Which petrol strimmers are best? Is the petrol strimmer a good option?
Anyone maintaining a garden for more than five minutes realises that a lawn mower will only get you so far and even hedge clippers have their limits. Beyond that, they just don’t cut it. What you need is a strimmer: a powered trimmer with a rapidly-spinning nylon cutting cord.
As you can imagine, strimmers come with a bewildering array of options and accessories: loop, bicycle and bullhorn handlebars; support straps and harnesses; hedge trimmers, brush cutters and even actual chainsaws.
This article will provide you with all the information you need to decide which strimmer meets your needs, whether or not you’re on a budget.
Our TOP Picks
The Best 8 Petrol Strimmers
- IKRA IBF 31-4
- Webb WELT26
- Einhell GC-BC 31-4 S
- Tenwell AOSOME 5-in-1
- Wolf PowerKing Big Horn 2-in-1
- Arebos ECO 5-in-1
- Stanley STR-750A
- FUXTEC Professional 2-in-1
IKRA IBF 31-4
Key Features:
- Engine: 4-stroke
- Cutting Width: 43cm (coil) & 22.5cm (blade)
- Weight: 8.72kg
- Harness: Padded double shoulder strap with hip protection
- Goggles: Yes
- Wire Thickness: 2.4mm nylon
- Cutting Head: Thread spool, 3-tooth and 8-tooth brush knives
- Handle Type: Bicycle handlebar
This IKRA is a prime example of the choices you need to make. It’s a strimmer but it’s also a brush cutter. When you’ve finished mowing the lawn, a strimmer will clean up the edges the mower couldn’t quite reach but, If you’re reclaiming a corner of your garden that has suffered years of neglect, a brush cutter will clear away small branches, very tall grass, and those tough, thick-stemmed weeds that populate vacant lots. Switching between the thread spool and the thickness knives is very easy.
The IKRA has a 4-stroke engine, more than enough power to cope with anything you could reasonably expect to encounter.
The IKRA’s weight (just under 9kg) is typical of most strimmers. This doesn’t sound like much but after half an hour your back starts to take the strain, which is why a harness is essential. To this end, the IKRA comes with a double shoulder strap and hip protection.
The IKRA’s warranty covers you for 2 years domestic use with the receipt or a copy thereof.
Pros:
- This 2-stroke engine doesn’t require you to mix petrol and oil
- The angle gear and the coil holder fit together exactly, eliminating a very common tangling issue when cutting tall grass
- Included in the package is protective eyewear: a pair of EN166-compliant safety goggles
Cons:
- Some users report that the support straps are difficult to adjust
- Some users seem to feel that the overall ergonomics of this strimmer are not suited to tall individuals
Webb WELT26
Key Features:
- Engine: 26cc 2-stroke
- Cutting Width: 25cm
- Weight: 4.6kg
- Harness: Strap
- Goggles: No, but some retailers include free gloves and goggles
- Wire Thickness: 2.6mm nylon
- Cutting Head: Thread spool
- Handle Type: Loop
At 4.6kg, the Webb WELT26 is one of the lightest strimmers on the market, so much so that many users found the support strap unnecessary.
The longer shaft length offsets the weight of the motor so that the strimmer’s pivot point is at the loop handle, making it very easy to control and manoeuvre.
Webb designed the 26cc 2-stroke engine for fuel economy, high performance, and minimal vibration.
This strimmer is best suited to domestic use: trimming hedges and shrubs, around walls, fences, the edge of lawns, and the base of tree trunks. Although it could probably handle a lot more, it’s not a brush cutter in the accepted sense of the term.
The WELT26’s warranty is good for 2 years.
Pros:
- When the cutting head is bumped on the ground, the bump feed mechanism reels out the cord
- A Webb-designed 2-stroke engine
- Ergonomically balanced for ease of use
Cons:
- The oil supplied is semi-synthetic and uses a different mixing ratio than regular oil
- A mixing bottle is not included
Einhell GC-BC 31-4 S
Key Features:
- Engine: 31cc 4-stroke
- Cutting Width: 45cm
- Weight: 9kg
- Harness: Yes
- Goggles: No
- Wire Thickness: 2.5mm
- Cutting Head: Thread spool
- Handle Type: Bike
The Einhell GC-BC 31-4 S bills itself as a petrol scythe which sounds like an overstatement until you realise that it has a 45cm cutting width.
