Eco Tech Daily recently had the opportunity to test the new Lehr Eco Trimmer, a propane powered trimmer with all the power of a conventional gas trimmer.

Being a green blogger can be good, and I was excited to be doing this test and review for Lehr. The unit arrived in a well designed, green, cardboard box with almost everything you need to know about this particular model, printed on the outside. Of course the main selling feature is the fact that it is powered by Propane instead of gasoline, so I thought the “Twist ‘n Go!” logo was rather ingenious.

According to the box 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled every season, using lawn and garden equipment. This is a staggering amount of spillage, but I believe it because I have probably spilled quite a few gallons myself over the course of my life. You know that nervous feeling you get when you have to refill a hot hot mower or trimmer that has run out of gas half way through the job? That half worried feeling of getting gas on the hot engine, and having the thing catch fire, is a thing of the past.

The packaging was nicely done, with just enough but not too much cardboard to hold everything together during shipping. (The cardboard went straight into the recycling bin, of course) One of the things that I was happy to see was that the unit came with nylon trimmer line, already installed. Too often, you have to buy line separately. I was a little disappointed that the trimmer did not come with a free can of propane, but then I thought about the implications and laws surrounding shipping of propane and contents under pressure and realized why they wouldn’t include one. Fortunately, I’m a camper and I had a “six pack” of them in my shed.

Out of the box, the unit is pretty straight forward and comes with a carrying sling, engine with drive shaft, curved bottom shaft, carrying handle and trimmer guard. The drive shaft is capable of receiving different types of bottom shafts, such as edgers, extend-able tree trimmers and other such devices.

The placement of the large plastic carrying handle in the center of the shaft is a nice touch. It’s big and thick and clamps down to the shaft with heavy screws and spring washers. It feels good in your hand and fills your palm up without being overly awkward.

On the right hand side of the trimmer head, you see the propane cage. There is an internal ring, that once the propane bottle is inserted, snaps down to hold the bottle tight inside the cage. Toward the bottom of the cage, you can see the propane  line coupling.

This angle shows the propane cage and hose coupling. The engine ships “dry” and included in the packing is a small bottle of oil. The oil reservoir is at a strange angle, but I was able to fill it with the contents of the oil bottle without spilling.

The propane bottle conveniently drops straight into the cage and once snapped into place, the unit is ready to operate.

This photo shows the unit complete and ready for operation. Notice the propane tank inserted and connected in the cage to the left and the oil reservoir in the center.

Here are the technical specs on the unit that was sent to me:

Engine Type:	4 Stroke
Fuel:	Propane
Engine Displacement:	25cc
Run Time:	2 Hours (approx.)
Starting System:	No Choke / No Priming / Easy Start
Dry Weight:	15.1 lbs
Handle Type:	D-Handle with Guard
Shoulder Strap:	Yes
Attachment Capable:	Yes
Tool Kit:	Yes
Cutting Swath:	17 Inches
Cutting Line Diameter:	0.080 Inches
Cutting Head Type:	Bump Feed
Warranty:	2 Years Limited and 3 Years on the Carburetor

The “operating end” of the unit is a standard spool and synthetic line setup that works with the “bump button” feature. When the synthetic line gets too short to work effectively, tapping the “button” on the bottom of the unit against a hard surface such as a sidewalk, spools more line out.

The literature said that the unit should start with one to two pulls of the pull cord, unless it is the first time using it, in which case it could take up to six. This was the case when I started it, and it started on the sixth pull.

Once started, I was surprised as how quite it was.  (compared to every gas trimmer I’ve ever owned) Another thing that I immediately noticed was that it had a steady stream of consistent power, unlike a lot of gas trimmers that stutter and cycle up and down or stall after starting and before warming up.

The Lehr Eco Trimmer does an incredible job doing what it’s made to do, trimming weeds. There is no hesitation when when engaging the trigger to spin the trimmer head. The curved shaft lends towards a natural feel and places the trimmer head exactly where you want it.

Pros:

• 95% less released pollutants
• Consistent, solid power
• Easy to use and load with propane bottles
• Solid and well made construction
• 4 stroke engine means it can handle tall grass and weeds
• Has the ability to interchange different lawn-care attachments

Cons:

• Propane bottles are not re-fillable or recyclable
• Unit is a bit heavier than the average home duty trimmer

UPDATE: I have since found out that propane canisters are recyclable. Coleman has the green key program which allows you to empty the canister completely so it can be recycled.  It is both possible and legal to refill the containers but the manufacturer would prefer that you don’t.

The Lehr Eco Trimmer retails for about about $219.00 and could work as well as a commercial trimmer as a home trimmer. I found the trimmer to be very well made, clean, rather quite and powerfull enough to cut cleanly and efficiently through tall grass. The trimmer will run for 2 hours on one bottle of propane and 16 oz. propane tanks can be bought in packs of six for about $9.00. Depending on the size of your lawn, the average owner should easily be able to utilize this trimmer on a weekly basis for less than $10.00 for a full season.

Eco Tech Daily gives the Lear Eco Trimmer, a thumbs up!