IMHO battery weed eaters are now the way to go. Had a cheap Battery Troy-Bilt for 6-8 years that got cranky in its old age and was never as good as the DeWalt 20V I've had for over a year now. Except the DeWalt doesn't fit your price criteria. But I'm glad I spent the extra money and got something that really works well. Don't use it for more than 30-45 minutes at a time and it gets used multiple times before needing a charge. I have three 20v DeWalt batteries cause I have one of their 20V hand held spotlights so the trimmer & spotlight both have a battery plus one on the charger at all times. I recently turned 70 and that DeWalt trimmer puts my previous cheapo trimmer to shame.
