![]() ![]() ![]() Unlike the mower, you are actually carrying the battery with the string trimmer and the weight of the battery became noticeable. ![]() The head allows for an adjustable cutting length. 80, and it comes loaded with the green, twisted heavy duty line. It also has a standard universal adapter to accept any of your existing gas trimmer attachments. It also has an adjustable cutting path, which allows you to cut a swath either 14” or 16” wide, again, depending on how big the job is, and how long you want the battery to last. The “power brick” and adjustable handle provide nice balance. The lower speed drastically increases battery life, but even on the high setting, the trimmer held charge long enough to get most typical yard jobs done. For tougher weeds and grass, the higher speed proves as effective as any comparable gas trimmer. The low speed is perfectly adequate for trimming and edging the lawn. This time, rather than a variable speed drive like the mower, it features two operating speeds. Like the mower, the string trimmer features the easy push-button electronic start. The next tool to undergo major abuse around the farm was the straight shaft string trimmer. Kobalt 80v Trimmerīut wait, there’s more! Lowe’s house brand, Kobalt, has more to offer in the 80V Max line. I was really impressed that it handled our lumpy farmhouse lawn like a champ, and would have no trouble recommending it to folks with lawns of all sizes. It pushes and pulls lightly and it is extremely well balanced. There is no wrestling involved with this mower. The fit and finish is top notch, using steel in all of the places you want to see steel, while managing to keep the entire tool relatively light. Everything about it appears to be well thought out and well engineered. I have got to say that I LOVE this Kobalt mower. ![]() This push button start is completely pain-free. It comes with a detachable bag and side discharge, which gives you all of the mulching and non-mulching options you might want. I have used it several more times under less rugged circumstances, and the batteries can last considerably longer, depending on the conditions. I ran through 5 cycles, with no drop off in performance. Luckily, the mower comes with two batteries, and recharge time is between 20-30 minutes. Impressive! The batteries lasted about 20 minutes a piece under these brutal conditions. Digging into the tall, damp grass, the Kobalt automatically picked up speed to match the load. It hums to life like a jet turbine revving up. It has a soft switch with the electronic “power” symbol on it. The first thing that freaked me out was the “power” button. Let’s see! The 80 Volt “power brick” is easy to change. This would choke my gas mowers, for sure, and I wondered if I would kill the Kobalt on it’s first time out. I hit it hard, and set it at “2,” with the mulch bag installed. One lever adjusts all four wheels! What a concept! AND, it was smooth and easy to adjust, unlike my gas mowers. The first thing I noticed was the height adjustment. Damp grass is no match for the variable speed motor. I took the mower out to have a go at a damp, tall lawn. We live on a farm, not on a nice suburban lot, and we have had A LOT of rain lately. I decided to give the 21” mower a straight-up workout right out of the box. That’s encouraging! Let’s see what the 80V model can do! It sounds like he is feeling really good about his Kobalt 40V Max lawnmower. There are a couple of reviews of the 40V tools on youtube from over a year ago, and luckily Youtube reviewer Pete Deichmann has posted one-month and one-year updates to his initial video. Of course, there was no long-term data on the new 80V Max lineup, so I went out and dug up some info on the 40 volt models. I know that these tools will most likely perform relatively well out of the box, but what about in the long term? Before unpacking the first tool, I hit the interwebs in search of some back-story. Kobalt 80v Mowerīefore I start, full disclosure: I am a guy who loves the IDEA of electric lawn tools, but after a parade of pitifully under-performing, complete and utter disappointments in the past, I come to this review with a good deal of skepticism. Yes, an 80 volt CHAINSAW! In case you can’t already tell, I’m excited to roll these babies out and give them a whirl! I’ll cover the mower and string trimmer in this column, and the chainsaw and leaf blower in upcoming installments. The new 80 volt Max lineup includes a 21” mower, a straight shaft string trimmer, leaf blower and 18” chainsaw. “HOLY Schnikes! That’s a BIG battery!!” Yes, the folks at Kobalt did not mess around when they came out with a follow up to their popular line of 40 Volt lawn tools. ![]()
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