Side by Side Comparison of: Black & Decker vs BLACK+DECKER

When I ordered this I did not realize that the weed whip turned to make this an edger. As I needed an edger this turned out to be a real bonus. See some comments that the blower does not put out a lot of air but this is advertised as a sweeper not a leaf blower and for my uses I happen to prefer the lower air flow. Kicks up less dust when blowing out the garage for example. My old gas blower put out too much for me and while it had lots of attachments this one is very simple and light weight and easy to use. Recommended this to friend who wanted light weight whip and blower and she is very happy with hers as I am with mine. I have used a Black and Decker cordless weed whip for several years now and keeping that as spare. Unlike that older model this one even on full power lasted over an hour of whipping and edging. Surprised and pleased by that. Nice too that the battery pack can be used with drill, chain saw and other Black and Decker tools if I want later on.

A good combo.. String trimmer works well for around the house to trim small weeds and grass..Has two settings, one for more power and one that gives more battery life and less power. I wouldnt recommend this for heavy weed trimming, however to clean up around sidewalks, house, gardens, it works perfect and the blower does a good job of cleaning up the clippings and dirt left behind. Its not a 200mph leaf blower, but will certainly clean up what is left behind from trimming. The trimmer is adjustable in length, enough so that my 9 year old boy can use it as well as myself and I am 6'3"". Head also swivels so that it can be used as a edger.

Battery life is of course dependent on how heavy weeds/grass is that is being cut, but for my home, I can usually do all my clean up trimming around the house, flower beds and small trees on one charge.

House sits on 2/3 acre. Used to take me 2.5-3 hours to cut/trim/edge/blow. Not any more ...

Switched from a gas-powered trimmer + gas-powered edger + power blower. I can't believe I lugged all that junk around for so many years! LOVE the trimmer/edger feature. With a simple click and rotation, I switched back and forth several times, depending on need. The blower has ample power to clean off the sidewalk and driveway after edging. Full review:

Trimmer:
Ran it on high power the entire time. Kicked up a few rocks and twigs (I was wondering how MUCH power it would have - safety glasses are still required!). Trimmed nicely. Found that while in the trimmer position, the wheel serves an additional purpose along a PVC fence: It helped me keep a level trim line. Switched it down to the lower power range, and it would have done well in that setting also. I'm a high-power kind of guy, though.

Edger:
Quick change from trimmer to edger: Push the button and rotate. Again, powerful enough for what I needed. Kept a pretty straight edge, had to go back over a couple of spots - but had to do it with my gas edger, too. Edged to a good depth - not too deep, but evident that I'd edged. Very clean edge.

Line:
Didn't even have to think about it. Noticed when the line got short, it pushed out more length. Very cool. No bumping, no stopping to add line.

Blower:
Nice little unit. Blew all of the grass trimmings and cottonwood pods wherever I needed it to. Did not lack power at all. Very comfortable and easy to handle.

Battery:
As mentioned earlier, ran the trimmer & edger on high power the entire time. Switched to the blower and did what I needed to do. Total time used today approx 40 minutes. Was actually looking for things to do, to test the battery - but it did everything I needed, and had juice left.

Ergonomics:
Had to make a couple of adjustments to make it comfortable. For the Trimmer/Edger, after the first 5-10 minutes, I moved the handle from a 12-o'clock (straight up on the shaft) to a 10-o'clock position. Much less strain in that position (for me - I'm just under 6 feet tall). Also, once I figured out that I could take my thumb off the start button (DUH on me) and just squeeze the handle trigger, it got a little more comfortable. The weight of the battery and the squeezing of the trigger did cause some discomfort - it was quickly shaken out as I moved from one location of my yard to the next.

Why I love this (besides the above):
Simple operation: Push the button, squeeze the handle trigger, and go for it.
No more pulling the start cord.
No more swearing at small-engine problems.
No more dragging power cords around.
No more stopping to change the trim line in the middle of the job.
Quiet but powerful in all phases.

I'm a woman who owns a house. That house has a yard...and a deck...and gazillion tall trees with leaves. I love it.

However, since I've now reached over three score and a decade of years, I had to admit to defeat in being able to use gasoline-powered equipment. My shoulders simply can't take the pull-starting jerks--nor the weight and vibrations of the tools themselves. But all is not lost. These astoundingly light tools start right up and are easy to direct just where I want them to go.

