The 5 Best Electric Corded String Trimmers for Your Garden – Bye-Bye Weeds!

A corded electric weed eater – also called a string trimmer – is the best tool for eradicating weeds, clearing up hard-to-reach places in your lawn and garden, and making short work of complex trimming tasks. These powerful trimmers can reach areas a mower might struggle with, making quick work of clearing weeds while running on an infinite power supply.

So, if you’re considering getting a corded electric weed eater, you‘ve come to the right place. We’ll tell you about our favorite corded weed eaters, covering all the pros and cons.

We’ll also teach you more about what makes some corded string trimmers better than others, comparing corded electric string trimmers to gas and battery-powered varieties. So, let’s find a weed eater that fits your budget and needs!

Best Corded Electric Weed Eater Comparison Table

The 5 Best Corded Electric Weed Eaters & String Trimmers

1. Best Corded String Trimmer: Greenworks 18-Inch 10 Amp Corded String Trimmer 

This Greenworks trimmer is the best corded electric weed eater for a good reason. It fancies itself as a hedge trimmer, with a 10-Amp motor that’s almost excessive for the job, but it’ll make short work of any roots or tough weeds hiding beneath your overgrown lawn.

Although you might expect the beefy motor to bump up the price tag, it’s still in line with the cost of every other corded weed eater on this list. 

Unlike many other models I’ve seen, the Greenworks trimmer has a D-ring mounted on the body, making it easier to maneuver.

Still, at 9.9 pounds, this corded weed eater is also nearly double the weight of other trimmers I’ve looked at, so you’ll need that handle to keep control. Annoyingly, even with the bolt tightened, it never feels entirely secure. 

One of the things I like best about this powerful trimmer is that you can attach other components to the end of the pole, even those from other brands. This feature could save you a lot of money and storage space in the long run between the hedge trimmer, blower, and edger attachments. 

Read More: Pros and Cons of An Edger vs. Trimmer for Your Lawn.

Pros

• A safety trigger stops you from firing up the motor unintentionally. 
• The 10-Amp motor nearly doubles the power of the other corded weed eaters I’ve listed here. 
• A vast 18-inch cutting path practically turns this trimmer into a lawnmower on a pole.
• A D-ring handle is mounted on the telescopic pole, making it super-easy to swing around. 
• A quick-connect coupler lets you swap out the string trimmer for a range of other garden tool attachments.

Cons

• As much as I love the D-ring handle, it isn’t as secure as it could be. It tends to move around a bit while trimming.
• The price is higher than other corded stirring trimmers. However, you are paying for a durable steel shaft and a powerful 10-Amp motor that will eat through anything.
• The trigger was stiffer than others I’ve used before. Not a problem at first, but try using it for an hour, and you’ll see what I mean. 

2. Best Value: Worx WG119 5.5 Amp 15″ Electric String Trimmer & Edger

The WORX WG119 is our second pick for the best corded electric weed eater due to its great value and powerful, lightweight design. It features a 5.5-Amp motor and can be converted from a string trimmer to an edger in a single click.

The flower guard stops you from catching unintended flowers or ornaments, but you can fold it back if it gets in your way. There’s also a dual-line auto-feed system underneath, which keeps string flowing. 

The only thing I disliked about the dual-line feature was the speed that it ate through the first spool of string.

Any good trimmer also comes with a cord retention system, and the WORX is no exception. Thankfully, it’s in the form of a hook – the slot-based designs are often too small to fit larger cables, but it’s not a problem here. 

In terms of weight, it’s about average for a corded weed eater, coming in at 6.5 pounds. Thankfully, this corded string trimmer has a D-ring handle, which makes precision work straightforward. 

Pros

• The flower guard folds back out of the way when you don’t want to use it. 
• It converts from a string trimmer to an edger in seconds so you can pick off those overhanging blades of grass. 
• It has a cord retention hook rather than a slot, meaning no worrying about whether your cord will fit through. 
• At 6.5 pounds, it’s just over half the weight of our top pick, the Greenworks trimmer, making it an excellent choice for people who want a lightweight corded weed eater. 

Cons

• You can’t hook up any extra attachments like you can with the Greenworks one.  
• The dual-line feature can quickly eat through your string faster than you’d expect from a single-line. 
• Installing a new spool of line can be challenging given the dual-line feature, which works differently. 
• Though it has an adjustable height feature, there are no pivoting features for reaching tricky spots. 

3. Best For Small Spaces: BLACK+DECKER String Trimmer / Edger, 13-Inch, 5-Amp 

Black+Decker is one of those brands you immediately think of when somebody mentions power tools.

As far as quality goes, this is a good trimmer. It’s lightweight at 5.35 pounds and fully adjustable for height and positioning with the pivot handle.

There’s a genuine feel of durability when you’re swinging this thing around. However, if you’re tall, like me, you might still find the highest setting to fall short of being entirely comfortable. 

You’ll have to build this one yourself, but it isn’t a complicated job. Once you assemble the various poles and guards, the 5-Amp motor can handle almost anything, including smaller branches.

