Best Weed Eaters - Top Picks, Reviews & Complete Buying Guide
by Scott Miller Updated on
If you are reading this article, you are probably interested in purchasing a weed eater and since there are so many products available, buying a good weed eater can be challenging.
The producers emphasize the positive sides of their products and promise a lot, but many of the products are not useful.
You need to find the best weed eater for your needs, so we made a list of top five weed eaters with reviews and the buying guide to help you do that.
When we mention Black & Decker, there is no need to speak too much about the quality of the tool.
If we say that the Black+Decker LST136W is the best battery-powered weed eater on the market we will just prove once again that this producer really invests time and effort in creating the best of the best models.
It is not a gas-powered, making the tool lighter and less noisy.
This makes working with it more comfortable and less tiring.
The tool does not lack power, being that it is battery powered.
Actually, it is trademark POWERDRIVE™ transmission which transfers the power from the 40 V motor to the string efficiently while the POWERCOMMAND™ dial allows you vary the speed of the trimmer between 6500 RPM and 8500 RPM.
The machine can be set to do high-power and short duration tasks or to do low-power and long duration tasks.
It all depends on your needs.
The tool comes with a 1.5 Ah battery and a fast charger so the battery is fully charged in an hour’s time.
The additional advantages are that the LST136W has an automatic feed system and that two-in-one operation.
What you can do is turning the cutting head to point vertically and use the machine as an edger, as well.
This machine is designed for weekly maintenance of your yards, but it is not useful for large areas as it will run out of charge.
Black and Decker boast another model which comes after the LST136.
It is set as a runner-up, due to some issues that we will discuss later on, but first we need to mention that the Black+Decker LST300 model is more economical than the LST136.
So, we say that the LST300 is the best weed eater for the money.
What we have found different between these two models is the motor voltage.
The LST300 runs on a 20 V system and achieves the maximum speed of 6500 RPM, suitable only for low-intensity yard work.
Also, the LST300 has a 2 Ah battery, allowing you to work longer before draining the battery.
The LST300 boasts the POWERDRIVE™ system and the same automatic feed system as the LST136, and even more, you can configure the LST300 to work as a trimmer or an edger.
Now, the difference between these models is that the LST300 does not come with a fast charger and the battery takes a few hours to charge.
The best thing about the LST136 is the fact that the price is so low for the features you get and for occasional users this tool is ideal solution.
The main difference between the efficiency of the battery-powered weed eaters and those gas-powered one comes into play when the weeds hit back.
That is when you need to get the gas powered weed eaters which is more powerful and we suggest you get the Hitachi CG22EAP2SL, being that it is one of the best gas weed eaters on the market.
The tool is powered by a 21.1 cc PureFire two-stroke engine.
The great thing about this model is that its steel drive shaft ensures the power from the motor to reache the cutting head with minimal wastage.
The CG22EAP2SL comes with a 60-inch shaft, amazing starting mechanism called the S-Start which enables you to start the machine in just two or three pulls and the anti-vibration system which is designed to give you a sturdy grip and optimal control.
The weakness of this tool is the semi-automatic system meaning that you will have to bump feed the machine as you go about trimming.
The best characteristic of this trimmer is that it comes with 7-year consumer warranty so you do not have to think more as this is ideal solution for heavy trimming across a large area.
Up to now, we have spoken about the models designed for low to moderate intensity trimming work.
In case you are involved in the trimming industry, you should know that the above mentioned models will not serve you well.
So we decided to include heavy duty trimmers on our list and one of them is the Tanaka TCG27EBSP.
This is definitely the best commercial weed eater.
This tool has incredible trimming force, which is produced by a 26.9 cc Commercial Grade PureFire two-stroke engine.
The powerful performance is combined with reduced fuel consumption and durability which is considered a huge plus.
There is the S-Start technology enabling you to easily switch the machine.
Additionally, the tap and go 5-inch cutting head holds 13 feet of 0.095-inch nylon quite line trimming line.
The model boasts the Quiet Line trimming line which is designed so as to reduce noise by 50 percent.
However, this machine still produces 111 decibels of noise so you should have adequate protection for your ears.
Being that it is a commercial weed eater, you can use it for long periods and the manufacturers also though about the comfort of the user.
They have created the long shaft, padded handles, and anti-vibration system on the Tanaka to reduce the strain.
What is even greater about this model is that the Tanaka 746570 comes with a 7-year consumer warranty, but for a commercial user, the warranty is for only 2 years.
The only disadvantage of this machine is that it is quite pricier than the other models on this list.
The Black+Decker LCC140 is a popular combo pack, consisting of a LSW36 battery-powered sweeper and the Black+Decker LST136W Trimmer/Edger.
You get two tools in one package and you do not have to worry about the cleaning process after trimming which is usually the worst part of this task.
