Is there a tough electric line trimmer?

May 25, 2004 9:17 AM

Line trimmers. I'd like to go with an electric line trimmer, but they don't seem to have the same amount of torque as the gas variety. Does anyone have experience with a very robust, torquey electric line trimmer? It has to be able to cut through blackberry bushes, for example of growth it needs to whack down.
posted by grefo to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

Time to visit your public library. Consumer Reports reviews Line Trimmers about once a year. In my Library District, we get free access to the Consumer Reports online service. Yours might offer the same.
posted by Fupped Duck at 10:19 AM on May 25, 2004

We just bought a Black & Decker Grass Hog for $50 and the SO is pretty happy with it. It came in at #3 on the ratings chart in this months CR. That's right - June's issue has gas, corded and cordless electric ratings, if you hurry it should still be on newstands right now.

The two that topped the B&D were both Ryobi models, both of which cost more and were considerably heavier. Their overall scores were not significantly higher.

I recommend the Grass Hog with one small reservation: she had a bit of trouble getting used to the auto-advancing line feed gadget. Once you get used to it though, weeha!
posted by answergrape at 11:31 AM on May 25, 2004

I think you'll be lucky if any line trimmer can make it through blackberry bushes. At least around here (Pacific NW USA), those things are thick, spiky, and evil. I'd want a machete if I had to knock down a stand of them... and then they'd still come right back the next year.
posted by xil at 1:58 PM on May 25, 2004