BLACK+DECKER20V MAX* String Trimmer / Edger, 12-Inch (LSTE523)

Works great BUT there are no instructions on how to put it together and/or how to use it. Thank heaven for Utube. I have had several Blaxk & Decker trimmers and they are good but I’m not one of those people that can just put something together without instructions!

This is a great trimmer for home use. It's light, can do both trimming and edging, and has improved significantly over the previous model.The cordless concept gives you a lot of freedom. I have a corded edger with a blade and it's great for the really challenging parts of the lawn, but nothing beats the convenience of this cordless model.How well does it trim?For a home with a front and back yard (probably around 4000 sq ft lawn space) I found the 3Ah battery just enough to cover both yards if using a judicious mix of the two power settings. The low power setting is fine for most of the trimming and even some of the edging, but I use the higher power setting for thicker growth. This is for St. Augustine grass common in the south. If you have hardier substances to cut or if you need to use the higher power setting more than I do you may have to charge in the middle of the job and it does take a while to charge an empty battery. You can also buy additional compatible batteries on the Black and Decker 20v systems on Amazon which I would recommend for those with larger/tougher jobs.Which one is for you?The biggest differences with this model series are the batteries they come with and the string feed mechanism. I've included a chart to help understand the differences between the models. Some thoughts:- The basic 522 and 523 appear to be physically identical trimmers except for the string feed. The 522's is automatic, the 523's is manual. My old 400 had an automatic feed that worked but there were times I would have liked to have been able to feed it when the automatic didn't trigger.- The 523 appears to be sold in two options (at least it was when I bought mine). One option comes with a 3Ah battery, the other comes with a 1.5Ah battery. The bigger battery is heavier but lasts longer. If you have a smaller lawn, or you want the lightest weight, maybe the smaller battery unit is better for you. Although the unit is not heavy, you may feel it after using it for forty minutes. Again, if battery life is an issue, Amazon sells additional batteries separately, and they're compatible with the whole line of Black and Decker devices including cutters, drills, and more.- The 525 seems to be identical to the 523 but comes with a choice of either a 3Ah battery or two 1.5Ah batteries.- The entire 500 series (522, 523, etc) are a big improvement over the 400 series due to modifications to the trimmer/edger conversion mechanism and also the change of the auxiliary handle's friction clamp to instead a fixed pivot point on the handle assembly. This makes the 500 series easier to use and more reliable.6-Jun-2019 update: Saw a bunch of negative reviews from people that had issues with quality control on their units. I don't doubt them. I had issues with the previous generation of this unit. All I can say is that even with issues, I got four years out of the previous model and this one so far has worked fine. Stories of the awful (and probably outsourced) support from Black and Decker are disappointing, but that's the price of dealing with some corporations.

The spool that came pre installed was broken in half. Luckily I had some extra refills. I like the product. The automatic thread feeder is a bonus.

Very easy to use: twist the shaft to go from horizontal cutting to vertical; battery attachment couldn't be easier. However, recommend larger battery for all but tiny yards and requirements. It is light weight compared to the bulky electric cable or gas edgers. Trims both weeds and borders usually on low power. Has a higher power usage switch for stubborn weeds. This is designed as a grass edger, but as stated does light weeds as well, especially at higher power offering. It certainly would have now replaced my Stihl gas trimmer I needed 25+ years ago where I chopped down 4-6' weeds. Now that I am back to civilization and have just a grass property, this is fantastic. Stores easily in the golf cabinet in my garage that came with the house. I bought extra spools of cutting material, but haven't replaced the original yet after all Summer. The automatic spool advance works without any trouble as does the manual advance when desired. Couldn't be happier unless wife wants to do the outside trimming.

Won't turn on here's what I found on a 2nd season trimmer. How to get it apart so it will go back together easy 30 min job after a lot of frustration. Place on bench with 2 2x4s stacked on top each other. Place a 11"wire tie under trimer on the orange part 2 inches from the black piece trimmer screw side up. While holding the orange cover down tight, remove all T15 torx screws with T15 Torx driver. Now hold down the cover with both hands take the hand close to the shaft end and place it on the black piece at the end of the orange cover while holding down tight on it. Remove the cover now while still holding it down tight put the wire tie on tight about 2 inches up from the black piece.leaving the slide on the wire tie outside of the trimmer. You can now release from holding it down. Now you can pull the trigger and see that the micro switch is not pushing in the micro switch or not all the way. Here's the fix that worked for me. I filed down a standard orange wire but so it would fit tight between circuit board and a post on the housing the open end of the wire but fits over a chip on the board which should keep it in place. Next I noticed there was still a bit of movement of the board so I drilled two holes in the housing big enough for the wire tie. I put the wire tie over the board just inside the the black wire by the top side out the way of every thing that could cause an issue. Tried it dozens of times works every time. Did noe yet have an issue but I added a wire tie on the micro switch for the line feed button as well. Now check make sure all the wires are tucked in and springs all in place as well as handle springs and buttons battery slots in right. Hold the black piece down tight on the 2x4s and put the cove back carefully put on the cover . keep holding it down once the cover is close to being in place cut the wire tie holding the shaft in place push the cover home and replace the screws while holding it down tight . put the battery pack in and try it a few dozen times also check you lime feed. All should work great now. Hopefully I hope to get another 2 or 3 years out of it. This is designed it fail if you ask me. This would be something I will get with B&D about.