Pumpless Battery Powered Sprayer, Translucent

After much thought and research over the many reviews both good and not so good, I decided to take the plunge and see for myself. I already have two four gallon battery motor driven pump sprayers as well as a couple backpack pump sprayers so I am by no means a novice at this. I also own several two quart and one and a half gallon pump sprayers. This little Flo-Master by Hudson 5BPL Pumpless 1.3 Gallon Battery Powered Sprayer, White is just what the Doctor ordered for size and function. Let me explain. The negative reviews for "Dead battery and won't charge, Not standard battery, Top disconnects from tank, no pressure switch = must flip rocker switch to start / stop spraying, Shoulder straps etc. etc.", only to mention a few.... For the most part these claims are totally unfair and unfounded. The answer may be in the extremely poor user manual directions. Follow along as I continue. First things first. Regardless of just how poor the instructions are, you MUST read them and at least try to understand what you are supposed to do prior to use.1. The battery is NOT none standard. It is a very highly rated 18650 rechargeable Li-Ion used in millions of devices throughout the world today. Having said that, it comes NOT ready to use. It MUST be fully charged which may take several hours to overnight to fully charge. This first charge is very important. Yes, the supplied battery charger is used to charge and recharge this 18650 battery cell and it does work and function nicely. To clear up any confusion associated with this battery and charger it is really quite simple as i'll explain. Pop the battery into the charger + to + and - to -, plug the charger into 110-120 vac and the red light comes on. This is what it should do if the battery is not fully charged. Leave it charging no matter how long it takes until the red light goes off and the green light comes on, meaning full charge and ready to use. Unplug the charger, pop the battery out and install it in the sprayer battery holder then install the battery holder with battery in it into the sprayer per instructions.2. The top disconnects from the tank. Well, if you properly reconnect the top to the tank again per instructions I see no problem. However, if this kind of problem should arise I will do a retrofit update and install a couple of sturdy 4 pcs Locking Toggle Catch & Plates Heavy Duty Case Latch Clamp Clips available on ebay$2.59...3. No pressure switch. Is it a problem to flip a rocker on/off switch? Really now.4. Shoulder strap, etc. etc...Final Note; IF YOU WANT UTOPIA plan on paying for it. For the price I highly recommend this battery operated sprayer. For the price I give this sprayer five stars all the way.

Great product easy to handle

[Simon's dad] I bought this in April 2021 to spray a common home brew weed killer [vinegar, epsom salts, and dawn detergent] on small patches of weeds. I used it two or three times that season, and it worked reasonably well. The lack of a trigger control makes it difficult to go from one weed patch to another without spraying plants one does not want to kill; turning it on and off to go from one patch to another is not convenient. Also, if the buckle on the lid is not fastened just right, the lid will separate from the bucket, dumping a gallon of weed killer.My real issue with this pump is that when I tried to use it this season (May 2022), it simply did not work. I realize that the pump may not be designed for bleach and caustic or acidic liquids, but household vinegar is not very strong; it is a food. I did rinse the bucket and run fresh water through the pump after each use, but it did not matter. Good thing I got the sprayer on sale: NOT recommended.

The star ratings I gave the product overall and in value are reduced because I haven't used the sprayer enough to know about longevity. The star rating for ease of use would have been 5 if not for the problem described below. Because of this issue, I must stop and get my glasses to decode the symbols provided -- it REALLY shouldn't be this hard. (Note: For the attached photos, I made sure the lighting was just right and the photos are considerably enlarged.)I have had this product for about 6 weeks and have used it twice, each time for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. It has performed flawlessly so far. I am VERY happy to eliminate the frustrations brought on by the small hand pump sprayers. This sprayer does a much better job of spraying -- with a uniform spray pressure and spray pattern at all times -- than I could ever get from the small hand pump sprayers.Before I bought this, I read through a lot of the reviews on this site. Many of them talked of battery failures.Now that I have my own unit, I have observed how poorly the battery polarity is marked on the battery, the charger, and the carrier the battery is put in to insert the battery into the sprayer. For all rechargeable batteries it is paramount that proper polarity be observed when charging. The (+) end of the battery must be connected to the (+) indicated on the charger. Reversing the polarity will usually destroy the battery.Further, I take extra care to ensure proper polarity when inserting the battery into the carrier that slides into the sprayer. Depending on the circuit design, reversing the polarity in this situation may or may not cause failures. I have done no testing with regards to this circuit -- I just make sure the battery is inserted correctly. One thing that is unusual, the spring on the carrier goes to the (+) end of the battery. For most consumer devices, the spring goes to the (-) end of the battery.I am planning to clearly mark the proper polarity on the battery, the battery charger, and the battery carrier. The markings it comes with are TOTALLY inadequate. I would have expected the manufacturer to be interested in having these markings obvious -- I suspect their warranty expense would be greatly reduced by simply marking the battery, charger, and carrier in a suitable manner.

Works just as well hoped!

Works great. Don't have to stop and pump it up. Very easy on/off control. If fact we now have 2. I bought the first to do my own extermination. Then my wife saw how well and easy it works, she got one to spray her flowers and plants.Highly recommend.