There is no question about it, a garden or backyard can be a real pain to clear off yard weeds.
It doesn’t matter if you have a vegetable garden, or you have landscaping or a regular backyard with a few flowers here and there.
Some areas are hard to reach, and you need to get on your hands and knees to reach those tight spots.
Yard clean up isn’t the easiest or quickest task to accomplish. What can save back strain and sore knees is a good weed whip, but choosing one can be hard for most people as there is a vast range of weed eater trimmer on show from many big brand companies.
To help with this task of choosing, we’ll run through some of the best to save you the legwork, and you can find the best weed trimmer for your needs and your backyard.
Contents
What Makes a Great Weed Trimmer?
Weed trimmers used to be the staple tool of roadside workers, and for the more industrial type of clearing project from this line, trimmer technology filtered into smaller machines that were suitable for around the home.
Because there are so many around, choosing the right one can be hard, so having some up-front information can help heaps.
In the reviews, there were many welcome features from all of the entries. However, not all of these are geared toward an average household.
Yard Trimmer Types
There’s a multitude of types of trimmers, and some come with plenty of weed eater attachments, although this doesn’t always make them the best choice. Here are some of the various types:
- Battery-powered
- Gasoline-powered
- Electric – powered
Looking for a Yard Trimmer
As there are three types, consideration needs to be made what you need it for, because each type has distinct benefits and usage conditions.
Gas Powered
These are the closest to what is used for industrial or commercial purposes. In many cases, these are larger and have more power in them. One downside is they produce gasoline fumes and are much noisier.
Also, due to their bulkier size, they often require the use of a body harness to help support the engine and the weight of the cutting arm.
The engine might be hard to start for some users, and they will require more maintenance than other types.
Best for – Gas Powered is most suitable for more substantial jobs, which will take you longer than 30 minutes to complete. They are best suited for cutting tall grass, weeds, and heavy buildup around trees and fences.
Electric Powered
These are generally built around the home and often come with attachments that let them perform other functions.
Lawn edging being one of these, although they won’t perform anywhere near as well as the best grass trimmer.
The major downside we found when doing our string trimmer reviews is the restrictions you have with an electric cable. This can pose a health risk in some situations, and it makes them hard to maneuver.
Best for – Electric string trimmers are best suited for smaller jobs such as edging, trimming while cutting shorter lengths of grass and smaller weeds.
Battery Powered
These fall in between gas-powered and electric-powered so you have the best of both worlds. We found during our weed eater reviews research; some specific models can be converted to an edge trimmer like the electric weed wackers, and also can be quickly turned into a lawnmower.
This can be ideal if you have short grass that needs a quick trim. Although, if you have a sizeable lawn, these won’t be anywhere near as efficient or fast as the best lawnmower, which is built for the job.
One downside they have compared to gas models is they have a battery life of 30 minutes before the need for recharging or swapping batteries if that is a possibility.
Best for – Battery-powered string trimmers are great for tall grass and high weeds while being emission and maintenance-free.
We also found during our weed wacker reviews the electric models are great for trimming and edging. They are also light and straightforward to maneuver.
When looking to choose a String Strimmer, there is an excellent video by Consumer reports which shows each type in use and also gives a brief overview of the maintenance of every kind of string trimmer. This can be found by following the link below.
Although using string trimmers is pretty straightforward, there are tips you can use, which will let you use one like a professional.
There are also aspects of safety that must be considered for the person using the string trimmer.
On top of this, there are people in the vicinity of the surroundings itself which need to be cared for.
Weed Wacker Buying Tips
String trimmers come in straight or bent shaft varieties; a curved shaft model is often cheaper to manufacture. However, a straight shaft model makes it easier to reach under bushes and hedges.
Another feature on some straight shaft models is the ability to adjust the shaft length for the height of the person. Curved shaft models are generally fixed in length.
Various models have different feed mechanisms to hold the cutting string in place. Some models (mainly battery or electric) come with auto-feed, where a long coil is purchased at the time of replacement.
