12 Best String Trimmers (October 2026)

Choosing the best string trimmers for 2026 comes down to one question that most product pages never answer plainly: how much ground do you actually have to cut, and what already lives in your garage? A 12 inch cordless unit with two small packs is a genuinely good tool for a suburban lot. It is a poor tool for three acres of roadside brush, and no amount of marketing changes that. We put twelve cordless trimmers through their paces on paper, weighing published specifications against thousands of aggregated owner reviews, so you can match a machine to your yard in a couple of minutes instead of an afternoon of tab-hopping.

We want to be straight about how this list was built. We did not put these twelve machines on our shoulders and cut acreage. Instead, every pick was evaluated against three things: the manufacturer’s published specifications, the aggregate owner review data behind each product, and the failure patterns owners repeat most often in lawn forums. Where you see a runtime figure, it is the manufacturer’s claim rather than a stopwatch reading of ours. Where we call something heavy or light, it is the stated weight compared against the rest of this group. That is an honest basis, and it is the same one the most useful owners on r/lawncare and thelawnforum are working from.

If you are still working out whether a battery model makes sense for your property, our battery string trimmer guide covers the platform question in more depth than we can here.

Here is the short version before we get into the details. The WORX WG163 takes our Editor’s Choice because it is the most reviewed cordless trimmer in the group, converts between trimming and edging, and includes two batteries. The Makita XRU15PT1 carries the highest aggregate rating and the best runtime kit for anyone who will genuinely work all day. The EGO ST1623T is the pick when you want the widest swath and the least annoying line reload in this list.

Our Top 3 String Trimmer Picks for 2026

How All 12 String Trimmers Compare

This table is the fast route. Every machine below is cordless, so the deciding factors are cutting width, motor speed, line handling, what comes in the box, and how much of it you have to buy separately. Two products have no owner photos available, so they are shown without them.

1. WORX WG163 20V Cordless Trimmer – The One With the Most Owners Behind It

At 5.5 pounds, the WORX WG163 is one of the easiest trimmers in this group to hold for a full afternoon, and with 28501 owner reviews behind it, it is also the machine with the largest body of real-world evidence behind it. I keep coming back to that review count when ranking lawn gear. A thousand reviews tells you something, but nearly thirty thousand tells you what the tool does in year three, not just in the first afternoon.

What makes the WG163 the most broadly useful pick here is that it does two jobs. The head tilts 90 degrees and the rubberized wheels drop down, turning the whole tool into an edger without tools or a second purchase. That single feature replaces a separate edger on small yards, and it is the reason this trimmer shows up in so many starter kits.

The command feed button on the head is the other feature owners mention constantly. Instead of bumping the spool against the ground to push line out, you press a button and the line advances. It is a small thing that removes the most irritating thirty seconds of every refill.

Cutting Speed and Swath: Where It Fits

At 7600 rpm with a 12 inch cutting diameter, this trimmer handles ordinary lawn weeds, fence lines, and the tall grass along driveways without trouble. It is not the machine you point at a pile of bramble canes or a neglected fence line that has grown a mat of dead grass and root. Owners consistently describe it as a maintenance tool rather than a clearing tool, and that is exactly what most suburban yards need.

Two Batteries and a Platform That Extends

The kit includes two 20V maxLithium batteries, and both fit the wider WORX Power Share family. That matters more than it looks. If you already own a WORX mower or blower, those batteries already exist in your garage, and this trimmer simply joins the pile. Owners on lawn forums make the same argument about platform compatibility, and it is the single most common reason people choose between two otherwise identical trimmers.

What We’d Change

Two things. The 7600 rpm figure sits below several higher-voltage machines in this roundup, so dense growth takes more passes. And the 12 inch swath is narrower than the 13, 15 and 16 inch models further down, meaning slightly less ground covered per minute. Neither is a deal breaker for a lot under half an acre.

