Cordless, non-gas, ambidextrous string trimmers!

July 31, 2019 4:51 PM

After an admirably long life, the rechargeable battery for my string trimmer has expired. I hated that string trimmer and will be using this as an excuse to replace the whole operation. Please help me find one I like that can be used by left-handed people and right-handed people alike.

The old trimmer had a safety mechanism that meant it could only be operated while continually pressing a button with the thumb on the right hand, which always felt awkward to me, as I am left-handed. I do the bulk of the lawn care and weed trimming, so it is most important that it be non-awkward for a left handed person, but my right-handed spouse may occasionally use it and it would be nice but not necessary if it could be used both ways.

I don’t need or want to deal with a gas trimmer, and would strongly prefer a rechargeable battery over something corded. Anyone have a recommendation?

posted by charmedimsure to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

My Stihl FSA90R is only slightly tilted towards right-handed people, of which I am one. There’s a thumb-operated speed limiter dial, but I never use it. The safety lock and operator presence lever are centered. It is, however, heavy and expensive because it was aimed at pro landscapers. I know Stihl has other models that are probably designed similarly.
posted by jon1270 at 6:08 PM on July 31, 2019

My EGO string trimmer is completely hand-neutral. You hold the safety down with the thumb of the same hand that operates the trigger. This assumes you have a thumb on that hand.
posted by fedward at 6:11 PM on July 31, 2019

I’m surprised to hear that so many models use a thumb safety at all. The higher-end string trimmers I’m familiar with all have an operator presence lever that’s under your palm.
posted by jon1270 at 6:24 PM on July 31, 2019

Slight right-hand bias is manageable; just don’t want continuous operational frustration. My lawn-care needs are not super hardcore so heavy AND expensive is probably indicative of a far more robust weed whacker than I need.
posted by charmedimsure at 7:12 PM on July 31, 2019

I'm a die hard lefty and my Ego trimmer has been no problem, and it feels powerful enough to compete with gas models (it does weigh as much as some gas models if that's a negative for you). Only a year in so no guarantee of longevity out of the system, but no complaints yet on the trimmer, blower, or hedge trimmer (thanks 20% new homeowner Home Depot coupon). I will admit if you only want one device, look into something that shares batteries with other useful tools, Milwaukee is a great example.
posted by token-ring at 7:32 PM on July 31, 2019

I'm not at home to judge lefty-rightyness of it but I think it's forgiving either way as it has adjustable slides in many dimensions for handle/head but I really like the brushless Ryobi one that we have. It's a no brainer if you're already on the Ryobi battery ecosystem (which I also enjoy for their multitude of devices, from fans to lights to air compressors to god knows what else).

I enjoy ordering from DirectTools and they seem to specialize in this sort of thing with lots of Ryobi options to choose from and I have yet to be burned yet by their open box/refurbished marketplace focus.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:09 AM on August 1, 2019