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The short answer: the best string trimmer for most yards is the EGO Power+ ST1521S — a 15-inch cordless trimmer whose POWERLOAD head rewinds new line automatically, which removes the single most-hated chore in string trimming. It suits a quarter-acre or larger with real fence line and tree rings. On a typical suburban lot the Greenworks 40V 13-inch 2-in-1 handles trimming and edging for about half the money, and the 5.5 lb WORX WG163 is the one to buy if weight is your limiting factor.
We do not buy, use, or physically handle any trimmer. These rankings come from aggregated owner reviews, star ratings, review volume and expert consensus — see how we rank. For cutting a crisp new border, see best lawn edger, and everything else about the lawn lives in our lawn care hub.
Top Picks at a Glance
Our #1 Pick: EGO Power+ ST1521S
Read enough string trimmer reviews and one theme swamps all the others: people hate reloading line. Wrestling a spool back into a head while kneeling on wet grass is the reason perfectly good trimmers get abandoned in garages. The ST1521S answers that directly. POWERLOAD means you thread a length of line through the head, press a button, and the motor winds it evenly. Owners describe it as the feature they did not know they needed and would not give up.
Everything else supports the same case. The 15-inch swath and .095-inch professional line put it in genuine weed-cutting territory rather than grass-tickling territory. The carbon-fiber split shaft carries a lifetime warranty and lets you break the tool down for storage or fit EGO attachments. And the brushless motor with variable-speed trigger means you can throttle back on a light bed edge and save charge for the ditch.
The complaints are consistent too. It is front-heavy compared with lighter 20V trimmers, and reviewers doing an hour of continuous work say a shoulder strap stops being optional. The included 2.5Ah battery is the smallest EGO sells — fine for a suburban lot, short for anything bigger, and stepping up to a 4.0Ah or 5.0Ah pack is the upgrade most long-term owners recommend. And POWERLOAD only works properly with correctly sized line, so cheap off-brand spools that vary in diameter will jam it.
Consensus Score ██████████░░ 9.0
The Ranked Field
Best for quarter-acre-plus yards with real fence line, tree rings and ditch grass
- 56V 2.5Ah battery and charger included
- POWERLOAD winds new line at the push of a button
- Carbon-fiber split shaft with lifetime warranty
- Takes .095-inch professional line
Why buy it: the trimmer owners stop complaining about, because POWERLOAD removes the single most hated job in string trimming — rewinding the head.
Best for typical suburban lots where the trimmer also has to edge the sidewalk
- 40V 2.0Ah battery and charger included
- Rotates to a wheeled edger in seconds
- Auto-feed spool, no bumping
- About 40 minutes of runtime per charge
Why buy it: covers trimming and edging on one battery platform for roughly half what a premium 15-inch trimmer costs.
Best for small yards, raised beds and anyone who finds a full-size trimmer heavy
- Two 20V batteries and charger included
- 5.5 lb — the lightest here by a wide margin
- Command Feed line advance on the handle
- Head pivots 90 degrees to edge
Why buy it: light enough to use one-handed around beds, which is exactly why it dominates reviews written by gardeners rather than yard crews.
Best for budget buyers who still want a spare battery in the box
- Two 20V MAX batteries, charger and spool included
- EASYFEED line advance, no bump feeding
- Two-speed control to trade power for runtime
- Converts to a wheeled edger
Why buy it: two batteries at a budget price means you finish the yard instead of waiting on a charger halfway around it.
Best for tall or short users and reaching under decks, shrubs and fence rails
- 56V battery and charger included
- Telescoping shaft adjusts to your height
- 15-inch cutting swath
- Brushless motor with variable-speed trigger
Why buy it: the adjustable shaft is a genuine back-saver, and it comes up constantly in reviews from anyone outside average height.
Best for small lots and households already invested in the RYOBI 18V platform
- 18V ONE+ battery and charger included
- Converts between trimmer and edger
- Adjustable 10 to 12-inch cutting swath
- Shares batteries with 280+ ONE+ tools
Why buy it: if there is already an 18V ONE+ drill in the garage, this is the cheapest sensible way into cordless trimming.