The manufacturer also includes free replacement spools for life, which quietly removes one of the running costs of owning a string trimmer. For a homeowner with a modest lot who wants one tool for trimming and edging, this remains the most defensible purchase in the group.

2. Greenworks 40V Trimmer and Blower Combo – Two Tools on One Battery

Most people who own a cordless trimmer also need a blower in the fall, and this combo answers both with one battery platform and one purchase decision. The blower side pushes 390 CFM at 110 MPH, with cruise control that holds that output steady when you are working through a deep pile of leaves rather than flicking light debris off a walkway.

The trimmer itself runs at 7500 rpm with a 12 inch commercial grade head and automatic 0.065 inch line feed. That head design is worth noting, because an auto-feed head that never jams is a genuine quality of life gain over the manual spool heads many cheaper trimmers use.

Noise and Neighbours

This is the quietest workflow in the group at 67 dB. That figure is what makes early morning or early evening work on a suburban street realistic, where a gas trimmer two doors down would be an unpleasant experience for somebody trying to sleep. If your trimming window is limited by other people’s bedtimes rather than by daylight, that matters more than any specification on the list.

The Battery Is the Weak Link

One 2.0Ah battery is included, and it is the smallest capacity available in the Greenworks 40V range. That means fewer completed passes before a swap than any of the 4.0Ah packs in this roundup. If the trimmer sits idle from October to April, buying a second 4.0Ah pack is money well spent.

Who Should Skip It

Anyone working more than about an acre, or anyone who grows many shrubs and wants edging that holds a crisp line. The 12 inch swath is the narrow end of this list, and edging quality here depends on a head that is not designed primarily for vertical work. For a quarter-acre lot with a maple tree and a fence, it is a very sensible kit.

3. BLACK+DECKER LST300 20V – The Lowest-Cost Complete Kit Here

The LST300 is the pick if your real constraint is money rather than capability. It is the complete kit in this roundup: battery, charger and a wall mountable charging base, all in the box. There is no second purchase to make before you can cut grass, and at 5.7 pounds it is light enough to swing around shrubs without thinking about it.

With roughly 69 percent of its ratings at five stars across 9669 reviews, it is also one of the better-rated budget tools here, which is not always the combination you get at the entry point.

Automatic Feed Spool

The automatic spool feeds line with no bumping, which is the same convenience story as the WORX command feed and something you will notice every single time you refill. On a machine this inexpensive, it is a genuine standout feature rather than a novelty.

Two things are worth knowing before you buy it. The 6200 rpm figure sits well below several higher-voltage machines in this roundup, so dense growth takes more passes, and a single 2.0Ah battery caps continuous trimming time. Against ordinary summer weeds on a lot under a quarter acre, neither limit shows up at all.

Where the 6200 rpm Ceiling Bites

This is the slowest motor in the cordless group at 6200 rpm. Against ordinary summer growth you will not notice the difference. Against the kind of neglected, matted, dead grass that grows along an unmaintained fence line or under a deck after winter, you will. Owners are clear that this is a routine maintenance tool, and the single 2.0Ah battery caps continuous trimming time as well.

The Verdict on This One

If your lot is under a quarter acre, you trim two or three times a season, and you want to spend as little as possible on getting it done, this is the correct answer. The 2-in-1 conversion means you also skip buying an edger. Step up one tier in the list if you have more ground than that.

4. BLACK+DECKER LST136 40V – Best Telescoping Cordless Trimmer for Mixed Users

The LST136 is the step up from the LST300, and the two differences that matter are voltage and shaft type.

The 40V MAX pack pushes the motor to up to 8500 rpm, and the telescoping pole adjusts the whole tool to whoever is holding it. In a household where one person trims and another person also trims, that pole removes the most common complaint about cheap trimmers, which is that they are built for exactly one height.

PowerCommand Dial and the Runtime Trade

The dial lets you trade power for runtime rather than living with a fixed setting. Turn it up for thick patches along a wall, turn it down for a long sweep down a path. Most trimmers give you one of those and not the other. The charge indicator on the battery is small and, in our view, essential, because the fastest way to finish a job badly is to run a pack flat without noticing.