As I finished the easy assembly and slid the battery into place, I even discovered the blower will do an extraordinary job of whooshing cat hair and dust bunnies right out the door as well! The cats don't like it any better than a vacuum, but at least the volume isn't anywhere near the deafening of the gasoline machines. And it really was fun to blow it around (carefully) inside and aim the dust and whatever into the great outdoors. Poor spiders--they also joined the mass exodus.

Actually, this isn't a heavy-duty workhorse machine. More like a pony. But it eagerly takes on what I need done and doesn't wear me to a nubbin working with it. I have a huge 40' deck, and it cleared all the last year's leaves without breathing hard--and didn't leave my arms shaking and aching when I finished. I really prefer that it isn't so powerful that it blows at hurricane strength.

While the String Trimmer doesn't have the same fun chores as the Sweeper, I ran out of power before the battery did. The small yard the trees allow me has invasions of wisteria and other pesky plants as well as a nice mixture of wild strawberry and clover. I could swing the trimmer around easily to lop just the tops of the plants I want, or tilt it in to attack the base of those I don't. Amazing little tool. Almost makes me like "mowing" the lawn...almost.

I first got the smaller trimmer - same blower combo LCC300 because I thought it was the same as the smaller trimmer - blower combo with two batteries LCC220. Once I found out it had only one battery (5 hour charge time/20 minute run time 2ampHr), I took it Back. For the same price, I got the larger two speed B&D Trimmer - same Blower Combo LCC420 with the bigger battery (10 hour charge time/40 minute run time 4ampHr up to 1hour on extended runtime speed). I find that batteries with higher capacities usually gives you a better power curve of useful output. (Per my experience with high current Lion Radio control electric plane batteries.) Note: Lion rechargable batteries perform the best with 25 - 50% discharge or less before charging again. A Deep discharge will distroy it. I got alot of good information from Battery University on the web.

I bought this set for my father in law. He is over 70 and doesn't have a very big yard so he doesn't want a bunch of gas equipment anymore. His mower is electric now as well.

So far these have worked out great and he is able to trim his yard and blow everything off on one charge.

He especially likes that the trimmer quickly rotates and has a wheel to guide it while edging his driveway.

It was a little underpowered to me which is why I gave it four stars. It depends on your needs though. It wouldn't work for me but it works great for my father in law. I do think it's one of the better battery operated ones available outside of the ego.

This is a powerful and long-lasting electric trimmer. The sweeper is a nice bonus, but the trimmer and battery type alone justify the price. Only downside is the angle of the handle on the trimmer.

Pros
• My yard requires more endurance than power, so I opted for 20V 4Ah vs 40V or higher with 2Ah

• I can run the trimmer on the #1 setting (longer runtime) for about an hour with very few pauses. That's almost-constant running for an hour!

• It maintained cutting power and effectiveness on grass and light weeds until the battery was fully drained. No diminishing power and effectiveness as the battery drained like my older B+D trimmer

• Edging is easier and more accurate with the wheel guide vs the metal bar style of guide.

• I thought I would need a second battery in order to get any use out of the blower, but that hasn't been the case. My typical use involves about 40 min trimming/edging, mostly on setting 1, but occasionally on 2, followed by 15 min or so of sweeping

• sweeper works adequately. Just watch your pant leg if you're right handed - the air intake can get a hold of it. Though not in a dangerous way, so far

Cons
• Given the (3x) longer runtime than my previous B+D trimmer, the handle/trigger could be more ergonomic. This became a factor midway through my hour when I found my self switching trigger hands due to fatigue from the odd wrist angle.

I had the Black and Decker Ni-CAD sweeper and trimmer combo that was 18volts and it was horrible. So bad, I got credit from the credit card company because it took 10hrs to charge, and I immediately went to an electric set.

Long story short: while the electric had plenty of power to blow and trim, it was a major pain to lasso 100 ft of electrical cord. Now we come to this new lithium ion set. I thought I may have hit the sweet compromise.

A few things before I dive into the review. I have about 5000 sq ft of yard and that gives you an idea of weed trimming and we have some common space near a pond that has some natural vegetation growth - so that gives you an idea of the yard space I have to work with.

