EGO Power+ ST1623T 56-Volt 16-Inch Cordless String Trimmer, 4.0Ah Battery, 320W Charger Included Plus Extra BA1400T 2.5Ah Battery

WOW. Such a quality machine. I already own the EGO blower (650) so the idea of having a second battery was appealing and it will charge on the original charging unit. I am 73 and I used my hand truck to bring the box back to my shop thinking I might have made a mistake when it came to its weight. I just used it and it's not an issue. I am 6-3, but extending the shaft all the way out fit me pretty good. I already own a couple of commercial gas weed eaters, but the hassle of mixing oil/gas and having to wear hearing protection was something I wanted to move on from, plus getting them started. As powerful as the gas rigs? Yes, is the short answer. Absolutely no drop off in that regard and the noise reduction is wonderful and I don't have to wear a pair of sweaty ear caps. How long does the battery last? I don't know yet, but my blower battery last as long as I want to lug it around frankly. I have a sling for it, but used it w/o and it was incredibly well balanced much to my surprise. The vibration feedback was also much reduced compared to the gas rigs. I have much to learn about this machine, but I could tell when the auto-line feed was working and it did. I know this is kind of pricey, buy I have no regrets spending more for this machine or the blower for that matter. It just does what it says. If you want quality and no compromise, consider this unit.

I have only used it once but, so far so good. The setup was easy. It only took about 10 or 15 minutes. I would advise reading carefully all of the manuals. In terms of operation this thing is very powerful. It's just about as powerful as my previous gas-powered one. In terms of length of time the battery lasts, it lasted me about 35 minutes before it was on its last battery blip which was red. That being said I've got almost half of an acre of property and a lot of areas needed to be weed whacked; this was my first usage of a weed wacker in a while and I had to use a lot of power from it so, I imagine in regular rotation? This thing probably can last about closer to 50 or 60 minutes.What surprised me the most so far with my use was how it just simply knew when to feed more line; I didn't have to bump it, and right when I started to think I needed to, it suddenly spewed out more line and it was great. I don't have any feedback on the auto wind feature, but from what I've seen in review videos that should be simple. Also as a side note, they give you information on how to easily register your product and get a hold of their customer support if needed, and a specifically state that it's United States and based in Michigan: so you're going to speak to all Americans when you call, and that is fantastic.

To set the stage, I'm 87 years old with hands pretty well crippled by rheumatoid arthritis. A few years ago I volunteered to do trimming for a non-profit Nature Education Center, an old farm with extensive lawns, driveways, fence lines and structures. Lots of lawn grass, high grass, weeds including thistles, briars, etc.. Due to terrain, exposed rocks and tree roots, etc., there are extensive stretches the riding mower can't access so I actually do a fair amount of lawn mowing with the trimmer. I first used an EGO 1500 series trimmer with two 2.5 AH batteries and an accessory EGO shoulder strap. In two-plus seasons, I trimmed for a couple of hours almost every day that weather permitted so the trimmer received heavy use. It refused to run in early September, 2023. The new EGO 1623T offered some attractive features so I purchased it rather than have the 1500 repaired. Assembly posed minor problems. In a couple of spots machine screws have to pass through a drilled hole in one part and thread into a hole in a mating part. Alignments were not perfect and required a fair amount of strength to correct. However, given the machine that emerged, this is certainly no deal breaker. I was concerned that the new 4.0 AH battery might make the unit unpleasantly heavy. Not to worry. The increased weight is barely noticeable and the unit's balance is quite good. The increased battery capacity saves a lot of travel time getting spares. What amazed me most of all about the trimmer is how long the supplied spool of trimmer string lasted. I started using the trimmer on Sept. 6th. The last of the supplied string kicked out on Sept. 21st. The automatic line feed feature worked perfectly the entire time. The combination of the high-capacity battery, not having to bump-feed, not losing string to accidental bump-feeds and the durability of the EGO string allows long periods of uninterrupted work. I had previously used non-EGO string on large spools but have switched to EGO string for its durability. Needless to say, the EGO string loading process remains as painless as ever. Just take a 14 ft. length of string, pass one end into a hub eyelet, through the hub and out the other eyelet, even up the ends and push the close-by green button. The motor clicks away and the string in spooled inside. The 56 volt batteries are easy to grip and handle and they install and remove easily. I found early on with the prior 1500 series model that I needed a shoulder strap to take some of the weight and bought the AP1500 EGO strap. My experience with that strap has been disappointing with respect to longevity. At the machine end the nylon strap threads through a rectangular ring and is stitched back to itself to complete the attachment. The ring has an attached hook that clips onto a fitting on the trimmer tube. The problem is that the stitching used to close the loop around the ring is inadequate and fails prematurely. I have 3 otherwise-usable EGO straps that are useless because that stitching failed. I tried a generic strap but found the shoulder pad is much shorter than EGO's. That makes it much fussier to position on the strap such that it locates properly on the shoulder. By the way, I've seen reviews of the strap complaining that the shoulder pad doesn't attach to the strap and, instead, slides along it. In fact, the pad has to slide along the strap as the strap is adjustable in length. How it's adjusted determines where the pad should be located. One has only to pull the strap taut, slide the pad so it's centered at the top of the loop, lift the machine with a hand under the pad, pass the strap over the head and drop it on the shoulder. Other than the mentioned failure mode, the strap is well made and has an excellent shoulder pad. My fingers are misaligned due to the arthritis. With the 1500 trimmer I found it difficult to keep my index finger from slipping off the trigger. I improved the situation by wrapping rubber bands around the slippery plastic trigger to improve the grip. On that machine the trigger lock is a thumb-operated button. On the 1623 the trigger lock is a small lever at the forward end of the trigger. It is easily operated by the side of the finger being used to control the trigger. I find no tendency for my finger to slip off the trigger. The adjustments for tube length and the handle position are secure and operate smoothly. I routinely operate the unit in the lower speed range. My sense is that it's roughly equivalent in effectiveness to the 1500 at that setting. I switched it to the high setting to get a sense of what that offered and concluded that the speed wasn't needed and was therefore draining the battery unnecessarily. Bottom line: I'm glad my 1500 failed as the 1623 offers so much more convenience and productivity, albeit at a price premium.

I am surprised on the power of this trimmer. It performs well in the few times I've used it so far. I've been cutting grass on a 250' by 15' span alongside driveway that doesn't allow cutting by mower due to tree stumps, rocks and small boulders. The battery charge lasts the span. Also, been cutting back some braken that has taken over an acre of the property. Anyways, if you are already invested in other ego products, for extra batteries on hand, then this is a good addition to your tool set. My only concern is durability of the auto string loader. Overall the trimmer does seem durable and powerful (compared to my 30cc gas trimmer), and I am very happy with my purchase. Also, if you're not used to weight and power of 27cc+ trimmers then look at the lighter, less voltage options out there.