Ryobi ELT1100A 1100 Watt Electric

A great machine now I have sorted it out – At first I thought the Ryobi trimmer was rubbish I spent more time changing the line than trimming. Also it dug into the grass badly I had trouble controlling it. I had quality petrol trimmer before the Ryobi which worked well so I investigated why the Ryobi was so much trouble.The lengths and head angle were about the same so I decided the only… Read more

difference was the Ryobi had no speed control.Being an electrician I soon rigged up a control and was amazed at the difference the lines last much longer also it ran quieter and cooler. I run it about 2/3 speed.

My next door neighbour had the same problem with his smaller model Ryobi until I made him up a speed control he too is very happy with the way it works.

By the way I did fit a aftermarket line head on it as I found the bump head troublesome.

It ain't perfect but it is better than most – Previous reviewers who have had line breakages have presumably installed the line incorrectly. Just remove the head, wind from your line replacement pack directly onto each spool in turn - both in the SAME direction as indicated on the spool plate - not too tight and do not overfill and you'll be right. 2.0 or 2.7 line works just fine. I agree the… Read more

bump feed is rubbish BUT all you have to do is upend the machine, place the motor end on the ground and manually press and turn the line feed of the spool, pull out your line ends a bit and get back to work - takes all of fifteen seconds. If you pull out too much the cutter squib in the protector plate cuts it for you at first run, a bit noisily but instantly. Get a shoulder strap from Bunnings 'cos this thing gets a bit heavy after thirty minutes or so. Otherwise, get yourself a LONG, heavy duty extension lead and oil the open shaft end twice a season and it will last forever.

Works & works & works – I like it, it's quiet, quick and light to use. I find the head easy to move around trees and cutting edges easy. The only thing I wished it was a bit cheaper than other types you can get. Fits light and think line, and is ok with 2.7mm line as well. Never had a problem with the head, even used replacement parts from Bunnings. It's pretty good. Low noise Needs a harness as it gets heavy after a few hours

Powerful – I have started using the Ryobi for the first time. It is light enough, powerful, and after tapping on the bump feed did not have a problem with the feed. It has 2 year replacement warranty, so fingers crossed it will keep going the same way for a few years to come. Easy to assemble, easy to start, powerful Some parts a little cheap, and little to powerful for small yard.

Worst thing I ever bought – I HATE IT!!!! – The bump feed does not work unless you smash the thing on the ground, even then there are no guarantees. You need to constantly dismantle the head to manually feed the line. I even took it back to Bunnings to the guy that recommended it to make sure I was using it correctly. Unfortunately I was. I have a large garden and lawn and using this… Read more

thing ensures it takes twice as long. DO NOT PURCHASE THIS THING. If you really, really want one you can have mine as it will be going in the hard rubbish, come October.

Bump feed doesn't work and line has to continually manually fed.

Rubbish! – From the start the line would not feed out and invariably snapped off inside the spool so that this had to be disassembled each time more line was needed. When working the ergonomics were fine and it was particularly good and easy to edge trim a grass lawn neatly. But more time was spent pulling the head apart to extarct more line than on… Read more

strimming. Has put me off Riobi for good. If they can put this sort of rubbish into production they don't deserve to suvive. looks, feel, light weight. it's a lemon.

Heaps better than a pertrrol trimmer...but – I tossed my petrol Rytobi after its last chance when it would not run smoothly. I hoped that being electric (i.e. starts all the time) that with this one that my wife and kids could be trained to use it. But the line breaking all the time drove us nuts. However, thanks to other comments here, I will now get an upgraded head which should give it… Read more

a second life.

So, I am happy to keep it as lond as the new head works. Powerful and not too heavy Terrible line head

OK – Powerful motor but line spool is a real let down. This product would be great if they had designed a better line spool. The fact I had to go by another product to fix this one means I can't give it a very good rating. However with the replacement head the machine is very good. Its has a really powerful motor. The 1100W electric engine is as good… Read more

as any petrol engine if not better. Engine is at the top of the shaft which is ergonomically but better than being at the bottom of the shaft like some other electric line trimmers. Its electric you just press the button and it runs! No need to go crazy mad yanking silly cords that don't work. Obviously the cord is a bit of pain but its manageable. As others have stated the spool head just sucks! Worked a few times but after that it kept getting stuck - it was a pain to respool and once the nob got stuck too. Had to get a clamp to screw it off. I really liked the power of the machine so I ended up getting a replacement head from http://www.alexbrushcutterheads.com. Not cheap but it turned this machine into a real beast. Would be nice if there was some kind of speed control.

Terrible – This trimmer is like a ferrari engine on shopping cart wheels. The designer obviously never actually used a string trimmer in his life, but knows motor design inside out. All in all, it would be quicker to trim the yard by hand with children's scissors, than to powerfully whack at it for thirty seconds, and then re-string this machine for ten… Read more

minutes - again and again and again. I just threw mine in the bin, after first extracting the motor for some future project. The motor is reliable and powerful, on the odd occaision you might have to use it. The string spool is AWFUL. Every time the string breaks it has to be disassembled and the line manually fed out.

Good – Having replaced the spool head with with the Littl' Juey bent shaft fitting the trimmer is very reliable and effective. Shame the supplied head was so hopeless and the extra expense was necessary to get the tool to a point where it is (almost - this is still a chore after all!) a pleasure to use. Powerful trimmer, just what I need for a… Read more

reasonably large section (1012m2) with some uneven areas where the grass and weeds grow quite long. Dreadfully unreliable spool head and line feed system.