Table of Contents
- View The Best Walk Behind String Trimmers Below
- 1. Remington RM1159 Walk-Behind High-Wheeled String Trimmer
- 2. EARTHQUAKE 28463 M205 150cc 4-Cycle Viper Engine
- 3. BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 String Trimmer/Edger & Lawn Mower
- 4. Southland SWLE0799 79cc Walk Behind Gas Lawn Edger
- 5. Cub Cadet 159 cc Gas Walk-Behind String Trimmer
- 6. ARIENS COMPANY 946154 Walk Behind Trimmer
- 7. Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SWSTM431 Wheeled String Trimmer
- 8. Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SWFT15022 Field Trimmer
- Walk Behind String Trimmers Buyer’s Guide
Walk behind string trimmers are a gardening tool that takes barely any time to set up and use, giving you a quick and easy way to trim your lawn and get rid of seeds without having to use a full-sized mower or a smaller, clumsier set of hand tools. Not only can they make quick work of even the thickest areas of grass, but they are much easier to maintain and don’t rely as heavily on dangerous blades.
Still, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t complicated in their own way: choosing the best walk behind string trimmers from the thousands of options on the market can take a while, and it is not always clear which features are most important until you have already used one.
Here are eight of the best walk behind string trimmer models you can buy right away, as well as some advice on how to identify the best model for your needs.
View The Best Walk Behind String Trimmers Below
1. Remington RM1159 Walk-Behind High-Wheeled String Trimmer
This high-wheeled walk behind string trimmer uses a powerful gas engine to help it slice through all kinds of tough weeds and thick grass, handling most plants with ease and making sure that it doesn’t jam easily. The 22-inch cutting area is meant to make borders much easier to deal with, as well as ensuring that hard-to-reach spaces are easy to access. Thanks to the folding handle, you can quickly pack up the trimmer for easy transport or storage, and the comfortable design means that you are not going to get fatigued easily by the vibrations of the motor or moving strings.
Pros:
+ Effective cutting design.
+ User-friendly operation.
+ Folding handle construction.
+ 22-inch cutting width.
+ Strong 159cc gas engine.
Why We Liked It – This string trimmer is perfect for thicker areas of your garden, cutting down bulky weeds like they are nothing.
2. EARTHQUAKE 28463 M205 150cc 4-Cycle Viper Engine
This versatile and all-terrain string trimmer uses a one-piece design that is supposed to massively reduce vibrations, keeping you comfortable for longer and helping you move across uneven ground with less hassle. The tool-free adjustment knobs make it easier to control the size and shape of the mower for easier storage, and you can use the smart stop features to turn off the trimmer head without having to continually kill the engine. Alongside all of this is a set of 14-inch wheels that provide much better stability on thick foliage, giving you full cutting power and a better level of weed-removing efficiency.
Pros:
+ Excellent cutting power.
+ Works well on thicker grass.
+ Reduces vibrations.
+ Highly maneuverable.
+ Quiet 150cc motor.
Why We Liked It – This wheeled string trimmer is quiet, effective, and easy to use, making it an excellent option for all kinds of cutting tasks.
3. BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 String Trimmer/Edger & Lawn Mower
The three-in-one design of this wheeled string trimmer allows it to work well for a range of different tasks with a tool-free conversion system, swapping from trimming to mowing and back with nothing but a click. You get two different handle options to use the tool in different ways, as well as a durable plastic body and strong wheels that can withstand all kinds of natural damage over long periods. Due to its fairly compact shape, it works well for smaller laws and very precise trimming jobs on key areas, all while being easy to store and handling most terrain well.
Pros:
+ Durable chassis.
+ Relatively compact size.
+ Easy to adjust between different cutting modes.
+ Works best on small lawns.
+ Two handles for different grip styles.
Why We Liked It – This is a walk behind string trimmer design that focuses on small spaces first, meaning that it is perfect for narrower areas and smaller gardens.
4. Southland SWLE0799 79cc Walk Behind Gas Lawn Edger
This trimmer is custom-built for handling lawn edges, using a sideways blade design to deal with areas that other tools can’t reach. The easy-start system makes it quick to set up and start using at any time, and you can adjust the blade between five different positions up to 2.5 inches deep. Not only that, but it bevels by up to 15 degrees in either direction and uses a three-point design to make thicker weeds and grass easier to cut. All of this is contained in a metal frame that is as durable as possible, handling all weather conditions and increasing the lifespan of the entire tool by a large amount of time.
Pros:
+ Sturdy design.
+ Built to handle edges.
+ Bevelling and adjustable blade.
+ Uses thick, durable tires.
