Start – Spin – Whack! Best cordless weed eater for the money you ask? And why not! In this day and age when you can practically get an Astro-Physics degree on YouTube, what reason is there to get on your hands and knees to pick a weed?! Or even swing a scythe:) Battery weed wacker it is!
But your probably here because you’re a long time weed whacker whiz and your tired of gasoline turning to varnish and fouled up spark plugs. No more mixing oil ratios and spring time curls (AKA that first spring time start on the pull chord – 50x later leaves you more sore than any barbell work out).
And lets face it. We all know burning old dinosaur bone hydrocarbons is bad for the environment! Using batteries is both lower maintenance and delivers a nice mother nature feel good experience.
I’m sold, and your here ‘cause you are too! Lets dig in…
In a hurry?
No problem, here's my pick: Makita Cordless 18V Cordless String Trimmer.
With four 18v weed eater batteries (5AH each) you'll be whacking all day and all night!
Top 3 Best Cordless Weed Eaters
OUR TOP PICK
The number #1 best cordless weed eater we have to show you is from a brand that’s earned a name in cordless tools - Makita. There was a time when the only cordless tools around were Makita. This company has a deep history in the tool biz.
Our number one pick maxes out at 6500 rpm with four full batteries. Each battery has 5.0AH (double the 2.0AH batteries most cordless weed whackers come with).
We could go on about how the brushless motor electronically optimized for upto 50% better battery runtime... but I think customer satisfaction is the real vote of approval. There are no other cordless weed trimmers on the Amazon platform even close to the 4.8 star rating this weed killer has generated!
I’ll admit I was tempted by the lower price models that have all the package deals. Shiny object syndrome and all the extra goodies, but in the end, decided against ‘em. Do I really need a blower and other gadgets? I’m shopping for a weed eater, not a kit (as tempting as one might be).
But here is the biggest reason I decided to choose the cadillac option – weed eating is a messy business. Once I start I want to finish and not wait for some wimpy batteries to recharge. It’s too much hassle to clean up and brush off all my clothes every 30 minutes as I'm going in and out of the house waiting for batteries to recharge...
Another great feature the best cordless trimmer has, is it rotates counter-clockwise same as most trimmers, so uses industry standard spindles (M10x1.25 LH).
Pros:
- 20 total amp hours of battery power(4x5.0AH)
- Adjustable RPM & Max of 6500
- 15" cutting swath
- Traditional bump and feed string feeder
- Electronics to optimize battery (upto 50%)
- 3 Year Warranty
Cons:
- Some buyers complain of missing parts (be sure to purchase a "ships from Amazon.com" unit for best results.
One last note, the listing advertises a 3rd party two & three year protection plan for some extra cash. Buyer beware - this machine has a huge 3 year FACTORY warranty already included!
EDITORS CHOICE
The second battery power weed eater featured in our review is a Black + Decker 40v Max Weed Eater Cordless - perfect for those tough angles.
Black + Decker (AKA Dewalt;) is another cordless manufacturer with a long, rich history. Starting as a small Baltimore machine shop, they've become an innovative leader in cordless tools (guess whose cordless drill was used to drill the moon in the early 1970's...!).
This unit comes with a AFS system to automatically feed trimmer line as needed, with no bumping to interrupt your work speed and pace.
This cordless string trimmer converts from trimmer to edger in the blink of an eye. Not to mention it comes with a sweeper with a wind speed of up to 130 MPH to easily clear debris from all your yards hard surfaces.
Pros:
- Convenient Battery Charge Indicator
- Quiet operation
- High torque transmission
- Easy conversion from trimmer to edger
- Light Weight (but due to light battery...:(
Cons:
- Measly 1.5 AH Battery
- Xtra battery = xtr 100 bucks
- Only 13" cutting swath
BEST VALUE
The WORX PowerShare is a hot selling cordless electric weed eater, probably the best selling electric weed wacker, selling double or triple what our other two recommended battery weed trimmers sell in a month.
Theres a couple reasons for this. First is they offer a number of "kit" packages, and second: price.
At such a low price it's an easy investment, especially if your lawn care needs are minimal. Light weight with quiet operation. If you only need some light duty weed wacking a few times a year, this might be your model.
Pros:
- Super light weight at just over 5lbs (with the battery!)
- Adjustable length for comfort
- Trimmer/Edger convertible
- Large kit selection with interchangeable batteries
Cons:
- Provided spool chord is cheap and doesn't last long
- Converting from trimmer to edger can be awkward and clunky
- Measly 2.0 AH battery
- Unit might not have the power for tougher weeds
Best Cordless Weed Trimmer Buying Guide
How to buy the best cordless string trimmer
Whether your attacking a backyard jungle or just trimming a few edges, here's a few things to keep in mind before making your purchase of a battery operated weedeater.
One thing were sure of, you won't miss the smell of 2 cycle gas engines in your garage. Cordless is so convenient and easy to use. Especially in the spring time. Plug in your battery and weed eat! No more hassling with oil/fuel ratio's and fouled spark plugs.
Weight. If you've ever spent a couple hours of weed wacking, you know home much more these machines weigh at the end of job compared to the beginning. That being said, weight is a two edged sword.
Lighter weight is more convenient and easier to use. But it is also generally an indicator of wimpy battery life and a less durable motor. If your not going to work the machine too hard, your yard maintenance is small, or maybe your just getting along in years, weight might be a chief buying factor.
But if your going to work your electric weed eater, weight might be at the bottom of the list after battery life, engine torque & rpm, cutting swath ect...
Batteries. Higher amp hours (AH) means longer run time. I wouldn't worry too much about voltage. Unless your very loyal to one brand, you won't have any battery interchangeability. And while higher voltage does generally indicate higher torque, it's not always that simple.
If you want to gauge performance, your best bet is to plow through the reviews. You'll get a feel real quick which units have long lasting battery life as well as some decent power.
Personally, long lasting batteries is important to my work flow. When I get into a project I don't want to wait around for batteries to recharge every 20 minutes. Especially considiering how messy I get. Brushing off or shaking out your work clothes is a pain and I'd rather not have to do that more than once a session.
Cutting Swath. This may not seem that important, until you've got some ground to cover. Then the bigger cutting swaths make all the difference (this is essentially the outside cutting diameter of your cordless weed eater head).
Line Feed. After use your trimmer line will break. Line feed is how you lengthen and feed more line out of the head. There are manual and automatic line feeders. One of the more common is the bump head system. Simply bump the head on the ground to feed more line.
Suming up: Well depending on what your budget is, what your needs and requirements might be, you’re sure to find there are a lot of options in battery-powered weed wacker world. Wether it's weight or battery life (or maybe even just color:) theres plenty of options.
Happy wacking!
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