The best petrol trimmers

“Svityaz” BT-430 PLUS looks like most other gas trimmers: a straight rod on which a motor and a large gas tank (1.2 l) are installed on top, a spindle covered with a casing is located below, and a “bicycle” handle is installed in the middle. Remarkable design only by the engine. It has a volume of 43 cm³, high power (3.6 kW or 4.9 hp) and a corresponding “appetite”.

A gasoline trimmer needs a large and powerful engine to cope not only with grass, but also with branches of bushes and young tree shoots, which are often found in neglected areas. The brush cutter comes with two attachments: a reel with a quick line change mechanism (but without the line itself included) and a steel knife with three blades. Other accessories(like multi-tooth saw blades) must be purchased separately.

In addition to the engine, the Svityaz BT-430 PLUS may be of interest at a good price. This is one of the cheapest brush cutters among powerful gas trimmers (it costs less than $70). If you rarely go to “war” with weeds and tall grass that have occupied your garden or plot, then perhaps there is simply no point in buying garden equipment more expensive than Svityaz.

The inexpensive Intertool DT-2231 brushcutter is not the “pinnacle of technology.” It has a traditional design, quite simple in terms of “filling” and is assembled from mass-produced Chinese-made components. The tool consists of a gasoline engine, a mowing unit and a non-separable rod connecting them (within it there is a rigid shaft that transmits torque). The engine has a power of 2.3 hp. with a working volume of 43 cm³. To start the engine, a traditional manual starter in the form of a pull cord is used. The fuel supply “on board” the lawn mower is stored in a 0.95-liter gas tank. A “bicycle” type handle is attached to the bar. All controls are located on the right handle: start and safety buttons, protection against accidental start-up and a key to turn off the engine.

The tool is sold complete with two cutting systems. The reel with fishing line is designed for cutting grass (cutting width 380 mm). The engine power is enough not only to trim ordinary lawn grass, but also to mow lush meadow vegetation. And to work with plants that have tougher stems (for example, for cutting reeds and reeds), you can use a three-bladed knife (diameter 25 cm). It is made of durable steel, sharply sharpened and can cut bush branches up to 20 mm thick. The knife has a double-sided sharpening (when one side becomes dull, you can simply turn the knife over and continue working).

The Intertool DT-2231 trimmer can be described as a household tool designed to perform relatively small amounts of work. It is suitable for those who want to buy an inexpensive brush cutter for not too intensive use in their garden or plot.

The Pro-Craft T-4200EL brush cutter is equipped with a powerful (5.7 hp) two-stroke engine with a working volume of 52 cm³. The power reserve allows you to confidently cope with heavy loads when mowing tall, thick and lush grass, cutting out plants with thick fleshy stems or removing bushes. But the main advantage of this tool is not the power, but the electric starting system ( electric starters are rarely found on lawn mowers). It allows you to start the motor with one press of a button, without removing your palms from the handle. The small battery needed to operate the electric starter is built into the engine block. It is charged using the charger that comes with the trimmer. Naturally, just in case, there is also a backup starting system - a regular pull cable.

This tool pleases with its reliable and well-thought-out design. The engine is connected to the cutting unit using a durable, one-piece rod, inside of which there is a rigid shaft with splined gearing. Among the controls (all of them are on the right handle) there are not only an engine start/stop button and a standard trigger for controlling the engine, but also an unusual lever. With its help, you can set certain speeds - very convenient when cutting grass does not require “full throttle”.

The disadvantages of brush cutters (heavy weight and “gluttony”) are logical consequences of installing a large and powerful motor. The “appetite” of the engine is compensated by a spacious fuel tank (1.2 l) - the operating time without refueling is no less than that of a typical gasoline lawn mower. A good backpack system, which has a “collar” and hip protection, allows you to correctly distribute the weight of a 10-kg tool and adjust the trimmer to suit you.

The Pro-Craft T-4200EL brushcutter also boasts a convenient line threading mechanism (you don’t have to open the spool to wind it onto the spool). In addition to a spool of fishing line and a jar for preparing the fuel mixture, the tool comes with a three-blade knife and two 40-tooth carbide -tipped saw blades. This set of attachments allows you not only to mow lawns (of varying degrees of neglect), but also to fight more “serious rivals”, such as bushes or thickets of huge weeds.

The Oleo-Mac Sparta 25 trimmer belongs to the Home Plus series. That is, it is not considered a professional lawn mower, but it cannot be called a “household consumer goods” either. This model has been produced for a long time and has gained good fame. The secret of its success is its simplicity and unpretentiousness, as well as good build quality and the ability to work for many years without technical problems.

The characteristics of this device are average, as for gasoline trimmers, because the brush cutter is generally designed for average loads and volumes of work. It is equipped with a 25 cc engine with a power of 800 W (1.1 hp) and a tank with a capacity of 0.75 liters of fuel. The engine starts easily (there is a primer for pumping fuel) and runs smoothly with an average noise level (97 dB - you can mow for an hour or two without protection, but for long-term operation it is better to use noise-protecting headphones). The solutions used by the manufacturer to protect the user from vibrations (self-lubricating bushings inside the boom, gaskets under the engine cover, rubber support for the handlebar handle) help reduce fatigue when mowing. Part of the load from the device, which weighs 6.2 kg, can be transferred from the hands to the shoulder thanks to the presence of a belt (and if you look for a backpack-type system among the accessories for Oleo-Mac braids, you can achieve even more comfortable conditions).

The standard equipment of the Oleo-Mac Sparta 25 scythe includes a head with fishing line and a three-bladed knife. Therefore, the trimmer can not only cut the grass, but also cope with weeds and small bushes. Such a device is perfect for owners of plots of up to 10–20 acres who want to quickly and efficiently mow the lawn, removing any weeds and overgrowth along the way, but do not see the point in buying a much more expensive gas mower.

The ECHO SRM-222ES/U brushcutter is a relatively new model that went on sale in 2020. It successfully complemented the line of household and semi-professional lawn mowers Echo, occupying the niche of a basic tool designed for solving simple tasks: mowing grass, destroying weeds and young growth. For these purposes, the trimmer is equipped with a spool of fishing line with a diameter of 2.4 mm, and is also additionally equipped with a three-bladed knife.

The 21 cm³ two-stroke engine has a power of 700 W (1 hp) - not too much, but quite enough for working in a small garden. The motor starts with half a turn and runs quietly (but still, the noise level is noticeably higher than that of electric models, so it is recommended to use headphones or earbuds). The engine is economical. It consumes only 0.45 l/h of a mixture of gasoline and oil. Therefore, even though the tank is small (0.4 l), one refill is enough for almost an hour of operation in maximum power mode. Another argument in favor of this brush cutter is its light weight. The device weighs only 4.9 kg (the weight of the average gasoline trimmer is 6 - 8 kg), and therefore you can work for a long time without feeling tired.

The disadvantage of the tool is its price. For the money they ask for the ECHO SRM-222ES/U trimmer, you can buy two or three Chinese-made brush cutters, like Forte or Vitals. But whether they together will last as long as one high-quality Echo lawn mower is a question.