Automatic Feed and Fast Charging

Line feeds automatically with no bumping, and the fast charger restores a full charge in two hours or less. That turnaround number is what actually determines whether one battery is enough or two are needed. If your session is under an hour, one pack genuinely covers it. If you are clearing an acre of spring growth, you will want a second.

The Weight Trade

At 7.8 pounds this is meaningfully heavier than the 5.7 pound LST300, and owners flag weight as the main drawback. That is the honest bargain: more cutting speed and a wider swath in exchange for more mass in your hands over a long afternoon. For most users it is worth it. For users with shoulder problems, look further down the list.

5. EGO ST1623T 16 Inch POWERLOAD – The Widest Swath and the Easiest Line Reload

This is the trimmer I would put in front of somebody with one acre, a lot of fence line, and no patience for fiddling with spools. The 16 inch swath is the widest dedicated trimmer head in this group, and the POWERLOAD system means you thread the line through the head, push one button, and the machine winds it. There is no winding, no reversing the spool, and no tangling.

The LINE IQ system feeds line to maintain a consistent 16 inch cutting swath as the line wears down, so the cutting width does not quietly shrink over a session. That is a feature that sounds cosmetic until you have used a bump feed head and watched the effective cut width drop by half an inch as the afternoon goes on.

Runtime and the Carbon Fiber Telescopic Shaft

The included 4.0Ah battery gives up to 60 minutes of runtime and recharges in 55 minutes on the CH3200 charger. The shaft is carbon fiber and telescopes to fit the user, which is a genuinely premium material choice at this price point. Carbon also damps vibration better than steel, which matters if you are working along a fence line at arm’s length for an hour.

Variable Speed and Brushless Motor

A digital variable speed selector lets you dial back on soft growth and open up on thick weeds, and the high-efficiency brushless motor cuts both vibration and long-term wear relative to a brushed motor. The warranty is five years on the tool and three on the battery, which is longer than most competitors here offer.

The Honest Drawback

This is one of the more expensive dedicated trimmers in the roundup, and the 16 inch head plus carbon shaft is a heavier combination to swing than a 12 inch plastic unit. If you already own EGO 56V packs, that cost argument disappears entirely. If you own nothing from EGO, you are buying into a battery platform as much as a trimmer.

6. Makita XRU15PT1 18V X2 LXT – The Best Rated Trimmer With a Four-Battery Kit

At 4.7 across 1500 owner reviews with 87 percent five star ratings, the Makita XRU15PT1 is the highest-rated trimmer in this group.

The reason is not subtle: it includes four 5.0Ah batteries and a dual port charger, so you are not waiting on a battery. You swap a warm pack for a charged one and keep cutting.

Under the battery is an 18V X2 brushless system, which is Makita’s way of running two 18V packs in series for roughly 36V of output. The outer rotor brushless motor drives the head directly, and Automatic Torque Drive shifts the machine between 3500 and 6500 rpm on its own depending on what it meets.

Three Speeds and Automatic Torque Drive

Low, medium and high settings cover the range from ornamental grass to deep weed beds, and the automatic shifting means the machine is not choking at one speed or spinning out of load at another. The 15 inch swath sits in the middle of this group and clears ground quickly without the swing weight of a 16 inch head.

Four Batteries Changes the Whole Equation

Here is the practical math that most roundups skip. Two batteries gets you through a standard trimming session with one charging while you work. Four batteries with a dual port charger means you are never standing still waiting. For a professional or for anyone with more than an acre, that is the difference between finishing the job and splitting it across two evenings.

What We’d Change First

The supplied bump-and-feed head is the most common complaint, and it is worth solving before you ever cut grass with this machine. Several owners report swapping in a Speed-Feed 400 head, which fits the XRU15 without an adapter. That single change removes the manual refill the tool was otherwise criticised for. The supplied guard is also thin, and we would not rely on it around rocks or dry brambles.

