He also said to mow early in the morning when the grass has dew, which helps the blade gain purchase. This video shows someone mowing their lawn with proper technique and a sharp blade. Worx’s 20-volt battery system isn’t as widely available as some others, most notably Ryobi’s.
I can also do the cutting in the early morning, whereas I would never dare take out a string trimmer at that time of day. Not everyone needs a full-size string trimmer, so we also considered a number of smaller, lighter models. Sacrificing power for ergonomics, these string trimmers are a better fit for people who may have movement limitations or anyone who has a small lawn and minimal trimming needs. With all the whipping and cutting a trimmer does, it’s not surprising that the string breaks at a fairly quick rate. Loading new line into the trimmer head has long been the most frustrating part of owning a string trimmer, but newer models solve this problem with either automatic systems or very simple manual designs. If the Ego ST1511T is not available, we also like the Ego ST1521S Power+ 15″ String Trimmer with Powerload.
But with experience, we’ve also come to recognize that there’s no single “best” artificial tree out there. Our goal is to introduce you to reliable manufacturers, and our picks are among their best examples. It runs on a 20-volt battery and has no problem with grass, though it struggled with thicker, stalkier weeds. In our tests, its 2.0 Ah battery gave us a bit over 20 minutes of cutting time, which should be enough for a small lawn. The good news is that it’s easy to hear the motor bog down when the machine is struggling; in those cases, we were able to try cutting the weeds down with a slower approach. Simply tap the bottom of the trimmer head against the ground, and a length of string feeds from a spool housed inside it.
This change required us to set our sights only on the most convincing, lifelike artificial trees, which usually carry a correspondingly high price tag. When we began this research several years ago, we were surprised to find how much a good fake tree cost. I use a scythe to take down a weedy area that once housed pigs so the ground is too lumpy and bumpy for any kind of wheeled mower.
Check out the ones with a collar tilt feature to adjust the shade, it’s so convenient. We’ve also got lighted umbrellas, perfect for evenings outside and a great source for ambient costway lounge chair lighting. Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor.
The National Tree Company PEDD1-312LD-75X (a former pick in this guide) is a great tree, but we made a mistake about one feature when we previously recommended it. This model lacks the company’s PowerConnect feature, which has the lights connect when you attach the central pole. Instead, with this tree you have to manually connect standard plug connectors near where the segments of the tree come together. It’s workable, but the PowerConnect feature is even better, and our top pick has that. And unfortunately, this more basic version does not usually sell for a lower price than our pick.
The other is contact with PVC dust beneath the tree, the result of physical decomposition of the “pine needles”—a particular concern for crawling infants. Significantly, new trees (new in 2004, that is) generally showed much lower levels of lead than trees manufactured in the 1980s and 1990s. We did a battery test on an earlier version of this Ego trimmer, and on a single battery charge it cut down about 3,400 square feet of dense overgrown grass, weeds, and stalky shrubs (an area measuring nearly 60 by 60 feet).
You can set this metal bar that sticks out of the front of the trimmer to indicate the leading edge of the whirling string, which allows you to trim right up to—but not harm—your prized geraniums. It’s a nice feature, particularly for anyone who might not be used to handling a string trimmer. We can’t say it’s a pleasant sound, and during testing we always wore ear protection. But the other light-duty costway lounge chair models were all especially loud, and their motors had an almost grindy quality to their sound. You can remove and replace the trimmer head of the RY40290 with a number of other tools (each sold separately), such as a brush cutter, a pole saw, or even a cultivator. We tested many of these attachments and were impressed with the results, especially the cultivator, which helped us till a small garden.