Quick Comparison
| Product | Best for | Rating | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EGO Power+ ST1521S 15″ POWERLOAD String Trimmer | Best Overall | 4.52,089 ratings | ~$230 | Price |
| Greenworks 40V 13″ 2-in-1 Trimmer and Edger (Gen 2) | Best Value Cordless | 3.7611 ratings | ~$150 | Price |
| WORX WG163 GT 3.0 20V 12″ Trimmer and Edger | Best Light-Duty Pick | 4.328,065 ratings | ~$130 | Price |
| BLACK+DECKER LSTE525 20V MAX 12″ Trimmer and Edger | Best Two-Battery Bundle | 4.314,171 ratings | ~$120 | Price |
| EGO Power+ ST1511T 15″ Telescopic String Trimmer | Best Telescoping Reach | 4.41,975 ratings | ~$200 | Price |
| RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless String Trimmer and Edger | Best Starter Kit | 4.3524 ratings | ~$110 | Price |
Trimmer Line: The Cheapest Upgrade You Can Make
More trimmer disappointment traces back to the line than to the tool. Matching diameter and profile to the job transforms how a machine feels, and it costs a few dollars.
| Line diameter | Profile | Cuts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.065 in | Round | Light grass, bed edges | Standard on most 20V tools; snaps on woody stems |
| 0.080 in | Round or twisted | General suburban trimming | The sensible default for a typical yard |
| 0.095 in | Twisted or square | Weeds, thick stems, fence lines | Needs a 40V+ tool rated for it |
| 0.105 in and up | Square or serrated | Brush and ditch banks | Commercial territory; will jam consumer heads |
Two habits from long-term owner reviews are worth copying. Soak a new spool overnight in water before loading it — nylon line dries out and turns brittle in a garage, and rehydrating it measurably reduces breakage. And store spare line in a sealed bag rather than loose on a shelf, for the same reason. Round line lasts longest and runs quietest; twisted and square profiles cut more aggressively but wear faster and are noticeably louder.
One safety note that recurs across every brand: eye protection is not optional. String trimmers throw grit, stones and line fragments at high speed, and the CPSC records eye injuries from powered yard equipment every season. Wraparound safety glasses cost less than a spool of line.
The Trimmers, Reviewed
1. EGO Power+ ST1521S — Best Overall
Covered above. Owners praise: POWERLOAD line reloading, real cutting power in weeds, carbon-fiber shaft, variable-speed trigger. Owners complain about: front-heavy balance over long sessions, an undersized included battery, and sensitivity to off-brand line. Best fit is a quarter-acre or larger with genuine trimming work rather than a token strip of grass.
2. Greenworks 40V 13″ 2-in-1 (Gen 2) — Best Value Cordless
The pragmatic choice for a standard suburban lot. It trims, then rotates into a wheeled edger so one tool and one battery handle the whole perimeter. Auto-feed means no bump feeding on the ground. Owners praise: the price, the edging conversion, light weight, and access to the wider Greenworks 40V range. Owners complain about: the 2.0Ah battery being modest for larger yards, auto-feed occasionally paying out more line than needed, and less authority in heavy weeds than a 15-inch .095-inch machine.
3. WORX WG163 GT 3.0 — Best Light-Duty Pick
At 5.5 lb this is the trimmer most likely to actually get used by someone who finds yard tools tiring. Command Feed advances line from a button on the handle rather than by tapping the head, and the head pivots 90 degrees for edging plus tilts for slopes and bank work. Owners praise: weight, one-handed usability around beds, two included batteries, and a spacer guard that protects young plants. Owners complain about: a 12-inch swath that makes big jobs slow, limited power in thick weeds, and spool caps that some found fragile.
4. BLACK+DECKER LSTE525 — Best Two-Battery Bundle
The long-standing budget default, and the two-battery bundle is why it keeps its place. EASYFEED advances line at the push of a button, and the two-speed control lets you run low for light grass and high for weeds, which materially extends runtime. Owners praise: price, two batteries, easy edger conversion, and simple line replacement with the AF-100 spool. Owners complain about: modest power in anything heavier than grass, batteries that fade after two or three seasons, and a plastic guard that flexes.
