Best Battery Powered String Trimmer? Ego, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Toro, Ryobi

In the market for a string trimmer or the best weed eater? We gathered 10 flagship models and put them through the ringer, until we found the best of the best. In this video, we'll share everything you need to know about each of these trimmers, why we chose them and how we tested, as well as some of the data we compiled in graphical charts.
(NOTE: we accidentally showed the MST1603 attachment-capable model in the video, but tested the ST1623T with LineIQ)
Read More On our Picks Here: bit.ly/3lqzwM2
0:00 Intro
0:37 EGO MST1603 PowerLoad With LineIQ
1:22 Ryobi 17" Whisper Series
2:02 Greenworks 60V Bike Handle String Trimmer
2:45 Husqvarna Weed Eater 320il
3:35 Milwaukee M18 Brushless 2828
4:24 DeWalt Flexvolt 60V String Trimmer
4:59 Echo E-Force DSRM-2600
5:29 Toro Flex Force 51830
6:18 Skil 40V PWRCore
7:05 Hart 40V Supercharge
7:37 Cutting Power
8:12 Line Size & Mass
8:52 Cutting Swath
9:27 Runtime
10:04 Weight and Balance
10:19 Smart Line Changes
10:49 Charts and Data
11:45 Best Battery Powered String Trimmer

[@Scrambler85]

PROJECT FARM did a great review of battery powered trimmers

[@333.J.I.K]

Just got an EGO that thing is awesome 👍

[@PaulOuzenne]

Nice video, and very informative. Will purchase the Toro Flex Force. Like the ability to change out attachments and the brand is very reliable. 👌

[@dellhart7076]

Loved the review but a more complete ranking order would be great.

[@keeganjacobs5913]

love my EGO string trimmer, and i love the auto feed .

[@randysmith9636]

I just seen about your video on Belts & Boxes, just in time to. Thanks for the review brother.

[@tboneaja]

The ego is nice, I just purchased an echo that is very impressive, I got a deal, the trimmer, charger and two 56 volt batteries for 275 total..

[@gailjohnson6670]

Thank you for the review and video.

[@bradleykornele]

Why use dewalt 15in old model and not 17in powerhead version?

[@MrNobody66]

Have you seen any over heating issues with the Milwaukee? I am now on my 5th replacement and it's still cutting out within a few minutes. So it's melted 4x12Ah batteries and 4x5Ah batteries I don't use the larger batteries anymore as they are to expensive to replace. So now im looking at changing brands..

[@barberelectronics5672]

I would have liked to have seen decibels for each trimmer, and total weight with battery

[@louislandi938]

I have 1.3 acres of grass and wild stuff. Bought the top of the line EGO about a month ago. HIGHLY impressed! I cut mostly with the low power setting but use high power for thick areas. It is well balanced and far less vibration than my Eco gas trimmer.

[@Protoolreviews]

You're not kidding, that thing is a beast! Thanks for watching and have a great day!

[@louislandi938]

I tell friends it’s like comparing a Model T Ford to a Tesla. With my gas powered Eco, after a half hour of cutting, my arms would be sore hour hours. I’m 78yrs old and keep my cutting with the EGO to around 1 hour. Could easily go longer. On a scale of 1 to 10, the vibration on the Eco ( Or probably any gas trimmer) is a 10. The EGO would be a 2.

[@rkgsd]

I'm in the same situation. 1 acre with weeds that get a few feet high. I'm assuming you have the rear motor model and an extra battery.

[@robiandrich7860]

The bump feed on the ego does not work after a a few months of use. And a battery suddenly died. Very sad, and does not sell at Home Depot anymore. Only in the NEX on base. Really hard product to get.

[@louislandi938]

@@robiandrich7860 My EGO is an auto feed. I don’t have to bump it to feed. I have one battery. It lasts for more than 45 minutes but I’m ready for a break by then. I put the battery on charge and do something else for less than an hour.

[@Unknown-pc9yq]

Quick question, do you buy your own products or do you get them sent to you from the company?

[@azuldragonfly]

Love your charts! Thank you❤

[@Protoolreviews]

Thanks for watching!

[@jasonanderson8324]

I love the ego. I use the backpack harness with the 10ah batteries though. Last for ages and saves weight on the arms and distributes it through the torso.

[@frydemwingz]

there is a backpack battery? I desire to know more.

