When deciding on what grass trimmer to buy, there are four clear options: electrically powered, battery powered, gas powered, and gasless powered. Your choice in trimmer ultimately depends on your personal preferences and what kind of lawn care style you have.
We’ll start with electrically powered trimmers. This type of trimmer has an extension cord that connects to a power outlet. They are practical for you to purchase if the area you are trimming is smaller, as it can become a hassle to haul around an extension cord while trimming your lawn. On the positive side, though, you don’t need to worry about spilling (or purchasing) gasoline. Electric trimmers are the cheapest of the trimmer family, but remain somewhat impractical due to the extension cord and lack of power compared to the other family members. Make sure before purchasing an electric powered trimmer that you are willing to have your trimmer plugged into an outlet while doing yard work.
Next is the battery powered trimmer. This type of trimmer needs to be recharged frequently, therefore making it quite tedious if you’re trying to trim a large area. Battery powered trimmers are the least powerful of the trimmer family but the technology has gradually improved over recent years. These trimmers aren’t ideal in wet weather, as they tend to short-out occasionally when water interferes with the battery. They are very mobile and lightweight, though; they maintain a good range in motion, there is minimal vibration, and they have zero harmful emissions that release in the air. If you have a small to average sized lawn, don’t want to be hassled with fuel, and are willing to throw down about a hundred bucks, a battery powered trimmer may be what you should look into.
The third type is the gasoline powered trimmer. Among large lawn owners and lawn care professionals,
this type of trimmer (in most cases) is the first choice. They are powerful and can handle large amounts of trimming. Some of the downfalls include the messiness of refilling the gasoline and keeping a separate gas can for mixing gas and oil (on two-stroke units). You’ll also be tolerating vibrations and noise, along with the overall weight, initial expense of the unit, and continuing cost of fuel to keep it running. In addition, the carbon footprint for these trimmers is much larger than their “green” alternatives. Because these units require maintenance and tune-ups, it’s easier to find replacement parts and attachments. Most gas powered trimmers run on a set ratio of gasoline and oil, although newer trimmers are being produced that don’t require the mixing of oil with fuel. These trimmers remain the ideal option for people with a large amount of trimming area. Before you go out and spend money on a gas powered trimmer, make sure you really need it for yourself, because if not, you just put a bad dent in your wallet and the environment.
Last, and certainly not least, the gasless powered trimmer, also known as Core Power. Core power technology has been around for years but has just been recently been incorporated into outdoor power equipment. A Core Power trimmer has just as much power as a two-cylinder gas powered trimmer, minus the loud noise and need to refuel.
Core Power is just starting to make its mark in the trimmer world and their product line is improving rapidly. Core trimmers are cordless and only require about an hour to recharge the Core power cell. This high-tech cell is the life of the trimmer and is the brain behind Core technology. Maintenance is rarely needed with Core powered machines because there simply are not as many components compared to the other trimmer styles. A Core trimmer is there to get the job done as cleanly and easy as possible. Whether your lawn is big or small, Core trimmers are worth the purchase because the power combined with simplicity makes it a simple, enjoyable task. These units are priced equivalent to an entry-level commercial gasoline powered trimmer and provide similar torque, weight and ease of use.
In the end, your trimmer decision is up to you, your lawn, and your wallet. With all the styles to choose from, picking the right one may be difficult. With a little bit of research, finding the right one for you might be easier than you think!
