BLACK+DECKERCombination String Trimmer, Lawn Mower, and Edger, Cordless 3-in-1 (MTC220)

I live in Phoenix on an acre parcel and most of it is in desert landscape. Therefore no formal lawn to mow. Yaaa. However when it rains here the weeds grow, well like weeds. Fast and furious. This year we had lots of rain and lots of weeds. I've been running a battery powered weed eater every day for a week or so. My back is aching from twisting sideways back and forth so it was time to look for a better solution. I figured how about a small battery powered lawn mower and then I found this thing at about half the cost. So figuring I'd probably junk it after a couple tries I decided to give it a try. Really glad I did. Soon as it arrived I put it together and out I went. It had just rained again and everything was wet but I had to try it. Worked perfectly. Knocked down and chewed up everything I ran it over and no extra back pain as a bonus. I charged up the batteries( comes with 2) overnight and set out to do a good cleanup the next day. This thing is a real delight. It runs about 20 minutes on each battery and since the batteries are fairly small you can carry the spare one in your pocket. another thing about the batteries is the way they eject from the tool. Push the button on the battery and it pops out of the tool's battery compartment. I mention this because removing the battery from my other "green" weed eater is a real chore You have to push in 2 tabs, one on each side of the battery, and forcibly pull it from the tool. My wife can't even manage doing it and I barely can, often resorting to prying it loose with a screwdriver while pushing the tabs with both hands. The black and decker baterries just eject with 1 hand by pushing the button, I love it. When you get close to a fence or wall and the platform won't get close enough, the weed wacker removes from the deck instantly by stepping on a lever on the deck and lifting the handle of the weed wacker forward and up. To return it back in the deck reverse the process, simple and easy. Keep in mind this is a regular string trimmer. It is not a bladed lawn mower and does not do the job of a bladed lawn mower It is a string trimmer on wheels. because you push it similar to vacuming a carpet , front and back, front and back, instead of constantly twisting sideways it doesn't put the strain on your arms and back liike a regular string trimmer does. It does not mulch as fine as a mower would and if you have tall weeds or grass as I did you will need to make several passes, as you would with any string trimmer except you don't have to hold it up, just push it back and forth. I have not had to replace the line yet so I cannot comment on that, except to say looking at it, it looks like the exact same process as the other 2 trimmers I have. To clear the bottom of the deck I simply remove the trimmer and wash out the deck with a hose. its been coated with wet grass almost every time I finish. I'm sure dry shorter vegetation will cut much easier. I'm cutting damp weeds and bermuda grass about knee high. The deck is light weight plastic but seems durable enough. If the deck should deteriorate and I have to replace it, the replacement cost of the set is about the same as a different manufacture's string trimmer alone. but I'll worry about that if it happens. so far I have no regrets whatsoever.

I love this cute little thing- As does my lawn care guy after he got through laughing at my "toy' mower. I have all the B&D 20v pieces- including the regular trimmer version- love them all, but I use this to mow a specific area- the inside of my outdoor critter playpens which are permanently set up. No room for regular mower and its kind of a hassle to get a 'manicured ' lawn look with a regular trimmer. The little cutie work perfectly. My snickering mower man now prefers to use it for trimming around my plants and seedlings and trees as well- It maintains a safe cutting distance so my hard work doesn't get chopped down any more. We never take this out of the mower frame, sincethe trimmer part is basically the same as the other one. Works for all practical purposes- and it is practical despite the male disdain over the toy size appearance. My young nephews prefer to mow my grass over the allure of playing tablet video games, and that says alot. that will probably change as the novelty wears off, but thats ok, cause even my 75 yr old mother has no problems using it. It is lightweight, easily maneuverable, and always ready to go- it ships with 2 batteries, so i now have about 10 backup batteries, it, like the whole 20v set is always ready to work. No fuel and oils, no in the way power cords, just slide on a power pack and go. I bought mine as a deal of the day. and can't even remember what the original selling price is- but it would not matter, if it gets broken- stuff does happen- i will not hesitate to purchase again , with or without a special deal.Just want to add that i purchased the B&B 20v system because i am a small woman, and I cannot deal with heavy labor intensive lawn equipment. Do they work as well as high dollar gas powered tools? No. But they work exceptionally well in my sizable yard; and while I have someone to do the actual work for me, that is more of a favor to them as a way to earn money. I know that i can easily use any of these tools on my own and reap excellent results with minimal effort. That's the bottom line for me. Had to enforce a strict no borrow policy as all my friends and family borrowed them so much last year, I never had them when I needed them. There is a certain amount of satisfaction I get when my brother, with his huge zero turn riding mower and super heavy duty gas trimmer, wants to use my equipment and tools because they are so much easier to operate.(Too bad, get your own tough guy.) Bigger, gentlemen, is not always better.