[@Anonymous..VQ3.5Lg35]

Great video! We have the Milwaukee, does great for our yard, usually only need 1 big battery to get the yard done

[@lthegr81]

Does Ryobi come in second? Trying to decide which 1 to get between the 2. I'm on the ryobi platform but that and the ego are the same price. Ryobi Comme with a extra trimmer plastic head.

[@philipjohn4149]

Ego line iq with power head is life changing. Milwaukee melts both tool and battery.

[@victorwilliams4403]

Enjoyed the video.

[@neachtarrsainn3216]

I would have liked to have seen you rank all of the trimmers or at least give a top 3...

[@bormatnor]

My question is which one has a trimmer head that can be removed so I can put on a quick change string? I like the heads that you stick in a length of stringand when it wears down you pull the string through and push in a new one. Simplistic solution.

[@ProToolsApproved]

So no makita lxt or xgt? Damn. Missed a great opportunity guys.

[@ryane6719]

@@Protoolreviews so break out the wallet and buy a couple.

[@franklauriekranitsky2782]

What happened to the Stihl weed eaters? Would like to know how they compare. Thanks!

[@CuttaSquad]

I got the echo for my business 💪🏽

[@Scrambler85]

I'm 6'4", It would be great to know the working height for the trimmers

[@Laubz]

Milwaukee has attachments with the quick-lok system?

[@vdittycc]

Can you change the line spool to a universal eco feed ?

[@jarodneedham7326]

So Milwaukee now has interchangeable head system. Still love their tools and innovation

[@ericmartin3396]

I like the ego for its line system

[@bramvanhautte5112]

Can you use a weed steel brush on these machines or only the string line attachment?

[@lisat9707]

Stihl Kombi system has lots of tools... I can't think of one they don't have for it.... Blower sweeper edger, trimmer brush cutter, angle edger, bed redefiner.

[@fredthe52]

The EGO is the best for me. Its a beast good power💪💪👌👌✊✊

[@HabitualFixation]

Have an EGO and it’s 4 years old. Doesn’t auto feed the line like the newer model but it’s still great. Only sore point is the bottom pad wears out first from tapping it all the time to feed the line. I’ll need a 2nd cap soon. RECOMMEND A+

[@internalharm]

I had the line iq. Don't get it get another bump head. The line IQ is finicky and it is suppper hard to do edging with the shielding on. It sometime detect low line and auto spools for you, again, sometime. I don't have time to constanly mess around. I rather tap it and be done. I return mine. Get anyone of the string trimmer beside the line iq. Get the one with auto feed since but a bump head. Maybe multihead one.

[@HabitualFixation]

@@internalharm thanks for the great feedback 👍🏼

[@tonyd3029]

add a bolt to the bottom cover, there are videos on it.

[@HabitualFixation]

@@tonyd3029 Top tip man, thanks 🙏

[@Annaspopoff]

😅I'm here but was looking at a battery weed eater and edger combo. I need a powerful easy-to-use edger to cut around 2years of grass growth around a driveway and curb. My gas one had a bad unsafe edger and the gas bubble to prime the weed eater was bad enough for a recalled.

[@WilsoonHarrvey]

Great video, i recently purchased the Ryobi and was very impressed with its power and how quiet it is. Feels very sturdy, just hope the battery lasts as I heard EGO and Ryobi are known to have battery issues.

[@MooMoocat8009]

I agree

[@npp909]

Love my Ego.

[@erice5429]

Hi. Hey, you guys should also have done the battery lasting test. Thank you

[@Protoolreviews]

Thanks for the feedback Eric! We've tried in the past, but realistically, unless you can keep it under load for the entire duration, the traditional runtime test doesn't mean as much. Unfortunately, we don't have that much grass to kill for 10 trimmers 😅

[@dannypaul2583]

can anyone here tell me which ones have good line feed ? Is EGO the best feed , my green works DOES NOT ever feed

[@stevennihipali3607]

Milwaukee has a shoulder harness available... dunno if that's something you can use as an attachment, but i definitely didn't get it in the original box, had to buy mine from Ohio power tool

[@pofoe2394]

Where did you pull these prices the ego is around 350

[@BNOVA]

Why didn't you try to review the dewalt that can take attachments?

[@dannydeshler4327]

I have used my Ego for about 4 years now...outstanding weedeater, it has never backed off from a task. I am however startingto notice my batteries are not lasting as long. I have probably 100-120 charge cycles on them. They will be OK for a couple more years I'm sure.

[@bonafidesmooth]

Can or have you used it as an edger as well?

