Line IQ vs bump feed? Compare new EGO ST1623T String Trimmer 56v w/ Line IQ Unbox, Assembly, Review

Upgrade time? See how the new EGO ST1623T Power+ string trimmer compares to the older ST1500SF including unboxing, assembling, and testing out the new Line IQ feature while trimming, edging, and weed whacking my yard so you can see if it is worth upgrading to the latest model.
The new features of the Ego ST1623 weed whacker over the older ones include a brushless motor, larger 4 amp hour battery included (on the battery-paired packages), Line IQ technology which eliminates bump feeding new string trimmer line by continuously advancing the line, PowerLoad to assist in winding new line onto the trimmer head, and easy height adjustment lever.
In addition, we compare the weight and height adjustment between models. The review tests trimming performance and battery runtime over the older model and how well Line IQ works on different edges like concrete, grass, wood, and pavers.
You can purchase the Ego trimmer used in the review from the link below which helps support my channel
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from links marked paid):
EGO ST1623T - amzn.to/3oLWjU4 (paid link)

[@Buzzinga248]

I’m a 69 yr old woman who struggles with the bump feed system, I purchased this IQ and love it, the weight of the battery is heavier than other brands, but it is still manageable for me. I enjoyed your review.

[@reallyMello]

I wonder if someone makes a shoulder strap for the trimmer to help with the weight. They also make smaller capacity batteries that would weigh a bit less.

[@emmteemee]

​@@reallyMello Yes, Ego has a strap available. I bought one but haven't used it yet.

[@iamsunflower-fu3lk]

Good to know I just purchased one

[@TJ-pg1no]

Put a 2.5 amp hr battery on.

[@caaleb49]

Little tip for ya when you’re trimming around your landscaping, that trimmer rotates clockwise so you should use it left to right only. If you do, then the clippings won’t go into your mulch/rocks. Just keeps your clippings in the yard, where you want them to stay.

[@reallyMello]

Good tip thank you

[@KaiTiura]

I have this and also have the LB6703 blower. Incredible machines. People seem to be afraid, or biased, or wherever against things they don’t know… This trimmer is STUPID good, plain and simple, and the blower is as well. The blower goes through a battery fairly quickly though, but the power is amazing. Not cheap, not for everyone, but man… these are suing serious tools. And the charging time from DEAD to fully charged is crazy; it takes very little time to charge the batteries. I have a ton of video gear, drones, action cams… they take a long time to charge up. These batteries charge in no time. Best money I’ve spent on yard tools lately!!!

[@reallyMello]

I agree. For most homeowner applications I'd say the Ego tools are better than gas, no comparison.

[@Gaba-oo4qb]

This is my 3rd season owning this trimmer. I don’t have a lot of area to trim on my property but I can say that it works very well for it being battery powered. My mower is gas powered and I usually am skeptical of battery operated yard tools but this trimmer has been great thus far. And I do like the auto feed line function.

[@reallyMello]

I switched my mower to battery too and found it had enough power, but sometimes I'll need to swap in another battery if the grass is exceptionally long or wet which isn't a big deal for me.

[@wakawaka1976]

Wondering if the auto feed and length adjustment is worth the extra $100…

[@Gaba-oo4qb]

@@wakawaka1976 It is nice to have. I hate messing around with trimming line. So for me it is worth it. I think you need to throw in a price point comparison of not only having that feature but also the fact that you have very good power and a lighter tool compared to even a nice gas trimmer which would also run you about $250 to $300. So…

[@ozwunder69]

699 in Australia.. worth every cent Cut thru and works..it's great!

[@dcl97]

I'm on lake Michigan and my lawn is growing on nothing more than sand with bits of limestone mixed in. Absolutely eats bump heads. Maybe I'll get 2-3 months out of one if I'm gentle. This looks like a fantastic improvement.

[@kennethrandleman2346]

❤I appreciate your video I invested in the battery power over my Stihl has powered. I think that your video will save me from setup frustration. 😅

[@rkgsd]

With these EGO trimmers, it seems more features mean more problems based on some of the reviews I read on Lowe's. Powerload is tempting, but Rapidload is probable the best bet. As far a Line IQ, I wouldn't trust it to feed line until a significant amount is needed.

[@Hoangsiuvlog]

For me i love it this new one,it so strong than i thought,

[@reallyMello]

Power load is nice to have too I found

[@deej9697]

The unboxing and review was very helpful. Thank you for posting it!

