FLEXVOLT 60V MAX* String Trimmer, Brushless, Two Speed, 15-Inch, 3-Ah Battery (DCST970X1)

This weed wacker is very strong, the next step would be a brushwacker with a blade. The good: -- enough power to cut down weeds up to waist high if the weeds are not too woody. -- has variable control so that light weeds can be trimmed easily and effectively. This trimmer can trim from light flimsy weeds all the way to dense almost brush weeds. Cons: -- the DeWalt string head is useless and jams way too often. After one use I replaced the DeWalt string head with Husqvarna T35 537388101 (indeed, I bought 3 of them eventually to have prewound spools when the line runs out in the middle of wacking). The T35 Husqvarna just goes and goes and goes without problems. -- the weight is a little high for some folks, there is no shoulder strap. I am happy with the DeWalt trimmer line and have only used the DeWalt line except for the initial Husqvarna line. The DeWalt trimmer line does not jam in the T35 even when randomly hand wound. This is important, carefully winding line is such a waste of time and some trimmers seem to only work well with well wound line. I get about 45 minutes from a 9AH FlexVolt battery with perhaps 50-80% of the time actually wacking heavy weeds, averaging knee high. After two of these batteries are depleted, the unit weight is fatiguing, the wacker plus 9AH battery is fairly heavy albeit well balanced. I tried the suggested alternate DeWalt guard to reduce getting covered with bits of weeds, and I was disappointed-- this alternate guard might be OK for a suburban yard with sidewalks, but the guard just gets in the way with heavy weeds-- and if you only have light weeds, well, you don't need this weed wacker. Switched back to the original shield and wear long sleeves, chainsaw chaps, and mask due to poison ivy. With the original guard one is guaranteed to be covered in bits of weeds, from head to toe particularly the lower legs. Regardless, the original DeWalt guard works very well in heavy vegetation. Use: 12 acre pocket farm, this trimmer plus a Stihl gas brushwacker, the latter for the heavy woody bushes. If those are not sufficient, there is the DeWalt battery chainsaw followed by a Stihl gas chainsaw.

I have several hour's worth of mowing where my lawn mower and walk-behind trimmer cannot easily (safely) go. Mostly due to steepness of slope and uneven ground. About two years ago, I got the flex-volt chainsaw and was impressed with its power and battery life. The thought of a second battery was tempting, but the price was daunting, so I waited until the need for a new trimmer was imperative. The trimmer with battery and charger is not that much higher than the battery alone. So far that looks like a good move. (After at least 20 chainsaw battery discharge / recharge cycles with no obvious battery degradation, I have some confidence in the investment. Admittedly, the reports of battery problems and the local absence of customer support are somewhat troubling. My own experience with De Walt tool repair has been that a new power tool can be bought for less than the cost of even the most minor of repairs. To say nothing of the time required. In fairness, these tools far out-lived their three year warranty under fairly heavy use. Because of the many reports of bump-feed reloading issues and the absence of an effective debris shield I ordered the package deal for a real shield, better hub, and string. I plan to swap out the hub when it is empty. (I'll see if it can be reloaded in a shop setting as a useful backup. If not then, "good bye.") The hub and string arrived shortly after the trimmer. The shield is supposed to arrive soon. So. I had a few hours of heavy trimming to do. More overgrown than I like to see. It did great! The bump-feed worked flawlessly; the string was reasonably durable; plenty of power on the "low" setting. The battery lasted for the whole job. And yes, I looked like I'd been spitting into the wind of a mower discharge. The only justification for this I can think of is to wonder about the balance issue of a real shield, which may become heavy when loaded with a buildup of wet debris. (I'll be reporting on this when I review the large shield.) So far, so good. Update: Almost one year later. I finally used up the trimmer string that came with the unit. Turns out that the replacement string I bought was not that difficult to install and at least initially bump-feeds out just fine. The instructions and illustrations could be better. I could never find an arrow on the thing, but there was a short projection that allowed for correct alignment when feeding in the new string. I'm attempting to attach some pictures of an air filter I built to protect the motor from overheating after the air inlets almost instantly become clogged. These are not that easy to clean after every half hour of use. One of the pictures shows the air inlets, after maybe twenty hours of heavy-duty mowing, when I removed the filter for the first time. Perfectly clear! Warning: If you try this, do not tape over the exhaust port, which is right in the natural base of this attachment. Quite probably a white sock and a rubber band would do the same. I finally got some pictures to attach. A simple fix for a heavy, wet mowing issue. I was lucky not to burn up this motor before seeing what was going on.

Just used the DeWalt 60v weedeater to do my whole yard and also in back of my house along the creek and then did my sister-in-law's yard on ONE CHARGE! And still had plenty of power after an 1:30 of weed eating! This thing is awesome! DeWalt's "Power Without Gas" tools are going to make the world switch to electric power. After reading the other reviews, I can't understand why they want to run it wide-open for 30 min flat. There is absolutely no reason to run this thing wide-open all the time. This thing has plenty of cutting power just running it about 1/2 power and save the battery. It will easily cut 3 foot tall grass along a creek bed at 1/2 power, much less wide open to cut a little grass along a sidewalk. What is wonderful is NO STINKING SMOKE, NO HEAT, NO ENGINE NOISE, NO GAS, NO OIL and NO pulling on that #$% gas-powered weed eater a dozen times when it won't start. The ONLY slight negative, the charger that comes with this is pretty weak. I would recommend investing in DeWalt's flexvolt fast charger. DeWalt's fan-cooled flexvolt "fast charger" is fantastic. It will charge batteries in 1/2 hour. You can use the charger that comes with this to charge your other DeWalt batteries...or use as a back-up. I LOVE all of DeWalt's brushless tools. Look for their Made-in-USA tools.

Well, I've had my machine for a good long time now- and at first stopped using it after just a few uses due to the debris shower than many others have mentioned. It was bad. Really, really, really bad. But after reading the manual and the reviews, I finally purchased the larger guard, which has been changed to part # N512929 (which is different than the part number referenced in the manual). Three thumbs down to dewalt on this (for many reasons)- #1, it should come stock with the *real* guard. #2, I contacted dewalt and they told me "that part is no longer available and there is not a larger guard you can buy for this". Well, needless to say, they were wrong. After reading a review here I ended up finding the larger (i.e. properly sized) guard. It *did* take me two months to get it- I placed simultaneous order with dewalt AND partswarehouse dot com. The latter arrived after two months- not shockingly, the dewalt order is in limbo. I emailed them to cancel the order, and they said I would need to call the service center by phone. What kind of disorganized operation is this?? I emailed the thru the same channel I used to place the order!!! Anyway, on to the operation. While replacing the guard, based on advice in this review section, I also replaced the head with the Husqvarna 53738810, because even in my brief prior usage, I had a few occasions where the string broke off inside the the head and I had to open it up to retrieve one of the ends before continuing. Very annoying. So I just went out and whacked, and it worked GREAT- for the string trimmer portion, I kept it on low power. No grass shower! And the string stayed exposed the entire time!! Nice quick, clean (except for my legs and feet, but there's nothing that can be done there) experience. And THEN...the coo day gra!! (sic). Again based on reviews here, I picked up a Weed Warrior Brush Cutter (Part Number 16246B). Like the Husqvarna string head, this thing popped on very easily once I determined the proper nut (it's #2 in their package) and popped in a 9AH flexvolt battery, turned the speed to "hi", and set off on a large section of overgrown path that I've been avoiding for a long time now. And let me tell you, the combination of the 60V motor and the FF brush head was impressive!! I cut everything in the path- from run-of-the-mill weeds to sumac about 1 to 1-1/2" inch in diameter. And the think did great! Some of the larger, greener sprouts took a couple seconds of gnawing away, but mostly everything cut clean on the first pass. And I just kept going, and going, and going. What I thought was going to be a two hour job took me about 30 minutes with this combo!! And I ended up doing some other places that were not even on my radar for today- but the battery still had juice, so I kept going!! In fact, the battery sort of outlasted me!! Maybe I'll try a shoulder strap- that may reduce fatigue a bit, but this thing is pretty well balanced- and most fatigue was in my trigger and (OA FTL :( ). It was sort of a blind experiment for me, but I was blown away with how well this performed with a brush cutter. So, to recap: 1- Get the bigger guard! In fact, if you haven't bought the trimmer yet and don't need one immediately, I'd wait until I had the guard in-hand before ordering the trimmer. 2- (Optional)- replace the head with the husky head listed if you hate stopping to re-thread string 3- (Optional, depending on your needs)- get a brush cutter head! I assure you this motor can handle it! 4- Biggest drawback: the head doesn't pivot like my old trimmer, so edging is difficult and mistake prone- If you get just a little too close at the wrong angle, you'll gouge the soil where you hadn't intended to cut. 5- Dewalt support is awful. Do research within these and other reviews and Q&A's if you want correct answers. DISCLAIMER: I'm a big Flexvolt user- I've probably got 25 tools of both the 20V and 60V flavor, and about 11 batteries (mainly because, as before, Dewalt Hates Their Customers, and often you can't get a bare tool without a battery for about 6-12 months after the tool's initial release). So this tool was in my sweet spot, and it took some tweaking to get it perfect, but in the end this is an incredible alternative/upgrade to gas powered machines.

Ok I'm impressed. Just used this weed whacker for the first time and wile i didn't do the hole yard the part i did left me pretty impressed. A little back story i have 3 acres with averaged sized house. I acutely bought this for my girl friend because me stihl 110 is just i bit to hard to start for my girlfriend for her. My first and only use so far did around the house, shop, bee hives, and front fence. It has more power then i expected even taring through part of my wire fence. Feels quite sturdy and all around well made. Finished with about 1/2 charge still in the battery. I don"t think i put a blade on this and start going after a lot of thick brush but plenty of power for grass even few tree sproughts. It uses a standard 20V charger just like the rest of my dewalt drills i use. That a big pulse for me. Other than that it did Its job quite well. Cons. Its not light. I mean Its NOT heavy either but their again i bought this for my girl friend and she made the comment its heavier then she expected. The front gard could be a little bigger (safety glasses are a must but that should go with out saying) but that would add to the front weight and its already starting to get a bit nose heavy. I noticed it has i split shaft in the picture i though this could be for other attachments like my stihil. I don't think this is case. Their is a wire running between front and back with no way i see to separate the 2. Think the split shaft is just for shipping reasons. Conciliation I think ill be using my self more than i thought an all around good machine (so far). Ill up date this review if something changes my mind about any of this. I would recommend this to any one with a yard smaller then mine . Big yards / property i would still go gas. PS i was not given any thing to write this review.

My life is complete now. A string trimmer that actually works. I was really conflicted if I should have gotten the 20v or splurge and get the 60v. I have 10 acres with tons and tons of landscaping. I am so glad I went with the 60v because I won’t have to worry about being under powered if the need arises. In fact, I have already gotten in to some waist deep grass in my ditch and this thing powered right through it. However, this brings me to my first and probably only complaint about the trimmer... My first evening using this I spent more time replacing the line, removing the reel, fishing out the line, and overall just wasting time with the stupid line setup. It is among the easiest line bump feed that I’ve used, and it still sucks. The following day I purchased the uglyhead (pivotrim knockoff) which works amazing! It saves so much line and the time of drinking with the stock reel setup. So, if you went that route, factor in another $30 to get this. The packaging for this system doesn’t mention DeWalt 60v specifically, but once you remove the stock head setup (including the shaft) it leaves you with a single bolt threaded portion which this bolts right to. I have tons of goat fencing which tends to be super tough on any whacker line, but after my modification I simply love the dewalt purchase. The battery is really cool as it can be used with your 20v dewalt tools as it steps down the voltage automatically. I’m thrilled with the purchase as I don’t have to use a gas trimmer ever again. No more special mixed gas, no start after sitting over the winter, no more burning my forearm on the motor, etc etc. You’ll love it. Get cha one!

I was looking for a replacement for a 2-stroke gas trimmer that I had. I don't have a huge yard now, and I was thinking I could just get one of the cheaper Black and Decker plug-in or battery powered trimmers, but since I like to do things overkill, and because I'm partial to DeWalt, I figured I'd give this a shot. POWER It probably has more power than my old gas trimmer. The benefit of the electric motor is that you get basically instant throttle (potentiometer?) response and immense torque even at low speeds. It has 2 settings, low and high. For my average yard, I kept it in low, and even then, half throttle did basically everything. Only for cutting through tough stuff (small saplings etc) did I have to squeeze it to full power. I tried it on high mode a few times just for fun, but I didn't come across anything that necessitated the high setting. EASE OF USE Just charge the battery and go. No starting, no gas. I put about 2 hours of use on it the first time, and the battery dipped down to 2/3 bars on the pack. I didn't find it to be too heavy, comparable to a gas trimmer. My one minor quibble would be that the shield is a bit tiny, so yeah, you probably get more junk on you compared to others, but you shouldn't be wearing your Sunday best anyways doing yard work. In addition, the battery pack is compatible with a range of DeWalt stuff, so I might end up replacing a few corded tools as well. SUMMARY Definitely a capable tool. Beats any gas trimer I've had. Makes quick work of basically everything. Pros could definitely use this, although you'd probably have to buy and extra battery or two for all-day use.

Let’s be clear: this is the best string trimmer I have ever used: No mixing oil... I don’t understand why 2 strokes trimmers are still a thing. It’s costly, wasteful, and requires separate fuel supplies to be kept. Even better than a 4 stroke, the Dewalt flexvolt string trimmer requires neither oil nor gas. There’s no idling engine, the Dewalt flexvolt trimmer only makes noise when you’re using it and it makes less running noise than gas models. It is extremely power and doesn’t get bogged down. No pull start. Once the Mbte starts to get to small engines and they require several pulls to start, it’s a miserable thing. No hokey drill starters either, just pull the trigger on the Dewalt and it spins. No compromises. The dewalt flexvolt string trimmer lasts a long time on a charge. It’s light, well balanced, powerful, and competitively priced against 4 stroke models and other cordless models. There is a little to be desired. A larger deflector is needed. You will get completely covered head to toe in debris using it. Also it’s motor in head design makes future attachments impossible, although string trimmer attachments are almost always obsurdly overpriced and wonky. So why one star? The battery dies. I’m told they’re dropping like flies. When mine went, it claimed a full charge in all my dewalt chargers but it was discharged. No big deal right? There’s a generous 3 year warranty. Dewalt, however, hates their customers and would like to discourage you from claiming a warranty. They will make you jump through absurd hoops... they really are obnoxious. I called dewalt about the battery and they said that it had to be replaced at a service center; that it can’t be cross shipped. Annoying, but probably quicker. Next annoyance: the closest service center is 45 miles from me. Sounds like a Saturday trip... The service centers are closed on Saturday. Also they’re closed on Sunday... also they close at 5pm during the week. They do this because they hate their customers, the overwhelming majority of whom work for a living. So I used some sick time and left work early to make it to the service center. The employee was nice and knowledgeable. She quickly diagnosed my battery as completely dead. Again the $209 3/9amp 20/60v battery was completely dead... after 11 months, only 3 of which it was used... even then biweekly for about an hour at a time... always charged to full and then removed and stored in a cool dry room. Clarifying: there was 6 cycles on this battery last summer and maybe 2 this summer. 8 cycles, never left discharged, never run down to empty, never abused. Fine: it’s a defective battery. There’s a slight inconvenience swapping it out. There is, again, a three year warranty. There’s more: the dewalt service centers do not have this battery because of excessive problems with it. So one would have to be shipped out... so there was absolutely no point going to the service center. So after dewalt sends me through these hoops they will ship me out a battery in what? 2 days? 3 days? 5 days? No. 8 weeks. That’s no joke. They took my battery and I can expect a replacement, which may last another 8 cycles, in 2 months... it’s the end of July... so I can trim my weeds again in October? No offer to buy back their defective product, no offer to swap it with 2 6 amp batteries or their new 12 amp. 8 weeks. 8 summer weeks with no string trimmer. That’s acceptable for dewalt. They’re proud of their customer service and I’m important to them. Perhaps I should buy a second failure of a battery for $209, in stock oddly at my local hardware stores but dewalt can’t get their hands on one for 8 weeks. 8 weeks.

I purchased both the Dewalt lawnmower as well as this string trimmer. The mower has decent performance except for pretty bad battery life: I cannot even do my entire (small) lawn with it. In contrast, this string trimmer is really excellent. I am very very pleased with it.

Used couple times to cut grass in yard, nice and powerful. No more gas!

impressive. this thing has power... a lot of it. I gladly got rid of my gas powered string trimmer. It is heavy but well balanced. Battery life is actually pretty good, should last for someone up to 20K square feet lot without problem.

First of all, this thing is powerful. I can take it and bury the head in weeds, and it clears them out no problem whatsoever. I spend most of my time in low setting simply because the high setting be overkill, resulting in more thrown debris. That brings me to my second topic: the guard. The guard around the action end is completely insufficient for normal use. You MUST wear safety glasses with this guy, and pay close attention to what is on the left side of the head because that's the side that is spinning TOWARD you, and that stuff gets constantly thrown into your left foot and shin. Like, literally, the stuff to the left comes directly straight back at the same angle as the shaft and completely misses the vestigial guard - who thought that was a good idea? My last point is about weight. Now, this isn't too heavy to pick up and do spot clearing here and there, but the weight of this guy is definitely noticeable. It's not something you'd want to use for half an hour straight without switching it up. I got it on Amazon.ca in April 2017 for 248.00 CDN.

I’m writing this edited review as I’ve now had the pleasure of using this trimmer over the last year. We have approximately an acre lot that we keep we’ll groomed, we have a pretty deep and steep ditch where I need to use the trimmer on as it’s too steep for a mower. As I mentioned in my initial review, I can confirm that this tool is well built, well balanced and easy to use. The battery life has actually surprised me in a positive way as I’ve never ran out of power. I do recharge it after every use. To my pleasant surprise this tool came with a 9AH battery and not the 3AH as advertised. I’ve used this battery on a few other Dewalt 20/60 volt tools I own and it works great. I strongly recommend this trimmer for all home owners, it can do much more that trim around a few trees and edges.