Black+Decker 20V MAX 12" String Trimmer (LSTE525)

The LSTE525 is the right kind of cheap: honest, light-duty, and complete in the box. It is not a gas replacement, and it is not the start of a premium outdoor platform. It is a small-lawn trimmer/edger for the person who wants to clean up beds, fences, and sidewalk edges without spending EGO money.

Pick it over Ryobi when the lot is tiny, the budget matters most, and you do not already own Ryobi 40V batteries. Pick it over Greenworks when the work is light edging rather than thick weeds. Pick it over EGO only when the cheapest complete kit matters more than platform depth, torque, and long-session runtime.

The feed language matters: this is EASYFEED push-button line advance, not a fully automatic head that senses line length. That is fine, but buyers should understand the mechanism. The published 20V MAX setup, two small batteries, and long charge time put a ceiling on the job size. If trimming takes 10-15 minutes, it is a bargain. If the yard has ditch banks, woody weeds, or a long fence line, skip it. Five-year ownership is cheap because spools and small 20V batteries are cheap; the tradeoff is that you may outgrow the tool before it wears out.