[@reallyMello]

Glad to hear you liked it. Thanks for commenting.

[@mickeyfontanez2945]

Thanks for your honesty

[@reallyMello]

You're welcome!

[@tastyterpenes8539]

"my assistant busy playing minecraft" 🤣

[@tellfile]

I'd be interested to know how much line it would let out with out the guard on it. I like plenty of line out like the landscapers do.

[@teeb9969]

Good unboxing. wtf is clamping block? I’m pretty familiar with gas trimmers my first electric one. I’m glad I didn’t throw the clamping block away I almost thought it was for packaging shipment

[@ThePotandVineCo.]

Two things to point out…..The new power head DOES have a more powerful motor (15% more). Also, BOTH the old model and new have brushless motors. The new one says it on the product but the old one is also brushless.

[@brucelewis1017]

I just bought the ego trimmer below that one mine doesn't have the iq head i wise the trimmers would come with the bigger battery

[@reallyMello]

As you collect more Ego tools you get more batteries that you can swap in if needed 😀

[@tysonjbest]

Soooooo how dose it sense that the line is short?? camera ,infared sensor ,rpm sensor and WHY DOSE NO ONE ASK . . . . Can anyone explain please?🤓🙏

[@Biggiemarvs]

Pretty sure it’s inertia or some sort of centrifugal force that’s spring loaded it’s nothing digital about it

[@tysonjbest]

@@Biggiemarvs Just saw a teardown & ur right it has an inertia cassett & spring

[@szargos]

I mean, I'm all for comparisons, so thanks. Why wouldn't you just replace the old bump head though? The old trimmer was perfectly fine. ECHO Speed-Feed 400 head is spose to be great.

[@reallyMello]

I believe it was discontinued or I couldn’t find a replacement…maybe I could have looked harder

[@Biggiemarvs]

Real answer he just wanted a new toy lol 😂

[@linncountysmallwoodlandsas8782]

Great review thank you! Great to see it demo'ed against various hard surfaces. I'm more positive about it now than I was after watching another review. Have you tried it around trees? I'm afraid the autofeed could end up scarring a tree by feeding out while I'm trying to do a precision trim.

[@reallyMello]

Thanks. I actually mulch around my trees so I don’t accidentally “ring” them with a weed whacker and kill the tree over time. It’s technically code in my area to maintain a mulch border around the tree (probably to prevent that as well as aesthetics)

[@jr4750jr]

Will the line-feed feature still work without the guard attracted?

[@reallyMello]

The blade length knife is attached to the guard so there is the possibility the line could get too long and become dangerous as well as the lack of safety from not running a guard

[@jr4750jr]

Thanks for the info. Cheers.@@reallyMello

[@Moe-bg1or]

How did the battery last on your previous trimmer?

[@reallyMello]

Typically the entire cutting session unless I used it for the blower first. It does seem like the new one is more efficient, but even before I didn't really have issues with running out.

[@markkeller9378]

Whats the battery life in runtime on high speed…from full to recharge required?

[@reallyMello]

Ego claims “up to 60 minutes” I don’t run it nonstop from full to empty so it’s hard to give you a specific number but it usually takes me around 20 minutes to edge and the battery lasts the entire session.

[@63DIRTY]

So-if you live up north, like me, you want to store the batteries in the house in the winter? Opinions?

[@reallyMello]

I don’t get freezing temps down here but I know you aren’t supposed to charge at or below freezing temperatures. Generally, if you are going to store them for the season it’s better to do it at about a 50% charge state at stable indoor temperatures. The instructions may have more specific info for your battery.

[@1packatak]

I keep mine in my garage (MN). But it is insulated and drywalled so doesn’t hit those -30 degree readings. I do charge it in the garage, and don’t let it get below 25%

[@CabanonGuitarHero]

I've seen a strap kit included in other video. Did yours had one included ?

[@reallyMello]

No strap

[@kjmdrumz3]

The blower comes with one, but neither the trimmer nor edger do. A little assbackwards in my opinion.

[@CabanonGuitarHero]

@@kjmdrumz3 I finally bought the multi-head tool PH1420 with STA1600 trimmer (kit MST1603) and BBA2100 bristle brush yesterday and it came with a strap.

[@endres81]

Does the head spin in the same direction at your older model??

[@reallyMello]

Pretty sure it does yes

[@ryant.9176]

I returned this for a bump model. That IQ tech really just irritated me, always seemed too short for my liking.

