Battling What the Rain Left

One of my faithful readers and commenters, Karen Anne, recently left a comment asking me about a weed-eater. Much to my surprise, I hadn't written about a purchase I made at the end of summer 2008: a Black & Decker Grass Hog (GH600).

Considering how much rain we've gotten lately, are still continuing to get, and how many weeds are springing up all over the place, this seems like a good time to tell you about it!

It's a corded weed-eater. I'd owned a corded weed-eater quite a while ago before abandoning it for a series of gas-powered ones. I bought three during six or seven years. They literally just couldn't cut it. They were bulky and heavy and you had to have a separate gas/oil blend on hand. It was a major pain in the butt. So, I finally went back to a corded model.

I'm not sorry I did.

The Grass Hog GH600 really rocks it. It only weighs a little over 5 pounds and it has an automatic line feed -- none of that annoying bump 'n go stuff. It has a 14-inch cutting swath and a 5-amp motor.

And, by twisting the body, it easily converts from a trimmer to an edger! All in all, a great little machine, available for under $50! (I found it at Amazon for $46 and some change. I purchased mine at Lowe's during one of their $10 off of a $50 purchase promos.)

Two caveats: Make sure you are using extension cords that are designed for power-tool use AND that are in good shape. You run the risk of overheating your trimmer otherwise.

And second, make sure you use .065 line. Any thicker, you also run the risk of burning up the motor.

Can I tell you that you’ll never have an issue with it? Well, no. But I can tell you that I have been using mine for nearly two years and it gets the job done.