DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt Cordless String Trimmer – Pass On The Gas

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I un-fondly muse of yanking four score and seven million times on the starter cord of a gas string trimmer that sat idle for the winter. A breathless carb gummed by gooey regret led to a breathless me with phooey regret. 2 strokers are great if used frequently, maintained during down time, you enjoy mixing fuel & oil and love rebuilding carburetors. For me, it was time to go electric. I bought a corded electric trimmer; it was weak and required long extension cords. But then the clouds parted, the angels sang and we received this DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt string trimmer, a pro quality unit that drains the gas and cuts the cord. Can you hear the harps?

DeWalt 60V Max FlexVolt String Trimmer – It’s No Laughing Matter

The tail end has a nice, rugged design and built-in hook for hanging from something narrow (though I’m not quite sure what that might be).

You may think electric yard tools are a joke. Been there – scoffed at that. But cordless power tools continue to become more and more capable. And that includes battery powered landscaping tools, which now compete in a very real way with their gas sipping counterparts. There are even respectable battery-powered lawn mowers, something we all would have chuckled at once upon a time.

60V 3Ah Cordless Power That Lasts

The DCST970X1 string trimmer kit includes a 60V Max FlexVolt battery and a model DCB115 charger, which is compatible with all FlexVolt, 20V MAX and 12V slide-on DeWalt battery packs.

Back in 2015, we reviewed the DeWalt DCST920PL1 20V MAX string trimmer. That’s a great trimmer, no doubt about it. But the new 60V MAX FlexVolt version is even better! The 60V model has a wider (15″, dual line) cutting swath, more power and higher top speed. And the included FlexVolt battery is compatible with all DeWalt 20V MAX, 60V MAX and 120V MAX power tools.

After almost 45 minutes of cutting, trimming and edging, the battery still has plenty of charge.

Get Triggered With The DeWalt 60V MAX FlexVolt String Trimmer

Two speed ranges. Low = 0-5,600 RPM / High = 0-6,600 RPM

Mind you, we mean “triggered” in a good way! The FlexVolt string trimmer has a 2-speed variable trigger with safety lockout. Low speed does perfectly well in most cases and maximizes battery run time (as does the efficient brushless motor).

In order to squeeze the trigger, first hold down the thumb lever on top. This safety feature helps prevent accidental power-ons.

When you really need to power through dense weeds, switching to high speed will mow down any doubt that this really is a legitimate replacement for gas trimmers (in case you weren’t already convinced).

The trigger and safety lockout lever are ergonomically located for ease of use.
Other string trimmers have busted holes through this old vinyl skirting. The variable speed trigger on DeWalt’s 60V MAX FlexVolt string trimmer, however, lets me dial it way back and cut these weeds with no further damage whatsoever. That is a huge bonus.

Easy Wind Spool With Bump Feed

The 60V MAX FLEVOLT string trimmer uses DeWalt 0.080” spiral line (it also works with DeWalt 0.095” line). I ordered a 225′ roll and had it sent to my local store for free pickup.

Reloading the line spool is quick and easy. More so than some others I’ve used. Also nice is that the line is advanced by the traditional “bump feed” method (where you bump the bottom of the cutting head against the ground) familiar to most gas trimmer veterans. This is by far the best way of doing it, unlike the clunky “feeds a little bit every time you squeeze the trigger from a dead stop” way my old corded trimmer worked.

You can easily re-string the line in only a couple minutes.

A Brushless, Gear-Driven Motor Head – DeWalt 60V MAX FlexVolt String Trimmer

Making quick work of an area the mower just cannot reach.
The DeWalt DCST970 FlexVolt string trimmer has a brushless motor and geared head that delivers enough torque to power through heavy overgrowth.

No matter what I did, it never felt like the trimmer struggled to keep up. Even as I trimmed heavy wiry weeds or thick stands of crabgrass along a chain link fence. The guard, however, is a bit on the small side and some debris does get past it. So make sure you’re wearing eye protection when using this tool (or are near someone else using it). But you should be doing that anyway, with any string trimmer.

This photo features the seemingly now-discontinued 40V MAX string trimmer, which we were reviewing when DeWalt usurped it with the new 60V MAX FlexVolt model instead. We’ve since torn down this play set but I still wanted to show how awesome a string trimmer is for hard-to-reach places.

Get A Handle On The Situation With The DeWalt 60V MAX FlexVolt String Trimmer

The unit feels great in the hands.

We found the unit to be well balanced and comfortable to hold. At around 12-1/2 lbs (with the battery), it’s more than a pound lighter than the 40V MAX version. But over time, it does get a little heavy. And I wish it was about 2″ longer on the front end so you can stand straighter and reduce the load on your back.

The large padded auxiliary handle can be adjusted to your liking.
Who needs a bladed edger that can chip away at your concrete? The DeWalt DCST970 string trimmer handles this like a pro.

Trim And Proper – Cleaning Up The Edges

Gavin cleans up tall grass against the mailbox post.

Whether you call it a “string trimmer”, “weed wacker”, “line trimmer”, “weed whip”, “whipper snipper” or “strimmer”, one thing is for sure: it will get into places your lawn mower can’t. A mowed lawn just doesn’t look as good if everything is traced by a line of uncut grass and weeds.

As long as this log is here, a string trimmer is the only way to cut this part of the lawn. Note to self: Get rid of that stupid log.

In the end, I was very pleased with how well the DeWalt 60V MAX FlexVolt string trimmer works. It’s billed as a professional grade tool for everyday heavy-duty use and it actually performs like it’s up to the task.

Even after mowing, this area still looks a little shaggy.
In no time at all we cleaned up around the stepping stones (plus the pad in the background and those in front of my shop). What a huge difference!

Not only does it work as well as advertised, there is no issue with long term storage, no gas/oil mixtures to deal with, no frustrating starter cords to fight and no biennial carburetor rebuilds to fuss with. Nor do you have to run long tangles of extension cords. Just pop in a battery and immediately get to work. I don’t know about you, but this is exactly the kind of hassle-free string trimmer I’d prefer.

Buy the DCST970X1 DeWalt 60V MAX FlexVolt string trimmer kit w/ battery and charger for just under $250

Buy Now - via The Home Depot

Or get the bare tool (DCST970) for just under $180

Buy Now - via The Home Depot

About the DeWalt FlexVolt platform:

More Info - via DeWalt

Trim line replacement procedure:

More Info - via DeWalt

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About Steve

Steve made his first woodworking project at age 9 (in 1982) and whittled his first wooden chain at 18. He was also a consumer electronics repair tech and shop owner for a little over 20 years, until his impending obsolescence became impossible to ignore. Since then, Steve has focused passionately on manipulating his wood... in his workshop. Don't judge him.

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