Bosch ART 26-18 LI Cordless Lithium Ion Grass Trimmer Featuring Syneon Chip (1 x 18 V Battery, 1.5 Ah)

Very lightweight item. After using this about five or six times the plastic plate that houses the blade split and the blade would fly off - usually never to be seen again. I have since bought a pair of grass shears as I haven't ever really managed a buy a decent strimmer anywhere. I contacted Amazon who have been brilliant with my complaint. In conclusion I would say that this is ok for light use on just grass but it's not suitable for heavier work. The blades also wear down really quickly and are not cheap to replace so be careful when using it against concrete or brick edges. Not having a cable is one good benefit of this product. Surprised at Bosch who normally produce quality products - nowhere near their normal standard.

Bought the Bosch ART 26-18 Li-Ion Cordless Grass Trimmer in March 2014. Mainly because I thought the Li-Ion battery would be rechargeable at point without affecting battery life. Subsequently bought a pack of expensive blades. It seemed to work well enough until the end of the gardening season about the early October. About 10m -15 minutes between charges. Stored the trimmer in the garage and the battery and charger in my kitchen over winter. In April 2015 I charged the battery until the charging lamp indicated it was fully charged. When I tried using the trimmer it only lasted for about 4 minutes. Recharging had no improvement it would only run for a couple of minutes, even under no load conditions (held clear of the grass). I note that although the trimmer comes with a warrantee the battery is specifically not covered. I am reluctant to purchase a new battery, a relatively expensive item. I am not sure if the battery is faulty or there may be a fault with the electronics, which is supposed to cut out to protect the battery against over discharge. I don't want to end up with an expensive second battery and nothing to use it in. Based on my experience I would not recommend the Bosch ART 26-18 Li-Ion Cordless Grass Trimmer. An expensive item for one season only.

I got this for two reasons:Battery power means no cablesThe line on the old Flymo kept breaking or winding back in, so I had to constantly fiddle with the line.The battery life is a bit short, but this is only a 1.5Ah battery. With the 2.0Ah battery, you get some extra time.Also, the battery work right up to the last second. No slowing down as it runs down.So I suggest get the bare item and the 2.0Ah battery (or a second battery if you have a bigger garden).As for the cutting blade, I am not yet convinced. For normal grass/weed, this is great. Does not tangle or get recoiled or have to be pulled out and cut. When you try Edge Trip, you have to be super careful, otherwise these blade will be done in 20min. Especially concrete paving. Also the guard is too flimsy to stop the blade being chopped up on hard surfaces.So I keep the used blades for edge trimming. But you will def go through a few during the season.And my reservation when I got this - there is no side wheel for edge trimming. You have to extend the flimsy metal (somewhat thick) wire and drag the trimmer along the path. The guard does no lock, but if you drag not push, this seems to work ok (not great). The used and shorter blades make this easier, and I found you can tilt/twist the trimmer to adjust you cut height and avoid chopping the blade.I am pleased with this, but I miss the cleaner edge trimming with a wheel.

[Original, 2-star, review] I really wanted to like this - it seemed like the ideal way to trim right up to the walls that surround my gardens, and a welcome replacement for my heavy, unwieldy petrol strimmer with its constant need to draw out more line as it worked against the stone walling. However, I destroyed the first plastic blade within minutes, even using the metal guard (which, incidentally, won't stay at its proper setting but slides back on the slightest contact), and from then on had to be extremely careful about how close I cut to the wall. Then I realised that anything heavier than the lightest grass posed this machine a problem: a) the motor slowed, or b) the blade retracted, or c) the motor cut out completely, and then I have to wait some minutes before it will start again. I really can't think of any area of my garden(s) where this machine could be of any real use, and it looks as though I shall, with heavy heart, have to bring my dinosaur of a petrol strimmer out of retirement.[Edit] Actually, once you get used to the machine it does seem to perform better - treating it like a traditional strimmer doesn't really work too well, and using it on its own terms gets better results. However, it is still true to say that it's a machine for grass and very light vegetation, and it soon starts to cut out (probably from overheating) if you give it work that it finds too heavy.

Light and easy to use, and has the advantage of the standard battery system (one battery for all Bosch tools). The Li-Ion battery gives usage from one charge.The one disadvantage is these stupid little plastic strimmer blades that last hardly any time (about 20 minutes on the allotment) and cost £6 for the 5 pack. This is just bad design.

This is my biggest ever disappointment on Amazon. I thought that Bosch would only sell robust, well designed tools. I was wrong. This is not a strimmer but a trimmer and it cannot cope with anything solid. For years I have used a battery strimmer to trim my lawn against a brick wall. Sadly the battery was Ni-Cad and it did what Ni-Cad's always do - it died. So I looked for a robust Li-Ion replacement. This Bosch has a plastic blade as the cutting tool. Plastic against brick meant that it took 10 minutes to destroy the blade no matter how carefully I tried to avoid hitting the brick. The lesson is simple - use a strimmer for cutting grass against hard surfaces - this is only good for cutting ornamental lawns with no hard borders. I replaced it with a black and decker 36v Li-Ion strimmer which is absolutely excellent and does everything that this inferior trimmer never will.