Where lawn mowers usually cannot be used, a trimmer has to help to bring the green in and around the garden back into shape. Since such work often has to be carried out in remote areas of the property, in the vicinity of which there is no power connection, we want to take a closer look at the range of cordless trimmers this month. In its July issue, the do-it-yourself magazine “self.de” thoroughly tested the current market situation for these devices. The test editors found many devices to have unbalanced features and lack of clarity in some user manuals, which means nothing other than:
A lawn trimmer makes cutting the lawn edges much easier
You should take a close look when planning to buy a new lawn trimmer, because there are a lot of criteria that mini mowers have to meet, such as:
- Ergonomics: The devices and their adjustment devices should also be easy to use for taller people and in an upright posture.
- Cut on a wall: Can the lawn trimmer (€31.33) be maneuvered so easily that the line or blade is not damaged and what about the mowing quality in the hard-to-reach corner areas?
- Modification: Can the trimmer be switched to horizontal mode, which would be optimal for edging?
- Surface cut: Can smaller surfaces also be processed cleanly and evenly?
- Running time: Even when cutting somewhat larger residual areas, the charged battery should be able to cope with the required workload.
- Rough cut: If something more stable and over a longer period of time has to be removed, can the trimmer do it without any problems?
- Safety check: Is it possible to work with the grass trimmer without endangering your health (protective device against accidental switching on)?
Twelve cordless lawn trimmers from the brands Bosch, Gardena, Gardol (Bauhaus), Ikra, Lux Tools, Makita, Ryobi, Stihl, Wolf Garten and Worx were tested. Result:
- 1 time "very good"
- 8 times "good" and
- 3 times satisfactory
Bottom line: there is no such thing as THE lawn trimmer, the results of the more than 40 different test criteria are too complex for that. Rather, every new owner of a cordless trimmer should definitely set his own priorities before buying, because no device was without weaknesses. The very informative 6-page overview, which interested parties can download for 1.99 euros, helps here.
Large differences in wear and cost of the cutting tools
These are quite expensive operating resources that have to be bought constantly and are not compatible between the individual brands. Here, too, it is worth taking a close look before making a purchase decision. While half of the devices tested use the traditional plastic cutting lines, the other six have replaceable plastic blades. Although trimmers with these easily exchangeable blades consume less electricity and have a longer service life, the subsequent purchase of these knives is sometimes very expensive.
By the way: If our readers have just bought a new cordless trimmer for their lawn: We are looking forward to a short assessment, maybe with a picture too… and by e-mail to us.