Still, this corded weed eater seems to eat through string like it’s going out of fashion, partly due to the hungry auto-feed system. 

The only real issue I have with this corded string trimmer is that its best strength is also its weakness. The adjustable handles don’t always stay fixed when trimming, which is a rather worrying safety issue. It also suffers from a common problem with trimmers like these: a narrow cord retention slot. 

Pros

• Assembly is pretty simple out of the box. 
• Super lightweight at just 5.35 pounds, it’s a little below the norm for a trimmer of this size. 
• A pull-out guide lets you keep a fixed distance from the surface you’re trimming. 
• As well as being height-adjustable, there’s a pivoting handle for reaching those tight, tricky spots. 

Cons

• Getting some thicker extension cords through the cord retention slot isn’t always easy. 
• The auto-feeder feature leads to you running out of string much more quickly than you otherwise would. 
• The adjustable handle kept moving out of place while using the trimmer.
• I’m over 6 feet tall and found that even at its most extended, I had to bend slightly to use this effectively. 

4. Most Adjustable: CRAFTSMAN CMCST900 Electric Powered String Trimmer 13 in 

Some corded string trimmers, like the Sun Joe TRJ13STE, don’t have adjustable handles. However, you can adjust the Craftsman CMCST900 for different people, so you’ll be able to offload your gardening onto a family member when the weather is bad. 

Powered by a 5-Amp motor, slightly above average for budget trimmers, you won’t struggle in longer grass. Yet, it’s deceptively quiet despite the increased power under the hood.

There’s also a rotating head that can be repositioned for when you’re edging around the flowerbeds. Or, if you don’t have any flowers to protect, you can rotate the head towards you to keep your toes attached instead. 

Trust me when I say that one of the most common incidents with corded weed eaters or hedge trimmers is the ease with which you can swipe the blade straight through your extension cord.

Thankfully, this model has a cord retention system, making it far less likely that you’ll cut into the cable. You’ll need a 2-prong extension, which isn’t included out of the box, but they come cheap. 

Pros

• A cable grip behind the handle stops you from trimming your extension cable instead of the grass. 
• You can adjust the length of the handle. When the kids complain that they can’t do the trimming, you’ll have an answer for them. 
• Deceptively quiet, especially when compared to gas-powered trimmers. 
• The head rotates for fine-tuned edging around your flower bed borders. 
• With a 5-Amp motor, it’s the second most powerful string trimmer I’ve looked at here. 

Cons

• At just shy of 7 pounds, it’s not the lightest option. 
• It only supports 2-prong extensions, which are a little harder to come by than the usual 3-prong type. 
• It doesn’t come pre-assembled, and while I found it easy, some people struggle more with self-build tasks. 
• It chews through string faster than it chews through grass, so for more extensive gardens, you’ll need to keep an extra spool handy. 

5. Best Lightweight Trimmer: Sun Joe TRJ13STE Trimmer Joe 13″ Automatic Feed Electric String Trimmer/Edger 

Sun Joe is a great brand. In fact, they took 2nd place on our list of the best corded electric hedge trimmers.

This one has a 4-Amp motor under the hood, with a cutting area of 13-inches, though you can also pick up a smaller model with a reduced cutting swatch. It’ll hack through both grass and weeds with ease. 

A flower guard wraps 180 degrees around one side of the trimmer, which stops you from butchering your flowers while you trim the edge of your lawn. This guard is the only component you’ll need to put together when you pull this out of the box, as it comes pre-built.

There’ll also be no sudden interruptions to your cutting, as the auto-feed feature keeps your string at the right length, feeding it directly from the spool. 

Its lightweight telescopic pole and overall weight of 5.07 pounds is pretty small compared to other trimmers. Still, while the cutting path is smaller, it’s much easier to lug around the garden.

Just be wary that the construction is relatively flimsy. It probably won’t fall apart in your hands, but there’s a 2-year warranty if it does. 

Pros

• It comes with a 2-year warranty included by default. 
• At 5.07 pounds, it’s the lightest high-quality string trimmer I could find at this price point. 
• This tool also works as an edger to trim the line between your lawn and the soil. 
• A wraparound flower guard protects the areas you don’t want to trim while tidying up the lawn borders. 
• An auto-feed system keeps the string at the right length to consistently achieve the 13-inch cutting radius. 
• Some extension cords – such as a 14-gauge – won’t fit through the upper grip handle. 

Cons

• The lightweight design means that this power tool feels pretty flimsy. 
• It has a narrower cutting swatch than some other budget string trimmer options. 
• I didn’t like that the shaft didn’t adjust for different heights.
• The string is relatively thin, so it can wear out more quickly than others. 

Corded Electric String Trimmer Buyer’s Guide

There are tons of corded electric string trimmers in the market, but not all are created equal.

Before investing in your lawn and garden’s maintenance, you might want to know more about what makes one type of weed eater better than the others. After all, you’ll want the best corded electric weed eater you can get!

