Vile and Decker Cordless hedgetrimmer, Full or Contaminated? - Instrument Peel off Forum - GardenWeb

A little bit late, but hope this helps. I am the owner of a B&D 18V trimmer, also had the 18v cordless sweeper. Bought these about 3 years ago, when they were shipping with 2 batteries each (had 4 total).

The single biggest problem is the battery - the NiCads develop memory problem over time and start to hold less and less charge and now I am looking for a gas powered trimmer - as the batteries are about $35 each. If someone knows of a way to keep the NiCads from this memory problem let me know. If someone knows of a way to recover older batteries with the memory problem, please pass that knowledge on.

How did they work? The string trimmer did work very well for me (I used it strictly for trimming close to the fence), and also edging. However, the edges have to be well maintained (no huge overgrowths, other wise it will struggle). I did not use this for "weedwhacking", I usually pull weeds out by hand. The cordless broom is just that - a broom, it shouldn't be classified as a blower.

I started out with the intention of being a totally green homeowner, I had the following equipment:

a) A push reel mower - I used this for about a year and gave up. Mowing wet grass, somewhat tall grass (I had to mow at least twice a week during summer), it was pure murder. Now, I have a Toro recycler.

b) A cordless broom (B&D 18v) - Had to pony up to a corded Toro electric blower, the broom just didn't cut it by itself.

c) A cordless string trimmer (B&D 18v) - I am in the process of looking for a replacement. Though I could use the batteries from the blower as well, all the batteries have aged and are not holding charge well.

d) Craftsman electric edger - Though the B&D cordless is supposed to edge (and it does), it is good enough for light edging only.

A burglary - To top it off, I had my garage, broken into, late last year and thieves made off with the cordless blower (with one battery still in it), the Toro electric blower, the Toro mower, and a Karcher 3KPSI pressure washer. I replaced the Toros (with the same models) and still in the lookout for a new pressure washer. It was in the course of my research into a new string trimmer that I ran into this post and thought I would contribute. For the average home owner the cordless trimmer is a good concept, but the batteries are consumables, and you should factor that into the ownership cost.