5. EGO Power+ ST1511T — Best Telescoping Reach
Mechanically similar to the ST1521S but with a telescoping shaft instead of the split shaft, which matters more than it sounds. Reviewers who are notably tall or short describe it as the difference between an hour of back strain and none. Same 56V platform, same brushless motor, same 15-inch swath. Owners praise: shaft adjustment, quiet running relative to gas trimmers — a real difference given OSHA's roughly 85-decibel workplace threshold for hearing damage — strong torque, and battery compatibility across EGO tools. Owners complain about: no POWERLOAD on some configurations, a telescoping collar that needs tightening properly or it slips, and the same front-heavy balance as its sibling.
6. RYOBI ONE+ 18V — Best Starter Kit
The entry point, and a genuinely sensible one if a ONE+ battery already lives in the garage. It converts between trimmer and edger and adjusts between a 10 and 12-inch swath so you can trade width for runtime. Owners praise: the enormous ONE+ tool ecosystem, low price, light weight, and simple controls. Owners complain about: short runtime on a small pack, weak performance in tall weeds, and a bump-feed head that some found unreliable. Best treated as a light-duty tidying tool rather than a primary trimmer.
What Owners Actually Complain About
The negative reviews across every brand in this category cluster into four things. Line feed problems lead by a wide margin — spools that weld themselves together from heat, auto-feed paying out line until it is gone, and bump heads that refuse to advance. Buying quality line in the correct diameter fixes most of it. Battery runtime is second, particularly on 20V tools sold with 1.5Ah packs; owners who bought a second battery are markedly happier than those who did not. Balance and vibration over long sessions is third — OSHA flags tools that transmit sustained vibration as a hand-arm vibration syndrome risk — and the fix is almost always a shoulder strap. And guard and spool-cap breakage is fourth, usually from clipping a fence post or curb at speed. None of these are brand-specific, and all of them are cheaper to prevent than to complain about.
How to Choose a String Trimmer
Start with the amount of edge you actually cut. A small lot with a driveway and a few beds: a 12-inch 20V tool like the WORX or BLACK+DECKER is plenty and far less tiring. A standard suburban lot with sidewalk, fence and tree rings: a 13-inch 40V 2-in-1 is the sweet spot, and the edger conversion earns its keep every week. A quarter-acre or more, weeds, ditch grass or acreage edges: buy 15 inches and .095-inch line, which means the EGO class of tool.
Then check three details before you buy. Line diameter rating — a head that only takes 0.065-inch line will never cut weeds properly. Battery capacity, not just voltage — a 40V 4.0Ah pack outruns a 56V 2.0Ah pack. And whether it edges, because a trimmer that rotates to an edging position saves buying a second tool for most homeowners. If your edges have grown badly over the concrete, though, start with a real edger and then maintain with the trimmer.
How We Rank String Trimmers
We never buy or physically handle the products on this site. We read the owner-review record at scale, and for this category we weighted four things. Line feed reliability carries the most weight, because it is what owners actually complain about and what makes a trimmer get abandoned. Cutting authority — what reviewers report in weeds and thick stems, not just lawn edges. Weight and balance, judged from reviews describing sessions over 20 minutes rather than first impressions. And battery platform value, since the pack you buy today decides which tools are cheap for you next year. Prices and ratings move; the complaint pattern barely does.
The Verdict
The EGO Power+ ST1521S is the string trimmer the owner-review record supports most strongly, largely because POWERLOAD solves the problem that ruins the ownership experience of every other trimmer. For a normal suburban lot the Greenworks 40V 13-inch 2-in-1 is the smarter spend, and the WORX WG163 is the right call if weight or reach is what limits you.
Next: cut a crisp border with our best lawn edger picks, match your mower to your yard in best lawn mower, or set a feeding schedule with when to apply lawn fertilizer.