The weeds along the fence in your backyard are starting to look like they’re taking over everything in their path. To cut those pesky plants down, you need the best string trimmer you can find.
Our guide can help you narrow down your search, and finally, put an end to your unsightly backyard once and for all. Check here for general yard trimming information.
Scroll down for useful buying information as well as reviews of our five favorite string trimmers.
Should I Get a Gas or Electric Trimmer?
Whether you get a gas or electric trimmer depends upon how comfortable you are spending your money, whether or not you are worried about pollution, how much noise you’re willing to put up with, and how big your yard and trimming needs are. Let’s take a look to see if your best string trimmer will be gas or electric based on each of the following criteria.
- Noise. If you’re going to be wearing earplugs anyway while you operate your trimmer, then it won’t matter to you that gas trimmers are much louder than their electric counterparts. If, however, you have close neighbors and you plan to trim at weird hours of the day, you might want to go for the much quieter electric trimmer.
- Pollution. Electric trimmers are more environmentally friendly than the gas-guzzling gas models are. With electric string trimmers, you’ll just need to keep your battery plugged in at all times, so it’s ready to go whenever you want to do some trimming. Or you’ll have to buy a unit with a cord.
- The Size of Your Property. If you think by this point that electric is the way to go, this might change your mind. With a big yard and a fair amount of trimming to do, you’ll likely have to stop midway through and recharge your battery on your electric unit. If you have a corded unit, you may have to run several extension cords to reach the borders of your property.
Recharging the battery can take hours. Once it is charged, you’ll be out of your trimming clothes and freshly showered. You won’t want to go back out there until another day. That can turn your one-day trimming job into a two-day chore.
Gas allows you to trim until the job is completed. Well, you do need to have enough gas.
- Money. Gas string trimmers are generally more expensive than electric units are. Plus, you’ll have the extra cost of having to fill your trimmer up with gas every time you use it.
With electric trimmers, not only is the trimmer less expensive, but you won’t need to spend any extra money to run it. You may decide that having a second battery is important though and that can drive up the total cost.
