Australian company Parklands Power Products have been importing and distributing outdoor power equipment for over 50 years throughout the country. LCM recently had the opportunity to test out the new Multi Tool from their Redback cordless battery range.
The Multi Tool is powered by a 40-volt brushless motor which is quiet, even compared to some other battery tools, great for noise sensitive sites or early starts. Three Samsung batteries are available depending on the type of work you are doing, a 2.0Ah, 4.0Ah and a 6.0Ah. I was supplied with a couple of 2.0Ah batteries and could not believe how light the batteries were.
The Multi Tool has six attachments available including a Line Trimmer, Brushcutter, Edger, Hedgetrimmer, Pole Saw and Pole extension. It is offered in two packages, the RB-TRMULTI; consisting of all six available attachments and the RB-MULTI 2; including the Line Trimmer and Edger attachments. For this test drive, I used the line trimmer, the Pole Saw, the Hedgetrimmer and the Pole extension.
The Line Trimmer takes 2mm line and is fitted with a bump feed head. It performed well and is very well balanced, the guard is massive giving great protection for the operator and bystanders, although at times was a bit cumbersome to use.
REDBACK MULTI TOOL SPECIFICATIONS:
| Powerhead | 40 volt Brushless Motor |
| Battery | Samsung |
| Battery Ah | 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 |
A smaller guard and blade is also supplied which can be changed easily.
The Pole Saw gave neat precise cuts and has an articulated head with multiple locking positions. This enables the operator to cut at different angles for neater finishes especially in tight forks.
The Hedge trimmer has an adjustable head with multiple angled locking positions and produced a neat even finish. It is easy to change the angle positions although after a bit of hedging the head tended to jump from one position to the next, becoming loose and flopping about a bit.
The 500mm Pole extension was a great addition adding that extra reach to both the Pole Saw and the Hedgetrimmer.
The joining coupling for the attachments has a locating pin and clamping knob, often this is a weak point, but this formed a solid secure join with all attachments.
With a 2.0Ah battery, the run time with the Hedgetrimmer attachment fitted was under 15 minutes, so multiple batteries or the larger Ah batteries would be essential for prolonged use.
Pricing of the Redback Multi Tool is very attractive with the six attachments and the powerhead skin coming in under $600.
Samsung batteries are sold separately with the 2.0Ah at $150, 4.0Ah at $200 and the 6.0Ah at $250. Batteries, if purchased with a machine include a free charger, so the complete package with a few of batteries will come in under $1000.
This would suit a residential operator servicing small sites or someone starting out with a limited budget, as they will get a lot of tools for little dollars. Parklands offer a two-year warranty on the tools and a one-year warranty on the batteries.