Commercial Gas Handheld String Trimmer Buyer's Guide

Whether you're a homeowner or a landscaping professional, if you're shredding weeds on a daily basis, you might benefit from investing in a commercial-grade gas string trimmer.

What makes a commercial gas trimmer a step up from entry-level and mid-grade trimmers?

• Better cutting ability
• More durable components
• Extended comfort and safety features
• Ease of maintenance

They might cost a little more, but thanks to all their features, these trimmers are designed to last through the toughest conditions.

Cutting Ability

Commercial-grade string trimmers are so powerful that, in many cases, they can double as brush cutters. They offer the ability to take down thick overgrowth at a price point lower than that of most industrial-grade walk-behind machines.

This cutting ability is the result of several different features working together:

• Increased horsepower
• Wider cutting swath
• Ability to use blades or line

While the horsepower on most entry-level trimmers' engines is firmly entrenched in the 20-30cc range, commercial trimmers extend into the 30-40cc range for both 2-cycle and 4-cycle trimmers. The higher horsepower makes it even easier to cut down tall, tough plants.

But it's not just about power. These trimmers also have bigger trimmer heads that allow them to trim wider of sections of grass at one time. The more grass you can trim in one sweep, the faster your job gets done.

You also have the option of changing the trimming mechanism attached to that head. By default, string trimmers use string or line to trim grass – it's in the name, after all! But because of their straight shaft design, commercial trimmers can use trimmer blades in place of line. Against a spinning metal or plastic blade, most weeds won't stand a chance.

Durable Components

Landscaping professionals use their equipment eight hours a day, five days a week –  sometimes more. They need tools that will stand up to hours of wear and tear.

Manufacturers who produce commercial-grade trimmers know this. They design their products with features made for long stretches of hard work:

• Stronger, denser plastic
• Hard metal shafts with thick tubing
• Heavy-duty gearboxes

With components like these, commercial-grade trimmers aren't just able to last through long hours of run time. They're also better able to withstand bumps from traveling in the back of a truck or trailer, sun exposure from being left outside during a break, and everything else that comes before and after the work shift.

Features for Comfort and Safety

We think you get the idea: professional users need powerful, durable pieces of equipment. But because they spend so much time working, that equipment should be safe and comfortable to use, too.

More than entry-level and mid-grade models, commercial gas trimmers are built with ergonomics in mind. They have features that help reduce soreness and fatigue through even the most challenging jobs:

• Bicycle-shaped handles
• Extra padding in the grips
• Components that reduce noise and vibration

With these features on their trimmers (and the proper safety gear in place), commercial lawn care specialists can look forward to greater ease of use and a lower risk of work-related injury and strain.

Plus, the bicycle handles available on some (but not all) commercial-grade trimmers are required by OSHA whenever a trimmer uses a blade instead of string or line. Although D-shaped handles can also be used if the trimmer has a barrier bar in place, bike-style handles make it easy and convenient to be OSHA compliant on the job.

Ease of Maintenance

Commercial landscapers don't have time to take a string trimmer to a shop and wait for repairs. They need to fix it and get back on the job. This is why industrial-grade string trimmers are built with features that make service fast and easy:

• A stand-alone starter for quickly changing the starter cord
• An arbor lock button for quickly replacing the trimmer head
• A higher fuel capacity to reduce the number of stops for refueling

When a string trimmer is used more than 40 hours each week, it's bound to show some signs of wear. Commercial-grade gas trimmers are made to withstand all of that use, but when it does come time to take care of your string trimmer, you can be assured that you won't have to take as much time to do it.