Customer Reviews for Milwaukee M18 FUEL QUIK LOK 18 V Lithium Ion Brushless Cordless String Trimmer 8.0Ah Kit with Hedge Trimmer and 5.0 Ah Battery

1st and most importantly is the thermal shutdown feature. I will get about 10 to 12 minutes of moderate to lite use on the low power setting before it shuts down and needs at least 30 minutes to cool down for another 12 minute run. This is taking down some high grass about 18 inches using a 12ah fully charged battery. While the unit does its job well, especially on trimming very small areas (around trees and flower pots) the run time limitations on are quite disappointing. 2nd is the rather strong vibration that the unit produces while running free under no load which only increases under load. It is the same or perhaps even a bit more pronounced than a gas trimmer. Granted the noise is much less than its gas counterparts, but my hands are going numb from the intense vibration produced after just 5 minutes. 3rd is the trimmer head angle. It should be a bit more acute. Especially if you are on any type of slope. It seems the head is almost at the right angle but not quite, requiring you to hold the unit at an uncomfortable difficult angle to achieve the desired trimming effect. 4th is the way it chews through battery's. Granted I can recharge them more often than you would expect because I am hanging out waiting for a half hour for the motor to cool down. After about 8 minutes of use on the low setting a 12ah battery is down to 2 bars. Switch it to the high setting under a lite to moderate load you will get about 5 minutes of use before either thermal shutdown or battery exhaustion. A 9ah battery fares even less well. This doesn't seem very heavy duty to me. 5th is the safety lock on the throttle. Its awkward and rather uncomfortable digging into the webbing between thumb and index finger while the motor vibrates like an out of balance washing machine. I'm wondering if something a bit more ergonomic couldn't have been designed? 6th is weight to power. I don't know if it is a close class comparison but my gas trimmer is a Husqvarna 525L which comes in at 9.7 lbs to the Milwaukee's 9.85 lbs. After battery and charger both come in right at the $300.00 mark. But Lordy that Husqvarna is a workhorse beast. Like I said I am not sure if its an equitable class comparison but they are similar in weight and cost. NOT power and certainly not runtime. I have not in my limited use experienced any issues with the bump feed head so many other reviews mention, and this seemed to work flawlessly on my unit. I really do enjoy the fact that it has an extension to give me a bit more reach as well. It has made a steep section of my property line much more manageable. If only it didn't take me 8 hours to cut what I can do with a gas trimmer in one hour. I am open to hearing from Milwaukee on any of these issues, especially the thermal shutdown problem. Most likely I will be returning this unit. It just doesn't meet expectations.

This hedge trimmer is more than I expected. It is lightweight and well balanced. The 24 inch blade makes quick work of my bushes and shrubs which allows me more time to do other things. I have always believed in Milwaukee products and this tool will not disappoint you .

I absolutely love the possibilities of this tool!! Specifically; I have the string trimmer which has been an integral tool to my lawn maintenace and has left me extremely impressed with the quality of this tool, but it is noteworthy that there are other LOK attachments for the base of this tool, including a hedge trimmer, edger and chainsaw pole attachment. This tool is of professional quality, has no exhaust and is much quieter than its gas competitors. It lasts considerably long for a battery powered tool and is much better for my health - for my hearing and my breathing. It is also much easier for me to like this tool as I already have several tools on this platform. Definitely reccomend! I am keeping my fingers crossed for more amazing tools from milwaukee, such as a sweeper /snow thrower LOK attachment would be amazing!

This tool is the best hedge trimmer! It was delivered 4 hours ago and I immediately spent 1.5 hours to trim the front boxwood and hick-yew hedges. I didn't have to worry about dragging a cord around or accidentally unplugging it or cutting it in half. It is such a well balanced hedge trimmer and even after trimming everything including another long viburnum hedge which doesn't show in the picture I still had 3 cells left on a 12.0 ah battery. Every tool I own is Milwaukee and I'm happy to add this to my collection.

