Tripping over the 100 foot extension cord you need to reach the farthest parts of the yard. I know, it’s not that big of a deal, but I just fell and I’m not a happy camper.  It’s also a pain to roll up a giant extension cord.  Still, for the price and power it’s hard to beat an electric yard trimmer.

Hitachi also has an outstanding warranty.

Cordless trimmers will use rechargeable batteries (not counting the gas powered yard trimmers). You should expect to get around 30 minutes of use before you will need to change the batteries. With a pair of batteries you should be able to trim all but the largest yards before both batteries are drained of power.

How long until a cordless yard trimmer runs out of power: around 30 minutes per battery. We should mention that as the battery runs down the trimmer will be progressively weaker.

So, drive around on the weekend and look over the garage sales. Surf over to Craigs List and see who is selling their trimmers online. There are great deals to be had at this time of year. Maybe not as good as December, but there is money to be saved by buying a used yard trimmer.

Rotating head: This lets you turn the trimmer for edging without having to change the handle position.

Easy starting: All electric trimmers feature push-button starting – an obvious advantage. Gas powered yard trimmers all need to be pull started. For in-tune or newer yard trimmers this is not an issue, but for older and heavily used models it can become problematic.

Clutch: Electric trimmers stop almost immediately when you release the trigger. Many gas models have a clutch that disengages the cutting head when the engine is idling or being started.

No Cord: Battery powered yard trimmers are not limited to electrical outlet placement or extension cord length. They can go where gas powered trimmers go, but just not for as long.

If you’re trying to figure out which yard trimmer to purchase it is easy to become a bit confused with the larger number of selections. Electric yard trimmers are very easy to operate. After you purchase it all that is needed to be up and running is to plug it in to an electric outlet. They tend to last for many years and there is just not much that goes wrong. On the downside, they are somewhat underpowered and are limited by the length of the extension cord that will be used. Because of their limited power and range they are not well suited for large yards where you would need to constantly plug and unplug them and they are not the best for large, thick patches of weeds. They can, of course, be used for large, weedy yards – it’s just not their strength.

Gas powered yard trimmers are the choice of professionals. They are very powerful and as such allow someone to trim grass and weeds at a very fast walk without missing a beat. They are not tied down by an electric cord. Basically, you can see gas powered yard trimmers in use every day all over the country by landscaping professionals. The downsides are you need to keep the engine running properly. This means a yearly tune-up and mixing oil with your fuel. Still, if you have a large yard or thick grasses a gas powered yard trimmer is the way to go.

I have owned a Grass Hog yard trimmer for 3 years now and overall it have been a serviceable tool. Mine has one string used to cut weeds/grass and it works well enough. If the weeds are too tough or thick the work does slow down, but it’s barely noticeable. What really slows things down is edging. The single string takes a beating and it breaks and shortens often. The plastic pieces have also cracked and in some places broken off. After 3 years my yard trimmer looks terrible, but it still runs very well. I don’t see myself replacing it any time soon since it does the job. I do think that my next purchase of a yard trimmer will be for either a cheap gas model or a cordless version. I really don’t like having to plug my yard trimmer in and out as I move around the yard. Live and learn.