Greenworks is one of the few garden equipment manufacturers that started out making battery-powered products, rather than moving into the area from petrol or mains electric. While they might not be as well known as a brand such as Bosch or Stihl, they offer large ranges of tools at 24V, 40V and 60V, as well as some of the best lawn mowers.
The Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer is from their 24V range and is one of the babies of the family. We tested it in a variety of different settings to see how it performed and we were pleased with the results. It had no problem at all cutting through long, tough grass and at a 28cm cutting width, it felt very precise. We liked the freedom and convenience that the battery offers and found it comfortable and easy to use. We thought the run time was adequate and think it will be powerful enough for the average gardener. We think it is a purchase that most people will happy with, provided they accept it is a small machine.
Greenworks G24LT28 Grass Strimmer Specifications
- Voltage: 24V
- Motor: Brushed
- Weight: 2,3 kg
- Cutting width: 28 cm
- Line feeding system: Automatic
- Telescopic shaft: Yes
- Runtime: (2Ah) Up to 16 min
- Runtime: (4Ah) Up to 32 min
- Adjustable handles: Yes
- Edging function: Yes
- Flower guard: Yes
- Blade included: No
Who tested the Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer?
Unboxing and first impressions of the Greenworks G24LT28
The packaging the Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer came in was very well presented. The Greenworks branding and graphic design is very distinct and certainly takes influence from the ‘green’ in their name.
The first impression you get when you open up the box and remove all the packaging is that the trimmer feels like a solid piece of equipment. Perhaps not premium, it is pretty basic compared to something from Stihl or Cobra, but certainly up to most of the jobs that the average home gardener will be using it for. Sadly, while we do the like the design, we feel it is let down by soft, scratchy plastics which we suspect will mark up in no time.
The trimmer we tested came with a battery and a charger included, although there are different options for people who are already using this battery system. There was not much to say about the battery or the charger, they are both fully self-explanatory, although the budget-looking plastic was present here as well.
There was more single-use plastic packaging around the product than we would have liked to have seen but, that said, everything did feel well protected and one of the bags was reusable.
Getting Started with the Greenworks G24LT28
The Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer did require some assembly, but nothing that should put anyone off. The only things to attach were a handle, the metal guard and the black protective cover that goes over the actual string. We found that it took less than 10 minutes to get everything unpacked and put together. The instructions were very easy to follow and we were especially impressed with the diagrams, which were clear and very simple to understand.
One thing we did find a little disappointing was the need for a screwdriver to attach the protective cover. While most people probably have some sort of tool kit at home, it isn’t guaranteed. We have seen other suppliers provide bolts with an Allen key included and we would have preferred to have seen this here.
When the trimmer arrives the string is held in place with protective tape and this needs to be removed before you can actually use the machine. We would recommend consulting the manual for setting up the string and cutting it to length.
What its like to use
We found using the Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer to be a very pleasant experience and we felt that it gave us a neat finish without much practice. We tested the trimmer on a variety of different grasses, some thicker than others, and found it performed well. That said, we would advise that it be bought for light to medium work, rather than anything prolonged or too heavy duty. This is certainly not the machine for brush clearing.
As is standard with a lot of grass trimmers, there are two handles on the machine. One is built into the ‘top’ of the machine, where the battery is located, and another one halfway down the body (this is the one you needed to attach). Used together, these provide a comfortable grip when you are using the trimmer, especially since the angle of the lower handle is easily adjustable.
The Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer does give you the option to adjust both the length of the pole and the angle of the cutting head. They are both adjusted by depressing a release button and then moving or pulling the pole to give the desired angle. This really does make the machine more comfortable to use and the further you are from average height, the more we suspect you will appreciate this feature. We think this is a much simpler design than the one offered on the Cobra GT3024V.
The machine is relatively lightweight and, when combined with a small battery, this makes it a very easy machine to use over a longer period. For most people, it won’t be heavy enough to become tiresome. That said, while it is light, it does not feel flimsy and you certainly don’t feel like you are in danger in snapping anything off while you use it.