PROS:
• I feared the 20 volt lithium battery wasn't going to be enough power for weed trimming. I was wrong. The nice thing about this trimmer is that it has two settings: high for more power cutting/trimming on thicker weeds and low for longer battery life (grass). For grass trimming the low setting is sufficient. But it's nice to switch to high power on the fly and it's a boost of power to about 30%.
• Nice guides on the trimmer. If you see the trimmer closely it has a wheel, which is nice for edging your lawn and also serves as a good buffer when trimming around the home without nicking your walls.
• Trimmer has a nice ergonomic grip for any size - you can adjust the supporting grip, and the length of the shaft (so you taller people don't have to hunch over)
• The Trimmer can adjust to an edging angle - another smart bonus
• Blower is sufficient if you are blowing grass trimmings. If you're in a neighborhood with fully grown trees, the blower's power is never going to match the power of an electric or gas. But I did zip through blowing out the garage dirt and debris fairly quickly.
• I thought one battery for two tools would not be enough, but I had enough juice to finish the front and backyard.
• Lithium ion battery is a plus over ni-cad ANY DAY

CONS
• For some the power of the blower will not suffice, but for LIGHT yard work it does the job fine. Technique of using a blower in a sweeping fashion is just as important as power.
• The EXTENDED lithium ion battery might not be enough power for some, but for me at 5000 sq foot it's sufficient.
• If you regularly need to clear out overgrown, hick weeds the power of a 20 volts might not be enough, but if you maintain your yard regularly the 20 volt should suffice. If I lived on a ranch and had thick weeds, I'd go with the 40 volts.
• Blower is adequate, but for me honestly - I've not seen an cordless blower that was off a battery that comes nearly the power of a cord or gas, but you also have to remember breathing in the fumes of gas, and pulling a cord around.

Unless you're a gardener who likes to spend hours outside making your home look pretty, most people look at yard work as utilitarian, something you have to do and you want it done well, and efficiently. Black and Decker overall, is a good company - even though most of the products are made in China, but the quality control for the most part isn't bad. It's not a premium product, but it's not poorly made set either. Right off the bat you get a trimmer with lots of features and a blower that looks like a typical blower - nothing great, or special. The blower does the job for cleaning off grass trimmings, but my bet is the power isn't going to move wet leaves or grass. The trimmer, the battery that comes with it and the combo price is the kicker: it's good enough for most homeowners.

The trimmer is light and versatile. It is more than sufficient on high power for most yards. If you're on a ranch you need the 40 volts..for that extra 'oomph' for thick weeds. The battery is big, and has a good charge to serve me for a 5000sq ft yard. HOWEVER, I strongly recommend you get the FAST CHARGER which charges the battery in about 40 minutes from low to full. I was able to do some serious yard work, come in and slap the battery for a 2nd charge and by the time I finished lunch the battery was back to a full charge. I did a 2nd charge to do some detail work.

An extra battery is almost $67.00 on Amazon, but the charger was about $30 bucks. You can recharge your battery in about 1/2 hour to finish what you need. I think the regular charging is 1-2 hours on the cheap charger, so the idea of quickly recharging your batteries is a no-brainer.

Overall, this combo kit made yard work 'fun'. I love the freedom to move, but remember to get the FAST charger.

I've owned and used quite a few gasoline powered trimmers including a heavy duty Stihl with a cutting blade. They were heavy and they were LOUD with lots of vibration. The older NiCad batteries just didn't have the power for lawn tools. I gave up on a NiCad trimmer when it would bog down doing simple trimming. However when the Lithium Ion tools arrived that all changed.

This is a lightweight unit and I intend to use it for light trimming. It does the job. I'm giving it 4 stars because I may need to adjust the rating after the string runs out and it gets more usage. It is mostly plastic so we'll see how it does.

The blower is included in this combo. I didn't think it would be useful, but it a nice addition. Also very light and quiet.

The new 20v Li max battery lasts much longer than the previous 18v Black Decker Grasshog version of the trimmer and blower. I have enough power now to weedwack all of my lawn on a single charge (1 acre property), edging included. The automatic string release still sucks, no different than before. Every now and then you still have to stop what you are doing, and help release extra string manually. The edging guide wheel on the trimmer is OK, but not any improvement over the old metal guide. The blower is more powerful, but still not enough juice to pick leaves off grass. Personally, I don't dig this new "snail-shell" design of the blower housing. The only obvious downgrade is the trimmer handle. It used to be thick with a rubbery grip. Now it's thin, plasticky and cuts into your hand after a few minutes of use.

Verdict: I highly recommend these tools for people who prefer freedom from power cords and gasoline fumes.