[@reallyMello]

With it on higher speed it seems to advance well for me. I think on lower speed I was experiencing that, but I prefer cutting on the higher setting. I wonder if it also depends on the turf?

[@swgforthefence]

Seriously The bump feed sucks I am 65 and this is a piece of cake to use Takes me 15 seconds to load another piece of string And guess what? It was invented by a woman with the company I just found out.

[@reallyMello]

One of the nice things about hiring diverse groups of people on a team, get different ideas

[@KaiTiura]

@@reallyMellowhat???

[@mmazatae]

Can I use the Ego IQ trimmer; model ST1623T with 7.5 Ah battery?

[@reallyMello]

Yes

[@asmodeusasmodeus7591]

I had an EGO string trimmer, the automatic line feed worked very poorly. That was a model from 2017, so maybe the engineering is better now. Also how do you load the string? PS: the EGO leaf blower drains batteries like no other tool!

[@secrethandlehuhu]

if you were still wondering, you push the string through one of the holes and out the other. Once both sides are about the same length, u press the button on top of the head and it wires it all up. Its called "powerload".

[@reallyMello]

@OhMyGodYourMom yep, used that when my line ran out a few trims after this video. Much nicer than the old way of loading.

[@SD_Alias]

How is the line consumption compared to a bump head?

[@reallyMello]

Seems to be the same to me

[@SD_Alias]

@@reallyMellothank you!

[@wakawaka1976]

Wondering if the auto feed and length adjustment is worth the extra $100… I’m upgrading from a black and decker corded model.

[@reallyMello]

Based on my past experience with Black and Decker, Ego is a better string trimmer with or without the auto-feed model. But my last comparison of Black and Decker was when they were still using 18v NiCD whereas Ego is 56v lithium.

[@mikew1800]

It's only $30 difference. The 1623 has a 4ah battery. The comparable bump model w/ 4ah battery is 1523. The 1521 has a 2.5ah battery, so it's naturally less $.

[@wakawaka1976]

@@mikew1800 they have a carbon fiber model with a 4ah that’s $100 less. Not adjustable and no auto line feed. Ended up getting the new model and it’s pretty nice

[@s2kologist]

How is it holding up after using it a few months

[@reallyMello]

Still working well

[@s2kologist]

@@reallyMello thats good to hear

[@cleysoptique8749]

you can replace the parts my guy

[@reallyMello]

Couldn’t find the head for my model anymore

[@joec2442]

You can't. Edge with it?

[@reallyMello]

Of course you can though I prefer using their dedicated rectangle bar edger tool for that task since it works better against st. augustine grass runners in summer and saves burning through so much string trimmer line.

[@MRFLAPPYTREE]

You can rotate the handle

[@jimjim7656]

So will you have to open the front to pull out the string after it got short?

[@RADERFPV]

Yeah, when it's at the end of the line. Only takes 5 seconds though, then you put the end back on and load in new string.

[@user-de3mg1hg5l]

I don't think that line IQ is great, people say it doesn't come out when they want it to. My two cheaper Ego s are just fine for me.

[@reallyMello]

Have you used IQ or going by what others said? Seems fine for me, but only at high speed. On low speed mode it doesn’t feed as aggressively as I’d like.

[@RobS123]

Uh, why not replace the string head instead of the whole trimmer that you said is otherwise working just fine? What a waste :-(.

[@reallyMello]

Head was discontinued/unavailable

[@TonyMcCartney]

The bump head is replaceable.

[@markraley7549]

Mines a piece of crap, total crap!

[@danilobadua7775]

It has a lifetime warranty. Send it back for replacement.

[@kjmdrumz3]

What kind of Barbarian edges with a trimmer? Oh the horrors!

[@reallyMello]

I do actually use the square bar edger for edging the longer sections 😂

[@robertglover1296]

I do and will continue too edge with a trimmer. Looks great

[@casey22857]

I was thinking the same thing. I've seen several reviews about these trimmers and they are doing a lot of edging. that looks like it's never been done before and saying the battery dies fast. Run time is way better when just weed eating and it has plenty of power for about any home owner id say.

[@shanefox6016]

Once you have the edge it is extremely easy to maintain with a string trimmer. Don’t see the purpose of having both

[@reallyMello]

@@shanefox6016with some lawn types like st augustine it gets difficult to keep the runners in check during the summer rainy season without going through a lot of line