A current generation weed eater string trimmer is typically gas or electric powered.  They are generally much more powerful than their predecessors.  They’re also quite a bit bigger too.  Their ergonomic characteristics are aimed at minimizing fatigue.  Today’s models are light weight and balanced.  These changes came about by virtue of many large manufacturers scrambling to satisfy a large and growing population of customers.  The gas powered weed eater string trimmers are most popular – and they’re also the noisiest.  You may have noticed lawn crews are starting to wear ear protection for that reason.

If you’ve never owned a weed eater string trimmer and are considering one, there are a couple of things to consider beforehand.  If your workload is relatively light and within the proverbial 150’ cord rule, a light weight electric model might work best for you.  You could skip the gas and oil mix fun.  If, on the other hand, you’ve got hundreds of feet of fence or large areas to cover a gasoline model would work best.

Pay particular attention to the weed eater trimmer line/cord size and feed mechanism.  First time owners are always surprised by the frequency with which the line breaks.  Putting on a new cord is always an experience to remember – especially the first time.  Make sure you pick out a model that supports a sturdy enough line for your environment.  You don’t want to discover that your weed eater trimmer doesn’t support the line thickness that you really need – after you buy it.  If you’ve decided on a gas model, get one that supports a fairly thick line, or you’ll end up spending all your time putting on new lines.

Don’t be tempted to get one of those ‘special’ weed eater string trimmer attachments that promote themselves as an alternative to expensive lines either.  I’m talking about those alternative attachments with a solid thick blade as opposed to a line.  They will tear the crap out of your fences and tree trunks, and generally damage anything they come in contact with.   Avoid them.

I realize I’ve demonized a bit the gas powered tools like the weed eater string trimmers and yard vacuums.  To be fair I feel compelled to defend them now.  Years ago the mixing of gas and oil was a chore – and a messy one.  That’s not really the case today.  The oil mix is available in a special measured dispenser bottle.  You basically just need to note the size of your gas container (usually in gallons) and make sure you measure the correct number of oil measures (typically in fluid ounces) per gallon to add.  It’s very straightforward.  If you don’t put in enough oil in the mix you’ll reduce the engines life basically.