It also has a high-quality twin-line spool with a jogging system that automatically adjusts the thread.
A perennial complaint about the Einhell strimmer is its harness which many users find fiddly and awkward. There is, however, an easy fix that applies to all strimmers, not just the Einhell. The trick is to adjust the harness before putting it on.
Fill the petrol tank then suspend the strimmer from a ceiling beam by its hanging hook. Adjust the position of the hook so that the strimmer leans forward slightly. Put on the harness and move the handlebar to a comfortable position. Now, when you’re trimming, the strimmer will incline downwards and still be manoeuvrable.
The warranty for this tool is 2 years from the date of purchase.
Pros:
- A 45cm cutting width
- Includes a blade for brush cutting
- A thread-adjusting jog system
- 4-stroke engines don’t need a fuel mixture (You still have to put oil in the crankcase)
- All of the control elements are located in the handlebar
Cons:
- The harness is a bit lacking
- Some users had trouble removing the thread spool
Tenwell AOSOME Multifunction 5-in-1
Key Features:
- Engine: 52cc 3hp 2-stroke
- Cutting Width: 25cm
- Weight: 15kg
- Harness: Double shoulder strap
- Goggles: No
- Wire Thickness: 2.5mm
- Cutting Head: Thread spool
- Handle Type: Loop
The Tenwell AOSOME is the Optimus Prime of strimmers. For one thing, it weighs almost twice as much as other strimmers. For another, it comes with a range of attachments that turn it from a strimmer to a brush cutter, a hedge trimmer, and a chainsaw pruner.
This is the strimmer you need to tend a complex garden with hedges, trees, shrubs, lawns, and flower beds. It transforms easily from one tool to another without the need for tools, the screws on other strimmers having been replaced by knobs and quick-release connectors. A 1m-long extension brings high branches and tall features within reach.
The Tenwell AOSOME carries a 3-year warranty.
Pros:
- It comes with an extension pole to reach high branches and the top of tall hedges
- The brush cutter blades are double-sided
- The harness straps are extra-wide and heavily padded
- A quick-release mechanism detaches the strimmer from the harness for easy removal
Cons:
- Because the engine is a 2-stroke, a 40-to-1 mixture of petrol to oil is required
- Some users feel that the chainsaw attachment could be sturdier
Wolf PowerKing Big Horn 2-in-1
Key Features:
- Engine: 52cc 2-stroke
- Cutting Width: 250mm
- Weight: 15kg
- Harness: Full harness
- Goggles: No
- Wire Thickness: 2.4mm
- Cutting Head: A thread spool and a steel brush cutter blade.
- Handle Type: Bullhorns
Compared to the other strimmers out there, Wolf is practically giving this one away. In light of the fact that this is a brush cutter as well as a strimmer, the Big Horn is literally twice the value at half the price.
The motor is a recoil-start 52cc 2-stroke petrol engine. That’s more than some motorcycles. The crankshaft is fully supported to ensure reliability and long life and the controls are integrated into the bullhorn handles.
The warranty on the Big Horn is good for 2 years.
Pros:
- A real bargain budget-wise
- A mixing bottle for the petrol-to-oil ratio
- A reinforced steel 25cm brush-cutting blade
- A full harness
- A tool kit for basic maintenance, viz. cleaning
Cons:
- There must be one but I can’t find it
Arebos ECO 5-in-1
Key Features:
- Engine: 2-stroke 52cc 3HP
- Cutting Width: 26mm
- Weight: 7.2kg
- Harness: Yes
- Goggles: No
- Wire Thickness: 2.4mm
- Cutting Head: Thread spool
- Handle Type: Bike
If the Tenwell AOSOME is Optimus Prime, then the Arebos Eco is the Ultra Magnus of strimmers.