+ Easy-start system.
Why We Liked It – This is a walk behind string trimmer design that focuses on small spaces first, meaning that it is perfect for narrower areas and smaller gardens.
5. Cub Cadet 159 cc Gas Walk-Behind String Trimmer
The unique design of this Cub Cadet walk-behind string trimmer allows it to trim grass around various obstacles, ranging from fence posts to borders, without bumping into them or damaging itself. The thin wheels at the rear provide excellent support without being too bulky to use near walls, and the AutoChoke system skips a lot of the preparation that you would need to do before using other weed eater or trimmer models. The varying height setting allows you to trim anywhere from 4 inches to 1.75 inches from the ground, and you get five adjustable blades to help deal with thicker areas of foliage.
Pros:
+ Strong blade design.
+ 22-inch cutting width.
+ Prevents clogging.
+ Works well against obstacles.
+ Trims weeds well.
Why We Liked It – This trimmer is ideal for trimming down grass and weeds in awkward areas, especially against obstacles or fences.
6. ARIENS COMPANY 946154 Walk Behind Trimmer
This walk-behind trimmer contains a strong 149cc Kohler engine that can offer very high levels of power, as well as a recoil start system that makes it much easier to start cutting straight away. The 12-inch wheels provide improved stability while the 14-gauge steel frame improves durability dramatically, making every kind of cut much easier to perform.
Not only that, but you get four different cutting positions thanks to the reinforced pivot design of the trimmer head, letting you cut around obstacles or uneven ground in almost any situation. Replacing the string is also really easy, so you are never stuck without a way to repair it.
Pros:
+ Reinforced cutting head design.
+ Uses strong wheels.
+ 22 inches of cutting width.
+ 4 cutting positions.
+ Recoil start system.
Why We Liked It – The powerful engine in this walk-behind string trimmer makes it excellent at slicing up thick areas of your lawn or garden.
7. Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SWSTM431 Wheeled String Trimmer
This outdoor walk-behind string trimmer uses a swiveling trimmer design that can easily turn to cut along an obstacle or wall, as well as a trimmer head that can bevel between five and ten degrees for more precise and clean cuts. The improved wheels offer extra torque compared to most trimmer models but avoid adding more bulk, meaning that you are able to handle much harder terrain without any stability issues. On top is an ergonomic handle with a spring-loaded thumb throttle system that reduces fatigue and keeps the user comfortable for longer, placed away from the motor to lessen the vibrations and shakes.
Pros:
+ Very stable construction.
+ Made with sturdy wheels.
+ Vibration-reducing handle.
+ Prevents fatigue.
+ Pivots and bevels for niche cutting angles.
Why We Liked It – This is another wheeled string trimmer that can help you cut at awkward angles or against surfaces.
8. Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SWFT15022 Field Trimmer
This heavy-duty wheeled string weed eater offers a 150 cc engine and a manual recoil start system to give you plenty of cutting strength and speed, all balanced on two 12-inch wheels that offer increased mobility regardless of the terrain you are moving across.
The grip area is covered in foam that reduces the vibrations and prevents muscle fatigue from long-term use, as well as helping you control the movements of the 22-inch cutting area. You can fold this handle down for more accessible storage and faster transport, or leave it up and use the wheels to move it around in complete safety from physical damage.
Pros:
+ Easy-to-use handle design.
+ Uses tough wheels.
+ Wide cutting area.
+ Easy to control.
+ Made with tough, heavy-duty parts.
Why We Liked It – Compared to other string trimmers, this design is easy to control and cuts well on almost all surfaces, making it a tremendous general-purpose choice.
Walk Behind String Trimmers Buyer’s Guide
Buying the best walk behind string trimmer for your lawn or garden might sound simple on paper, but in practice, it can get very confusing very quickly. Understanding what to look for and the kind of features you might want can go a long way towards helping you find the perfect walk behind string trimmer, but you will need to understand which features might be offered and why they might be more important than you first assume they are.
Cutting Power
The point of most walk behind string trimmer tools is to trim grass, cut down weeds, and generally even out an area of foliage. To do that, you need something that can cut effectively and won’t get tangled in thicker grass or larger patches of weeds. This is especially important for a string trimmer, since the string is usually easier to break than a regular blade would be, even though replacements are easier to set up. In most cases, a decently powerful engine and an efficient design are more than enough to handle most cutting tasks.
However, there is always the chance that you will choose something too powerful. Too much power, either from a larger engine or a design that is overpowered for what you are cutting, can be more dangerous than you’d think. Not only does it make the tool itself more dangerous, but it might even end up spitting the shavings of whatever you’ve cut into the air: this is just annoying if it is bits of grass, but any solid wooden stems or other harder objects can become painful if they are knocked away at a high speed.
