2025 test10 productsOutdoor Power Equipment
Which String Trimmers Brand Wins?
We compared 10 string trimmers options head to head. Milwaukee came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Milwaukee
Price shown in test: $400, trimmer only, no battery or charger
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Runner-up
DeWalt
Price shown in test: $449, trimmer only, no battery or charger
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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 at 20 inches | No load maximum RPM | Trigger response time to full RPM | Trimmer line capacity | Dispensing shortened trimmer line | Cutting speed, 8 by 24 ft grass area | Vibration, no line installed | Total run time on a full charge | Battery recharge time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Milwaukee 17 inch dual battery straight shaft trimmer$400, trimmer only, no battery or charger | front just over 6 lb, total 16.41 lb, heaviest of all trimmers tested | 99.1 decibels, loudest of all trimmers tested | 6,190 RPM, fastest constant no load RPM of all trimmers, claims up to 6,200 | 0.2 seconds, fastest of all trimmers tested | 30 ft, tied with DeWalt for most capacity of all trimmers tested | one of only 3 trimmers able to dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, on the third tap | 1 minute 3 seconds, fastest of all trimmers including the gas Stihl | about 12 to 13 mm per second | initial test showed uneven drain between its two batteries at around 12 minutes, repeated with both batteries fully charged and ran just over 21 minutes | 1 hour 10 minutes using the Milwaukee fast charger, purchased separately since none is included with the trimmer |
| 2DeWalt DCST 980$449, trimmer only, no battery or charger | front 4.55 lb, total around 15.5 lb | 92.4 decibels | close to 5,100 RPM, about 700 RPM less than most other brands, described as surprisingly low | 0.5 seconds, second fastest of all trimmers tested behind only the Milwaukee | 30 ft, tied with Milwaukee for most capacity of all trimmers tested | one of only 3 trimmers able to dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, though it took 10 taps plus stopping and restarting the trimmer before it began dispensing | 69 seconds, close second place to the Milwaukee, only 6 seconds slower | around 33 to 34 mm per second, vibrated the most of all trimmers tested | close to 20 minutes | 2 hours 18 minutes using a slow charger, since none was included with the trimmer |
| 3EGO 56V 16 inch trimmer$349, trimmer, battery, and charger | front 4.46 lb, rear 9.46 lb, total almost 14 lb | 88.6 decibels | just under 6,000 RPM, third highest of all trimmers tested | 0.8 seconds, third fastest of all trimmers tested | 23.5 ft using the power load feature, third most capacity of all trimmers tested | could not dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, dispensed 2 inch line after 2 bumps | 80 seconds, third fastest behind Milwaukee and DeWalt | around 10 mm per second, third smoothest of all trimmers tested | around 23.5 minutes | 47 minutes, fastest of all trimmers tested, includes a quick charger in the kit |
| 4Worx 40V 15 inch string trimmer$179, string trimmer, battery, and charger | front 4.28 lb, total 9.31 lb, lightest of all trimmers tested | 74 decibels | around 5,861 | 2.5 seconds, described as a really slow start | 12 ft, lowest capacity of all trimmers tested | could not dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, dispensed 2 inch line after 8 bumps | 2 minutes 13 seconds | around 9 to 10 mm per second, second smoothest of all trimmers tested | just over 29 minutes | 4 hours 15 minutes, slowest of all trimmers tested |
| 5Cat 60V 15 inch brushless string trimmer$200, string trimmer, battery, and charger | front 4.86 lb, total 10.79 lb, third lightest of all trimmers tested | 78.2 decibels | around 6,029, second highest of all trimmers tested | 1.9 seconds | 16 ft | could not dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch after more than a dozen attempts, dispensed 2 inch line after 9 bumps | 2 minutes 19 seconds, 6 seconds slower than the Worx | 6 to 7 mm per second, smoothest of all trimmers tested | just over 26 minutes | 50 minutes |
| 6Ryobi 40V string trimmer$259, string trimmer, battery, and charger | front 3.63 lb, lightest front weight of all trimmers tested, total just over 11 lb | 96.3 decibels | around 5,846 | 1.3 seconds | 15.5 ft | could not dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, dispensed 2 inch line on the second bump | 1 minute 57 seconds, barely edged out the Kobalt by 2 seconds | around 40 mm per second, vibrated quite a bit | around 22 minutes | 1 hour 5 minutes |
| 7Kobalt 80V string trimmer$319, two batteries and one charger | front 4.26 lb, total just over 11 lb | 76.5 decibels | around 5,876 | 1.5 seconds | 20 ft | could not dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, dispensed 2 inch line on the first bump | 1 minute 59 seconds, 14 seconds faster than the Worx | around 12 to 13 mm per second | close to 25 minutes on its 2.5 amp hour battery | 1 hour 17 minutes, though the manufacturer claims its 2 amp hour battery can be fully charged in 1 hour |
| 8Husqvarna 40V 16 inch straight shaft trimmer$320, string trimmer, battery, and charger | front 4.625 lb, rear 5.19 lb, total 9.81 lb, second lightest of all trimmers tested | 78.3 decibels | boost mode surges over 6,600 RPM then settles to around 5,800 | 1.5 seconds | close to 20 ft, wound in the opposite direction compared to the other brands | one of only 3 trimmers able to dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, best result of the first six brands tested at that point, on the third bump | 2 minutes 40 seconds, slowest of all trimmers tested | around 15 to 16 mm per second | around 35.5 minutes, longest of all trimmers tested | 2 hours 35 minutes |
| 9Makita$439, trimmer only, no battery or charger | under 4 lb at the head, total 13.61 lb, about 3 lb lighter than the Milwaukee | 93.2 decibels | just over 5,800 | close to 1 second | around 17 ft, narrowest debris shield in the lineup at only 7 inches, offering the least protection of all trimmers tested | could not dispense line shortened to 3/4 inch, dispensed 2 inch line on the first attempt | 1 minute 46 seconds | around 25 mm per second, vibrated quite a bit | just under 10 minutes, shortest run time of all trimmers tested | 49 minutes using a third party quick charger, since none was included |
| 10Stihl FS 90 R, gasoline powered | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | 1 minute 27 seconds, finished in fourth place behind the Ego | not tested | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- decibel noise measurement at 20 inches
- no load maximum RPM measurement
- trigger response time to reach full RPM
- trimmer line capacity when fully loaded
- ability to dispense trimmer line shortened to 3/4 inch and 2 inches
- cutting speed test on an 8 by 24 foot grass area, including a gas trimmer baseline
- vibration measurement with no trimmer line installed
- total run time on a full battery charge
- battery recharge time
“DeWalt easily won the showdown 3 years ago, but the Milwaukee definitely won the showdown this time. This is by far the best string trimmer I've ever tested.”