2022 test9 productsOutdoor Power Equipment
Which String Trimmer Brand Wins?
We compared 9 string trimmer options head to head. DeWalt came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
DeWalt
Price shown in test: $320 for the battery, the charger, and the string trimmer
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Noise | Torque | Reaction Time | Line Capacity | Line Dispense From Short | Grass Cut Time | Run Time | Charger Noise | Rating | Vibration | Debris Shield Width | Charge Time | Battery Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeWalt$320 for the battery, the charger, and the string trimmer | trimmer head 3.5 lb, total weight 12.6 lb | 89.5 dB | 73 lb (unit inconsistent across brands in transcript, some given as in lb, some as lb; kept verbatim) | 0.1 sec to start, 0.95 sec to full speed | 20 ft | only needed three taps to advance line from 3/4 in, about 1.2 seconds, quickest of all brands | 68 seconds, fastest in the test, dominated the torque test and the cutting test | 17 minutes on a 180 watt hour battery | no detectable sound | A minus | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Milwaukee$299 for the battery, the charger, and the string trimmer | trimmer head 4.2 lb, total weight 11.8 lb | 89.4 dB | 39 lb, about the same as Ryobi | 0 sec to start (fastest in lineup), 0.5 sec to full speed (fastest in lineup) | 20 ft, then tested successfully at 30 ft (barely adequate); final recap calls Milwaukee and EGO the joint leaders at 30 ft, but EGO's own individual test earlier measured only 20 ft, not retested to 30 ft - contradiction in transcript, flagged | best in lineup so far, four taps in about 2 seconds | 85 seconds; stalled once near the end from being pushed too hard | 16 minutes on a 144 watt hour battery | not tested | A minus | harsh, most noticeable vibration of any brand tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Makita$400 for just the tool, not including battery and charger (most expensive, and priced on a different basis than the other brands which include battery/charger) | trimmer head 3.6 lb, total weight 9 lb (lightest in the lineup) | 88.4 dB | 48 lb, second place behind DeWalt's 73 | 0.05 sec to start (almost as fast as Milwaukee's 0), 0.95 sec to full speed | 16 ft | made very easy work of it, 7 seconds | 80 seconds, second place behind DeWalt's 68 | 10 minutes, first battery to run out despite being tested with two 5 amp hour batteries | not tested | A minus | amazingly smooth, very little tool vibration, best in lineup | 15.75 in of width, most protection of any brand | 48.6 minutes | not tested |
| 4EGO Power Plus 16-in Powerload$300 for the trimmer, the battery, and the charger | trimmer head over 4.5 lb (heaviest head at that point in the video), total weight 12 lb | 81.1 dB | 26 lb, 13 lb less than Milwaukee's 39 | 0.1 sec to start, 1 sec to full speed | 20 ft as individually measured; final summary lumps EGO with Milwaukee at 30 ft, which conflicts with the 20 ft figure measured on screen - kept both, flagged as transcript inconsistency | successfully advanced line from 3/4 in after several bumps, 6 seconds | 89 seconds; got hit by the most grass clippings of any brand due to a small debris shield | stated as 14 minutes in the run-time-test segment, but the same segment's closing recap states 'the EGO has the longest run time at 40.5 minutes' - directly contradictory within the transcript, both figures kept per the never-pick-one rule | not tested | A minus | not tested | not tested | 49 minutes | stated as 224 watt hours (most of any brand) in one segment, then stated as 126 watt hours (smallest of any brand) in a later segment describing the run time test - directly contradictory, both figures kept, not resolved |
| 5Ryobi$250 for the battery, the charger, and the string trimmer | trimmer head 3.42 lb (recap rounds to 3.4 lb, lightest head in lineup), total weight 10.6 lb (recap states 10.7 lb - minor discrepancy kept) | 87.2 dB | 39 in lb | 0.2 sec to start, 1.1 sec to full speed | 13 ft | advanced line from 3/4 in just fine, took quite a bit of effort | cut 192 square ft about 40 seconds faster than the Greenworks (Greenworks took 2 min 45 sec); exact Ryobi time not stated numerically | 23 minutes, stated as 6 minutes longer than DeWalt's 17 | not tested | A minus | not tested | not tested | 44.5 minutes, fastest of any brand tested | not tested |
| 6Echo$250, same price as the Ryobi | trimmer head 3.47 lb, total weight 10.6 lb | 82.5 dB (quietest at that point in the video) | 30 in lb | 0.3 sec to start, 1.2 sec to full speed | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 57 minutes, slowest of any brand tested | not tested |
| 7Kobalt$250 | total weight 10.8 lb, trimmer head described only as slightly heavier than Ryobi/Echo, no exact head figure given | 77.7 dB | 10 lb, struggled to make low end torque | 0.3 sec to start, 1.4 sec to full speed | 9 ft | unable to dispense line from 3/4 in, but did fine from 2 in | 1 minute 51 seconds, fastest at that point in the video | 29 minutes on a stated 180 watt hour battery | may have a cooling fan that kicks in, but remained quiet during testing | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Atlas$260 total for trimmer, battery, and charger bought separately (Harbor Freight brand) | trimmer head 4.2 lb, total weight 9.25 lb | 74.9 dB, quietest at that point in the video | 9 lb, about the same as Kobalt | 0.3 sec to start, 1.8 sec to full speed, slowest at that point in the video | 9 ft | unable to dispense line from 3/4 in, but did fine from 2 in, same as Kobalt | 90 seconds, fastest at that point in the video | 31.5 minutes, tied with Greenworks | high-pitched squeal but less noisy than Greenworks or Ryobi | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Greenworks$230 for the battery, the charger, and the string trimmer | back of trimmer 9.45 lb, trimmer head just over 4 lb, total weight 13.5 lb | 91.4 dB, loudest of any brand tested | did not make enough torque to get the 1 lb test device spinning, effectively a fail | 0.5 sec to start, 1.3 sec to full speed | 13.5 ft | too short to advance line from 3/4 in; took some effort but advanced from 2 in | 2 minutes 45 seconds, stalled out 7 times during the test | 31.5 minutes, tied with Atlas | pretty loud, sounds a lot like a hair dryer | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 216 watt hours |
How it was tested
- electric motor start-up torque
- cutting speed through tall grass (192 sq ft box)
- trimmer line capacity
- trimmer line dispensing from a short (3/4 in) length
- noise level (dB)
- trigger reaction time and time to full speed
- trimmer/head weight
- battery run time
- battery charge time
- charger noise
- vibration
- debris shield protection width
- overall A-F rating
“If I had to choose just one string trimmer, I would definitely go with the DeWalt. It's an amazing machine, very well-designed, and performs extremely well.”