Original Power 4-Inch Grass Shear and 6-Inch Shrub Clipper #CS18

Unit Failed (2009-07-01)
Unit is just over two years old - by a couple of months. Is hardly used and probably has not seen 10-12 hours of service.

It failed. I call. You need a new charger I am told. Buy a charger and pay shipping.

Still does not work. You need a new battery I am told. I buy a new battery; they waive the shipping.

Still does not work - push button and nothing happens.

Call them again. Maybe the motor burnt out. I take the unit apart - pretty simple thing and I am kinda mechanical. Clean as a whistle inside. All connections solid and motor is clean copper.

I call them back. We can't do anything about it as it is out of warranty - even a day out and they would not do a thing.

Can send battery and charger back with re-stocking charge and me pay shipping. Hardly worth it.

Ask if they can at least meet me part way on new one. Can't do that.

I spent 32 years in corporate marketing and I clearly remember two things we emphasized. "Can't" usually means "won't". Yes, they can do it if they care to.

Secondly, the customer may not always be right, but he IS always the customer.

They could care less.

All I wanted was a little break on a new one to help cover the costs of what I bought based on their analysis.

Oh, when it worked; it worked great.

So I have to buy a new one from someone and sure need to find a better one.

its a handy addition to the yard work (2009-06-25)
The clipper and the handle we bought with it work good for light duty clipping and trimming it will run about 45 to 50 minutes its small size lets me get into tight spaces my weed eater ,and large hege clipper can't go. when you done wash off blades and spray with a light oil it will keep them sharp longer . If your blades get dull they are easy to sharpenn witha good file just follow the angle and remove a little metal they should last for years .the handle the first cuople of times was dificult to align with the plug but some carefull bending and a little WD40 did the trick.Amazon was by far the best price the delivery from the hardware vendor was a little slow but worth the wait .

good for little jobs (2009-05-18)
This is a good product if you are weeding a very small patch for a herb garden, or some small shrubs. Not for big yard jobs.

Satisfied after a rough start (2009-05-18)
Performs as described, handles light trimming well and is much lighter and less awkward to use than a string trimmer/hedge trimmer. After giving the yard a good going over with the heavy duty trimmers this is all I need to keep it maintained. It needs recharging after a half hour or so, but that's fine with me. I don't like yard work that much!

I had some problems with it out of the box, which is why I'm only giving it 3 stars. The charger connector ports weren't lined up properly with the pins on the tool. As a result it wasn't charging properly and I was only getting 5 minutes of use out of it. It fits snugly in the charging cradle and there's no indicator light to tell if it's charging. I was ready to return it. I suspected a connection problem so finally I got a screwdriver out and detached the charging plug from the cradle. There's just 2 little screws. It was then obvious it wasn't plugging in properly. I had to straighten the center prong out and it's worked great ever since. I didn't bother reattaching the receptacle to the cradle. I like it better without it and I can verify it's plugged in.

Replacement battery packs aren't that difficult to find. It's a common 5 cell, 6 volt, 1800mAh NiCD Receiver Battery Pack. They go for about $24 and can be found in hobby shops. It's the same battery used in the DuraTrax Firehammer RC car. Sanyo makes one, part number San.1800.6

It's a good little trimmer. But I'll think twice before buying another product from this manufacturer due to the quality control issues. It's also ridiculous that they don't make the replacement battery pack readily available.

Love it!!!! (2009-05-12)
This is an outstanding product. Some criticize the length of time the power functions. It doesn't advertise itself for long time power usage. It lasts long enough for me to trim edges in the front and rear of my home without all the wires of a whacker. It cuts neatly and is so convenient. I even use the clipper blades on my smaller shrubs.