This trimmer is the greatest thing that's ever happened to my yard. I've had it for two years and I've kept it outisde since day 1 in rainy Portland, OR. It got used monthly for trims around the front and backyards, or less often for bigger jobs, cutting through huge and dense masses of foliage that had been growing out of control for months. This trimmer has powered through a lot of pretty serious stuff without missing a beat. Its power is always there when you squeeze the handle, and jams are incredibly rare. I've gone through one single cartridge of string the entire time I've had it.