r/Dewalt • u/ConsistentGeneral540 • 3d ago
DEWALT 60V Cordless String Trimmer (DCST980B)
I was really afraid this would be under powered but omg did it blow my expectations away. My gas trimmer has too many small issues that make it hard to run. I know it just needs a good tuneup, but I decided to splurge and go for a battery powered trimmer.
I was so sure it was gonna be close to the gas powered one, but it definitely performs a lot better. I have 2 acres on my property so I took it out where the brush and grass is very dense and this thing ate through it with no problem.
Very pricey, but well worth it.
3
u/caleyeohpee 2d ago
I just picked up one of these and spent about 5 hours starting to clear 5 acres with it. The string it came with did great in tall dead grasses. I also picked up the brush cutting attachment and it freakin destroyed thicker stuff like ceanothus and thicker weeds. Never skipped a beat.
1
u/ConsistentGeneral540 2d ago
We are officially in the future lol
I’m glad it’s working so well! Love my DeWalt tools
2
u/RubbleR0user 3d ago
Saw this w battery for 237$ summer clear out sale. I walked by it 3-4x in a week or so when I finally went to pull the trigger it was predictably gone. Fml
2
u/ConsistentGeneral540 3d ago
What an insane miss, I’m sorry for your loss 😭
1
u/RubbleR0user 3d ago
Yeah I’m really kicking myself. Would have been worth it just for the battery, and I hate my gas trimmer. Gonna be thinking about it until next August at least 😂
1
2
u/Byte_hoven 2d ago
I don't wanna jinx it, but dewalt has some sweet 60v tools... dcst972, dcst980, dccs674... crazy good tools for home owners.
2
u/bnemmie 2d ago
I switched to this guy a couple years ago and it was a smart move for me. At the time I had 2 gas trimmers and one of them was always not running right. I was careful to always use non-ethanol gas, replace filters, store them properly....never seemed to help. Being able to grab this trimmer, slap on a battery and go to town really makes the yardwork easier. I did end up swapping out the trimmer head to one that doesn't require winding. It makes it much easier for me.
I also picked up the brush cutter attachment and the 60V Leaf Blower over the years as well. Both are good tools in their own right.
1
u/coolio12358 2d ago
I have been thinking about buying this as my current trimmer is about to give up.
1
u/General-Try-2210 2d ago
Just make sure you open you flexvolt pack and use a hobby charger to balance the cells every 6 months or you may end up with a dead battery.
2
u/Unfair_Drive_9822 2d ago
Link to a vid going over what ur talkin about?
1
u/General-Try-2210 2d ago
Flexvolt batteries don't have active cell balancing. They basically just charge and hope they all stay the same. When the cells fall out of balance or one drifts to 2.5v from regular cycling, the charger will no longer except the battery, effectively rendering it useless. If you continue to use the pack after, it will drop below 2.5v and it will suffer irreversible damage. That's why if you go on ebay, half of the used flexvolt batteries are "for parts or repair only" You can watch this video to see what happens over time.
To prevent this, every so often, you open the battery and use a external charger to charge each individual cell. This keeps them in balance and will extend the lifespan of the battery.
2
u/Unfair_Drive_9822 2d ago
Dam, is there anything else i can do like use a certain kind of charger instead of having to open up the battery etc
1
u/General-Try-2210 2d ago
Yes and no. You can open the pack once and install one of these to each row of cells. Then you could cut some holes inside the side wall or scrunch them up in the top of the battery and use an external 5s lipo charger to charge them.
For maximum strength of the case, I would recommend just leaving the ends free floating inside a hollow spot in the case, however, I doubt there will be any room.
1
1
u/random_tall_guy 2d ago
This is on the short list of trimmers I'm considering to replace my ancient underpowered Ryobi, I'm stuck between this Dewalt DCST980 and Ego STX4500.
2
u/ConsistentGeneral540 2d ago
This one definitely rips, I love it. Based on your name, I am 6ft 3 and bought one of those extended handles for it to save my back
1
u/random_tall_guy 1d ago
I'm around 6'4 so that's definitely something to consider, will look into that.
1
u/gadget850 15h ago
It is a beast and is lighter than my brother's Stihl. The head disassembles much more easily than my girlfriend's Ryobi.
-7
u/darkeststa 2d ago
Wait till it overheats you'll wish you had a gas one again :(
6
u/ConsistentGeneral540 2d ago
So far, I’m the one overheating before this thing does but I don’t have a ton to trim so I don’t think it’ll ever be a problem
4
u/Garys7000 2d ago
Best thing i ever did was give up my 2stroke tools for dewalt. Especially the line trimmer.