★★★★★ 5
GREAT 80v edger (but Kobalt users beware)
Size: 8" Edger Gen1, Size: 8" Edger Gen1
This Greenworks 80v edger is fantastic. I was surprised at how sturdy and rigid the shaft is - much more so than the very much more expensive Stihl Brushcutter I used for years. I like the adjustability of the blade depth and the power is impressive. You will get more run time with higher amp batteries - I have both 2.0 and 2.5 amp batteries, but if you have multiple batteries and chargers (from acquiring multiple tools) you will never be waiting for a battery to charge.
If you have only purchased Greenworks tools, then you are golden. BUT HERE IS THE RUB IF YOU, LIKE ME, THOUGHT THEY WERE STRAIGHT-ACROSS COMPATIBLE WITH THE SAME LINE OF TOOLS THEY MANUFACTURED FOR LOWE'S UNDER THE KOBALT MONIKER AND BLUE COLOR, AS DIFFERENTIATED FROM THEIR STANDARD BRIGHT GREEN.
One of the reasons I went ahead and committed to buying the Kobalt line of 80v yard tools was because Greenworks made them and I figured that it would be a long-lasting and stable design platform, being the same 80v system across two different brands. Then Lowe's dropped the 80v line. I was able to get a few more of their tools for great clearance prices and looked forward to switching over to the complete line of Greenworks 80v tools. was very happy to be able to order their edger because it's the exact same power system - just that all of my gear is Kobalt blue.
AND HERE IS THE DEAL WITH THAT:
They are different. The Kobalt 80v battery will not fit/slide into the Greenworks 80v battery compartment/housing (*as manufactured). - I guess I shouldn't have been surprised - and it could have been Lowe's that required that the stuff made for them specifically would be incompatible. But since it's the same power system, I wondered what the difference was and if I could work-around their obstructionist corporate bs. What I discovered was that the battery compartment on the tools have two long molded channel-guides (male) that match the two long molded (female) channels in the batteries. The vertical placement of the bottom 'rail' in the tool/compartment is positioned in a slightly different spot between the Kobalt and Greenworks 'brands'. But this actually works, because I just used a hand chisel and removed the 'bottom' rail from the Greenworks tool/edger. WA-LA - EUREKA!!! It worked great! It's a great fit, the top rail is more than enough to hold the battery stably in position and the 'lock' mechanism functions perfectly!
I am looking forward to buying more tools in the Greenworks 80 volt line without having to replace all of the Kobalt tools I already paid for AND ESPECIALLY the rediculously expensive batteries...
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Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2021