Overall I like this product. I had my Echo gas 2 piece system for 17 years. This battery system can definitely hang with the gas system. I was skeptical as many are when switching from gas to battery. But already being a Milwaukee hand tool guy, the switch made it much easier. Pros: I LOVE not dealing with gas. I like the quick start up. As most have stated. It will do just fine in turtle mode when just doing a yard that is already manicured. Jump to rabbit for unkept spaces- no problems. I also got the edger attachment. Same applies for that but I usually use the rabbit just to finish quicker. It is pretty well balanced. Battery run time is good, not great. Definitely runs way longer when just using turtle mode. It is nice that I have 5.0 Amp batteries from my hand tools if I run out of battery in the middle of a trimming. Cons: I do NOT like the trigger. It is variable speed but I feel that it is stiffer than it should be and after trimming for about 10 mins, my fingers start to hurt a little. Not unbearable but uncomfortable. Shaft length- I feel that the attachments could be an inch or 2 shorter. I am 5.10. So not sure if that makes a difference or not. Lastly, I do NOT like the thickness of the string trimming head itself. I know that they made it that way to hold more string. However it makes it hard to trim places all the way to the ground (concrete driveways etc). More compact would be better. I did make two modifications that help me out. 1)First thing I noticed was that the "arrow" attachment sticker for the actual attachments are NOT aligned very well. The second time I was used it I did not fully engage the attachment. I thought it was broken until I realized what was happening. So reattached it fully. Then put a piece of color electrical tape on it to let me know that it is fully engaged. 2) I DID NOT like the fact that when you put the motor head on the ground that there was NOTHING on the bottom of the motor casing to protect it from getting beat up and damaged. So I had some of those dense felt pads you use on the bottom of furniture so that you do not scratch the floor. I put some of those on it. Both mods work great. OVERALL: I like the product and would buy again. I just guess that I will never understand why simple things are not thought through during R and D before production. It is the common sense part of me shaking my head. The trigger and head thickness are why I took one star off of my overall rating.

I intended to buy yet-another gas trimmer, but saw this M18 FUEL. Though I own an electric-car, I never thought this electric trimmer could compete with gas. But, since every Milwaukee M18 FUEL tool I own has been pure-perfection, I gave this a try... This trimmer is nothing short of outstanding. Instant-power and instant-torque like you'd expect from an electric motor. The string-winder head is simple to reload and outperforms every trimmer I've ever owned. I am thrilled I smashed my gas-trimmer into 20-pieces (after running like crap FOR THE LAST TIME) and bought this M18 FUEL. I spent half my time clearing land just trying to keep my gas trimmer operating; this electric M18 just flat-out works all the time. My only (minor) complaint is battery-life. Their specs of 1-hour runtime is wildly-optimistic. I averaged about 20-minutes under heavy load with the M18-9A supplied battery, but those 20-minutes are flat-out hard work. I got about 10-minutes of heavy load operation with all of my M18-5A batteries. That said, I have enough batteries that I operated this trimmer non-stop for 2-hours straight, in knee-high thick field-grass, using it more like a brushhog than a simple yard-trimmer. This trimmer took everything I threw at it, and just kept chugging, outperforming any gas-trimmer I've ever owned/abused. I love every M18 Fuel tool I own... impacts, drivers, drills, cut-offs, grinders, flood-lights... just-awesome.

The weed eater was easy to assemble and very strong. I have the 12.0 battery and have cut my grass 4x since having it and it still has 2 bars left.

Milwaukee has outdone themselves with this M18 cordless string trimmer with QUIK-LOK attachment capability! The whole unit itself, with battery, is very light weight! Everything you need is in this package (trimmer, handle, battery, and charger). The gap between the spool head, and the line cutter, is spacious and that comes in handy when having to cut down long, thick weeds. The handle has lots of grip and accommodates both left and right-handed people. The safety trigger is conveniently atop the trigger so that when you go to use the trimmer, just move your hand over the safety switch and apply the throttle with your fingers. I like this setup much better than other trimmers, where you have to turn a switch to on, hold in a safety button, and THEN apply the throttle. With this trimmer, just insert the battery, grab the handle and apply throttle. No longer do I have to worry about mixing the special oil with high octane gas, or worrying about the fuel lines cracking under age, or carbs that need to be taken apart and cleaned. The sheer convenience of this Milwaukee M18 Battery trimmer is outstanding! The noise level is much quieter than gas-powered models and the battery even has a light indicator on it to show you how much juice is left. Milwaukee thought of everything when they made this unit. Try it out yourself and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Other QUIK-LOK attachments include hedge trimmer, pole saw, 8-inch edger, and even a 3-foot extension attachment. I made a video, but not sure how to upload it, since I don't see a video upload option.

