The Best String Trimmers

Only by the whirling grace of a string trimmer—slicing down the tall grass around the mailbox, front steps, fences, and flower beds—does a property look truly polished. We’ve tested string trimmers on weedy lots and steep hills, and we once flattened 12,598 square feet of an overgrown field. The Ego ST1511T Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload is the best of these tools (which are also known as weed wackers or weed eaters). Due to the continued success of the cordless string trimmers we’ve tested, the hassle of owning a small engine, and the cultural and legal trends we’re witnessing with regards to gas engines, we’re no longer recommending any gas-powered string trimmers. But we did decide to drastically overcorrect on the issue, so we now have a recommendation for a scythe. Yes, a scythe.