Fair 
The Black & Decker GH900 is a cheap electric weed eater designed mainly for trimming hard-to-reach places and edging on smaller to medium yards – it’s lightweight, easy to use and has enough power. However, some users also report certain problems.
Pros:
- Solid price
- Edger with guide wheel
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Some users report problems with line feed, or that the tool died after some time
Key specifications:
- Edger:
- Weight: 5.5 lbs
Corded
The GH900 comes with all the advantages and disadvantages of electric corded tools. It’s quite cheap, lightweight, quiet and easy to operate, starts with a push of a button and doesn’t require maintenance or dealing with fuel or batteries. On the other hand, you are limited by the extension cord so you won’t get the freedom typical for gas or battery powered machines.
As with other Black&Decker trimmers, the assembly is quick and easy – you just attach the guard and handle which can be done in less than 5 minutes.
Power
It’s designed mainly for trimming grass in hard-to-reach areas where mowers can not get plus edging along hard surfaces – preferably on smaller or medium size yards due the necessity of using a cord. For these tasks, its power is completely adequate – cutting even taller grass and light to moderate weeds is not a problem.
What’s worse is that some users reported the motor died after some time and the machine doesn’t work anymore.
Line feeding
This tool uses autofeed to advance the line so no bumping is required. The users’ opinion is not completely clear – most are satisfied or don’t report any problems; however, some people complain it either feeds too much or not a all. One user also mentioned that the spool came not properly prewound – and after rewinding, the autofeed worked great.
Edger function
Edger and adjustments
As most corded weed whackers, this one also features an edger function. Plus a small guide wheel is present – users rate it as "very useful" as it bears the weight of the tool nicely and runs smoothly across the surface. And it can be used as a guide even during normal trimming, for example near fences or flowers (see the picture below).
But some people also report problems – it seems it doesn’t work particularly well with the autofeed. When the line gets shorter during edging, the wheel gets useless as the cutting occurs too high above the ground – and when it feeds in the middle of the job, the edge is not perfectly even then. However, that’s just a cosmetic detail and if you don’t like the wheel, you can remove it at any time.
Other adjustments include setting the shaft length and also angle of the handlebar as you like, just the head can’t be tilted.
Conclusion: The Black & Decker GH900 would be a great candidate for a cheap string trimmer / edger for your small or medium sized garden – it’s lightweight, easy to handle and with enough power.
However, there is a relatively large number of disappointed users complaining about the autofeed or that the unit stopped working after some time. That’s why we gave it only 3,5 stars instead of 4 – and would rather recommend you the GreenWorks 21272 for example.
>> Read more or buy the Black & Decker GH900 here
Specifications:
- Brand: Black & Decker
- Type: Electric, corded
- Edger:
- Tilting head:
- Amp: 6.5 Amp
- Cord lock:
- Weight: 5.5 lbs
- Cutting swath: 14"
- Line: 0.065 single string
- Feeding: autofeed
- Warranty: 2-Year
- Includes: spool
Frequently asked questions:
How to change the line spool?
Show Video
Are there any accessories I should buy?
We recommend getting the 3 spool replacement package and if you don’t have a long extension cord yet, go with the Coleman 100 feet cable.
It’s also possible (and not difficult, see the video below) to save money and wind the spool yourself with a line of your choice (for example this one).
Show Video
Is there any maintenance needed?
No, the motor is an enclosed unit so no maintenance is required. Just clean the machine from dead grass occasionally.