High speed can also lead to a loss of control. While this isn’t going to be anything extreme, a tool that vibrates really quickly and feels hard to angle correctly can end up being very hard to use, and it is always possible that you will accidentally run the trimmer head over your foot or ram it into a solid surface.
Durability
All tools are going to wear down eventually, even if some are slower than others. It is important to remember that your string trimmers are no exception and that they are often going to be suffering some kind of damage no matter how you are using them. Some might be up against bad weather, others might be getting dull blades from a lot of cutting, and some might simply have a point where they are not as effective as they used to be. Good durability can help your favorite tools stay operating properly for much longer.
Durability comes from a lot of different places, but it is mostly down to the materials used in the design. Sometimes there will be metals that are able to withstand adverse weather but can’t hold up to much physical harm, whereas there might be other metal alloys that are really strong but have to be protected from rust. Choosing between them is easy: just look for metals that don’t have many downsides, like steel (especially stainless steel) and custom metal alloys.
String trimmer designs have one benefit over all other designs: the string is easy to replace compared to a blade and doesn’t take as much time or effort to carry with you, meaning that a less durable string isn’t the end of the world if you have spares. It is up to you whether or not you prefer it this way.
Safety
Staying safe while using a walk behind string trimmer is important. They aren’t as dangerous as other cutting tools, but the trimmer head can still hurt if it is used incorrectly, and many of them are fast enough to cut through shoes or other clothing. Looking for features like an emergency stop button or a held trigger system can make a big difference, and it is one of the best ways to stay safe.
Wheels
Wheels form a massive part of any mobile tool, and they are not something that should be taken lightly. Walk behind string trimmers are designed as a tool that you walk behind, so having wheels that allow more fluid and open movement makes a large difference to how the trimmer works. However, there isn’t a universal best option when it comes to trimmer wheels since it depends on the kind of conditions you will be using it in and the terrain you will have to cross. First of all, remember that very few trimmer designs will use the inflatable rubber tire types that you would expect on larger tools since smooth movement isn’t very important for a trimmer and doesn’t add much of a benefit to its trimming power.
The larger a set of wheels are, the easier it will be for your trimmer to cross rough ground, but that is not always necessary. If you are dealing with a rough area, such as a garden built on a steep slope, then large tires are essential to crossing it properly and getting the best results you can. On the other hand, if your garden is mostly flat and barely ever gets muddy, smaller wheels are easier to use and won’t get in the way of your ability to make the grass even or kill weeds.
Most of the time, you will want never-flat tires: these are any designs that don’t use air to inflate them, such as ones that are essentially just thick rubber rims on a metal or plastic frame. The lack of air means that you don’t have to keep pumping them up or repair small punctures, and the roughness of the movement doesn’t matter since you are barely in contact with the tool anyway.
Engine Type
The engine of your walk behind trimmer makes a big difference. A good engine leads to improved performance, better line cutting, and an overall more efficient tool. A bad engine can make it hard to even manage a straight line, might put you at risk, and can sometimes even result in a walk behind trimmer struggling to handle the most basic patches of weeds or grass. Finding a good engine isn’t just about power, but about fuel efficiency, reliability, and strength.
There are two main types of engine used in walk behind trimmer designs. The first is a 4-stroke engine, and the second is a 2-stroke engine: they work in different ways and might require slightly different fuel types, but 2-stroke engines produce smaller vibrations and weigh less on average. 4-stroke engines are seen as more durable, but they are also heavier and vibrate more: the upside can be that they are also more powerful and might function better internally. There are different arguments for using either type, so it is up to each individual person.
On the other hand, each engine design will still be different. Two 2-stroke engine styles can weigh different amounts, and one engine might be superior to another in almost every way. Thankfully, small engine differences aren’t usually worth completely changing your trimmer for unless you have a certain reason to maximize its efficiency or power. As long as you get an engine that works well and provides enough cutting power to make your walk behind trimmer work properly, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Vibration
While vibration isn’t a problem in any walk behind string trimmer designs, it can still be uncomfortable to deal with. The movement of the string line in the trimmers can cause vibrations, especially with a powerful motor, and this can result in muscle fatigue or a numb feeling if you are using the trimmer for long periods of time. Reducing vibration isn’t always easy, but since it is not a major issue that has to be avoided, you can easily find ways to counteract it.
