If you live in the American Midwest, you know that spring means a green uprising, sometimes to the point where you need to mow every day. Then summer arrives and, with it, the kind of heat that brings most grass growth screeching to a halt.
Then fall arrives. Temperatures drop, daylight gets shorter each day, and leaves begin to fall.
Just as it does in the spring, Aldi has a knack for rolling out a few items just in time for the challenges of fall. Here is a quick look at some of the offerings.
Cost: $34.99
Manual: none online yet
Thoughts: FERREX is an Aldi private label, which the grocer filed for in late 2018. This chainsaw, which was previously sold under the Gardenline label, is made by Merotec, whose parent company made some of the Aldi spring lawn equipment. With a price lower than most comparable electric chainsaws, this 11-amp cutting tool sports a tool-free tensioning system to tighten the chain, an Oregon bar and chain for wear resistance, an auto-oiler system with oil tank window, and metal bumper spikes for clean cutting. It comes with a 2-year warranty.
Cost: $34.99
Manual: none online yet
Thoughts: Another former Gardenline-labeled product, this 22″ blower appears to be made by Merotec. (The 2019 version is $5 more than the 2018 version.) While there are comparably priced electric blowers out there, they are mostly of the 7-amp variety. This one is 12 amps and functions not only as a blower, but also as a vacuum and a mulcher … a feature set that typically runs twice the cost of this one. It comes with two speeds: 160 mph and 220 mph. It comes with a 2-year warranty.
Cost: $79.99
Manual: none online yet
Thoughts: This model, made by Merotec. uses a telescoping pole that extends from 7 feet to 10 feet. It comes with a lithium ion battery that has a battery life indicator. It uses an 8″ Oregon bar with no-tool chain adjustment and auto oiler. It comes with a shoulder strap and a rubber handle, and has 360 degree handle rotation and 3 bar angle settlings. It’s backed by a 2-year warranty. The 2022 price is $10 higher than 2020.
Cost: $8.99
Manual: none online yet
Thoughts: Aldi sells two different cords — an orange single-plug 50-foot cord and a green triple-plug 25-foot cord. Both are 16 gauge triple-pronged grounded cords and come with a loop strap. While we tend to personally prefer cords of a better gauge (14 or 12 gauge), these cords are generally adequate for the amps the Aldi fall lawn equipment uses, so long as multiple extension cords aren’t strung together. The cords are $2 more in 2019 than they were in 2018. They’re backed by a 3-year warranty through Protel.
Cost: $9.99
Manual: none online yet
Thoughts: Boasting a carbon steel blade, both the hedge shears and the lopper run about half the cost of many of similar shears and loppers online. The hedge shears are 23 inches long and have a cutting capacity of 0.2 inches, while both the bypass gear lopper and the gear anvil lopper are 29 inches long and have a cutting capacity of 1.4 inches.
Cost: $8.99
Manual: none online yet
Thoughts: The pop-up bag has a diameter of 18.5 inches, a height of 29.9 inches, a maximum volume of 32 gallons, and a maximum weight capacity of about 143 pounds. The garden bag, meanwhile, has a diameter of 26.4 inches, a height of 30.3 inches, a maximum volume of 72 gallons, and maximum weight capacity of about 143 pounds. Both the pop-up bag and the garden bag are self-standing, waterproof and tear resistance, and fold flat for storage. We’re not sure how durable they are, nor are we sure who makes them. The 2019 version is $1 more than the 2018 version.
Cost: $6.99
Manual: none online yet
Thoughts: Taking care of leaves is a pain, and these nifty little devices — which are billed as “hand extenders” — help with the process. We’re partial to a good old-fashioned rake ourselves, but some people really like products like these (which can cost a lot more), so they might help more than one might think. The 2019 version is $2 more than the 2018 version.
As was the case with the Aldi spring lawn equipment lineup, most of the powered equipment is electric rather than gas, although there also seems to be more corded equipment in the fall as compared to the spring. There’s also an interesting assortment of niche products for things like leaf cleanup.
We’re always interested to hear consumer feedback on any of these products in the comments.
Joshua is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. He is also a writer and novelist. You can learn more about him at joshuaajohnston.com.