I love Milwaukee tools and this new Quik-Lok base tool with stringer attachment is great. The tool feels very balanced and comfortable in my hands with a comfortable trigger device on the palm side of your hand which makes for easy operation. I typically use gas trimmers but this machine is so powerful that I am retiring that loud smells tool. This machine is quiet and with the M18 Fuel battery should last for a very long time. Though still cold outside I tested on some winter grasses and it cuts easily with plenty of torque. I also like its adjustable cutting width which extends easily from 14-16 inches. Nice large self feeding spool gives easy line advance. The Quik-Lok system is a snap. Simply loosen a lever and push release button then remove current tool, and slide and lock new attachment into socket and away you go. Very quick and tools feels very solid and tight in the base unit. It is nice that this can be many tools for my yard. Can't wait to add more attachments.

Great end to end experience. Product was packed great, all the pieces and tools to put it together were there and the instructions were spot on. After charging the battery I put everything together and started the engine in 30 minutes. I can't wait to purchase some of the other attachments, like edger and power saw. I like that I only need one engine base and that I can pop on and off attachments as needed instead of buying new products (timers, hedgers, saws) that each have batteries, take of storage space and have learning curves. I'd recommend getting the shoulder strap, reached out to Home Depot for that. I've had the trimmer for about a week, and will provide an update when spring gets here.

I'm no fan of yard work. To me, it ranks right up there with cleaning the toilet; don't want to do it but it has to be done. When the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless String Trimmer with QUIK-LOK Attachment Capability and 9.0 Ah Battery arrived, I couldn't wait to get outside. Assembly was relatively painless. I spent about five minutes attaching the handle and trimmer guard/cutter. I really like the trimmer guard. It is one of the slimmest, least obtrusive I've ever noticed. Makes it very easy to see the area you're cutting. I was afraid winter wasn't going to provide much of a test but our warm, cold, warm trend over the last six or so weeks provided plenty of green things that needed to be taken down. I was able to tackle every challenge without the slightest problem. The included string cut without hesitation and the battery showed no signs of giving out. Not having to drag a power cord behind me I was able to finish the front and back in record time. Now, my one and only gripe. When it came time to swap the attachment I had difficulty removing the trimmer. I inserted the pole saw without any problems but when it came time to remove it I again had difficulty getting it to slide free. I don't know if it will get easier over time but I am tempted to apply some graphite or lubricant to help. This is something I can see being a problem for a person that lacks arm strength. Overall, I like this tool and the space-saving benefit of the quick-lok attachments. Recommended.

I selected the Milwaukee cordless, brushless string trimmer to reduce my dependency on gasoline/oil mixed yard tools. I'm exhausted with the maintenance combustion engines needs with the latest gasoline formulas. I confess, I've been converting to battery powered starting with the cheaper stuff only to be disappointed. Most equipment doesn't have the power to trim thick grass or edge a sidewalk. This Milwaukee tool has everything I could want in the performance of a string trimmer! it has quality construction and gas trimmer like throttle so it feels natural to operate. It has good balance with the battery installed. I like the Quik-Lok system too for adding accessories. As for trimming, the Milwaukee goes at the tough tall thick stuff without any struggle. I am actually amazed at how easy it does cut. I don't know if it is the high torque of the brushless motor or the trimmer head or the trimmer string but it is a pleasure to trim my yard and not have to deal with priming, choking, sputtering of my gas combustion trimmer. The included 18 volt 9 AH battery lasted more than enough to do my front yard and back yard, well over 1500 feet of fence line and another 500 or so feet of flower bed trimming and trimming around the trees. The string trimmer head is Milwaukee's own and at first I was like; what the heck, but once you "read how it works" then it's like - DUH! The ease of reloading string is beautiful. A nice trimmer guard with adjustable cutter for 14" or 16", just flip the blade out to get the extra 2". Includes the multi-charger (12 and 18 volt capability), 9 AH battery power head with brushless motor and trimmer Quik-Lok attachment. Pros: -Quik-lok for tool expandability, and it's very easy to operate -Power head at the top instead of above the trimmer head like other brands. The smooth drive shaft, no vibration what-so-ever thanks to the supported shaft halves at the Quik-Lok -Easy trigger operation - makes the trimmer operation feel natural. Very responsive trigger control and it is variable speed. -Turtle/rabbit speed modes of the brushless motor to help save battery. The Milwaukee was powerful enough at turtle for my yard trimming. -Low ground clearance trimmer line, makes getting under fence edges easy without having the need to tilt the trimmer. -A bump and feed that so far has worked perfectly, everytime. Cons: -I'm not crazy about the butt mount battery on the power head. It's natural to clear the trimmer head by upending the trimmer. This makes the battery the rest point when the trimmer is upside down. Note, that this is typical for most battery string trimmers I've seen. You can pull the battery and there is a sort of block that the power head could safely rest on or you could simply lay flat on the ground but yard folks don't take the time for the extra steps and I'm usually one of them. -Milwaukee states using only Milwaukee brand string in the trimmer. I haven't noticed anything special about the string, however, I'm not fond of proprietary consumables. Wrap-up: I absolutely love this trimmer and have parked my Echo gas trimmer.

