it - currently got the blower and strimmer both with the AP160 batteries.
In terms of power, the strimmer has slightly less power than my petrol stihl - but not enough to worry me. The convenience is brilliant and much nicer to use for smaller jobs. Two downsides: for some reason Stihl didn't put a loop for a harness so you have to hold it, and you can't change the head to a metal blade.
I would say that you'll need at least two batteries, even with the fast charger. I reckon I get 30 mins per battery (this goes down considerably colder weather) - and you can't be standing around looking bored waiting for a battery to charge. The fast charger will get an empty more or less full by the time you've discharged a full one.
If you need any more info - do ask!
Someone will come on in a minute and suggest Pellenc, but you need to outlay something like £3000-4000 to get fully kitted out with their stuff I believe, and the batteries won't last a full day with the use I give my tools but they might be suitable for a smaller round.
I raised a topic on this back in 2010;
http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/forum/topics/electric-power-to...
I did look into it, but you are narrowed down to Stihl and Pellenc - there are no other choices out there I can find. You also want a single battery pack - that limits you to Pellenc and Stihl again. The domestic battery tools such as Bosch et al will not last more than a week or maybe 2 in regular use. They are made for maybe 30 mins to an hours use once or twice a year for a domestic owner, not Day in Day out use.
Perhaps Start with petrol and buy bits of Battery kit as you can justify, otherwise, your Looking at at least 2k outlay.
You're dead right Dan: I saw the Pellenc kit at Creating Landscapes last year. I thought, in the main, it was very good: lightweight battery back pack and good tools. They claim the batteries last all day, but that must depend on your definition of 'all day'
I didn't buy for two reasons: I had recently bought Stihl petrol stuff and, secondly, I thought the long handle hedge trimmer slightly unbalanced as all the working bits are up one end.
Battery must be the future, but, that said, 30 years ago I thought we'd all be wearing jet packs by now...
Talk to Pellenc, they are nice guys, no pressure sell and they have demo kit.
although the jet pack does make high level pruning a lot easier
Whatever battery system you buy will have a limited life. You cannot recharge indefinitely so work out the lifetime cost and factor it in to your charges.
The battery packs weigh a fair bit and can damage the tools if you drop them.
I think I would go for small 2 stroke petrol versions if it were me. Very much cheaper and easier to replace.
Hiya
Like you I am a small garden maintenance business. I started in August 2010. I had quite a few hand tools but none of the bigger power tools. I use my ford mondeo to go from job to job and managed to get a petrol Hayter lawn mower that folds down to fit in the boot.
I like you wanted light but durable power tools. So I also bought a cordless Worx strimmer and cordless Big Bear hedge trimmer. Both work well but the battery life is not good enough. About half an hour for each tool at a time.
Funnily enough I looked at the Stihl cordless range today and even their battery life is only 45 mins for a standard battery and up to an hour for their super fast charging one. So I decided to go for their petrol versions and managed to buy a Stihl Strimmer for £157.50 and Hedgecutter for £215.85.
Not sure if this helps but if you are on your bike they might be a bit too heavy.
Cheers
Debbie
Thanks for everyones suggestions so far. I probably should have made it clear from the start that my decision to go cordless is greatly to do with environmental impact, hence I am the pushbike gardener. I therefore don't want to use petrol or generators even though I am aware that i can get a more powerful tool I am happy to make that small sacrifice.
Thanks Adrian, really useful to know that about the Stihl
Cedar Garden Services said:
Thanks John, hadn't even heard of Pellenc so will check them out.
John Cooke said: