Anyone got any FlexVolt tools from Dewalt?

[d000hg]

I need to get a proper strimmer/brushcutter and, probably, leafblower now I've a large garden with a bunch of trees.

I've been looking into petrol, 4-stroke where possible, but am not really keen due to noise, smell & vibration.

Dewalt's newer 54V FlexVolt range appear to get good reviews as truly being able to deliver the grunt of mains/petrol tools (We have expanded our revolutionary XR FLEXVOLT 54V Lithium-ion Brushless range with the introduction of a series of high-performance cordless outdoor tools: the DCM571 Grass Trimmer / Brush Cutter, DCM572 54V Blower and DCM575 54V Chainsaw.) and I'm wondering, since I'm starting from scratch, of going this route.

Anyone here got any of these and care to comment?

[WTFH]

I've got a Stihl Kombi system - strimmer, pole pruner (small chain saw), rotovator & blower. Next on the list is a hedge trimmer.
I don't really notice any problem with vibration and the noise isn't too bad.

[MrMarkyMark]

Have never had one.

However the old man swore Dewalt made some of the best power tools out there.
He was a builder so needed something reliable.

[FiveTimes]

Have never had one.

However the old man swore Dewalt made some of the best power tools out there.
He was a builder so needed something reliable.

I have a couple of pieces of Dewalt gear. Its great stuff, a little dearer than most but its just great.
Others will chose Makita, milwaukee - I suppose it depends on how it feels.

[d000hg]

Dewalt itself is a good brand, it's the idea of using 54V battery models specifically to replace traditional petrol tools I'm a little dubious about.

I saw on their strimmer that a 3Ah batter will last @30min. Implying it's running at ~18A, 54V i.e. about 1000W or around 1 horse-power. No idea if that's good or not!

[d000hg]

I've got a Stihl Kombi system - strimmer, pole pruner (small chain saw), rotovator & blower. Next on the list is a hedge trimmer.
I don't really notice any problem with vibration and the noise isn't too bad.

Is that a 2-stroke? I've been torn between getting a dedicated brush-cutter, and one of these garden multi-tools. They sound great but in my experience multi-tools are generally crap at lots of things... however I see solid names like Stihl, Honda, etc do them alongside dedicated strimmers so am a bit confused the differences in strimmer functionality - otherwise why make both?

[WTFH]

They make both (and have been for years), because if you just want a strimmer or brush cutter, then it is cheaper to buy just that.
When you go to the Kombi, what you lose out on is:
1. The blower is just a blower, it doesn't have suck or collect options. It's also on a fixed shaft, so not as flexible as a backpack blower.
2. The chainsaw is a small one (maybe only 12"), so it's not ideal if you're going to be cutting down big trees, but it is on a pole so you can reach branches with it easily.
3. The hedge trimmer is on a pole, so if you're wanting to do work close to you, you need to stand back.

What you gain is:
1. You only need one engine.
2. If you are going to have more than 2 tools, it works out cheaper than buying individually
3. It takes up less storage
4. You don't have to buy it all at once.

[d000hg]

I've decided against electric for my strimmer... it's just not quite there yet as far as I can see.

I got an old, 2nd-hand Stihl backpack blower virtually for free - it's pretty darn noisy but for the price it was hard to turn down. I was interested to note Stihl do do a vacuum attachment though I haven't checked if it's compatible with my model (BR400).

Now I'm mixing 2-stroke anyway, maybe I don't care as much about 4/2-stroke for my strimmer. And they do their "4Mix" system which uses 2-stroke fuel mixture in a 4-stroke engine. But only if you want to spend £500!