EGO Power+ 56V String Trimmer review

Short verdict: I bought this EGO 56V trimmer to replace a corded trimmer I’d used for more than 10 years, mostly because I was done dragging an extension cord around the yard. It cut thick grass as well as the commercial gas trimmers I’ve used, and with the small battery it’s far lighter. It folds in half with one bolt, and line loading on the Rapid Reload head is a feed-and-twist job by hand. I skipped the more expensive auto-wind PowerLoad version. My one gripe is that there’s no good way to hang it by the motor end. Buy it if you already have EGO batteries. As of October 26, 2026, the closest current kit, the ST1502SA, is $199.00 at an authorized EGO dealer.

How I tested it

I purchased this trimmer myself. My video is from April 2020, early in the season, cutting thick spring grass in my yard. I’d already been using EGO’s 56V mower, so I had the batteries, including the 7.5Ah pack from the mower.

The video doesn’t show the model number on screen. What I described matches EGO’s 15-inch Rapid Reload, split-shaft trimmer, which EGO sells today as the ST1502SA kit. I’m treating that as the current equivalent and keeping my results separate from EGO’s specs.

Quick specs (current ST1502SA, sourced)

Why I switched

My old trimmer was corded, and I’d used it for over 10 years. It worked, but the cord was the problem. You plan your route around the outlet, you snag it on every corner, and you go back to untangle it. A battery trimmer fixes that. Since I already had EGO’s mower and batteries, the EGO trimmer was the obvious pick.

Power in thick grass

I tested it on thick grass, the kind that bogs down a weak trimmer. It cut through without struggling. I’d put it on par with the commercial gas trimmers I’ve used.

The weight is the other half of it. With the small battery, it’s much lighter than a gas trimmer. With the 7.5Ah mower battery it gets heavier, but you get a lot more runtime. I didn’t time a run in the video, so I can’t give you minutes.

The fold

Unscrew one bolt and the trimmer folds in half. That makes it easy to store and to fit in a car.

Rapid Reload vs. PowerLoad: why I skipped auto-wind

EGO sells two kinds of heads. PowerLoad winds the line for you at the press of a button. Rapid Reload, which mine has, has you feed the line through and twist the head by hand to wind it. Before buying, I read reviews of the PowerLoad version and decided the extra cost wasn’t worth it to me. Rapid Reload takes a minute and doesn’t involve taking the head apart.

If loading line is the part of trimming you hate most, PowerLoad is the upgrade. EGO’s current PowerLoad model, the ST1511T with a telescopic aluminum shaft, is $219.00 at the same dealer, which is only about $20 more than the ST1502SA kit there.

My one gripe: storage

There’s no good way to hang it by the motor end. Most of us hang trimmers on a wall, and with this one I ended up using a hook in a spot that wasn’t ideal. It’s a small thing, but you’ll notice it the first time you put it away.

The battery question

EGO’s 56V batteries work across EGO’s tools. The 2.5Ah pack from the trimmer kit will run the mower, and the mower’s 7.5Ah pack will run the trimmer. They don’t work with other brands.

That’s why my buying advice comes down to what you already own:

• Have EGO tools? Buy this.
• Have Ryobi or Kobalt? Those lines have comparable trimmers. Buy the one that takes the batteries in your garage.
• Have Toro 60V? Toro’s trimmer did well in my test too; see my Toro 60V trimmer review.

How it compares

The ST1511T costs a little more, winds its own line and has a longer warranty listed. If I were buying today, the $20 gap would make me think harder about PowerLoad than I did in 2020. The Toro 51830 trimmed about 2 acres of fence line for me on half a 2.5Ah battery and works if you’re on Toro’s platform.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Cut thick grass as well as commercial gas trimmers I’ve used
• Much lighter than gas with the small battery
• Folds in half with one bolt
• Rapid Reload loads line by hand without taking the head apart
• Shares batteries with EGO’s mower and other tools
• No cord to drag

Cons

• No good way to hang it by the motor end
• Batteries only work with EGO
• Gets heavier with the big 7.5Ah battery
• Rapid Reload is more hands-on than PowerLoad

Who should buy it, and who should skip it

Buy it if you own EGO batteries or plan to, and you want gas-level cutting without the weight, noise or cord.

Skip it if you’re already on another battery platform with a decent trimmer, or if you hate loading line. In that case, look at PowerLoad.

FAQ

Did you buy it? Yes, I purchased this trimmer myself.

Does it fold? Yes. Unscrew one bolt and it folds in half.

Is it as strong as a gas trimmer? In my thick-grass test it was on par with the commercial gas trimmers I’ve used.

Does the mower battery fit? Yes. I used EGO’s 7.5Ah mower battery in it. It’s heavier but runs longer.

Should I get PowerLoad? I skipped it in 2020 to save money. As of October 26, 2026, the PowerLoad ST1511T kit is $219.00 at Power Plus Parts versus $199.00 for the ST1502SA, so the gap is small.

Any recalls? I found no CPSC recall for EGO string trimmers as of October 26, 2026.

Why this review stops here

My video is a five-minute first use: why I bought it, the fold, thick-grass cutting, the head choice, the hanging gripe and the battery advice. I didn’t time runtime or report on long-term durability, so this page doesn’t either.

Sources

• My video: EGO 56V string trimmer review, April 2020
• Power Plus Parts: EGO ST1502SA, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Power Plus Parts: EGO ST1511T, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Toro: 51830, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• CPSC recalls, accessed Oct 26, 2026