Black & Decker GH710 6 Amp Electric String Trimmer

My 10 year old Grasshog finally had to go after I broke the handle. I was eyeing this new model at Home Depot, but when I finally went to get it they were sold out. I ordered this one through my Amazon app while standing in the Home Depot! I saved about a $1, but got free shipping and no sales tax and got it in 2 days! I really like this GH. It has an easy to adjust telescoping shaft and a push button adjustable handle. This model has a dual string for cutting and it really goes at it! I used it in a "mixed environment" with pebbles, bark, small to medium rocks, etc. You really have to wear full eye protection and maybe face protection. I was flinging all kinds if things past my sunglasses and getting pelted. I found alternating or briefly squeezing the trigger helped in the more congested areas I was working in. I felt the cutting and clearing action was excellent in anything a foot or less tall. When I went higher than that it took some angling. I used it pretty hard for a little over an hour before the spool ran out. Prior to the spool ending both cutting strings began to wrap around the bottom of the spool and jam the whole works. This happened three times. Once untangled, the string was too long so I had to trim it down each time. Otherwise, there was no problem with the string feeding out during cutting. Overall, I am really happy with the GH. I just ordered a few more spools to keep on hand. Let's see how it holds up over the long haul.

When after about 18 months both batteries for my Black and Decker NST2018 string trimmer ran down and died, I decided that the convenience of a cordless trimmer wasn't worth the expense, as a couple of new batteries would cost almost as much as a brand new NST2018 trimmer. I decided to go back to a corded electric trimmer, and the Black and Decker GH710 Grasshog looked like a good one. The cool cutaway shot of the gear drive seemed to indicate that the trimmer would have a lot of torque. Some of the other key features of interest were the 14" cutting diameter, dual cutting strings, a powerful 6 amp motor, and the adjustable length handle. It seemed like a good deal at fifty bucks with free shipping, so I pulled the trigger.

The Grasshog is smaller than I expected, which is good, because it requires less space to store. The 14" diameter provides a nice area of coverage. With the powerful 6 amp motor driving the two trimming lines, the Grasshog is quite an impressive performer. The motor does deliver a lot of torque, and if you are not careful, you can easily whack of all the grass, and just have dirt left. The Grasshog can easily handle most lawns of moderate height and thickness.

When your trimmer lines are at the proper length, you can definitely do some heavy duty damage with this baby. Maintaining proper string length, is a key factor for every string trimmer. Fortunately Black and Decker's auto feed system for the dual string lines is pretty reliable, being effective perhaps 75 to 80 percent of the time. That's pretty good, but perhaps with use the system may not work as well. Tapping the reel on the ground for more cord, isn't necessary.

Another plus is the light weight, and you can also easily adjust the length of the handle to minimize the strain on your back. The carrying handle in the front pivots as well. The cutting head can quickly be rotated for edging. The grass shield is not shaped symmetrically, and it's not very deep. It's apparently designed to spread the cut grass in some designated pattern, but I don't notice anything special about the way the cut grass is directed. The power switch operates with just a simple squeeze, and the cord management system keeps the cord out of the way.

The motor may be a little louder than other trimmers, and it is sometimes too powerful for trimming that requires a little finesse. Dealing with an extension cord can be a little inconvenient at times, but other than that, there aren't too many negatives about using the Grasshog. This is my first experience with a dual string trimmer, and the results are much better than a single string. Learning how to correctly wind the trimming cord on the dual spool may take a little practice though. It's early, but so far I'm very impressed with the power and performance of the Grasshog. It really lives up to its name! Cleaning and maintenance is pretty easy. Unless something radical occurs to change my mind, this was an excellent buy.

I bought this based on the good reviews as a gift for my sister. Her first time using it, the automated line advancer kept advancing the line non-stop to the point that string was wrapping around the moving parts causing damage. I then came back on here to re-read the reviews, and voila! there was another review with the same issue. We are shipping it back after half of a use. Not sure what's going on with the automated line feed, but something's not working right.

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