BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX* String Trimmer / Edger, 12-Inch (LSTE523)

This is a great trimmer for home use. It's light, can do both trimming and edging, and has improved significantly over the previous model.The cordless concept gives you a lot of freedom. I have a corded edger with a blade and it's great for the really challenging parts of the lawn, but nothing beats the convenience of this cordless model.How well does it trim?For a home with a front and back yard (probably around 4000 sq ft lawn space) I found the 3Ah battery just enough to cover both yards if using a judicious mix of the two power settings. The low power setting is fine for most of the trimming and even some of the edging, but I use the higher power setting for thicker growth. This is for St. Augustine grass common in the south. If you have hardier substances to cut or if you need to use the higher power setting more than I do you may have to charge in the middle of the job and it does take a while to charge an empty battery. You can also buy additional compatible batteries on the Black and Decker 20v systems on Amazon which I would recommend for those with larger/tougher jobs.Which one is for you?The biggest differences with this model series are the batteries they come with and the string feed mechanism. I've included a chart to help understand the differences between the models. Some thoughts:- The basic 522 and 523 appear to be physically identical trimmers except for the string feed. The 522's is automatic, the 523's is manual. My old 400 had an automatic feed that worked but there were times I would have liked to have been able to feed it when the automatic didn't trigger.- The 523 appears to be sold in two options (at least it was when I bought mine). One option comes with a 3Ah battery, the other comes with a 1.5Ah battery. The bigger battery is heavier but lasts longer. If you have a smaller lawn, or you want the lightest weight, maybe the smaller battery unit is better for you. Although the unit is not heavy, you may feel it after using it for forty minutes. Again, if battery life is an issue, Amazon sells additional batteries separately, and they're compatible with the whole line of Black and Decker devices including cutters, drills, and more.- The 525 seems to be identical to the 523 but comes with a choice of either a 3Ah battery or two 1.5Ah batteries.- The entire 500 series (522, 523, etc) are a big improvement over the 400 series due to modifications to the trimmer/edger conversion mechanism and also the change of the auxiliary handle's friction clamp to instead a fixed pivot point on the handle assembly. This makes the 500 series easier to use and more reliable.6-Jun-2019 update: Saw a bunch of negative reviews from people that had issues with quality control on their units. I don't doubt them. I had issues with the previous generation of this unit. All I can say is that even with issues, I got four years out of the previous model and this one so far has worked fine. Stories of the awful (and probably outsourced) support from Black and Decker are disappointing, but that's the price of dealing with some corporations.

Very easy to use: twist the shaft to go from horizontal cutting to vertical; battery attachment couldn't be easier. However, recommend larger battery for all but tiny yards and requirements. It is light weight compared to the bulky electric cable or gas edgers. Trims both weeds and borders usually on low power. Has a higher power usage switch for stubborn weeds. This is designed as a grass edger, but as stated does light weeds as well, especially at higher power offering. It certainly would have now replaced my Stihl gas trimmer I needed 25+ years ago where I chopped down 4-6' weeds. Now that I am back to civilization and have just a grass property, this is fantastic. Stores easily in the golf cabinet in my garage that came with the house. I bought extra spools of cutting material, but haven't replaced the original yet after all Summer. The automatic spool advance works without any trouble as does the manual advance when desired. Couldn't be happier unless wife wants to do the outside trimming.

The trimmer itself is wonderful and has stood up to heat, grass clippings, flying rocks, and heavy use just fine. The two different speed settings are very nice for cutting different things. The trimmer is very lightweight, and not having the fumes from gas is a godsend. If you're looking to de-forest a severely overgrown wilderness, maybe look for something a little stronger, but so far this has taken care of a decent amount of overgrowth with no issue and the string seems to last forever.The battery, however, is a little fickle. Okay, by a little, I mean a LOT.The battery had enough life to get the entire front, back, and side yards done along with the driveway and along the sidewalk when we first got the unit. However, you have to be careful when charging. If you leave it on the charger for too long, or let the battery die completely, it significantly decreases the battery life. Unfortunately, the charger just has a light indicator- blinking for charging, solid for done charging- and unless you're paying very close attention to a single blinking light it's very easy to forget it on the charger. The battery life on our unit has significantly decreased, and now I'm lucky to be able to get half the property done on a single charge due to forgetting it on the charger overnight or trying to push it to get just a little more lawn done and then it dies. I acknowledge that it's user error that's ultimately led to the decrease of the battery life, but it's equally as frustrating to have a product that requires such close and careful care to avoid battery issues. Likewise, if you want to order a replacement battery, good luck - it's nearly impossible to find the 30AH battery sold by itself, and if you switch to the 20AH battery it really seems to throttle performance.Overall I love this trimmer but wish the battery was easier to maintain.

If you replace the spool and the feed button stops working right it's an easy fix. Just get a 1/2 drill bit and ream the hole out a bit. It's worked for me every time. It's a great trimmer/edger. I've had it 4 years or so and it still works great.