Most of the user reviews for this product report resounding success while a handful speak of abject failure, which makes me think that the latter group is guilty of breaking the first commandment of tools in general: Respect the Hardware.
You don’t drive a brand-new car off the lot and start doing handbrake turns. Machines need to be broken in. Give them small tasks to begin with, get used to their eccentricities and foibles and then ramp up to the big stuff.
Whatever frustrations you encounter, console yourself with the fact that this unit costs half of what the upmarket brands are charging for what is essentially the same thing.
The Arebos Eco is a powerful, well-built machine with a stepless regulator so there’s no ‘changing gears’ from one speed to the next. You can run it as fast or slow as you want.
Its warranty lasts 3 years from the date of purchase.
Pros:
- A 1.2l fuel tank
- Half the weight of some of the strimmers out there
- A primer pump for an easy start
- A comprehensive set of
Cons:
- Inadequate assembly instructions accompanied by substandard images. Fortunately, most users found assembly so straightforward that they dispensed with the manual and put it together themselves.
Stanley STR-750A
Key Features:
- Engine: 2-stroke JETForce3
- Cutting Width: 43cm
- Weight: 7kg
- Harness: No
- Goggles: No
- Wire Thickness: 2.4mm
- Cutting Head: Thread spool
- Handle Type: Ring
In case you didn’t know, Stanley’s full nomenclature is Stanley Black & Decker. The two companies merged in 2010.
Stanley Works was founded in 1843, so it’s safe to assume that they know a thing or two about power tools.
They clearly know something about motors because they’ve developed their own proprietary brand, the JETForce3, specifically designed for more power, lower fuel consumption, and reduced emissions.
By the same token, their recoil starter, the ICE Starter 3, is built to start in 2 to 3 pulls, even in cold weather.
Like all Stanley Black & Decker tools, the STR-750A was designed with the home consumer in mind, not the professional. It’s meant for normal domestic use. Anything else is going to require extra servicing. It’s also going to shorten its lifespan.
This tool is covered by a 2-year limited warranty. Stanley Black & Decker does not assume responsibility for parts affected by normal wear and tear.
Pros:
- A split shaft for enhanced efficiency and reliability
- An adjustable second handle
- Anti-vibration soft handle
Cons:
- Many users complain that the replacement line is unavailable but this may have been corrected by now
FUXTEC FX-PS152 Professional 2-in-1
Key Features:
- Engine: 52cc 2.95HP 2-stroke
- Cutting Width: 22cm
- Weight: 12.7kg
- Harness: Yes
- Goggles: No
- Wire Thickness: 2.5mm
- Cutting Head: Thread spool
- Handle Type: Bullhorns
This tool is both a strimmer and a brush cutter.
FUXTEC has redesigned the cylinder and piston to reduce wear and tear and extend the life of the engine.
The drive shaft has also been revised. Now it is mounted on oil dampers to reduce vibration.
The FUXTEC Easy Starter system preloads a spring when you pull the starter cord, storing up energy and releasing it at the right moment.
The warranty for this tool lasts 2 years from the date of purchase.
Pros:
- Toolless access to the air filter and the carburettor
- An emergency stop switch
- The carburettor has a primer pump
- The ignition is contactless and maintenance-free
- The thread spool can be replaced without opening the cutting head
Cons:
- Some users complain that the harness is uncomfortable
What’s the best petrol strimmer to buy?
The Webb WELT26 is the best petrol strimmer to buy based on our extensive testing, research and analysis. It is lightweight, quick, economic with fuel use, and ideal for domestic use.
How to Buy the Best Petrol Strimmer
Here are some things to consider when buying a petrol strimmer:
Application Suitability
Buying a strimmer to suit your needs starts with assessing those needs.
If you’re only concerned with trimming the edges of lawns and flower beds, strips of grass too narrow for a lawn mower, and around the bases of shrubs, tree trunks and potted plants, then a basic, entry-level strimmer is all you need.
