Design and features

• Large 38cm cutting width
• Dual 2mm cutting line
• Excellent balance and control

Compared with the DeWalt DCMST561’s folding shaft, this grass trimmer feels a bit primitive. To break the trimmer down for transport and storage, two screws in the middle of the shaft need removing. It’s not a huge job with a crosshead screwdriver, and it’s a very sturdy trimmer, but it’s annoyingly not a tool-free job.

Ryobi has done a great job by keeping their battery system the same for a long time. The capacities have increased, but the 18 Volt ONE+ system is unchanged and fits more than 200 different tools.

I’ve always been a fan of Ryobi’s ergonomic handles. The black rubberised grip fits my large hand, and the two-step safety switch feels intuitive and easy to hang on to.

The front D shaped handle, although made from hard polypropylene, is very comfortable and allows for real precision when trimming.

Something not found on budget grass trimmers is a variable speed trigger. Simply put, the harder you pull the trigger, the faster the string whips around. If you want to be delicate and keep the noise down, a gentle touch is all that’s needed. For full power, switch to high mode and pull your trigger finger all the way back.

The RY18LTX38A is supremely well-balanced. With the 4.0Ah battery on one end and powerful cutting head on the other, it just feels right and lends confidence to the tool. You can switch between low and high power modes easily, and although an ambidextrous switch is better, right-handed users can change it on the fly with their thumb.

When it’s time to reload the string (it uses 2.0mm line, which is thicker than you get with a lot of entry-level models), reading the instructions is important. It’s not difficult but takes a few steps. After removing the cutting head and bump feed assembly, feed the new line through the middle of the spool and replace on the head. Then wind the string in when it’s back on the trimmer. It comes with a speed winder tool to make it easier, but it’s the sort of thing I’ll lose. Luckily, you don’t need it.

It’s possible to change the cutting swathe from 38 cm to 36 cm by switching around the string trimmer. You need to take out a pair of screws to do this, and I’m not sure what it achieves, but it’s there.

Performance

• Incredibly comfortable to use
• Easy to manoeuvre between obstacles
• Sufficient battery life on low power mode

I tested this string trimmer out in a couple of different test gardens with a range of terrain and types of grass to give it a proper workout. The first was a small garden measuring around 30m² but completely overgrown with thick and matted grass. The second was a larger 100m² garden with overgrown edges, lots of garden furniture and flowers to avoid chopping down.

This trimmer certainly doesn’t lack power. To conserve energy and see how far I could trim on a single 4.0Ah battery, I kept it in low power mode. Blasting through thick tufts of grass in the overgrown lawn was easy. The brushless motor ate through the grass without slowing down or feeling like it would get bogged down.

In low power mode, but pushing it hard through the thick stuff, the battery lasted for more than 30 minutes. Quite impressive work, seeing as the battery is a slightly smaller 4.0Ah compared with the DeWalt DCMST561’s 5.0Ah one.

On the second garden, I kept the trimmer in high power mode. It was much louder and ate through the grass easily, but the battery lasted for around 20 minutes. It’s enough time for a small space, but not if you want to tackle a proper garden.

It’s almost always the case with string trimmers, but I ended up with a lot of grass cuttings on the front of my trousers using the Whisper. If the guard was a bit wider it might save my clothes from some bother.

Now for the noise level. It’s a bit far fetched to call any power tool a “whisper”, but it’s not too loud. Rated for 91 dB, you’ll still wake up your neighbours if you decide to trim at 7 am on a Sunday morning. The 91dB is only apparent on high power mode, which I didn’t need to use much.

To really “whisper” around the garden, the variable speed trigger pulled less than half way will cut odd weeds and tufts of grass with barely any noise. Targeting specific little clumps with the string is quite fun, but I’m not sure that it’s practical for larger spaces.

Should you buy it?

FAQs