[@kunaldhume4152]

​@jemelpeters you can. Just change the angle of the trimmer gand holder which you can on the latest models

[@Dustysa4]

Makita?

[@taylanlowe120]

Missing a couple great trimmers. Makita was in the top 2 in prodject farm reviews then there is yard force 120v that is said to be a beast but no one seems to review them against others. Then green machine has a few options that are said to be pretty good too

[@craigbloomfield4087]

I have the dewalt , keeps over heating and stops .

[@1sotheary]

I have the ECO 16" trimmer. It works well and is very powerful. Almost too powerful. I mean, I use it for the thicker brush I have in my yard. I use a smaller, less powerful trimmer to handle the simple edge trimming around the yard.

[@treeguyable]

ECHO, Ego, now,I have another brand to keep up with, Eco.

[@kentaroo.7759]

I love my Milwaukee fuel trimmer.

[@Michael-wy7om]

I just got 37 minutes on my new fully charged Ego 5 Amp battery, online it says 140 min but nothing on Egos website

[@pathfollower]

Can't find any power ratings for these things.

[@bilalunar]

Why was Stihl not included in the review???

[@shirleyrichards2514]

I want a Trimmer that can work on a ranch. 3 ft grass, thick grass, alfalfa, rabbit brush, sage brush and in and out of corrals. I need a tough line that dont break every minute. What do you suggest. 😮

[@Beardman56]

Nothing battery powered and Husqvarna titanium force is about the toughest line

[@menermials]

Is it more important to first check the battery test? BIG FANS!

[@donnalocker3677]

What about black & decker

[@bonsaiman75]

I can’t believe you got Jeff Probst to do your video!

[@randykovalenko1236]

How can you compare trimmers without including Stihl?

[@theitalian556]

I agree that EGO is the clear winner!

[@Protoolreviews]

Thanks for watching!

[@jamespatton3720]

I just picked up the Skil blower and weed eater at Lowe’s 2 weeks ago for 149.00. I have to say for the money the weed eater is a beast. The blower is quiet compared to my old Ryobi 40v non brushless blower.

[@vdittycc]

What's your review now after a year about to buy one soon

[@jamespatton3720]

@@vdittycc I’ve had no problems with the weed eater however the button that holds battery in on the blower broke within a couple of months,It must be a problem due to the part being on back order.

[@Jimenez20]

Great review. I have the Ego myself and love it. Although when dispensing the line it does take a bit longer at times for some reason, it still works just fine. I see you have the new Brunt boots. I still have the Perkins and they've held up very well so far over the past year.

[@chenguavez347]

Is the ego heavy?

[@Jimenez20]

@@chenguavez347 It all depends. It's hard to answer that question because everyone is different. I personally think it feels good in the hands and is not heavy but again that is my opinion when holding it myself.

[@floppyebrokent8578]

Maybe I missed it, but why didn't you test the Milwaukee flagship trimmer with the attachment system? Hmmmm

[@danross395]

I noticed that too , he said at the beginning he was using the lower end because of price and the packaged deal, then quotes the price tool only

[@Brettsgrasscapades]

Ego makes fantastic tools overall but the iq series leave much to be desired. I was a big fan of the line IQ initially but after over a year of ownership now I never use it anymore because the auto feed is spotty at best when it comes to advancing line. Now I have to wait until the trimmer thinks I need more line and thats well beyond when I normally would want more string. Honestly bumping the head is not a problem that needed to be solved in my opinion.

[@billsikes4007]

7 months in and I abuse this with living on a lake with "weeds" closer to brush, absolutely no issues. Is there a mechanical issue with yours, maybe?

[@528freq8]

Have two different models posted as your ego machine which one is it?

[@JJPetro]

How did a Stihl not "make the cut". The number one brand that professionals use was not included??

[@georgeuribe3305]

I am reading the comments looking for that answer as well. I also noticed some tools they tested were multi tool units. Sthil has both they could have tested

[@Beardman56]

​@@georgeuribe3305stihls battery line is probably 2 or 3 times more expensive than it needs to be. Their gas stuff is great but they are using their name to gouge prices on poor battery equipment

[@illiniwood]

This wasn't a review, this was a commercial disguised to look like a review for all the brands that pay their bills.

[@stevennihipali3607]

As a former HD employee, I can tell you ryobi is highly frowned on... cause consumers can't use tools right... they think ryobi is milwaukee tough.