7. DEWALT DCST970B 60V MAX FLEXVOLT – Most Raw Power, Tool Only

The DCST970B is the pick when the job is not lawn maintenance but genuinely stubborn growth. Owners describe using it on blackberry canes, heavy brush and neglected ground that other trimmers in this list would stall on. The 60V MAX FLEXVOLT platform delivers enough power to accept a saw blade conversion for small woody jobs, which no other machine here except the ECHO-class gas units can match.

And it does that without the vibration a gas trimmer sends up the shaft.

That is the quiet advantage of the whole cordless category, and it is most visible on a long brush session where a gas machine leaves your hands numb.

Variable Speed Trigger and Blade Compatibility

The variable speed trigger gives fine control from light edging work through to deep weed beds, and the blade acceptance is what separates this from every other cordless model here. If your property has brambles, saplings or a fence line that has gone feral, that conversion head is worth planning for.

Honest Failure Reports From Owners

We would be doing you a disservice to skip this. A minority of reviews report the cooling air screen clogging with clippings, followed by motor overheating on some machines. Others mention a spool housing that resists opening. Neither is universal, and the aggregate rating remains 4.4 across 1248 reviews, but the cooling intake needs clearing periodically and it is cheap insurance.

The Tool Only Catch

This is sold as a bare tool. If you already run DEWALT 60V MAX FLEXVOLT tools, that is the best possible deal in this roundup. If you own nothing DEWALT, you are buying a battery and a charger before you have a working trimmer. At 12 pounds before the battery is even fitted, it is also the heaviest bare tool here.

8. EGO MHC1603 Multi-Head Combo Kit – One Motor, Two Heads, Garage Space Saved

The MHC1603 is the multi-tool answer in this roundup, and at 4.6 across 1000 reviews with 78 percent five stars, it is the second highest scoring kit we looked at. You buy one 56V power head, and the trimmer and edger attachments swap on without tools. The carbon fiber shafts carry a lifetime warranty, which is a level of confidence you rarely see attached to a battery platform.

That design has a real consequence for people with limited garage space. One motor, one battery, one charger, two heads. It also means you can add a pole saw, blower or cultivator later on the same head rather than starting a second platform.

POWERLOAD and Brushless Power

The trimmer attachment uses POWERLOAD, so line loading is the same one-button process as the dedicated EGO model. Several owners report that the brushless power matched gas equipment on dense grass and thick weeds, and the digital two-speed selector with battery indicator on the power head keeps that manageable. IPX4 weather resistant construction means light rain is not the end of your season.

Runtime and the Edger Attachment

Up to 45 minutes on the trimmer head and up to 75 minutes on the edger attachment on low. That gap is worth understanding: the edger is the lighter job, and the trimmer is the one that will eat your battery. The 8 inch edger attachment has a guide wheel and a depth adjustment knob for 3 inch edging depth, but the blade arrives unsharpened, so expect a rougher finish until it wears in.

Balance Is the Weak Point

Owners consistently note the weight distribution with the 4.0Ah pack mounted on the power head, which makes the included shoulder strap effectively mandatory rather than optional. The edger also cuts only with the blade on the right hand side, a limitation that matters for left-handed users. Neither is disqualifying, but both are real.

9. KOMASTY 20V Folding Shaft Trimmer – The One That Stands Upright in a Small Garage

That is the entire idea here. This trimmer collapses to something that stands upright in a corner or hangs in a closet, which matters enormously if you live in an apartment with a patio planter and a strip of weeds rather than a yard.

Most trimmers this size require a full wall of storage space for a tool you use twice a year. The folding shaft is what removes that constraint, and it is the reason this tool makes the list at all.

Beyond storage, the 90 degree adjustable head and 180 degree rotatable handle handle sloped ground and under-bench areas well, which is exactly where the plant life tends to be in a small outdoor space.

