Snapper XD 82V Review
Pros: Fairly quiet, so-so weed eating performance
Cons: Pain to change the line, heavy, cumbersome to use
Manufacturer: Snapper
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
![]() This Product
Snapper XD 82V | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Price | $300 List $240.63 at Amazon | $389 List $389 at Amazon | $230 List | $195 List Check Price at Amazon | $120 List $119.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Fairly quiet, so-so weed eating performance | Easy to use, great battery life, low noise | Quiet, lightweight, easy to control | Inexpensive, quiet | Fantastic at weed eating, easy to use |
Cons | Pain to change the line, heavy, cumbersome to use | Not the lightest tool around, pricey | Pricey, short reach | Not the most powerful | Requires additional motorized head, decently loud |
Bottom Line | The Snapper XD is heavy and hard to hold, making it one of our least favorite weed eaters | If you are looking for the best of the best when it comes to cordless weed eaters, we think it’s hard to beat this top-tier tool | The shorter reach of the Husqvarna is pretty much the only thing keeping it from claiming an award | Costing a fraction of the top-tier models, this yard tool does a decent job of holding its own against much more expensive offerings | If you already use EGO tools and just want a string trimmer attachment, the STA1500 won’t disappoint |
Rating Categories | Snapper XD 82V | Makita XRU15PT 36V | Husqvarna 115iL | Black+Decker LST136 | EGO Power+ STA1500... |
Weed Eating (30%) | |||||
Ease Of Use (30%) | |||||
Battery (25%) | |||||
Noise (15%) | |||||
Specs | Snapper XD 82V | Makita XRU15PT 36V | Husqvarna 115iL | Black+Decker LST136 | EGO Power+ STA1500... |
Line Feed Mechanism | bump | bump | bump | auto | bump |
Cutting Path (in.) | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 |
Shoulder Strap Attachment | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Measured Sound Level from 36" Away | 88.5 dBa | 85 dBa | 95 dBa | 85.9 dBa | 104.6 dBa |
Measured No-Load Runtime | 48 min. | 88 min. | 92 min. | 43 min. | 21 min. |
Measured Weight | 14.563 lb | 10.375 lb | 10 lb | 7.812 lb | 12.375 lb |
Nominal Voltage | 82 | 36 | 40 | 36 | 56 |
Tested Amp-hours | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2.5 |
Our Analysis and Test Results
We found it hard to identify any particularly standout qualities for this string trimmer. At best, we found its overall performance in our tests to be impressively mediocre and are quite reticent to recommend it.
Performance Comparison
Likes
The Snapper XD does cut through tall grass and other easy-to-cut vegetation quickly and smoothly, making it an alright option for light-duty lawn care. The motor feels like it has adequate power for heavier vegetation but the thinner line can't seem to handle it. You bump the head to dispense more line and the shoulder strap attachment make the XD significantly more comfortable to use. We also liked that the weight of the trimmer helps engage the trigger once it is running, so you don't have to work to hold it down.
The XD does have a decent battery life, operating for 48 minutes or so before depleting when not under load. This weed eater is one of the least loud models of the group, registering sound levels of only 88.5 decibels on our sound meter 36" away. It also isn't particularly whiny while running.
Dislikes
The XD did severely struggle with tall plants in burlier weeds in our tests. We definitely wouldn't recommend it for any sort of especially large or heavy-duty lawn care tasks. Tall plants and tough stems also have an exceptionally annoying habit of getting sucked up into the head, causing a tangle.
The combination of the obtrusive guard and the thinner line make it quite difficult to see exactly where you are cutting, so precise cuts around breakable objects can be fraught with peril. It's also fairly horrible to replace the line — it never wants to wind neatly and always pops apart right as you almost get it back together. On top of that, we didn't find the guard to be particularly effective, with non-trivial amounts of grass and weeds getting thrown back in your general direction when operating it. The Snapper XD is one of the heftiest trimmers of the group, tipping the scales at just over 14.5 pounds.
The handle isn't the most comfortable to grab and the trimmer doesn't feel very well-balanced at all.
The Snapper does have two different operating modes but we couldn't discern a huge difference between them and the low power mode seems like overkill for the stock line.
Value
The Snapper XD isn't a great value, costing quite a bit more than several models that performed quite a bit better.
Conclusion
All in all, we find it hard to recommend the Snapper XD. Its bulk suggests significantly more power than it actually has, with several smaller and lighter models being vastly more effective at eating weeds. It can be a huge hassle to change the string on and overall be quite fatiguing and uncomfortable to use for long periods.
— David Wise, Michelle Powell, and Jenna Ammerman