[@internalharm]

I have Ego 2 stage snow blower, lawn mower, blower and I did get the new Line IQ. The Line IQ sucks. I returned it. The head is 4 inch and it automaticlly release the line when it is 1 inch... Sometimes.. I dont recommend that, just get abumb head or another brand.

[@willhutton1516]

You also forgot the Atlas brand 80V from harbor freight.

[@bigdchi]

Good overview of trimmers' features. The downside is no review od the plusses and minnuses. like a salesman pushing all of them. The powerline system for ego doesn't work well.

[@mrow7598]

One thing to remember when buying one. Is can the battery be used on anything else? If you have Milwaukee battery tools already buy their string trimmer, no sense spending hundreds on more batteries.

[@pdmerritt]

all the ego batteries work on all ego products

[@JohnG-cj1ii]

Lazer line cutter w/o the line. Just kick back 10% for my idea.

[@yamajammer76]

Can’t beat EGO products.

[@Mcklain5]

I dont understand, the EGO MST1603 in youre video does not have line IQ. The EGO ST1623T does...

[@nerdyguyd]

They definitely did the review with the MST1603 and said it was the ST1623T...

[@jamiebelcher]

Your charts are incorrect. Milwaukee takes attachments like you said in your video.

[@nathanstokes4574]

What about the Lowe’s Kobalt 24V or 40V?

[@ThaOlBoy]

👆👆👆This! I have the 40V and have never looked back.

[@chenguavez347]

​@@ThaOlBoy which model?

[@ThaOlBoy]

@@chenguavez347 40V sir.

[@chenguavez347]

@@ThaOlBoy nice,how long have you had it? I'm thinking between the kobalt or the ego.i have the toro but I hate the part where u have to press a trigger on the same handle as the spin button.i seen the kobalt in person and the trigger seems better

[@ThaOlBoy]

@@chenguavez347 The Kobalt has a similar setup but it's just the safety. Once you get use to disengaging the safety it becomes automatic. I've had it for 4 months and the battery life is amazing. It paid for itself after my third time using it.

[@taedar]

How the hell do you do this test and not have a battery life comparison chart. 🤣

[@LibertyDIY]

Better to use a small battery to keep it light in the hand. Even small batteries last 20 30 minutes and most people have multiple batteries by 2024

[@taedar]

@@LibertyDIY ok and? This is a comparison video, your comment is irrelevant.

[@bobbystewart2605]

Egos power load is definitely the easiest reload but not the quickest, I’ve reloaded echo (OEM or replacements) faster. Then again, I use them everyday at work so that may be why.

[@chenguavez347]

Which model of the echo do u have?

[@bobbystewart2605]

@@chenguavez347 for the true echo ones have have either the echo speedfeed 400 or 450 (ones just bigger and holds more line) on our srm 2620t’s. If you have a decent size trimmer (25+ cC) I’d go with the 450 head but for a smaller trimmer, 400.

[@bobbystewart2605]

Both heads are about 35 ish dollars (in Delaware atleast)

[@louislandi938]

He has an EGO, not ECHO.

[@bobbystewart2605]

@@louislandi938 I’m aware, I wasn’t saying Wht he has. I was saying tht I could reload my echo heads faster than the ego powerload heads. Even tho the ego is literally a push of a button (making it easier for most ppl to reload), I can currently reload my heads faster.

[@marknye51.thefixitguy]

Hands down I think the XRU18Z by Makita is the best cordless trimmer if you have Makita cordless tools.

[@andersonnettleship845]

You should try Makita’s DUX60 Couple-Shaft Head with the Brushcutter attachment, basically it’s the same tool but has a bunch of different attachments making it far more useful, they should be releasing a Water Pump attachment in the US soon!

[@stan121midling5]

To me i have a EGO trimmer and it is very heavy, i would really want a much lighter trimmer, so to me the Toro is the winner here ok :0

[@LibertyDIY]

Use a 2.5Ah battery if you have one

[@bryanwages3518]

Idk about Husqvarna weed eaters but I know one thing. They make good rifles.

[@rkgsd]

A number of those brands now have multi-tool capability models. Your attachment chart only lists one brand as having that feature.

[@Protoolreviews]

Among the brands we tested, there was only the one that had attachment capability. We made this as a video for dedicated string trimmers. You often trade off performance for the versatility you gain with an attachment system, so they're not usually the strongest or best string trimmer offered by any given company. That being said, we have written articles on quite a few of the established OPE attachment systems on our website if you wanted more information on any of those!