I have had this for one month. The battery won't last long enough to use both products to complete yard work and now (after three uses) the battery flashes and won't charge at all. I have tried to call Black and Decker per Amazon's instruction and the phone number does not work. I emailed them now and I am waiting on a reply. The weed eater does a good job when the battery is fully charge. The blower power is not really adequate. Right now I regret buying this, but hopefully Black and Decker will have good customer service. I don't have a good first impression since I can't even call and speak to them.Frustrated.

I have a relatively small yard and this machine is all I need. The Sweeper is full of power. I wish this device came with two batteries, even though one lasts a long time, switching between two devices in one day can be hard. My only issue is how expensive the replacement line is. I get the three pack on Amazon, but for my small yard, I end up going through a whole spool for the back and half the front. It's pretty costly if you keep up with your yard every other week. I've switched to once a month but would prefer to do it more often. The device is light weight and it's easy to trim with. It's also easy to convert. Three stars because it needs another battery and better line.

I thought was the answer to my weed eating but it died in September 2015. If you buy this which love mine then buy the warranty. I have 2 acres but I only use the weedeater on a area around the small fenced area an flower bed areas so maybe 1/2-3/4 acre. I have almost all of the other products they have any all the batteries work on most of the products. The 20 volt anyways works on cordless matrix drill which has like 6 or so attachments an I have 5 of them. I would not buy the cordless circular saw it doesn't have enough power unless its a very small job.

The trimmer works great. The sweeper however not worth it. I would buy the trimmer alone and then purchase a gas blower with more power. I do use the sweeper just to blow grass off the driveway and blow the lawnmower off before i put it back into the garage. LOL. and keep in mind this package is for lightweight work and is perfect for the homeowner. I however have a few apartment complexes that i do once every two weeks and another battery would be great. You will get about an hour of run time with the supplied battery.

Update: Leaf blower died right after a year - will plan on fixing through two yr limited warranty with B&D... I was hoping that this equipment would last a little bit longer with such light use.

I bought this on Amazon Warehouse deals and the product arrived in less than two days (I don't have Amazon Prime). I got very excited and started up the trimmer and the sweeper without charging the battery. From my 20 minute experience, I can tell you that you should not be touching the spool if it gets cut from hitting the cement. If you keep using the trimmer, it will automatically feed (The instruction says not to tap the spool). I also don't understand why there are so many reviews saying that the sweeper is not so great. I think it does a great job! After I cut the edges with my trimmer, I used the sweeper to blow all the cut grass off the sidewalk in less than thirty seconds! Perhaps you need a bigger blowing if you have a gigantic yard. Overall, I am very happy with the first impression of this product.

With only occasional use, the blower only lasted 2 years. It developed a high-pitched scream, seized up, and quit. Won't buy again.

Well first I will say the trimmer is okay for small half to whole acre yards with minimal trimming. I noticed it's awkward to get around some things that require precision. It does not edge well so th roller in it is pointless in my opinion. Also it is ill not cut through heavy weeds easily and the unit mainly for standard grass/ weeds so do not expect to weed through thick shrubbery like you can do with some and most gas weedeaters. The auto spoll does not work on my trimmer I usually have to give it a tap on the ground lightlyfor more line, I've tried to clean the head and diagnosis what's causing it not to automatically feed but it still will not work. The sweeper or blower is minimal for small jobs like blowing grass off driveway or dirt off porch. I did not have much expectation for the blower so I am happy with it for the small jobs I use it for.

I have been experiencing an issue since I got the until where the charger blinks red rapidly even without the battery attached. When I attach the battery it goes solid green for about a solid two seconds then it starts to blink red again. When it does this I usually unplug it and detach the battery for a few hours and try again. Eventually it will take a charge and blink slowly green like it is supposed to do when it is charging. I have only used the battery 6-8 times to do my yard and if there is an issue with the battery that's unacceptable. I contacted B &D and will update on the resolution and how their customer service decides to handle this issue. To add I have followed all charging directions to a T to ensure proper usage and longevity of the battery.

