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21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 Awesome! Aug 19, 2003
By GGinPA
The Ryobi 137r String Trimmer is awesome! I replaced a broken, 20 year old Sears Craftsman trimmer with the Ryobi. I admit I'm one of those people that take pride in squeezing out every last bit of life from cars, tools, appliances, and clothes. It's not that I can't afford new ones, but I hate waste and like a challenge. In this case, I wish I'd thrown the old trimmer out long ago... but, then I wouldn't have had the 137r to replace it with! Because I have a small property, I decided to get an electric trimmer to reduce pollution and noise. The Ryobi is as powerful and easy to use as many of the gas driven models I've tried. The dual string with its thicker diameter cut through weeds and sod like a hot knife through butter. I had to be careful around shrubs because the trimmer will go through 1/2" stems. Edging the curb was amazing... it sliced through 2" sod effortlessly and was very easy to control, so the edge came out perfectly straight. The tool is so quiet that while using it, I could hear my portable phone ring from 50' away. Although heavier that the little light-duty unit it replaced, having the motor at the opposite end from the cutting head gives the trimmer wonderful balance and makes it easier to hold and maneuver than the old one. If an electric trimmer is practical for your application, this is the one to get!
24 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 Like having your own Light Sabre Jul 01, 2003
By Readmore2011
Moved from Chicago Suburb to 3 acres of farmland. Lot in Chi-land was so small I could mow it with a push reel mower and trim with the little Black & Decker 1.7 amp string trimmer. The new acerage hadn't been touched in MONTHS! Could BARELY see the house! After bush-hogging, it was obvious the B&D was not up to the trimming job, ALTHOUGH, it performed admirably considering it was never designed to handle what I was dealing with. Would recommend it to anyone - but this is about the Ryobi.Assumed 2 cycle gas was what was necessary - what Consumer Reports concluded several years ago, I think BEFORE this model was available, as they did not review it when the article was written. Found a Homelite at an auction for $..., figuring it'd be cheaper than new and easy to get fixed. NYET- might be easy to fix, 3 different places all gave the same advice - 2 CYCLE STRING TRIMMERS COST AS MUCH TO REPAIR (or more) THAN THEY COST NEW! That turned me on to electric models. Quieter, no gas and oil, no emissions, RELIABLE, easy to start. Batteries not an option - they don't last long enough, take too long to charge and cost too much to replace or buy a spare. Also, I don't care what anyone says - THEY DEVELOP A MEMORY. I don't mind "dragging the cord" since I had been doing that with the B&D anyway. Although the property is long, I have enough outlets spread around and enough heavy guage extension cord already, that amperage draw over long distance isn't an issue. The highest amperage unit I could find was this Ryobi. That is THE reason I bought it - POWER. This critter has almost as many amps as my circular saw, and WAY more r.p.m. Also Ryobi has a good reputation, although perhaps not a "professional grade" machine like Echo and Husqvarna. Two year warranty reflects companys confidence it the product. So far it has performed admirably! I swear, brush actually EXPLODES when you hit it with this thing. I have taken down wild thistles 1" thick with this critter. It DOES THE JOB! The quick attach feature was not important to me BUT it does make cleaning the cutting head much easier - snap it off, wipe it off, hose it down, let it dry and you're back in business. The trigger on mine seems to "stick" in the on position, but this might be intentional? When you release it, it stays depressed for maybe 1 second, and then releases and shuts off. Surprised me at first - maybe a safety issue, but it DOES make holding it down easier for long periods of time. No idea about long term durability yet, but based on my experience I would heartily recommend this unit unless you really really need a gas one. I swear I actually saw weeds JUMP out of the way of this thing. DO NOT use it ANYWHERE near anything of value - children, spouse, vinyl siding...It is Serious Medicine! DEFINATELY WEAR LONG PANTS, HEAVY SHOES, AND EYE PROTECTION! Also, it "throws" back to the user if you cut with the right side - and away from the user if you cut with the left.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Powerful, but loud Aug 31, 2003
I've had this unit for several years now, and it has performed flawlessly. It's quite powerful, much more so than you might expect from an electric. It tears through the toughest stuff my property has to offer. If this won't go through it, I know it's time for the Husky chainsaw. The motor is at the top of the handle, as with gas powered models, which helps with the balance. The variety of attachments available are a nice plus. I've got the edger and just ordered the blower/vac. I have only 2 complaints about it. The first is that the unit's overall length isn't adjustable; I'm 5' 9" and I find the unit a little too long to allow the head to lay flat - it tilts slightly up in front. This isn't a major problem however. Perhaps this isn't an issue with the 132r, which is the curved-shaft version, but I've heard that staight shafts are more reliable. Second, this is a fairly loud machine. I don't know if it's as loud as a gas-powered model, but it is louder than I expected (and hoped for). It's not the motor that makes so much noise, it's the head and, to a lesser extent, the shaft mechanism. I sometimes wear ear protection if I'm going to be trimming for a long time; the rather high-pitched drone of the trimmer's head can get to you after a while. Bottom line: if you don't mind dragging an extenstion cord around (get a good one, or you may cut right through it with the trimmer), this is an excellent alternative to a gas model.
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
PerformancePlus Oct 03, 2003
By Archtop
Having used gas trimmers before I was interested in a change. An electric trimmer, this time, less noise and gas fumes. So I ordered the Ryobi TrimmerPlus 137r. I thought the quick link attachments were a good idea, if they worked.
After ordering the TrimmerPlus and before I received it, I was concerned that I had just ordered a glorified cake mixer. I began to have my doubts about the performance I could expect from an electric trimmer.
Amazon and Tool Crib delivered the Trimmer (before the estimated delivery date) and as soon as I saw the heft in this Trimmer my doubts started to subside. I took it out into my huge backyard and garden. Whatever doubts I had about this electric Trimmer's performance evaporated. Not only does it perform identical to a gas unit but in many ways it's cleaner, quieter and a whole lot healthier. I had no problems dragging an extension cord around with the Ryobi Trimmer. The bump feature to extend out more string works easily and flawlessly. Trimming under plants not a problem with the straight shaft design.
Now to slip on the Cultivator attachment and chew up that garden. What a great maintenance tool. I am very satisfied. Definitely a superior product.
UPDATE: It's now 6 years later (Oct. 4, 2009) and I'm still using this trimmer every week on 3500 sq. feet of lawn. We have Colorado River Rock lining the flower beds and this trimmer mows the grass into the curves where the mower can't get. Then flip it up sideways and it trims the edge perfectly. I could not be without this trimmer.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 beware Sep 24, 2003
By ed
the trimmer works fine, but the bearings went out prematurely. replacement was not available. so all they could recomend is to buy a new trimmer head, as in the snap on accessories like the blower,hedge trimmer,cultivator. the cost cost of any of these is ridiculous. so you might as well throw it away and buy a new trimmer. such a waste, motor is fine .
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