EGO PowerLoad String Trimmer Adds Adjustability for Height
The EGO Power+ PowerLoad String Trimmer with Telescoping Aluminum Shaft does something unique. Unlike most trimmers that let you place the handle (once) for comfort, this trimmer adjusts. A telescoping handle moves to quickly match the height of the user. Of course, that’s not all it does well.
Adjusting the Telescoping Aluminum Shaft
Rather than make this complex, EGO uses a simple green lever to free the telescoping aluminum shaft on this string trimmer. We love how everything that moves or adjusts in EGO gets the “green” treatment. It makes it very simply to find and understand how each mechanism works.
In this case, you simply flip the lever, pull or push the aluminum telescoping shaft to the desired height, and you’re good to go. We prefer to do it while standing so we can see exactly where we want the head to fall for our height. For most of us, the adjustment came down to a difference of just 2–3 inches.
We’re not sure why no one thought of a telescoping aluminum shaft string trimmer before. It makes a lot of sense and provides a better opportunity to balance the tool than a simple movable handle might.
EGO PowerLoad Technology
The 15-inch EGO Power+ PowerLoad string trimmer features a telescoping aluminum shaft that keeps the weight down while ergonomically matching your height. It also includes EGO’s PowerLoad technology. This feature automatically winds your trimmer line with the push of a button.
We’ve used a lot of string trimmer heads, and this system is, by far, the easiest to use. You just feed a length of trimmer line into the tool’s head—bringing it up to the halfway point. Next, you press the top-side button just behind the head. With a ratcheting motion, it quickly pulls the string into the trimmer “automagically” and you can quickly get back to trimming your lawn.
Brushless Motor and Bump Feed Head
The EGO telescoping aluminum shaft string trimmer tops it all off with a high-efficiency brushless motor and a bump feed line advance system. The trimmer supports 0.095” professional cutting line, which is the size we typically use when given the choice. It provides a great combination of speed and durability.
The respectable 15-inch cutting swath lets you get a good amount of work done. EGO also gives users two different speed settings for better control over how you can use this trimmer. In our experience, popping it into Low helps optimize runtime when you simply need to trim the grass.
EGO says you get up to 45 minutes of runtime on a single 2.5Ah 56V Arc Lithium Battery. We’ll look forward to testing that for ourselves. So far, EGO has already proven itself over and over again in terms of both power and runtime. Turning their sights on ergonomics just makes good sense. We’ve already been impressed with what we’ve experienced first-hand with this tool. We’ll be sure to update this article when we complete our run-time and other comparative testing.
EGO Telescoping Aluminum Shaft Trimmer Pricing
Priced at just $199 with a 2.5 Ah battery included, EGO is looking for this to be a competitive model in the residential and commercial markets. It’s covered by both a 5-year tool warranty and a 3-year battery warranty.
EGO Power+ PowerLoad String Trimmer Specs
- Model: EGO ST1511T
- Motor: Brushless
- No-Load Speed (Low): 3000-4800 RPM
- No-Load Speed (High): 4,500-5,800 RPM
- Cutting Line Type: 0.095 in. nylon twist line
- Cutting Width: 15 in.
- Line Feed: Bump feed head
- Weight (bare tool): 7.63 lbs.
- Warranty: 5 years on tool, 3 years on battery
- Kit Price: $199
