7 Best Electric String Trimmers of 2026, Expert-Tested and Reviewed

Battery string trimmers now often pack the power of gas models, and they’re priced comparably. As a bonus, you can often use their batteries in other tools from the same brand, like chainsaws, hedge trimmers, or leaf blowers. See our ratings of battery string trimmers.

Corded electric string trimmers tend to be very inexpensive. But there aren’t a ton of great options among this increasingly unpopular variety, and they have a built-in distance limit because they require a constant connection to an outlet. See our ratings for more corded electric string trimmer options.

Shopping for an electric string trimmer is different from shopping for a gas model. To maximize savings and efficiency, take the following approach.

• If you have a small yard and an outdoor outlet, consider corded models. These can cost less than half the price of battery models. While the trimmers themselves have very short cords, you can use them with an outdoor-rated extension cord, which typically can let you reach about 100 feet.
• For larger yards, you might want to spend a bit more and invest in a battery-powered string trimmer, Trezza says. Just make sure you have a second battery ready to go if you’re clearing weeds and high grass for 30-plus minutes at a clip. (Otherwise, you might want to consider a gas string trimmer, typically reserved for larger properties where you might need to trim for longer stretches.)
• You can save money with battery-powered string trimmers by purchasing your lawn tools, such as a chainsaw and lawn mower, from the same brand, Trezza says. That way, you don’t need to buy a battery for every tool. Simply purchase two batteries (so that you can use one while the other is charging) to power up your whole collection. That’s typically a 30 percent savings for each tool purchased without a battery. Take note: Some manufacturers use different battery sizes, or platforms, for different tools. Make sure the batteries you choose are compatible with all the tools you plan to buy from that brand.

We test all our string trimmers, whether they’re gas or electric, at two sites: a property in upstate New York that’s overrun with weeds, high grass, and dense brush; and a dedicated section of our lawn mower testing site in Florida. This way, we can test the newest models each year in one of the only parts of the country warm enough to grow high grass in winter; and it also lets us put models through their paces in the torturous late-summer growth in the Northeast. We note and time how long each model takes to clear a defined path. We also test each model’s edging—its ability to create a neat and straight line along a walkway. And we look at how easy each trimmer is to hold, maneuver, and operate, while also noting how difficult it is to start up or feed an extra line through the cutting head.