9500 rpm and an Honest Runtime Ceiling

The 9500 rpm motor is the highest headline speed in this group, and combined with a 12 inch swath it handles ordinary lawn growth comfortably. The catch is the runtime. Both 2.0Ah batteries together deliver up to 30 minutes, and that is the total, not the per-pack figure. That is genuinely short, and it is why this ranks where it does despite a competitive rating.

What We’d Watch For

The manufacturer explicitly warns against very thick or dense grass, because the line will break rather than cut. The second warning is the one experienced operators will already know: keep the head parallel to the ground, because angling it into a rock or a paver snaps the line every time. Neither issue is a defect. Both are limits.

10. HortiHub 21V Cordless Trimmer – A Very Light Tool for Gentle Yard Work

At 5.3 pounds, this is among the lightest tools in the roundup, and for anybody whose shoulders and back make a long session unpleasant, weight is often the deciding factor rather than horsepower.

Tool-free assembly is a nice touch on a budget machine. You can go from box to cutting without hunting for a hex key, and the kit includes safety goggles and a reinforced debris guard, which is more protection than many tools in this list include.

The 9000 rpm head and 12 inch swath clear a small yard quickly, and the low noise motor means early morning work does not disturb the street.

Auto Feed and the First-Use Ritual

The auto-feed system dispenses a measured amount of line at start and then advances in small increments on a button press, which keeps the cutting line even instead of dumping half a spool at once. There is one required step: the line must be extended to 6 inches before first use. Skipping it is the most common cause of a new trimmer performing badly in its first ten minutes.

The Battery Format Question

Two 2.0Ah batteries give roughly 15 to 20 minutes per charge. That is workable if you are trimming in short bursts with a break between them, and frustrating if you are trying to clear a whole property in one go. The nonstandard battery format is the bigger concern for the long term, because replacement packs are harder to source than a 20V or 40V pack from a major platform. Buy a spare pair early while they are easy to find.

11. Boltarc 21V Cordless Weed Wacker 3-in-1 – The Longest Claimed Runtime in the Group

Two 4.0Ah batteries are the headline here, with a claimed runtime of up to 120 minutes.

Treat that as a ceiling rather than a promise, because manufacturer runtime claims are measured on light duty cutting. Even discounting heavily, this is the budget kit that stays running longest.

The 3-in-1 design covers trimming, edging and weed clearing through a 90 degree rotating head, and the box includes a fast charger plus eight replacement spools. Having spare spools in the box is a small thing that eliminates the most annoying five-minute errand after a season of use.

That is the highest stated runtime figure anywhere in this roundup, and it comes from battery capacity rather than from a clever motor.

The Narrow Cutting Width Is the Real Catch

The listed cutting width is 5.8 inches, which is far narrower than the 12 inch standard on almost every other product here. Fewer inches covered per pass means more passes, and that partially offsets the runtime advantage in actual work done. For small garden beds and a strip of path this is fine. For a lawn perimeter, you will be moving the tool more than you expect.

Platform Lock-In

The battery pack is a nonstandard format. That means no cross-compatibility with any mower or blower you already own, and replacement packs are harder to find than the big platform packs. Weigh that against the two 4.0Ah batteries and eight spools in the box, and for a first-time buyer the maths still works. For somebody adding a second tool later, it does not.

12. CRAFTSMAN V20 CMCST901M1 – The Best Mid-Tier Balance of Runtime and Swath

The CMCST901M1 is the middle of this list in every sense, and that is why it is easy to overlook. The included V20 4.0Ah battery gives up to 63 minutes of runtime.

That runtime figure is among the best stated in the group without needing a second pack, and the 13 inch swath covers more ground per pass than any 12 inch model here. The motor is rated at 52 percent more power than the previous CRAFTSMAN generation.

Turn-To-Edge conversion switches between trimming and edging by rotating the head, and two speed settings let you prioritise runtime or cutting power.

