Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Managing a 1/4-acre zoysia lawn may not seem like a lot, but I care about the details. Switching from gas to the 60V Toro battery string trimmer let me see just how close to gas power I could get. As it turns out, this tool comes very close—at least when used for residential upkeep. Highlights include a lightweight design and easy-to-restring winding head. Downsides might include a Low speed that didn’t deliver as well as I’d hope. For small or even medium-sized yards, this 60V battery-powered string trimmer should easily replace your gas weed eater without missing a beat.

So far, the Toro 60V line of outdoor tools has managed to impress us. Particularly, the Toro 60V self-propelled lawnmower demonstrated sufficient run-time for the yard. It also had great cut-quality and plenty of power to handle both bagging and mulching. While cut quality doesn’t factor into string trimmers, cutting power certainly does.

The 60V Toro Battery String Trimmer comes folded in half in a box. You just click it into place and use an Allen wrench (provided) to fasten a single screw to the shaft connector. After that, you attach the plastic front handle using four socket head screws, affix the guard with two more screws, and go.

This trimmer, like many cordless models, uses a bump-feed head. Toro’s works really well and uses a stepped nylon feed spool that didn’t hang up on me. Before you begin, decide if you want a 14- or 16-inch cutting swath. You want to flip the string cutter on the guard accordingly to match your desired cut diameter.

Loading string couldn’t be simpler either. You line up the arrows on the bump head, load the string, and twist the bump knob counter-clockwise. Regarding the string, the Toro 60V string trimmer takes either .080″ or .095″ line. Note, however, the amount you can load changes based on the diameter used:

The brushless DC motor on this string trimmer definitely gave me enough run-time to tackle the yard. While the variable speed trigger let me feather the speed as needed, the 2-speed switch on the handle stayed in High for most of my cutting. In that mode, it felt a lot like a residential gas trimmer. Low speed simply didn’t make me feel like it had enough oomph.

Runtime impressed me. I got nearly 45 minutes and tackled quite a bit of tough material. You may find you get a bit less if you use 0.095″ line and/or tackle thicker grasses. The bottom line: I’ve had to refuel gas trimmers in roughly the same amount of time.

The Flex-Force 60V L135 battery delivers 135 watt-hours. Knowing this is a 2.5Ah battery pack, that reveals the nominal voltage of the system as 54V (60V Max). Charge time is around an hour for a depleted pack.

I used the Toro 60V string trimmer on my 1/4 acre zoysia lawn. It quickly took care of basic edging around the perimeter, but I wanted to see if it could do more.

Setting it to work on some overgrown sweet potato vine, I found the Toro trimmer didn’t even hesitate. In High, speed was sufficient to quickly beat back the thick stalks of this ground cover. Even after sustained trimming, I felt as if the tool could continue this kind of work for the duration. Fortunately, I only had a small patch to worry about.

I also trimmed grass against a fence line. I found the ergonomics of the trimmer easy to balance and manipulate—giving me a nice clean line. Even though Toro placed the brushless motor on the business end of the tool, it never felt too front-heavy. Balance remains even while in use.

You can buy the Toro 51830 60V string trimmer as either a bare tool for $139 or as a kit with battery and charger for $199. It actually presents one of the better values out there given its performance, price, and warranty.

Multiple retailers carry Toro 60V battery-powered tools, including Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and Acme Tools.

The Toro 60V string trimmer really feels like a smooth transition from gas—but without the noise and vibration. The weight of gas nearly offsets the weight of the battery—making the tools very similar. We estimate less than a pound difference between the two. As a platform, Tor has impressed us. The three-year warranty on tool and battery matches some of the best out there. The line also includes the necessary components—blower, hedge trimmer, and mower—so you can assemble a nice system.

Finally, I simply love the way this tool works—and I’ve used dozens of gas-and battery-powered outdoor tools. For medium to small yards, this is an impressive and compelling replacement for your aging gas trimmer.

A dedicated father and friend, the multi-talented Frank McCaulley is the long-time Director of Operations for Trinity Presbyterian Church. In this role, he gets to use an awful lot of power tools in various critical MRO (maintenance, repair & operations) applications.

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the Battery won’t last 45 minutes. Further the push button spool. Unwinder doesn’t work properly. I’ve used this 3 times and wish I never bought it.

Any idea where to get parts for this thing? No one seems to sell the trimmer head assembly. Not even Toro themselves! Bought this a month ago and the plastic head assembly is already destroyed

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