Introduction

Only the whirling grace of a string trimmer cutting down the tall grass around the mailbox, front steps, fence and flower beds makes a property look truly manicured. We’ve tested string trimmers on weed-covered properties and steep hills, and once flattened 12,598 square feet of an overgrown field. The Ego ST1511T Power+ string trimmer with Powerload is the best of these devices (also known as weeders or weed eaters).

ِCompared to other cordless trimmers

Compared to other cordless trimmers, the Ego ST1511T Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload is on a different level. This trimmer cuts through 1-inch thick Japanese knotweed as if it were grass, while the others beat their filaments pathetically against the thick stems. With such a lot of power, you’d expect this trimmer to be noisy. But it was the quietest unit we tested, with a hairdryer-like hum that sounded more pleasant than the whine of the competition. This model, the latest in a long line of successful Ego trimmers, features an easily adjustable telescopic shaft and a quick-adjust second-hand handle. This allows it to be used for a wide range of body sizes and types.

The Ego ST1511T is just as powerful and affordable as a gas unit, but without the dirty fuel, smelly fumes or time-consuming maintenance. It was also the most powerful cordless trimmer we found, with enough runtime to cut a 1-foot-wide strip of grass nearly two-thirds of a mile long on a single battery charge.

Advantages

The Ego is equipped with a push-button system for charging the filament, which eliminates the typically tedious process of stringing new filament onto the spool head. There is a spread of systems that do that, but the Ego’s is that the simplest we tested. It wasn’t the lightest trimmer we tested, but its excellent balance and handle adjustment made it one of the easiest to swing and manoeuvre in tight places. This model replaces our previous choice, the Ego ST1521S, which is almost identical except that it lacks the telescopic shaft and easy handle adjustment.

How long does an Ego string trimmer battery last

The main differences are that it doesn’t have a telescopic shaft and quick adjustment on the handle, so it’s not as flexible for different body sizes. The two trimmers usually sell for around the same price, so we recommend only choosing this model if the ST1511T is out of stock and you can’t wait for it.

Multiple uses

If you’re trying to find a trimmer that will even be used as a general-purpose lawn trimmer, we also just like the Ryobi RY40270 40V Brushless Expand-It String Trimmer. Although it can’t cut tall and very thick weeds with the ease of the Egos, it still has the power to cut through dense grass and the run time to handle a large plot. Unlike the Egos, however, the Ryobi is additionally “connection ready”.

So you can remove the trimmer head and replace it with any number of other garden tools, such as a pole saw, brush cutter or mini cultivator (each sold separately). The Ryobiusually costs about the same as the Ego ST1511T. But again, the Ryobi is not as effective on thick material. It’s also heavier and far noisier, and it doesn’t have the ergonomic simple telescopic handle or on-the-fly handle adjustment. The Ryobi uses a hand-crank rewind mechanism that makes cord loading easier than the older models, but it’s not as good as the push-button system in our main selection.

If the Ego ST1511T is not available, we also like the Ego ST1521S Power+ string trimmer with Powerload. This is the previous generation of the Ego string trimmer and it has much of what makes the Ego ST1511T so successful in common: long battery life, excellent performance and the easy string change. The main differences are that it doesn’t have a telescopic shaft and quick adjustment on the handle, so it’s not as flexible for different body sizes. The two trimmers usually sell for around the same price, so we recommend only choosing this model if the Ego ST1511T is out of stock and you can’t wait for it.

If you’ve got minimal trimming tasks, we just like the Worx WG170.2 GT Revolution 20V PowerShare string trimmer and edger. Although it can’t cut tall and very thick weeds with the ease of the Egos, it still has the power to cut through dense grass and the run time to handle a large plot. Unlike the Egos, however, the Ryobi is additionally “connection ready”.

So you can remove the trimmer head and replace it with any number of other garden tools, such as a pole saw, brush cutter or mini cultivator (each sold separately). The Ryobi usually costs about the same as the Ego ST1511T. But again, the Ryobi is not as effective on thick material. it’s also heavier and far noisier, and it doesn’t have the ergonomic simple telescopic handle or on-the-fly handle adjustment. The Ryobi uses a hand-crank rewind mechanism that makes cord loading easier than older models, but it’s not as good as the push-button system on our main selection.

If you’ve got minimal trimming tasks, we just like the Worx WG170.2 GT Revolution 20V PowerShare string trimmer and edger. It’s much smaller than the Ego ST1511T and not nearly as powerful, but it’s great for grass. And it has some ergonomic settings not found on competing models that make it comfortable for people with different body types. This model comes with a small set of wheels that can be adjusted to turn the trimmer into an edger and even a very small mini-mower. We found the Worx to be quieter than its competitors. And it is priced in the middle of comparable models.

Pricing

Conclusion

We think the vast majority of users will get by with a cordless string trimmer. But in some extreme cases, the uninterrupted power of a gas model is better suited (e.g. for clearing large field areas or trimming on an extremely large property). For this, we recommend the Echo SRM-225 string trimmer. The price is usually comparable to the Ego ST1521S, so it is in the lower range for a high-quality gas trimmer. In our own tests, the Echo handled waist-high weeds and three-metre-high grass without any problems, and it has a huge amount of positive feedback on Home Depot’s website.