I am a big fan of Milwaukee power tools so was willing to give this string trimmer a chance and boy was that a good idea. This is another quality product from the folks at Milwaukee. The trimmer is quality made and very sturdy feeling in your hands. The Quik Lok feature is super nice and easy to use, the other attachments such as the pole saw, hedge trimmer and edger make this a really good power base to get into. The string trimmer has plenty of power to cut through the thickest of brush and does that without draining your battery down. I also really like that when you pull the trigger you get an instant response with the head of the trimmer ramping up to full speed. The trimmer is also super easy to reload with string and can be done easily under 30 seconds. This kit comes with a 9 AH battery and that gives you plenty of run time with this thing. I used it for 30 minutes and didn't drain a single cell on the battery. The two setting either slow (turtle) or fast (rabbit) are accurately set and give you a complete different trimming experience when using either. This is a definitely another quality product from Milwaukee and is a serious contender to be used by someone that is a professional landscaper not just your homeowner.

I trimmed for years with a gas-powered trimmer never thought I would go to Electric, bought this for my wife to trim shrubs around the house, what an amazing machine, powerful, cuts through the shrubs half inch branches like butter it's lightweight and runs a long time on a battery great product.

I used Milwaukee Fuel Tools for some time now and expected the performance I got when I used the hedge trimmer. A little heavy at first for someone my age (66) with the 9.0 battery but did get used to the weight. The trimmer performed as good as the corded one, without the cord it is a better tool.

Outstanding product: I use my M18 5.0 batteries from my M18 FUEL™ 1/2" Mid-Torque Impact Wrench & M18 Blower. They last longer than I expected. The hedge trimmer is designed for safety & efficiency.

Great product I was able to work with it on and off all day on one battery it does a great job. I will recommend it to any one

Cutting the cord means no more cutting the cord. It is so nice to not have to lug a cord around. I think this 72 year old did his 60 ft hedge in half the time it took last time. Last time I told myself it was probably my last time doing this job, but Milwaukee came to the rescue. I love my 18V Milwaukee tools! I cleaned up the left over litter with my 18V compact blower http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-Compact-Blower-0884-20/204834633

The trimmer is a beast. Very impressive. Easy to assemble. Battery is lasting and charged very quickly. Highly recommend. Very satisfied.

Having the Quick-LOK option is great — simply switch from the line trimmer to the edger and back again — it is a breeze. Plus all you need to do is bump the trimmer on the ground to advance more line to cut through grass and weeds very easily. Good decisions so far —

The bolts were a little small and hard to attach

The trimmer is good! But your review is bad Dictation does not work

Trimmer has good power and easily cuts through weeds. Battery life is decent. Haven't had the issue that others complained about with the battery terminals melting. We typically run it in bursts rather than holding down the trigger at full power. This may help with overheating.

Exceeded my expectations!

Long run time and great power well worth the price

Too heavy, nit balanced, and nit strong enough.

The trimmer is great but didn’t not realize that the battery or charger wasn’t included in the box…..

Trimmer is great. I had a lot to trim and 1 battery barely used. Amazing. I didn’t like the shopping experience of purchasing behind locked doors. It too time to get and then bringing to cs is weird and lengthy process