Black & Decker replaces much-maligned GH1000 string trimmer

Consumer Reports News: May 11, 2012 09:08 AM

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String Trimmers

Corded-electric string trimmers are definitely tempting if you have a small property without a lot of dense growth. They're the least expensive and fairly lightweight. And because they start with the press of a button, you face none of the starting issues of gasoline-powered models, let alone the maintenance.

But of the corded-electrics we've tested, one string trimmer in particular has been both panned by some of our readers and recalled twice by the Consumer Product Safety Commission over the several years it's been on the market. Black & Decker, the manufacturer of the $70 GH1000, has now discontinued the trimmer and some would say it's about time.

In our own extensive testing, the curved-shaft GH1000 was the less expensive of only two plug-in models that had impressive trimming, edging, and tall-grass performance. Handling was also a breeze, aided by its 7.4-pound weight.

But problems reported by users began to stack up. The CPSC announced a recall in 2007, and then re-announced it two years later. By the time of the second recall, the manufacturer had reported more than 800 incidents in which the spool, cap, and string came loose and went flying. More than 150 injuries were reported overall, plus some broken windows and other property damage.

We listed the GH1000, along with the $100 Stihl FSE 60, among our recommended models, and have long included details of the CPSC's recalls in our Ratings. But on ConsumerReports.org, subscribers also had plenty to say, with a user-review rating of 1½ out of 5 potential stars. Two years ago, we put the GH1000 through further endurance testing in tall, dense weeds in an attempt to replicate reported problems. With three samples overall, no mishaps occurred.

While the GH1000 won't be in stores much longer, you can find the even lighter GH1100 (GH2000 at Lowe's), two successor models to the GH1000. They weren't available in time for the string trimmer Ratings we recently updated, but we hope to test them this summer.

—Ed Perratore