It’s that time of year where the lawn needs maintaining. An electric string trimmer is a great way to take care of grass that’s grown out of control, weeds, and even tidy up edging. Here are the best electric string trimmers out there.
When it comes to serious weed whacking—like clearing all the overgrowth across an entire park—it’s tough to beat the run time and power of a gas-driven string trimmer. But for yard work at home, it’s tough to beat the convenience of an electric model. They’re less noisy, they don’t belch out exhaust all over you, and there’s no fussing with gasoline/oil mixtures.
Update, 8/26/21: Checked all picks for accuracy. Slightly adjusted some text to reflect our current in-house style guide.
We’ve mostly focused on cordless electric string trimmers as they’re just so much more convenient than having to drag a cable around your lawn—when you go cord-free there’s no wire to trip on, damage, or be frustrated by. However, cordless trimmers cost more than corded ones so we’ve made room for one great budget option if you’re willing to put up with all the extra hassle that a cable brings with it.
Regardless of what you go for, here’s the pick of the best electric string trimmers out there.
Best Overall: Greenworks 13-Inch 40V Cordless String Trimmer
The perfect mix of good value and extensive features, the Greenworks 13-Inch 40V Cordless String Trimmer will keep you (and your lawn) happy. It is lightweight at only a little over five pounds and sports a 13″ wide cutting path to help you cover more ground with less movement.
In addition to that, it has a 90-degree rotating head with an edging wheel that makes tidying up your lawn almost as easy as simply cutting the grass. Its 40V battery gives you about 60 minutes of runtime so you should easily be able to tackle up to half an acre of land before you need to recharge. It’s lightweight (at 9.3 lbs) and quieter than most too, ensuring you’ll be happy throughout using it.
Best Overall
Best Premium: Greenworks PRO 16-Inch 80v Cordless String Trimmer
The Greenworks PRO 16-Inch 80v Cordless String Trimmer is the heavy-duty equivalent of the previously mentioned Greenworks string trimmer. You might only get 45 minutes of run time here but it’s a far more powerful engine. Greenworks reckons it’s equivalent to a 32cc gas engine and it’s able to cut a 16″ wide area at a time.
The trimmer includes a variable speed trigger for different areas that need work, and you’re able to add a number of attachments for different kinds of work such as edging. If your grass is liable to grow fast or get out of hand (we won’t judge), it’s able to stay revved up and cut down the lawn without feeling like too much work or getting clogged up like cheaper trimmers. It’s a little heavier than most electric models at 16 pounds if your lawn needs a little more effort thrown its way, you’ll be happy with the results.
Best Premium
Best For A Neat Trim: Worx WG184 13″ Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger
All the trimmers here provide some kind of edging tool but the Worx WG184 13″ Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger does things the best. If you’re keen for a lawn that also looks good around the edges, this is the tool for you. For the price, you get two batteries for a combined power of 40V so it’ll last about an hour. You can easily change it from a conventional trimmer to an inline wheeled edging tool in seconds via a push button so that you can get to the finer details of your lawn.
As well as that, it has a command feed spool system that feeds you a line instantly saving you plenty of hassle. There’s also a gas-like variable speed control system for you when you need to put a bit more effort into a stubborn patch of grass. Ultimately though, it’s the simplicity of the edging tool that makes the Worx WG184 13″ Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger a great purchase. It will make your lawn look far superior than it would with other trimmers.
Best For A Neat Trim
Best Budget Trimmer: Black & Decker ST8600 ($40)
Cordless electric trimmers are typically much more convenient than the corded variety. If you’re on a tight budget though, you might not be able to afford a good quality cordless device. Instead, buy the Black & Decker ST8600. It has a strong 5.0 amp motor with a power drive transmission for added ease and power.
As well as that, it has pivoting handle positions and you can adjust the height. For edging, there’s a special guide for precise corners, plus it has an automatic feed spool. Essentially, it has everything you could want except for the fact it’s a corded electric trimmer. Still, if you just need a trimmer for small jobs, you can’t really go wrong with this one and, corded hassles aside, at least you’ll never need to wait for the batteries to charge.
Best Budget Trimmer
Black & Decker ST8600
Need a trimmer that’ll take care of your yard without busting your budget? Get this one.