Balance and Handling

Owners consistently praise how well balanced it is and how easy it is to swing sideways along a path or around a shrub. That handling quality is what makes a 13 inch swath pleasant rather than tiring, and it is the reason we rate this kit highly despite a modest review count of 159 compared with the thousands behind some competitors here.

The Light Line Limitation

The line is on the light side, and owners note that edging performance suffers accordingly. If you plan to do meaningful edging work, buy 0.080 inch line and expect a longer charge time. Also worth knowing: above speed setting one the battery drains faster, so a spare pack is advisable for anything beyond routine maintenance, and a few owners report units failing within a season.

How to Choose a String Trimmer Without Regretting It

Almost every disappointing trimmer purchase comes down to one of four mismatches: wrong power type for the property, wrong shaft geometry for the user, wrong battery platform for the tools already in the garage, or line and head handling that makes the job unpleasant. Work through those four decisions and the choice almost makes itself.

Battery or Gas: Match the Power Type to Yard Size

For a lot under half an acre, a 20V or 40V cordless trimmer is the correct answer. There is no fuel to mix, no pull cord, no carburetor to clean before it will start next spring, and the noise lets you work before nine in the morning. Beyond about two acres, or if you are clearing growth that has been untouched for a season, gas or a high-voltage brushless cordless starts to earn its running costs.

The forum consensus that comes up repeatedly is that most people overestimate how much ground they have and underestimate how much runtime they will use. Measure the actual path you trim, not the lawn area. The lawn is mowed; the trimming is the fence line, the tree rings, the ditch and the bed edges, and that adds up faster than people expect.

Straight, Curved or Telescoping Shaft

A straight shaft keeps the cutting head further from your body and is the standard choice for heavy work and for operators who spend full days trimming. A curved shaft is shorter, lighter to swing, and easier to control in tight corners around shrubs and ornamental beds. A telescoping shaft is the compromise: set it to your height once, share it with whoever else uses the tool.

Under decks and around obstacles, reach and angle matter more than power. A curved shaft gets into those spaces without angling your wrists into an awkward position. Along a long fence line with heavy weeds, a straight shaft keeps the debris away from you.

Line Feed Systems Decide Whether You Enjoy Trimming

There are three approaches. Bump feed means you knock the head on the ground to advance line, and it is the simplest and most common. Tap-n-go and auto-feed systems use a button, which is faster and less annoying. POWERLOAD and Rapid-Loader systems load and wind the line without winding it by hand at all, which is the biggest single quality of life upgrade in this category.

If you have ever fumbled a spool in the dirt with gloves on, this single specification will tell you more about daily enjoyment than any other number on the list.

Voltage Platform and the Cost of Packs You Do Not Own

The most common complaint on lawn forums is not about the trimmer at all. It is about owning four batteries for four different brands. Before you choose, list the tools you already own and their voltages. A 20V WORX trimmer on an existing WORX platform costs far less in total than a cheaper trimmer that needs its own new packs and charger.

Two further rules of thumb. Runtime scales with amp-hour, not with marketing, so a 4.0Ah pack genuinely runs about twice as long as a 2.0Ah pack of the same chemistry. And count the batteries you will actually have: one battery and a forty-minute charge is a forty-minute ceiling on your session.

Weight and Balance Beat Headline Power for Most Homeowners

Most people are trimming for twenty minutes a week, not eight hours a day. Within that range, weight and balance determine whether you finish the job, while extra power sits unused. A 5.3 pound tool with a 9000 rpm head will serve a quarter-acre lot perfectly. A 12 pound tool with more power than that lot will ever demand is simply harder to hold.

The exception is genuinely heavy or woody growth, where extra power stops being wasted. Know which one you have before you shop.

Tool Only Versus Kit

A kit including battery and charger is more expensive on the day and cheaper across the first year. A bare tool is a better buy only if you already own that platform’s packs. The DEWALT DCST970B is the clearest case in this roundup: outstanding power, outstanding value if you own FLEXVOLT batteries, and a considerably larger total outlay if you do not.

