Done with Haverford Orvis

I have a bunch of 40v Ryobi battery tools. Hedge trimmer, push mower, and weed whacker. I'd never go back to gas for those tools. Ever. Just gotta make sure the batteries are charged when you need em.

My Cub Cadet ZT1 54 cuts the majority of my grass. That mower has been alright so far for the 2.5 years I've owned it.

For small stuff, battery is great!
 
My only thing against batteries is longevity. Being a mechanic I can make a gas powered tool last forever as long as the price of parts doesn't exceed the value of a new tool, which is almost never. I have had a Stihl weedwacker and chainsaw for 20+ years and they fire right up and run like a champ.

My experience with battery drills and things of that nature are that the batteries only last 3 ish years before you notice a change in discharge rate and the batteries cost almost as much as a new tool.
 
So you won't be buying a new H3 anytime soon?
 
I bought my wife several of the mid-weight Stihl battery powered tools like a leaf blower, string trimmer & and a hedge trimmer so I don't have to walk out to the shed and start up my gas versions for her use.

She loves them and they work great for the short duration jobs she does BUT she has 4 spare batteries and the best battery is the heaviest one and it cost more than the tools, not to mention she has already noticed their decline in performance.

However, yesterday I cut my grass for the first time in almost three weeks. There ain't a battery mower out there that would have handed that job without requiring at least 20 or more batteries. For that simple reason and the economics, ALL of MY lawn & garden tools are gas powered.

I also still use my corded Milwaukee Hole Shooter more than my battery drills... :)
 
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I'm a fan of water gremlin and basic Eagle Claw BB sized shot. It's about all I need. I'm usually employing shot on bigger creeks in faster water where the shot isn't going to spook fish. Sometimes, on a small water, there may be a need for "micro-shot," but those times are few and far between and a weighted nymph can usually get the job done...

Back to Haverford Orvis & lead shot...

I'm lucky enough to have a stash of the old Soft Lead in the black containers and it's all I use when I need extra weight fly fishing, however...

I still bait fish for sunnies & stuff and recently switched over from my tried & true Water Gremlin removable lead shot to Dinsmore's Cushion Shot which isn't lead.

I didn't switch because I lost sleep over the lead in the Water Gremlin stuff, it's because when I initially tried the Dinsmore's, I noticed it didn't slip on my line like the Water Gremlin. I like the football shape better that the round Water Gremlin with "ears" for snag reduction. It's also very soft.

Often with Water Gremlin on a shot that I used a few times the ears would get flattened so to remove them I ended up needing pliers or hemos. Removing the Dinsmores is about as hard as opening a pistachio nut and because I like pistachio nuts and the shot is soft, I actually find it easier to remove.

The sizes are different that the old Water Gremlin "frying pan' sizes I'm most familiar with and they are slightly bigger because they are not lead, but it isn't hard to figure out how that a Dinsmore size AB is roughly equivalent to a Water Gremlin BB.

They also make micro sizes that are suitable for fly fishing or micro fishing.
 
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