[@rkgsd]

​@@Protoolreviewswithin the dedicated trimmer segment, you have the ones with front-mounted motors vs the ones with rear-mounted motors. The argument has been front mounted is better because it's a direct drive system with no transmission shaft like the rear ones have, but some say the rear motor units have higher wattage motors.

[@vibe5285]

r u sure the Husqvarna is not attachment capable?

[@sethhovey8227]

Milwaukee 2828-20 discontinued as of last week

[@Beardman56]

Good that things a joke compared to their quick lock line

[@zaineridling]

EGO's Line-IQ does NOT WORK. You are always waiting on it to unreel more string, and if one side of the string is shorter, you're stuck with it until it decides to unreel the next time. Get EGO's multi-head Powerload trimmer, which also rotates counterclockwise. 👍

[@pdmerritt]

when I read about the line iq feature it sounded interesting but I just knew it was too good to be true. I'm glad I didn't go that route.

[@KoolMB]

Forgot Stihl!

[@sethmiller4250]

Why didn’t you text Makita?

[@benjaminleslie3155]

​@@Protoolreviews what about stihl?

[@TCPUDPATM]

@@Protoolreviews Appreciate the responses :)

[@lthegr81]

What is the ego model number?

[@am44_67]

@@lthegr81 ST1623T

[@__by-ds6bv]

Mikita left him on read

[@takenusername]

Why do you keep showing the non-line IQ model in all your footage? What kind of review talks about a specific model and then shows all the footage with a different one? Most of your EGO footage is not with the model you are testing. What happened?

[@brianbassett4379]

Greenworks 80V everyone else is just fighting for second place.

[@tubeloobs]

The EGO trimmer in the video is not the one with line IQ. Looks like the 15 inch model with the carbon fiber shaft. I own the one with line IQ and the head dooes not look like that

[@timr31908]

I think ego is the best thing going

[@montanawhite5699]

I only tried the Milwaukee with a 12ah battery. I didn’t like it at all, and it didn’t last very long.

[@nolankelley5536]

The eGO trimmer in the video doesn’t have Line IQ

[@josemarrero1948]

Battery life?

[@krisw8597]

What about Stihl?

[@lifeofchristopher]

umm.. thats not the st1623t, thats the multi attachment one, and you also put that it doesnt do attachments.

[@wadewalker1266]

Kinda biased in my opinion. They used top of the line trimmers in some brands and bottom of the line trimmers in other brands. Each brand has different models that are better made. Why not use either the best of each brand or the worst?

[@georgeuribe3305]

@@Protoolreviews How did Sthil not make the cut to even test them

[@eddierobles3129]

STIHL would win thats why he did not include it in this video lol

[@nemesisrr9492]

Ryobi's inside joke Whisper series by the ying yang twins

[@pdrhound]

This is obviously aged now as Ryobi has attachments. I'm very surprised there was no Makita. Obviously if you have a certain brands batteries around it's an advantage using that brand. I can't imagine most people watching this, don't already have a cordless tool around. If the trimmer works with my drill battery for 1/2 the time of these extra large, extra expensive high voltage batteries, in the end I'll be way ahead charging more often.

[@colelehn3379]

I know he says flag ship models,but let’s be honest, who is gone get the base model when an upgraded model is just $20-$50 more.

[@sofghost6663]

You have the ryobi as now attachment capable when that litterally one of its biggest selling points especially with the carbon fiber straight shaft (attachment capable) can be turned into a brush cutter,leaf blower,edger,pole saw, cultivator, hedge trimmer,yard sweeper,and even a snow thrower. This video seems a little biased if you ask me. The ego are grateful string trimmers gone bet me wrong but when I have a bunch of 18v and 49v ryobi batteries it wouldn't be worth it to to me to spend 300+ another 1500+ for all other equipment and extra batteries 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@makingstuff242]

milwaukee did not shake up the lawn mowing industry when they released the mower. the only thing they shook up was their rep for "professional grade" and reliability. They were just glad to be part of the party.

[@vanman_fr]

It would have been better to use dewalt attachment capable trimmer for this video

[@pdmerritt]

That Dewalt is a beast but...one thing. To get the run time you get with the ego. You need two or more batteries and that's a lot of money. No biggie if you are already using Dewalt 60V tools but if you aren't......more run time makes more sense imho.

[@kingrat27]

jeff probst is that you?