A lot of walk behind string trimmer products use padded handles to dampen vibrations before they reach your hands, essentially removing part of the vibration altogether. This is useful for a stronger engine since even a small amount of padding on a walk behind string trimmer can remove a lot of the shakiness. Smaller engine designs won’t have this problem, but padding can still be a nice way to make vibrations less of an annoyance.
Remember that walk behind string trimmer vibrations are caused by the trimmer engine, the movement of the line, and the internal parts shifting around: different designs will create different amounts of vibration.
Cutting Swath
The cutting swath (or cutting width) of your walk behind string trimmers are vital to getting the best possible performance out of them. A large cutting width lets you cut apart larger areas of grass, makes your trimmer more efficient in enclosed spaces, and can even reduce the amount of fuel you use. Most walk behind string trimmers are meant to clear an entire garden, so a wider cutting swath makes it easier to clear the area and ensure that everything looks level. On the other hand, some people want a smaller trimming area for more niche tasks, such as trimming down a border or avoiding obstacles that are in the way.
In almost all situations, though, a larger cutting swath is better in every single way, allowing for a more efficient use of the tool. It can take more string to make the string trimmer work as expected, but other than that, it is generally just going to be a direct upgrade. The only other feature that matters here is the ability for the trimmer head to swivel or bevel: this means that you can adjust the way it cuts to fit the situation, making it easier to cut around objects and reduce the amount of wear and tear going into the string or blade areas.
Cutting height also matters in certain situations. If your trimmer has an adjustable cutting height, you can thin out the ground to a higher or lower level, which can be useful if you want it to look a certain way.
Trimmer Line Replacements
The trimmer line, also known as the string or the wire, is the string line that is used to slice apart grass and weeds in place of a blade. The line does all of the cutting, so being able to replace it can be important in a lot of different situations. Most trimmer line types come as spools of wire, but longer cutting lengths can require more line to cover the diameter – the wider your trimmer is, the more line you will have to use each time.
Some trimmer designs make it more difficult to replace the line, either because of the design or just because of how the body is constructed. In some designs, you will be able to remove the trimmer head and insert the line that way. In other cases, you might have to disassemble part of the body, which can take a lot more time and means that line replacements might have to be done near your garage or toolbox. The faster your line wears down, the more of an issue this can become, so make sure you know how long your line will last in the walk behind string trimmers you buy.
Buyer’s Guide Questions
What is the best walk behind string trimmer?
When you are looking for the best string trimmer, remember that the ‘best’ options according to some lists can be biased. A good example is any site that is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program. Being a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program basically means that you can get paid for linking to certain items in the right way, no matter whether or not you genuinely think it is the best option. Some other sites might claim that the “best” product is whatever sponsor they are working with, so be sure to do your own research.
Other than that, it is important to look into the individual features you might want, as well as reviews that mention them. Just because some reviews say that Southland string trimmers are the best doesn’t mean that you will want to use Southland string trimmers, so reviews should be used as advice, not a definite answer. If you happen to find a Southland trimmer that you like through reviews, that is different, because the reviews pointed you towards a trimmer that you like. If Southland doesn’t offer a trimmer that helps you, you don’t have to buy a Southland trimmer just because reviews said so.
Are DR trimmers any good?
The DR Trimmer line is a good example of a brand that focuses on a particular type of trimmer. Lots of brands have a certain set of features that they will focus on, and in the case of DR, it is usually related to durability and safety. This means that they might sacrifice cutting height or engine power for extra protection and safety measures, whereas another brand might do the opposite. Identifying the trends of each brand and what they focus on makes it much easier to narrow down which ones you might want to use.
Remember that anything can be a feature in walk behind string trimmers: a certain engine design, adjustable cutting height options, line replacement features, or even the trimmer shape itself. Reviews will usually point these out, but it is still a good idea to look at the products yourself and see if they fit your needs. A high cutting height and a powerful engine don’t mean much if they are not going to have much of a practical benefit. Always choose something that fits your needs, not what seems the flashiest or most unique option.
Conclusion
These reviews and buyer’s guide went over a variety of trimmer features, advice on how to find your own string trimmers, and what kind of features are most useful on these walk behind string trimmer models. Still, it is impossible to list every single one of the trimmers you could choose from online: everything, from the shape of the body to the engine inside, changes how trimmers work and what they can be used for.
If you are still interested in owning one of these trimmers, use this guide as a way to figure out what you should be looking for and what features are a priority to you. Even the smallest starting point can make your search much easier, and it is far better to find a trimmer you know you can rely on instead of settling for one that is popular but doesn’t fit your needs perfectly. The longer wait is worth it, and the benefits will always outweigh the extra time it takes to find the perfect trimmer design.
