Craftsman has been a leading brand in the industry for nearly a century. It earns an enviable reputation by producing high-quality tools for homeowners, home builders, auto enthusiasts, and master mechanics.
That is all you know about Craftsman through the news.
Are Craftsman weed eaters that excellent in reality? You may ask.
We are going to find out the answer in this article. I have tested the Craftsman WS405 4-cycle weed eater myself to write an unbiased review for you.
Let’s get the ball rolling!
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Overall Information About Craftsman
The Craftsman brand made its debut on the market in the late 1920s, 1927, to be exact. The founder of Craftsman, Sears, created the brand with the aim of building a superior name in the tool industry.
The brand occasionally introduced its products to the public, with electric drills in 1929, wrenches made of vanadium steel in 1932, lawnmowers in 1934.
During WWII, its sales even increased by 1550% since its inception.
Throughout the years, Craftsman tools are always considered the standard bears of quality. In 2001, consumers ranked the brand #1 in quality amongst all American brands.
Long story short, Craftsman is a symbol of trust and reliability since 1927.
An Unbiased Review on the Craftsman WS405 4-cycle Weed Eater
Before diving in my review, let’s go over the product specs of this popular weed whacker first.
1. Features
That is the product details that you can find on any review out there. Now, let’s get to the main part of my actual experience with this Craftsman WS405 4-cycle weed eater.
2. Assembly
I placed my order via Amazon, and the package arrived in 2 days. A bonus for quick delivery!
I was sort of nervous when opening the box, as I came across some complaints about getting a defect (or even damaged) product. Fortunately, my weed eater was brand-new, and there was no sign of being tampered with.
If you have this problem, you can always contact the dealer for a replacement or a refund.
Assembly was more straightforward than I thought. Although I had little first-hand experience, I could finish setting up the device in a matter of hours.
3. Ignition
Let’s talk about the ignition first.
Don’t you believe me, but this model was incredibly easy to start. Just prime and pull, and you get the weed eater ready to mow your lawn!
As a person who always has difficulty starting weed whackers, I appreciate the 2-step technology equipped in this Craftsman unit.
I almost forgot it!
You are wondering if you have to mix gas and oil before running this trimmer, right?
The answer is no. As a 4-cycle (or 4-stroke) device, it requires no mixing of gas and oil. Each will go in separately to fuel the weed eater. Therefore, it saves you lots of time and effort.
4. Performance
Here comes the cutting part that everyone is waiting for!
I moved the unit to fencing areas where thick and high grass has grown.
It was not entirely lightweight to transport, but acceptable for a middle-aged man like me. There was a shoulder strap included, so I had no problem maneuvering it along the fences.
The item weighs 17.95 pounds according to the specs, so think carefully if you can handle it with ease.
To be honest, the weed eater did a decent job. It sliced the grass and weeds along the fence as a hot knife through butter. Trust me, it was kind of satisfying to watch the device “eating” the grass.
According to my experience, the weed eater covered quite a large area, so it took me less time to finish trimming all the grass. I did not measure the cutting width myself, though.
The cutting width of this string trimmer is 17 inches as advertised.
If the model cut thick grass with such ease, then fresh grass should not be a challenge.
However, the vibration did let me down a bit. When I first pressed the throttle, the device shook as if there was an earthquake (a little exaggerated, but it did shake badly).
Fortunately, the vibration stopped when it reached full throttle. Otherwise, I could have gone mad.
Also, I did not know why the manufacturer had to over-tighten the bump cap, which made it difficult to come off. I would be glad if the cap were a bit loose.
5. Others
It was challenging to find the replacement spool for this weed eater.
Although the manufacturer identified some spools for the unit on the product page, they simply did not fit. You will have to remove the line and wind it on the used spool on your own. Such a hassle!
Another thing I have to tell you is that this Craftsman weed eater did not work well with attachments. When I tried adding a brush cutter attachment, it broke the upper drive shaft. I had to replace the shaft and dropped all my intentions of equipping the model with tiller and pole chainsaw attachment.
So, my ultimate advice is to use this Craftsman weed eater as a string trimmer only instead of having a multi-purpose tool.
The Bottom Line
In the end, I was satisfied with the performance of this Craftsman WS405 weed eater. It was hassle-free to set up and ignite. Plus, it produced smooth and powerful cuts through the thickest grass.
So if you want a powerful and convenient weed eater without attachments, this unit is probably the ideal option.
- STRAIGHT SHAFT AND FIXED LINE HEAD: Straight shaft design makes it easier to trim around bushes and hard to reach places. Fixed-line head is designed for 0.95" round line.”
- 2-STEP STARTING: Advanced 2-step and easy-start technology simplifies starting to just prime and pull.
- LESS NOISE AND OPERATOR FATIGUE: Quieter engine with multi-position handle to reduce vibration and operator fatigue.
- POWERFUL CUT: 29cc 4-cycle gas engine and 17-Inch cutting width allows you to trim more grass in less time for your tougher yard jobs.
- 4-CYCLE ADVANTAGE: No mixing of oil and gas necessary.
By the way, you can always visit this website for useful tips and tricks related to gardening and lawn care.
For any questions or contributions, please leave a comment below. I am always willing to discuss this with you. And do not forget to subscribe for more informative posts.
Thank you for reading!
Thank you for a great review, Jennifer! I have been on the fence about purchasing this trimmer and I like your review! I think I will enjoy this trimmer. Thanks for the heads up about the replacement heads!
Oh geez, I just ordered the 30 cc model with the brush attachment and the tiller attachment. I hope you just had a faulty one, I spent a lot of money. Thank you for your review, I should have looked before I bought. Lesson learned I guess.
If there is a difference between Amazon ws405 craftsman string trimmer and the lowes craftsman ws4200 please let me know. They are both 4 cycle. I understand, some stores use their own model numbers for the same products.
Spot on review! I was amazed at how easy this unit is to start. My only issue is, being in my mid 60s, the weight and balance of this trimmer makes it tough on an old man. Lol. But it cuts through grass and weeds like a razor. Now to see how long it will hold up….
I have owned this Craftsman power head for years. I have tried all the aftermarket power head attachments except for the blower. Never had a failure. All have worked as designed. And 1 or 2 pulls to start …
I would recommend the Craftsman 30cc Power Head if you are interested in an excellent product.