Among electric sweepers, the LSW36 is among the best.
It si powered by a 2 Ah lithium ion battery, but the weakness is that you will have to use the same battery for the sweeper and the trimmer.
Another drawback is that Black+Decker does not provide the combo kit with the fast charger so that charging of the battery can take up to 6 hours.
The good thing about this combo is that it is nearly 50 percent cheaper than buying the machines individually, but this is affordable only if you believe that having an electric sweeper is necessary and useful to your workload.
We are now sure that you know more about weed eaters than you did before starting reading our article.
Almost every person needs a weed eater for his/her garden and yard, so buying one can be a very wise purchase.
It will save your time and effort, making it easier for you to get rid of boring weeds.
Besides knowing the advantages and disadvantages of the above mentioned models, we decided to offer you a more detailed description of some of the most important features of this tool in our buyer’s guide.
What types of weed eaters are available and how to know which one is for me?
One classification can be done based on the power source of these machines.
Gas-Powered: This type of tool has a two-stroke or a four-stroke engine that runs on gas. The efficiency of this machine is greater due to the fact that the power from the engine travels down the shaft and rotates the trimmer. However, they are heavier and noisier.
Electric-Powered: This kind of trimmer powers its motor using electricity from a power supply. The power from the motor operates the trimmer and what we get are powerful results and less noise than with gas-powered ones. The great thing is the runtime, as you can work as long as you have the electricity. The only limiting thing can be the length of the cord.
Battery-Powered: This kind of tool comes with a battery pack that is used to supply power to a motor. The cutting power within this kind of units travels from the motor to the trimmer. They are light and quiet but lack the power and stamina of the above mentioned two types and are not useful for heavy-duty tasks.
Another classification is based on the application of the weed eaters
Home Use: There are machines that are ideal for the yard work so you should get a home use weed eater will meet your needs and there is no need for more powerful ones. They are not built for heavy-duty work or for clearing dense clumps of weed.
Commercial: If you are in need of a tool that will be cutting weeds every day or that will run for many hours a day, you are aware that the job would not be done with a home use type. What you need is a weed eater that delivers industrial grade performance and are designed for long and frequent usage.
What should I have in mind when purchasing this tool?
The most important seven factors you should consider before buying a weed eater are:
Location: How big and powerful weed eater you need, depends on the size of your yard. For very small areas, where you can have the electric supply, a good solution can be an electric weed cutter. If you cannot have the electric supply, you will have to buy a battery-powered weed eater. For large yards that require more than an hour to trim, the only solution is a gas-powered weed eater.
Weeds: The nature of weed in your yard is important when determining which tool is good for you. Thin stems can be cut with a battery-powered trimmer, while thick and stubborn weeds require a gas trimmer.
Frequency: This includes the number of times the trimmer is used. If you plan to use it occasionally, a battery-powered weed eater would do the job. However, for more frequent and demanding tasks, a battery-powered weed eater may not have enough power and endurance to finish the job so you should get a gas-powered weed eater.
Noise Level: You should know that gas-powered weed trimmers are much noisier than a battery powered ones.
Maintenance: Battery-powered trimmers have less moving parts than gas-powered weed eaters. So if you are looking for a low-maintenance machine, you should get a battery-powered one.
Downtime: When the weight is in question, battery-powered machines are lighter than gas-powered machines, but, battery-powered tools need a lot of time to recuperate after the battery runs out. The gas-powered machine on the other hand can start running once it is refueled.
Warranty: The product’s quality can be concluded if you take a look at its warranty period. If you get a seven years warranty, the producers claim that the machine will be free of manufacturing defects for 7 years. Usually, a high-quality machine comes with a long warranty.
I think I got it, what are my options?
As it is the case with any other tool, there are many weed eaters in the market with numerous advantages and disadvantages.
What we have offered are some of the most popular brands and selected five models for your consideration.
You can also do your own research and gather more information about other models of weed eaters.
We suggest you to check out weed eaters from Greenworks, Toro, and Worx, Black+Decker and Hitachi.
Conclusion
If you are going to buy the very first weed eater, you should not look for machines with higher cutting power.
You should know that the cutting power on most of these machines does not vary much so it is not advisable spending so much money when you do not need it.
What you need to do is to take a closer look at other aspects of the machine such as noise level, runtime, vibration, build quality, comfort and weight.
We know that this is a lot of detail to have in mind and that things get complicated so we made this list with all these aspects included.
If you are a commercial user, you should definitely go for the Tanaka model.
For home users, the ideal choice is the Black+Decker LST136W, our top pick.
The other Black+Decker LST300 model is designed for people with limited budgets.
For people who want a gas-powered weed trimmer, the Hitachi model is a perfect choice.
You can see than numerous good products are available in every price range and we hope to have helped you find a machine that suits you perfectly.