Greenworks 14-inch 40V Review
Pros: Exceptional battery life, fairly effective at weed eating
Cons: High-pitched, annoying, heavy
Manufacturer: Greenworks
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Greenworks 14-inch 40V | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | | |
| Price | $249 List $249 at Amazon | $230 List | $195 List Check Price at Amazon | $120 List | $185 List $171.76 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Exceptional battery life, fairly effective at weed eating | Quiet, lightweight, easy to control | Inexpensive, quiet | Fantastic at weed eating, easy to use | Relatively inexpensive, exceptionally powerful |
| Cons | High-pitched, annoying, heavy | Pricey, short reach | Not the most powerful | Requires additional motorized head, decently loud | Loud, throws debris everywhere |
| Bottom Line | We weren't overly impressed with this string trimmer and didn't enjoy using it | This is a fantastic all-around string trimmer that just isn't quite as comfortable to use as the top products | If you are shopping on a budget and don't need an extra powerful tool, then this is the string trimmer for you | This versatile tool takes out dense vegetation with ease | If you don't mind sacrificing some comfort in order to save some cash, this is a good value option |
| Rating Categories | Greenworks 14-inch 40V | Husqvarna 115iL | Black+Decker LST136 | EGO Power+ STA1500... | Ryobi 40V Expand-It |
| Weed Eating (30%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (30%) | |||||
| Battery (25%) | |||||
| Noise (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Greenworks 14-inch 40V | Husqvarna 115iL | Black+Decker LST136 | EGO Power+ STA1500... | Ryobi 40V Expand-It |
| Line Feed Mechanism | bump | bump | auto | bump | bump |
| Cutting Path (in.) | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13-15 |
| Shoulder Strap Attachment | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Measured Sound Level from 36" Away | 103 dBa | 95 dBa | 85.9 dBa | 104.6 dBa | 105 dBa |
| Measured No-Load Runtime | 95 min. | 92 min. | 43 min. | 21 min. | 43 min. |
| Measured Weight | 14.375 lbs | 10 lb | 7.812 lb | 12.375 lb | 12.063 lb |
| Nominal Voltage | 40 | 40 | 36 | 56 | 40 |
| Tested Amp-hours | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2.5 | 4 |
Our Analysis and Test Results
While the Greenworks produced mediocre results in the vast majority of our tests, it did thoroughly impress us with its battery life, lasting two to three times longer than the bulk of the other string trimmers. It doesn't have a ton of power but this product would be a great option if you have vast expanses of easy-to-trim plants and don't want to have to stop and recharge the battery.
Performance Comparison
Likes
The Greenworks does a decent job at clearing away patches of grass and weeds that aren't too dense and can even cut through some of the burlier brush and plants if you take it in stages. The guard does a good job of blocking freshly-cut debris from getting thrown back at you and it has a bump feed mechanism to dispense more line. The shoulder strap attachment also makes it a bit more comfortable and less fatiguing to use.
The Greenworks truly shined in our battery life test, where we ran each trimmer under no-load conditions until they died, scoring based on the runtime achieved. This weed eater lasted for an impressive 95 minutes before calling it quits — easily one of the longest runtimes of the entire group. It also has both a low and a high power mode, so you can adjust the speed to the task at hand.
Dislikes
Unfortunately, the Greenworks is significantly underpowered compared to many of the other models in the group, faltering with thick-stemmed weeds and dense patches of plants. Even worse, the guard frequently gets caught up tall grass when cutting thicker patches, which then become almost immediately tangled in the head and force the Greenworks off course. This guard also gets in the way when trying to trim tight spaces or make precision cuts.
This is one of the heaviest string trimmers of the group and feels particularly cumbersome and bulky to use.
The shoulder strap does mitigate this a bit but doesn't do all that much.
We also thought the Greenworks is one of the least user-friendly models when it comes to replacing the line. The spring mechanism inside the head especially makes it difficult to keep the string where it is supposed to be and replace the cap without cross-threading it.
This weed eater is also one of the loudest trimmers we have tested to date, with a particularly high-pitched tone that is quite grating on the ears.
Value
The Greenworks is an acceptable bargain buy but there are less expensive models that we vastly preferred.
Conclusion
If you need to cut copious amounts of sparsely spaced weeds and grass, then the Greenworks is a great choice. Otherwise, we would recommend an alternative option.
— David Wise, Michelle Powell, and Jenna Ammerman