With unexpected line breaks, and it was sometimes frustrating having to wait for the Black+Decker’s automatic feed system to pay out more line.

If you’re working around sharp stones or tough plants like vines, then the 0.065-inch trimming line will disappear quickly. There are definitely jobs that this trimmer is too small for, but the motor and battery aren’t really the limiting factor. We ran all our tests with the power cranked up to full and were still satisfied with the battery capacity, but it’s nice to know that you can go for longer if you’re not pushing the performance envelope. See Price at AmazonĮven better, there’s an easy-to-use speed dial that will vary the amount of juice the motor is using: if you’re just trimming a bit of grass or light weeds, you can turn it down and get even longer runtime from the battery. Perfect for city lawns and gardens, it also out-cuts some bigger models if you take it out to the back 40. This is all the trimmer most people will need in a lightweight, high-performance package. If you’re dealing with household chores like trimming lawn edges and cutting weeds around flower beds, this trimmer does amazing work given how light it is. The motor tackled thick, overgrown grass that bogged down even the big Ryobi trimmer, and it managed to cut heavy stalks (like the pictured fig-tree shoots) better, too. None of the conveniences would be a worthwhile trade-off if this trimmer couldn’t keep up with the cutting tasks, but Black+Decker managed to hit a sweet spot for efficiency and power. The other tools fold or come apart, but that makes for an unwieldy package. The fact that it can be collapsed to a smaller size for storage is a great bonus. Weight is a big consideration here: we liked how easy it was to carry this trimmer around. The Black+Decker – LST136W is a compact, lightweight but powerful trimmer that will be ideally suited to most home edging and trimming needs. Best for heavy work: Ego – Power+ 1502-SF For larger field jobs, we like the Ego – Power+ 1502-SF. Perfect for edging your lawn and even for cutting grass on uneven terrain, Black+Decker’s award-winning 13-inch trimmer is light and easy to use but still has plenty of power. After two months of edging lawns, trimming grass and relentless weed destruction on a ten-acre orchard, we’ve picked the Black+Decker – LST136W as the best string trimmer for the average sized home lawn.

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