If there’s a hedge involved, you’re going to need a strimmer with a hedge trimmer attachment. If you try to use a strimmer on its own, chances are your hedge is going to look like you bought it from the agricultural equivalent of a thrift shop (see the FAQ below).
There is a second option: good, old-fashioned hedge clippers. If you want a perfect finish with clean cuts all the way around, hedge clippers are the way to go.
Of course, this only applies if the hedges you want to trim are relatively small. A long, tall hedge will take a while and give your triceps the kind of workout not even a gym can provide. In which case you’re better off with a hedge trimmer attachment.
By the same token, if you plan on clearing an unkempt section of your yard, you’re going to need a strimmer with a brush cutter attachment. Brush cutter attachments use a spinning steel blade rather than the strimmer’s nylon thread.
Comfort
If you’re tall or short, you’re going to need a strimmer with an adjustable shaft. Otherwise, the balance is going to be off and a strimmer is not going to hang right.
Equally important are wide, padded harness straps. Plain narrow straps don’t offer the same support, don’t stay in place, and cut into your shoulders.
Bump Feed or Automatic Line Feed
An automatic line feed pushes out the line as cutting wears it away. A bump feed mechanism pushes out the line when you tap the thread head on the ground.
Both systems have advantages and disadvantages. In general, the bump feed comes out on top. It’s a simpler mechanism so there’s less to go wrong and it lets the user control the length of the line. However, if you’re tempted to extrude too much line, that can lead to tangling issues, a problem that doesn’t come up with automatic line feeders.
Warranty
The warranty shouldn’t be less than two years and should cover any defects in manufacture.
Protect Yourself!
Strimmers, hedge trimmers and brush cutters spray grass, leaves, twigs and bits of wood in every direction. From a health and safety perspective, it is absolutely essential that you protect yourself. To ensure that a spot of gardening doesn’t turn into a trip to A&E, you need the following:
- Eye protection: A pair of safety goggles to protect your eyes from flying debris.
- Hand protection: A pair of heavy-duty gardening or workman’s gloves to shield your hands from cuts and bruises.
- Ear protection: The tools we’ve been discussing routinely produce noise levels in excess of 100 dB. The noise from petrol engines in particular comes in the form of high-energy pulses that can damage your inner ear and result in hearing loss, if not immediately, then over the course of months and even years.
- Leg protection: For the same reason your hands need protection, you need to wear either workman’s boots, wellingtons, or thick trousers and shoes that cover part of your ankles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I buy an electric or petrol strimmer?
A couple of years ago it was still possible to make a case for the petrol strimmer. With breakthroughs in battery technology, the gap has narrowed until now the benefit of a petrol strimmer only applies to professional lawn care specialists, who use their strimmers for hours on end every day.
Can you use a petrol strimmer on wet grass?
Grass should never be cut wet. Not only will it put undue strain on your strimmer, but it will also tear and rip the grass rather than cutting it. It might even damage the grass enough to produce ugly brown bald patches.
How to store a petrol strimmer?
Wait until the engine is cool then empty the petrol tank. Put the petrol cap back on and try to start the engine. Keep trying until the engine no longer ‘coughs’. Store the strimmer in a lockable cupboard or hang it on a wall out of reach of children.
Can I trim a hedge with a strimmer?
No, for two reasons. The nylon thread on a strimmer isn’t sharp enough to cut cleanly so the end result will be ragged and uneven and may even damage the hedge. Also, the head shield can no longer protect you from flying debris once you’ve lifted it above waist height.
Conclusion
The best option is a 2-in-1 or 5-in-1. That way you have a cheap, quick, easy way of giving your garden that final polish with enough left over to cope with the unforeseen.
Share this article
Charl is a full-time writer with a range of passions and expertise in lawn mowers and other garden power tools. After many years in the corporate rat race, he decided to follow these passions. When not writing, Charl can be found in his garden, tending to or propagating plants, keeping the lawn near perfect, and enjoying the outdoors with his dogs. He is also fascinated by emerging technology and tries to squeeze in a round of golf as often as possible.
