About 10 years ago, my wife and I bought a little farm down in Florida.We dreamed of having more privacy and plenty of room for our dogs to run around.We knew going into it that maintaining a property that large would be a lot of work, but we were excited about the possibilities.
Prior to that, the homes we owned had postage-stamp-sized yards.All I really needed to get the job done was a lawn mower, a weed whacker, and a hedge trimmer.Suddenly, I had a lot more yard work to do along with a house and barn to maintain.
When we first moved in, most of my landscaping gear was gas-powered.Having worked as a mechanic, I knew how small engines worked and had all the necessary tools to fix them.But before too long, maintaining them turned into more work than I had bargained for.
For most of my frequently used tools, including my lawn mower and weed whacker, I would keep spare carburetors on hand.That way, when the inevitable carb rebuild was necessary, I could just swap in a replacement and rebuild the old one when I had time.I also kept supplies on hand, including carburetor cleaner, starting fluid, spare spark plugs, a spark plug gap tool, and more.
As time passed, I started replacing that high-maintenance gas-powered equipment with cordless tools from Lowe’s.It started with a gas-powered chainsaw that died on me shortly after a hurricane.Hurricanes are pretty frequent where I live, and downed trees are just something we have to deal with.
I went to my local Lowe’s looking to replace it when I came across a Kobalt battery-powered chainsaw.I was skeptical it could handle all the cutting we do, but I gave it a go.Since then, cordless tools have replaced most of my gas-powered gear, and I don’t want to go back.
Related Are Kobalt Power Tools at Lowe's Worth Buying? What DIYers need to know about Lowe's power tool line.Posts 7 By Cory Gunther Why I chose Kobalt for my cordless setup A good warranty and a brand I already trusted During my years working as a mechanic, I spent more money than I'd like to admit on Snap-on and Mac tools.I was constantly paying off a revolving credit account with them.
I didn't mind, though, because the warranty support they offered was best-in-class.If one of my tools broke, the dealer would come by every week to repair or replace it.Later, I bought into Craftsman tools back when Sears still owned the brand.
I appreciated their lifetime warranty and the fact that I could go to my local Sears and get a replacement immediately in most cases.As Sears began closing most of its stores, I started buying Kobalt hand tools at Lowe's because the retailer offered similar lifetime warranty protection on its own tool line.By the time I started replacing my gas-powered gear, I already trusted the Kobalt brand.
When you're buying cordless tools, you're not just buying into the tools.You're also buying into that battery system.While they don't have lifetime warranties on their cordless tools, many of their cordless tools come with a five-year limited warranty that is competitive with other brands like Milwaukee.
That and the price made it an easy choice.As with Sears, I like the fact that I can go to my local Lowe's and get warranty support for my tools there.Cordless tools handle most of the yard work I actually do Plenty of power for everyday yard maintenance Close With a house, a barn, and a big yard with plenty of vegetation, there's always something that needs doing.
For example, every two weeks or so, I spend a lot of time weed whacking along fence lines and in areas that the lawn mower just can't reach.My cordless weed whacker does all this work without requiring me to mix fuel or troubleshoot starting problems.Just last week, a pine tree snapped in a storm and was leaning across the road leading to our home.
My cordless chainsaw and a rope made short work of it.I was able to cut it up into small pieces for our outdoor fire pit.Over time, I've collected several Kobalt batteries, and I always keep an extra one charged so that if my battery dies, I can keep on working.
Swapping batteries takes seconds.For regular maintenance, my cordless equipment is far more convenient and reliable than my gas-powered gear ever was.I still keep gas around for the toughest jobs Some jobs still call for the big guns To be clear, I haven't sworn off gas-powered equipment.
There are just times when I need to pull out the big guns.When a storm brings down a big tree, I need a chainsaw with a longer bar to get the job done.I also keep a gas generator around because in the 26 years I've lived in Florida, there have been times we’ve gone weeks without power after a storm.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that gas-powered equipment will always have its place, but for the jobs that I do every day around my yard and in my garage, cordless tools make things easier.I spend enough time maintaining the property, not the tools It may sound like I'm advocating for Kobalt, but that's just the choice I made when I decided to buy into an ecosystem.There are other great choices out there, including Milwaukee and Ryobi.
The main point is that I have work to do on the weekends, and I’d rather do that work than spend my time rebuilding a carb.
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