Please share a fairly close picture that will show the varieties and diameters of the growth you want removed. Have you considered or explored brush cutters as string trimmer or trimmers with a brush cutting blade (attached and at the link below.

For exercise, look for FARM SICKLE or SLING BLADE. LOL

http://www.amazon.com/Poulan-PP4000C-Cutter-Trimmer-Attachment/dp/B000E157X0/ref=sr_1_11/175-0551740-0193267?ie=UTF8&qid=1422811764&sr=8-11&keywords=trimmer+brush+blade

Here is a link that might be useful: Bursh Cutter Attachment

My yard is about three times larger than yours, but most of that is in grass.

I know you said that you would prefer an electric, but the Cub Cadet BC509 has been an excellent choice for my yard. It has a 4-Cycle engine so it is easy to start and you don't have to worry about mixing oil and gas. Nor do you have to worry about the gas evaporating in the carburetor leaving oil residue in the jets. (ie gas decomposing problem so frequently heard on these groups.)

I paid about $230 for it. It comes with a string trimmer and a brush cutting blade. With the brush cutter blade it can easily cut off the half inch stuff, and in a couple of second it can take things up to about an inch and a half.

I have had the trimmer for three years now, and each time I need it; I pick it up, prime the carburetor, and it starts usually on the first pull. While I make it a point to check the oil before I start it, I have never bothered to winterize it or drain the gas from it during the winter.

When I moved into this house I tried to use an electric. The main problem was managing the 100 feet of cord. It got easily tangle in the plants and bushes in the yard. After using it for about a season, it decided the job was to big and gave up.

It seemed that even in a small yard, what I needed to trim was about "20" feet from where the cord stopped me. While 100 feet of cord seems like a lot you have to consider the outside accessible outlet, and then winding it around the house, trees, etc.

Disregarding the cord problems, when we lived on a smaller city lot it worked great trimming around the house, and a couple of close in trees.

Please consider power and weather related to your need. After approx 10 years (70s) of having to stop work due to very light rain/moisture I knew I needed a gas trimmer. IMO a gas trimmer has more power and less danger related to electrical matters.

I treat all my corn fuel for one year + ( for all equipment) and have not had one problem starting a year later vs w/o draining.

No experience with electric brush cutters, so no opinion to offer.

I would suggest investing in a brush hook, link attached which shows a "typical" one. They're available at various sites for various prices. They do tend to be shipped on the dull side, so be prepared to "touch up the blade."

I have one which is used for stubborn growth which keeps reappearing. A brush hook allows you to go into the ground and get at the roots. If you just surface cut, they keep coming back. JMHO.

Good luck,

Ev

Here is a link that might be useful: Brush Hook

I've had pretty good luck controlling blackberries along a fence line with an ordinary shovel. Just whack them off just below the soil level and after a couple of years they go away. Same thing with some tree saplings as long as they're still finger size. I have no experience with English ivy. And some tree varieties are persistent and require more than cutting or mowing for long term control.

InFlux, Stihl makes what you are looking for. Pricey.

I had bought a 20v trimmer, it was weak sauce.

Returned it and got a 40v Ryobi (the one with the motor near the handle (not the one with the motor near the head)) and it works as well as a gas powered. I plan on getting the chainsaw for that battery some time in the future.

An electric brush cutter would not be very effective due to lack of power. More power equals higher current draw (and more weight) and you only have 15 amps from a normal 120vac household outlet. Add a long extension cord with corresponding voltage drop, it would be useless.

To my knowledge, nobody makes a cordless bc, Again power is the limiting factor.

I am in the same boat. I have a 1/2 acre yard with stuff overgrown in half of the backyard, mostly raspberry vines. I am in a quiet neighborhood and hate the noise. I use everything electric also because I'm allergic to gasoline. I have been using an electric pole saw for my brush cutting but the pole chain saws get stuck on the vines and jams. I have been shopping around and so far these are the two I am targeting:

http://www.amazon.com/EcoPro-Tools-BC-DX101B-Professional-Cordless/dp/B00I8PRUY8
Very powerful but electric cordless brush cutters run out of battery fast. This one doesn't include the charger/battery. Have to buy separately.

I found this http://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-21362-Digipro-14-Inch-Included/dp/B00IPA151K
which has a 4 amp/hour battery and an attachment for brush cutting. Brush Cutter attachment is not included (Supposedly it is compatible to attachments from other companies)

Ignore the comments about electric not being powerful enough. They are plenty powerful to mow down brush, they just don't last very long. Best thing is to buy spare batteries for longer jobs.

Update: Looks like there is a new GreenWorks 80v system. Probably even more powerful than the 40V version.

Anybody considered electric as in "corded?" OK, dragging a cord around is a pain, but so is changing batteries and they ain't cheap. Hundred foot cords aren't that expensive, particuarly compared to replacement batteries and last a lot longer. :-)

Comments or concerns about safety shouldn't be an issue, the outside extension cords are double insulated and if you're in a relatively modern house any exterior outlets (kitchen, bathroom also) are ground fault protected. If you're in an older home, easy enough to add a ground fault receptacle to wherever you'll be plugging in your outside tools.

JMHO

Ev

The corded ones are a pain in the butt. The cords get caught on just about everything in the yard. The difference is so much that I would rather not do the task than having to deal with the cord. That's why I stopped buying corded ones.

The solution to the noise is do the work at a time when the neighborhood is noisy. The other neighbors do not mow their yards?

I had a corded Electric trimmer. It worked great when we lived in Indiana, and all I had was a little around the house trimming.

We moved to North Caroline, with brambles, blackberry canes, etc. It did not last the season before it died. It was just not up to the job.

I replaced it with a 4cycle Cub Cadet, It makes quick work of the brambles and blackberry cane. HOWEVER even with all of the that power, it still bogs down in very heavy tall grasses, and high concentration of canes.

I know..old thread and all....I had a similar problem with very thick bamboo and I'm no fan of gas either. I cleared a lot with a Ryobi cordless weedwhacker with a grass gator head on it (3 swinging metal blades, look it up on Amazon) and an 18" Black and Decker electric chainsaw. i still have about 1/4 acre left and am building up an old yazoo high-wheel mower($25) as a dedicated brush mower. The gas engine was dead so I just dropped a 5hp 220v electric compressor motor that I bought on Facebook Marketplace for $50. The guy was like "You know this is 220, right" I pointed out that i already had 220v in my backyard for my welder and the higher voltage would help keep the amperage down so I could use standard drop cords. The motor already has the right sized pulley as the Yazoo is belt-driven, which will save the motor in the event of a hard hit.

I like electric for this kind of thing, it doesn't bog down and stall like a gas motor in heavy underbrush or tall grass

Well you will be happy to know I fixed my Bamboo problem. I sold the house. Somebody else's problem now.