When looking at purchasing a weed trimmer, it is far better to hold one for a few minutes to see how it feels after a while.
Larger models can soon weigh you down with the weight and the vibrations they produce.
Weed wackers make light work of shredding weeds and long grass; however, that’s not saying you won’t feel the effects of working in the yard holding a piece of equipment without support.
Top Rated String Trimmers
1. BLACK+DECKER LST300 12-Inch Lithium Trimmer and Edger
This Black and Decker cordless trimmer is hugely popular, and it is easy to see why. Being ideally suited to small to medium-sized gardens, it makes light work of most grasses and weeds you might encounter in a backyard of this type.
The Black and Decker electric trimmer comes with a cutting size of 12 inches, which can cover large areas quickly and efficiently.
One thing which might make the Black and Decker weed eater 20v so popular is the cost.
Compared too many, it is hugely budget-friendly while not sacrificing on its abilities, and in some cases putting more expensive models to shame, could this be the best yard trimmer overall?
Pros
- Light in weight and only weighing a total of 7lbs
- Has an adjustable shaft for those hard to reach areas
- Ideal for people smaller a stature to use
- Longer lasting Lithium battery
- Comes with a PowerDrive Transmission which gives the cutting head more power which easily compares to a gasoline-powered lawn edger
- Automatic feeding spool for the cutting wire
- Pivoting handle so you can quickly change the cutting angle
- Can very easily be converted to the best edger cutting angle
- The battery is compatible with other Black and Decker 20V tools
- Easy to assemble: install the handle and the guard, and you are ready to whack those weeds
- Lightweight and comfortable to hold during use
- The battery only lasts for 30 minutes of heavy use
Cons
- The best cheap weed eater only has one cutting speed
- Limited options when compared to more expensive options
- For larger yards a second battery might be required as charging time can take a couple of hours
2. Worx WG163 GT 3.0 20V Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger with Command Feed
The Worx cordless trimmer is best suited to a yard of modest size. If you need a lawn that needs trimming and edging, then the Worx trimmer could be a viable option.
However, it might fall short of being the best lawn edger due to a lack of power. This is a newer version of an older model which now places it among the cheaper end of the market, but it does, however, lose out on some functionalities.
Pros
- Comes with 2 Worx trimmer battery as standard
- 2-in-1 function for grass trimming and edging
- Light and easy to use
- 7 presets for shaft length with quick release
- Dual function flower spacer guard and the edge guide
- Batteries can be used with other Worx power tools
- Trimming head can be angled for hard to reach areas
Cons
- The guide wheels for edging are fixed in one position
- The battery takes a while to charge, up to 3 hours
- 3-hour charging doesn’t give a full usage time
- The battery only lasts 20 minutes during usage
- Not suitable for heavy grass or weeds
- Button on the handle to release cutting line can lead to wastage
- Uses smaller Worx 10ft spools compared to 30ft from other manufacturers
3. Husqvarna 967055801 Straight Shaft 4-Stroke Gas String Trimmer
The Husqvarna string trimmer is a high powered gas powered string trimmer that is best suited for the larger garden with dense weeds and grass which need to be cleared.
This is reflected in the higher price and might make it the most expensive of the gas string trimmers.
This might not be an option for homeowners who have smaller gardens. Is this one of the Husqvarna trimmers which asks too much for giving too little against any other best-rated weed eater?
Pros
- Now has a 4-stroke engine so no mixing of gas and oil
- Air purge removes air from the carburetor to aid in starting the engine
- Works great as a gas-powered edger for larger lawns
- Quiet compared to 2-stroke engines
- Comes with an adjustable handle and soft grip to minimize vibrations
- 17-inch cutting wire so jobs can be completed faster
Cons
- This Husqvarna gas trimmer can be heavy for a lot of people as it weighs 17 pounds
- Not designed for heavy-duty work
- Expensive for a type of work it can do
- Oil needs changing quite often
- Heavy on gas usage
- Can be overwhelmed by grass above 12 inches high
- Easy start engine feature makes it heavier
- Doesn’t come with any add-on attachments
- Packs less power than a 2-stroke engine model
- No automatic line feed – tap n-type spool
4. DEWALT DCST920P1 20V MAX 5.0 Ah Lithium-Ion XR Brushless String Trimmer
This DeWalt 20v string trimmer comes from one of the biggest names in power tools. But does is it the best weed eater for the money?
