Worx Three Piece Cordless Bundle Product Review
By: Pam Melton
They say that everything in life is a trade-off. It's amazing how often that proves to be true. Take yard work. Not everyone's cuppa tea. The results are pretty much universally appreciated, it's the journey that is taken with gusto by some and and downright despair by others. I have historically leaned toward the despair end of the meter. Let's face it, bugs ick me out on various levels - so let's not even get into snails and worms and whatnot. I want our place to reach its enjoyment potential, so I have put my hands on being more help to hubby out there. Eatin' weeds (that's what I'm calling it-not dealing with ™ issues on this one) is one yard task that I just refused to do. I tried it once, couldn't shake that nagging feeling that I didn't mix the oil and gas properly, almost broke my arm pulling that d#%!n cord to start it, never did figure out how to hold it just right and that whole bumping nonsense had me spending more time trying to get trimming line than actually trimming anything.
 When I decided to start really participating in making the most of our outdoor space, Brad let me borrow his Worx trimmer. Let me tell you - it turned me into a weedeating machine. I was so fascinated by the fact that I didn't have to fill anything, pull anything or bump anything -- I couldn't stop. Coupled with the light weight, ease of maneuverabilty AND adjusting head, the total package allowed me to get under stuff, around stuff. Man I was actually bummed that I we don't have edging areas to really be able to take advantage of the edger position. This is how sick and twisted I became - I started using the trimmer to cut narrow grassy areas where hubby always sent lawn tractor fodder into my flower beds. After a full season and a half, I can honestly say that this trimmer will have to be wrenched from my cold,dead hands.
I used Brad's for a half a season and then the Worx® people were nice enough to send the 3 Piece Cordless Bundle to us for review purposes. (Brad was glad (tee hee-it rhymes..) 'cause it meant he got his back) The bundle includes the GT Grass Trimmer, HT Hedge Trimmer and the WorxAir Blower/Sweeper, 2 batteries, rapid charging station and mountable storage rack. Now keep in mind, this is an 18 volt NiCad battery system, not the newer lithium ion get-up.
My bushes no longer resemble one of my bad hair days. The hedge trimmer is lightweight, cuts well and has an adjustble handle. Frankly, when Rhonda with Worx® told me about the handle, I thought - "eh...whatever". But, when in use, that feature turned out to be the bomb! Again, I realize that this just sounds sick, but I wanna plant more bushes now. This tool is extremely comfortable to use, and actually succeeds in cutting small diameter growth, which tends to just bend between the blades of a lot of hand and/or corded electric trimmers. To get the skinny on the lithium ion verson of this tool, check out Beth's review.
The blower/sweeper....well, it's a blower. Like the other yard tools, it's surprisingly comfortable to use. The one feature that I know I missed versus the lithium ion model is the ability to adjust the air force. I could definitely see where this would be usefull when blowing debris off of areas that have been recently mulched, or places where light stuff like pine straw or regular straw has been distributed.
So...you say, "fine, what's all this got to do with a trade-off". Therein lies the rub. At the end of the season, neither battery would hold a decent charge for longer than 10 minutes. After asking around, I found out that Brad's wasn't holding a charge, and neither was Beth's dad's. All of us were careful to follow the charging and battery care advice provided in the product literature. Now, I have no idea how long the guys have had theirs, or how much they've used them. I do know that I had mine for 5 Months, and I used the crap out of each and every tool, swapping those batteries around more than I change earrings. Ultimately, I'm just buying new batteries for mine.
Given everything else, including lifetime spool replacement, I'll take the trade-off on battery life any day. Who knows, the next battery may last for years. We'll see. For $40 bucks (espcially since Worx® provided the tools in the first place), I'm not really worried about it. Oh yeah - on the grass trimmer spools, I did have to order some to replace what I used up of Brad's. For $6 and change shipping and handling, I got a pack of 6 spools.
Since I am going to have to get a new battery so soon (and have heard the same miff from others), the 3 Piece Cordless Bundle gets 4 fingernails. Great job Worx®!
If you're in the market, check out the lithium ion line that they have. The tools are even lighter weight, and the battery life should be greatly improved. If we manage to get a set, we'll fill you in on any other improvements - although I really can't imagine what they can do to make this stuff any better. I will say that if I could sit back and sip on a Corona® with lime while watching little black and orange blurs manicure my yard by remote, it'll be seriously on!
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