A Cordless Electric Trimmer Can Save You Money and Time

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 2:07 am

HTML clipboard

In the last ten years, I’ve probably used dozens of in my business and for personal use. I’ve used all the big name brands that most commercial landscapers use. About five years ago I I bought a straight shaft gasoline engine driven string trimmer. This has proven to be an excellent investment even though it was a bit pricy, it has lasted over thousands of hours of use.

Recently a neighbor asked me to buy her a grass trimmer that she could handle. Although I am quite happy with my trimmer, it is really a commercial machine and a bit heavier then most. So I began shopping for lighter and smaller string trimmers that are on the market. I was surprised to see the large number of electric string trimmers on the market today. So I did a good amount of research before making any recommendations.

First, you have to determine exactly what you will be cutting. Regardless of any hype or advertising infomercials, if you have any heavy weeds to cut at all, you should really go with a gasoline string trimmer. You definitely need the the power and the double string cutting,plus the extra torque provided by a straight shaft. You should plan on spending a couple hundred dollars for a quality built four cycle gasoline engine driven trimmer. If you only have a typical yard to maintain, an electric string trimmer will do fine. Don’t waste your time with a corded type but check out a good cordless electric trimmer. A good 18-volt cordless model should last for years. I don’t agree with the statements about using them for edging. The truth of the matter is that it was designed to cut grass and that is really what it is made for trimming grass in either a horizontal or vertical position. Edging really requires cutting down into the turf for a good straight edge and no string trimmer will do that regardless of claims.

I’ve had the opportunity to use the top trimmers by Black and Decker and Worx which seems to be the two leaders in cordless trimmers. Both are very nice trimmers, both are very similar in features and weight and both are 18-volt models. You’ll be familiar with the Worx model from the ever running infomercials on TV each weekend. But my choice was the Black and Decker trimmer as my favorite. Although similar, the Black and Decker is $50 less then the Worx and comes with two batteries. Now, I’m aware the Worx is supposed to ship with newer litium-ion batteries but I have little doubt that two 18-volt ni-cad will are interchangeable with any other Black and Decker 18-volt batteries from other tools. In additon, I read that the Black and Decker is judged a “best buy” by Consumers Digest.

After using the new Black and Decker for while, there is little doubt I made the right choice. So the next time you need a string trimmer, I suggest skimming over the gasoline engine series and go right for the cordless electric trimmers. You can’t go wrong. I personally recommend the 18-volt Black and Decker Cordless Trimmer.