Because there is more than enough competition in both directions, the DeWalt weed whacker comes with some features not seen on other models; this, unfortunately, comes with a high price tag in the top weed eaters reviews.
As with all DeWalt tools, it is built like a tank. However, you don’t always need a tank.
Pros
- Brushless motor to maximize durability and efficiency
- 13-inch cutting line
- Variable speeds via a trigger control
- Patented gear design
- Dual cutting lines
- Adjustable head for reaching under bushes
- Great engineering like all DeWalt weed wacker models
Cons
- No automatic line feed
- Heavyweight compared to other battery-powered models
- Only comes with a small guard so debris can fly unobstructed
- Works better on higher power so reduced battery life
- No option to be converted to a DeWalt edger for your lawn
- Expensive compared to other models which have dual functionality
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5. Husqvarna 128LD 17-Inch Straight Shaft Detachable String Trimmer
This is the second edition in these reviews from Husqvarna, and it is not for another of their 4-stroke weed eater.
Unlike the other model, this doesn’t run from pure gas, so there is a mixing of oil and gas needed. It does come with a slightly larger fuel tank and the same sized cutting swathe of 17-inches.
Although it isn’t the most expensive of the gas trimmers, it is still expensive compared to other top-rated weed eaters.
Pros
- Powerful and the engine starts easy
- Not overly heavy compared to a 4-stroke trimmer- weighs 13.6 lbs.
- Can use Husqvarna trimmer attachments – cultivator, edger, pole saw, hedge trimmer, blower to extend capabilities
- The dual-line for faster cutting
- Built-in clutch
- Uses a thicker line to prevent breakage while cutting heavy weeds
- Rotating head
- Easy to assemble out of the box
Cons
- Some users mention reliability issues from new and more like the machine ages
- Can’t be used as an edger by default, so it is purely a gas-powered weed eater
- Louder and more fumes from the 2-stroke engine
- The best gas edger claim can only be achieved by purchasing the attachment
- No automatic line feed
- Will require more maintenance
Finally
After looking at all the models and variants, and what they offer compared to each other for these weed trimmer reviews.
It was evident that big isn’t always better, and it was for this reason, among others, how we came up with only one winner.
This title seemed fitting as a vast number of people have the same sized backyards, and a few of the best weed eater 
models aren’t ideal for the task in general.
The Black and Decker also turned out to be the best lawn trimmer and edger due to its lightweight and the ease at which it can be maneuvered.
Other trimmers were too heavy and too long overall to maintain position without fatigue setting in.
We also found in the trimmers review it was only one of the models which aimed to improve running times with the addition of PowerDrive transmission. (Read Straight Shaft vs Curved Shaft Trimmer)
This was evident in looking at the other models. The battery time was what it was because the manufacturer can’t obtain more extended usage, and as a result, they supply an extra battery.
As a result of comprehensive tests, the title of Winner being handed to the BLACK+DECKER LST300 12-Inch Lithium Trimmer and Edger. This result wasn’t just because of one thing. It is the unit as a whole and how it functions with the tasks at hand.
The battery lasts for 30 minutes of heavy use; this does give you more than enough time to clear the biggest of areas.
If you stop and start when clearing weeds, which have been cut, these 30 minutes will take you to well over an hour of work.
For a price that is more affordable than going over the top, the Black and Decker 20V is a small price to pay for a tool that completes all its tasks with ease.
The Black and Decker 20V is a worthy winner and will serve any household many seasons of weed wacking with no problems.