(This review is critical of the manufacturer, not the supplier.) Written May, 2016: You get what you pay for...and often less. After having this pair of B&D yard tools for less than a year, and using them only on a small residential lot 75 x 130 ft., both have developed problems. The motor shaft bearing in the blower/sweeper (if there really is one) now squalls very LOUDLY for the first several minutes of use, and this happens for a longer period each time I use it. I expect it to fail soon. In addition, the power on/off slide switch on the trimmer is getting intermittent, requiring several pulls before it will run. Now I'll have to find an B&D service shop to get both tools repaired under warranty which is (fortunately) 2 years. When the tools are working properly, they do an OK job. And, the battery charge lasts long enough to do the whole yard. Otherwise, I'd rate this tool package with only 1 star.

the trimmer was received damaged at the point that the battery is installed. It is almost impossible to insert battery. The sweeper is fine. could you replace only the string trimmer? If so, please do and I will return the damaged unit as soon as I receive the replacement along with material req'd. for the return og damaged unit. I no longer have the orig. ship box.
Please advise, as I do not want to return both units
roushdonald@yahoo.com

This weed eater is only good for a small front level yard or trimming not good for tall or high grass and banks When in full power mode you have about 20 minutes of full power. the battery charger that comes with it takes 8 to 10 full hours before fully charged, you have to buy several batteries and a quick charger which only takes about 30 minutes to charge in all it could cost about $ 250.00 to buy if you want to cut about a 1/3 of an acre and comes Buy a gas trimmer you will be better off in the long run. I bought a Ryobi for about $ 119.00 at Home Depot and comes with a 3 year limited warranty. The air blower that comes with it is also for light duty air blowing.

Could hear a rough, bearing sound the first time I used it. It became worse and B+D replaced it. The replacement had the same sound, but lasted just beyond the warranty. I was told by B+D that it was light duty and only for occasional use.I don't think the air coming out knows what it is blowing so they must be suggesting that it shouldn't be used often. I used it to blow patio and walks etc. Since both units failed, it would seem it is for extremely "light duty" , occasional use only. Hand blowers are very handy and I'll purchase another, but suggest this model should be avoided.

NOT HAPPY!! I will be sending it back the string is way too small to dig in and cut the grass when edging i went back and forth 4 times to cut threw alot of the over grown grass and it still wouldnt cut threw it,i dont know why this trimmer gets the stars it does,it really really doesnt work that well!! SOOOO MUCH FOR BLACK AND DECKER!!! THUMBS DOWN!!!!! AND WHEN YOU GET 2 MACHINES I EXPECTED 2 BATTERYS BUT I ONLY GOT 1!!!! SHAME ON YOU B&DECKER!!!

Bought the Product in June, First the weed wacker motor blew, and now the blower motor is going bad as well , Try contacting Black& Decker could not find a direct number on the web site, i email them 3 time , Have not heard anything from them, never again will i buy Black & Decker

I rarely review products when I feel the ratings are accurate. Here, I feel compelled to let people know that this lawn equipment is not deserving of 5 stars. They are so tiny and cheap feeling, that I thought I was sent the wrong set at first. These look and feel more like children's toys than serious tools. Entry level gas or chorded equipment will dwarf this set in quality, feel, and performance.

Blower - The blower sounds identical to the motor on an inflatable mattress and puts out about as much air. To get grass clippings off a sidewalk, it works fine. If you have to move any volume of leaves, forget it. Next to a Toro chorded blower, it looks like something from a Fisher Price play set. :/

Trimmer - Very light and ergonomic, but has a short shaft. Extremely underpowered and had difficulty getting through even small clumps of weeds. The trimmer line is thinner than most weeds, if that's any indication of how this works. I attempted edging one driveway and 20 feet of sidewalk, failed miserably. Battery did well, but after about 20 minutes it blew through an entire spool of trimmer line and jammed 5 times.

Replaced this with a Worx 56v trimmer, and I would give that 3.5 stars. Better power and much better trimmer line, but still jams constantly and line feeding mechanism is the worst I've ever seen. For $200 still doesn't perform any better than cheapest 25cc model. Before I started this search for cordless lawn equipment I wondered by everyone hadn't converted yet. Now I understand that for the same performance, you can afford to replace your cheap gas equipment twice over. If I could do it over again, I'd probably get a gas blower and trimmer. Chords are a nightmare and at this time there is no economical, frustration-free battery powered solution. Maybe I should lobby Tesla to get in on the cordless tool game...

Nice and light, easy to use. My problem is with the blower. I've used the blower almost daily, blowing off my deck and walks. It worked great, but now the motor started growling and it is getting worse. I checked out the return policy and it expires after 30 days. I've had it for 2 months, so there I sit.