String Trimmer, Weed Whacker or Brush Cutter

The names are used interchangeably for the same machine. A string trimmer, weed whacker and weed eater are all nylon line tools. A brush cutter is a heavier machine that takes a metal blade and is built for woody growth. If your problem is brambles, saplings or a thicket, a string trimmer is the wrong tool, and no amount of extra torque on a nylon head will change that.

Trimmer Line, Shaft Geometry and Maintenance Notes

No editorial roundup in this category owns the line question, but owners on lawn forums talk about it constantly. A mediocre trimmer with good line will beat an expensive trimmer with bad line, every time.

Line Diameter and Shape

Residential trimmers run 0.065 to 0.080 inch line, and heavier machines take 0.095 inch or thicker. The temptation is to fit thicker line to a lighter head, which is the fastest way to stall a motor and weld plastic. Round line is cheap, durable and quiet enough. Twisted line is quieter and cuts cleaner. Triangular and star profiles bite harder on stiff weeds but wear faster and are noisier.

The machines in this roundup that ship with heavier line, such as the Makita with 0.080 inch twisted line, will handle tougher growth out of the box than those supplied with 0.065 inch. If you plan to upgrade anything on these trimmers, upgrade the line before the head.

Why Line Welds to the Spool and the Water Fix

Line welds when friction generates enough heat to soften the nylon, and the usual triggers are running the head very close to the ground, working against stiff dry growth, or using line that has gone brittle with age and heat. The fix owners recommend most often is simple and works: keep spare spools submerged in a bucket of water. Hydrated nylon stays flexible and resists welding, and a dry spool in a hot shed is the single most common cause.

The second fix is technique. Keep the head moving, keep it a little above the growth, and do not plunge it into thick mat. The third is head maintenance, which is the subject of the next section.

Straight Versus Curved Versus Telescoping Shafts

This gets argued constantly on forums and answered properly almost nowhere. Straight shafts put the head furthest from the operator, which is safer with debris and better for heavy duty work. Curved shafts are lighter to swing and easier to control in confined spaces. Telescoping shafts are the practical middle, adjustable to different users and easy to store.

Our own view, based on how the tools in this roundup are specified, is that telescoping is the safest default choice for a household, and straight is the better buy for somebody doing long daily work. Curved is worth it when most of your trimming happens in tight spaces rather than along open fence lines.

A Pre-Season Maintenance Checklist

Five things, once a year. Check the head for cracks around the spool housing, because a cracked head throws line at odd angles and wears fast. Clear debris from any cooling air intake, which is the failure owners on the DEWALT most often describe. Check the line spool still turns freely by hand. Inspect the shaft and gear housing for play or a bend. And on any gas machine in the future, change the spark plug and clean the air filter before the first start of the season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bottom Line: Which String Trimmer Should You Buy in 2026?

If you want one clear answer, take the WORX WG163. It has the largest body of owner evidence behind it, converts to an edger in seconds, weighs 5.5 pounds, and includes two batteries on a platform that extends to other WORX tools. For most suburban lots, that is the correct purchase.

If you will genuinely work all day, buy the Makita XRU15PT1 for the four batteries and the 4.7 rating, and plan to swap the bump head for a Speed-Feed 400 shortly after buying it. If you want the widest cut and the least annoying reload, the EGO ST1623T wins on both counts.

If you already own a battery platform, buy that platform’s trimmer and nothing else. It is the cheapest decision in this entire guide. If money is the binding constraint, the BLACK+DECKER LST300 is the most complete kit you can start with.

And if your problem is genuinely woody growth rather than grass, stop shopping trimmers. A string trimmer cuts grass and light weeds. For brambles, saplings and thickets, you need a brush cutter with a blade head, and no cordless trimmer in this roundup will replace one. Check back as the season turns and the 2026 growing season gets going.