What is A Corded Electric String Trimmer?

A corded electric string trimmer is a tool that works by spinning a spool of ‘string’ at high speed to trim your lawn. Unlike other weed eaters, corded electric trimmers use a cord and electrical outlet for fuel.

Many people confuse string trimmers with ‘edgers,’ but you use edgers vertically to trim the space between your grass and barriers, like flower beds or fences. On the other hand, you use string trimmers to clear up the strips of grass and weeds that a lawn mower can’t get to.

String trimmers generally come in either gas-powered or electricity-powered models. The electric varieties can be cordless or battery-powered.

Why Use a Corded Electric String Trimmer? 

You should use a corded electric string trimmer for cleaning up tight spaces and borders, trimming on slopes, and edging your lawn or garden. String trimmers are lighter than lawn mowers and have two small string “blades” that can clean up spaces a lawn mower cannot. Plus, they don’t need refueling to work.

At face value, corded weed eaters might seem more inefficient for mowing the lawn. However, it’s far better than a lawnmower for specific tasks, like cutting the grass close to obstacles, borders, or steep inclines. 

If you’ve mown the lawn before, you’ll know it’s impossible to cut close to a fence or rockery. You’ll end up with an untidy finish or accidentally damage the blades on your lawn mower. This is the niche filled by a string trimmer.

I also find it much easier to mow my sloping garden with a trimmer rather than trying to push a heavy mower uphill. 

Still, you should also be able to use the best corded electric string trimmers as edgers. That means that you can quickly adjust the setup to create a neat trim along the edges of your lawn.

If nicely trimmed garden edges are important to you, ensure your trimmer can do both, as not all models can. 

Corded Electric Weed Eaters vs. Gas String Trimmers

I used to use gas-powered garden tools exclusively until I got tired of filling up the tank every time I wanted to use them.

My lawn has many twists, turns, and steep inclines, so when I got sick of maneuvering the mower like a go-kart, I picked up a corded electric string trimmer.

While I’ve heard that these weed eaters are less powerful than their gas counterparts, I thought: “how much power can it take to trim small patches of grass and edges?“

It turns out that the answer is not very much. Electric trimmers can chew through the typical grass and weeds you’ll face in the garden, so power is no issue. They’re also much more lightweight without a heavy gas-powered motor and full fuel tank, meaning you can go for longer. 

It goes without saying that electric trimmers will also save you a ton on fuel costs.

In a nutshell, I can’t see any reason to pick a gas-powered string trimmer over an electric weed eater. Gas is pricey, worse for the environment, and challenging to keep in stock. Electricity is cheap, and it is much more sustainable than gas.

To learn more about the pros and cons of each variety of string trimmer and get some tips for using them, check out this video from Black + Decker:

Corded Electric String Trimmers vs. Battery Powered Weed Eaters

Corded weed eaters might seem less convenient than battery-powered string trimmers, but they have one significant advantage: longevity.

Battery-powered string trimmers may be easy to wield in more extensive lawns, but the battery will die eventually, often after just a couple of hours. On the other hand, a corded weed eater can last as long as it takes for you to finish your yard work.

This advantage makes corded electric string trimmers the best for both smaller lawns and very large ones, allowing you to get the job done without worrying about recharging.

Plus, a battery-powered string trimmer’s battery will lose power over time, requiring a replacement after a few years. On the other hand, a carded electric string trimmer will last you a lifetime.

Tips For Using Your Corded Electric String Trimmer Safely 

With a corded weed eater, all the action happens down below. Unlike a hedge trimmer, which poses a real risk to fingers and thumbs, your biggest risk is accidentally catching your feet, an ornament, or your favorite flower bed.

However, the built-in flower guards on most string trimmers negate this risk. Still, I’d recommend wearing durable footwear. Even string can slice through your skin at these speeds, so it’s a no to wearing flip-flops. 

If you want more advice, check out the video below from YouTube for a great how-to on using your new tool safely: 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When shopping for something, asking questions is the best way to figure out what product will be the best for you.

So, I thought I’d give you the answers to some of the questions I had when making the switch from gas weed eaters to electric, corded varieties. Hopefully, they’ll clear up any doubts you may have about your investment in a better, more trimmed lawn.

The Verdict: The Best Corded Electric Weed Eater

The Greenworks 18-Inch 10 Amp Corded String Trimmer easily takes the crown when picking a clear winner. Its 10-Amp motor is beyond anything offered by the competitors, while the attachment system is just too good to pass up. Done trimming your lawn’s borders? Why not affix a hedge trimmer attachment and move onto the hedges? 

The WORX Electric String Trimmer & Edger came in a close second, especially considering the low price point. Still, with a 5.5-Amp motor, it just couldn’t match the sheer power of the Greenworks. 

We hope this guide helped you find the best corded electric weed eater for you! These tools are fantastic, and once you find one that fits your budget and fulfills all your needs, you’ll see just what all the hype is about.

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