Cordless Weed Wacker Overview

The last decade has brought many changes in the power hand tool market. The cordless tool phenomena started with the basic cordless drill and has expanded to include a cordless version of almost every portable power tool common in the building trades. Lately the yard care tool sector has taken advantage of the advances in battery technology by offering many cordless tools that formally required a gas powered engine. These include cordless weed wackers, lawn edgers, leaf blowers and hedge trimmers.

Certainly cordless string trimmers of in all have their place, but there are times when either a gas-powered or electric tool is a better fit for the task at hand. Some of the limitation of a cordless tool is their limited run times. Unless the tool comes with a spare battery that is kept charged, when the battery runs down, you are out of action for at least an hour while the battery recharges.

There are many factors that determine the run time of a cordless weed wacker between charges. Among the factors are amp draw of the motor, operating voltage, and the amp-hour capacity of the battery. For a given tool, at a specified voltage, the higher the amp-hour rating of the battery, the longer the run time.

When selecting a cordless weed wacker it is a good idea to pay particular attention to the weight. Though a couple of pounds does not sound significant, in reality the additional weight will result in noticeable increase in fatigue. In some cases the intended use will dictate the need for a high-powered heavy duty trimmer, but for the typical suburban yard an light duty (and light weight) cordless weed wacker is the preferred choice.

If you anticipate using a cordless wacker for general weed clearing, then one specification to look for is the maximum cut diameter. An 8 inch string trimmer will take 50% longer to clear a given area than one featuring a 10 inch cut. Of course if you anticipate primarily using your cordless weed wacker for lawn care edging and trimming, focus on balance, maneuverability, and battery run time as the cut diameter is irrelevant for these tasks.

The voltage of the cordless weed wacker battery provides a rough gauge to the use that a given unit is geared for. The 12 volt models are typically designed for light duty tasks such as light trimming and edging as well as limited weed trimming. The 18 volt trimmers make a decent general purpose machine suitable for weed trimming and lawn edging. The larger 124 and 36 volt models are best for heavy weed and brush clearing.

If lawn edging along sidewalks and driveways is going to be one of the primary tasks you will be performing, look for a model that is optimized for that purpose. Some units offer a wheel attachment that will result in effortless operation and consistent results. Edging may also be accomplished with a general purpose trimmer, but achieving uniform results is trickier and requires more practice as the cutting depth is controlled by the operator.

Perhaps the best recourse for researching the various models of cordless weed wackers and trimmers is to read owner reviews at online retailers such as Amazon. Many times the more popular models may have 50 or more reviews, and reading through just a few is a great help in identifying the strengths and weaknesses the various models.