Ease of use with the Greenworks G24LT28
We are pleased to report that we found the Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer very easy to use and there was not a single aspect of the entire product that gave us any trouble at all.
We liked how lightweight the trimmer is and think this is probably the single feature that will appeal to most people. Despite the battery being located at the top of the trimmer, it's small size and relatively light weight means that it does not make it feel unwieldy or top-heavy.
We also thought it was very comfortable to use and the soft-grip handle made a noticeable difference when compared to hard plastic and is a very nice feature. We also really liked the telescopic pole, which allows you to adjust the length and angle of the trimmer very easily. This is not offered on models such as the Stihl FSA 57. We think that being able to adjust the height for different users is a great option and think it will prevent a lot of aching backs.
Compared to a petrol trimmer or a mains-powered one, we think that is the most user-friendly option. There is no vibration from an engine or smoke from an exhaust and you don’t need to worry about tripping over a cable (or worse, cutting through it). Admittedly, a battery does offer less power and run-time than either cable electricity or a petrol engine but, while this would be a concern for a professional gardener, we think that the average causal user will not be bothered at all and will happily take a tea break while it recharges.
Additional accessories
The main accessory that most people will buy with their Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer is another battery. This is because, for larger jobs, it is easier to have a spare battery on charge than have to wait to recharge each time you run out of power.
As string trimmers are potentially dangerous pieces on equipment, the other items that you may want to invest in are safety goggles and a good pair of work boots.
How does it rate online?
Our research found overall consumer feedback to be very positive. Amazon had it listed with a 4.5 out of 5 star rating across 1056 reviews. However, upon reading some of the reviews, we are pretty sure that some of them were describing other grass trimmers in the Greenworks range, so take that figure with a pinch of salt. The Greenworks site had it listed as 4.7 out of 5 across 30 reviews and Google had it listed at 4.9 across 18 reviews.
The Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer received a lot of praise for its simplicity. A lot of users seemed to enjoy how easy it was to get it up and running, certainly compared to petrol models. There were also a number of positive comments about how easy it was to adjust the length to make it comfortable to use.
However, on the negative side, some users did criticise the performance of the trimmer on longer and thicker grass and there were a number of people who felt that it ran through the battery too quickly.
Final verdict: Should you buy the Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass strimmer?
We have given the Greenworks G24LT28 cordless grass trimmer a total of 4 out of 5 stars. We found it to be a very competent piece of equipment that should serve the majority of users very well. We like how every aspect of the design, from the handles to the interactions, has been made as easy as possible.
No, it is not the most powerful grass trimmer on the market, but nor does it claim to be. We found it performed well on the tasks we gave it, which we feel represent what the average person with the average garden will use it for. If you have really heavy-duty grass trimming, Greenworks and other manufacturers offer more appropriate machines.
We liked the adjustable pole with its single release and think it is a good piece of design. We were actually left wondering why other manufactures seem to be making the problem more complicated.
Sadly, we did think that the plastics on the machine could have been better, an issue which we have seen on a few items in the Greenworks range. However, we don’t feel that this is enough of an issue to detract from the trimmer’s other plus points.
Our biggest criticism of the machine is its lack of wheel for edging. We have tested models with one, such as the Cobra, and they make the job so much easier along paths and borders we wonder why anyone is selling grass trimmers without one. Had one been included here we would have given the grass trimmer an extra half star.
As we always say when we review a battery-powered product, you should not necessarily consider the Greenworks grass trimmer in isolation. When you purchase an item like this, you are buying into a proprietary battery system designed to work on multiple tools. So, make sure you have a look at the rest of the range and are happy to purchase tools in the range for the foreseeable future. This is actually even more complicated with Greenworks because they offer three ranges, the 24V the 40V and the 60V. So it's really worth doing a bit of research before you commit.
About this review, and this reviewer
In line with how we test at Ideal Home, this Greenworks strimmer was tested at home by gardening expert Steve Bradley before he came to the conclusions in this review.
