Best Brush Cutters

Review & Comparison, Last Update January 26, 2024
If you need to cut thick grass in awkward places or trim undergrowth and saplings in your yard, a brush cutter is just ...Read more
PROS

A battery-powered JumpStart™ starter (not included) will help you start the cutter with a single push of a button. 

CONS
The protective shield is rather small.
OUR VERDICT
Picking Troy-Built TB42, you'll be able not only to make your patio and backyard amazingly neat but save money as well.
detailed parameters
Type
Gas
Engine displacement & power
27cc 2-stroke engine
Cutting width

18" string head / 8" blade

Speed
6800 RPM
Conveniences
SpringAssist™ starting system, EZ-Link® system for quick trimmer line installation
Weight
11 lbs
Safety
Cutting head shield
Warranty

2-year Limited Warranty

PROS
The full crank of the engine extends the lifespan of the cutter.
CONS
The engine needs 1-2 min of the idle operation after starting.
OUR VERDICT
This multifunctional brushcutter is compatible with multiple attachments thanks to the TrimmerPlus technology, so you can tackle grass, weeds, and bushes without any problems.
detailed parameters
Type
Gas
Engine displacement & power
27cc 2-stroke engine
Cutting width

18" string head/ 8" blade

Speed

Not specified

Conveniences
Quickstart™ technology for easier pull start, Full crank engine
Weight
13 lbs
Safety
Cutting head shield
Warranty

2-year Limited Warranty

PROS

This model provides for protective covers not only around the blades but also around the engine to prevent any risk of injuries and burns from contacting moving and heated parts.

CONS

String replacement is pretty laborious. 

OUR VERDICT

What makes the Shimaha brush trimmer stand out among its rivals is a combo of high power and lightweight construction that will let you tackle a number of grass and weed cutting tasks quickly and without a hassle. Besides, a tilted blade design makes it ideal for cutting grass under the benches and in between the flowerbeds.  

detailed parameters
Type

Gas

Engine displacement & power

26cc 2-stroke engine

Cutting width

~16.3" string head / ~10" blade n

Speed

7500 RPM

Conveniences

Shoulder strap included

Weight

12.8 lbs

Safety

Cutting head shield, Trigger lock

Warranty

1 year

PROS

A shoulder strap included in the set along with anti-vibe dual handles will help optimally distribute the tool load and prevent excessive hand fatigue even after hours of work. 

CONS

Somewhat heavy unit. 

OUR VERDICT

A high-capacity 47 cc motor with a super efficient air cooling system will let you easily use this model not only for sprucing up lawn edges but also for trimming bushes and cutting through thick grass, weeds, and saplings. It’s a great choice for large yards and gardens as well as for properties with overgrown slopes and downhills. 

detailed parameters
Type

Gas

Engine displacement & power

42.7cc 2-stroke engine

Cutting width

15" string head / 10" blade

Speed

6800 RPM

Conveniences

EZstart™ recoil system, Anti-Vibe handles, Shoulder strap included

Weight

17 lbs

Safety

Trimmer head with a bumper knob, Trigger lock

Warranty

1 year

PROS

The patented SureFire™ system improves engine start due to an instant fuel injection while a spring-assisted system ensures flawless cutter start up in mere seconds.

CONS

A throttle lever is a bit tight.

OUR VERDICT

Poulan Pro designed a truly versatile and functional basic model that will cover household grass trimming needs. Moreover, paired with one of the numerous optional attachments, this tool can double as an edger, pole saw, hedge trimmer, and even a cultivator.

detailed parameters
Type

Gas

Engine displacement & power

25cc 2-stroke engine

Cutting width

16" string head / 8" blade

Speed

6500 RPM

Conveniences

SureFire™ Starting System, ProLink™ Rapid Attachment System, Tap'N Go trimmer head

Weight

14 lbs

Safety

Cutting head shield, Trigger lock

Warranty

2 years

Reliable Assistant

When you choose a gardening tool, it must be handy, versatile, and fail-proof to help you cope with all shrubs and weeds efficiently. So, we'd like to introduce Troy-Bilt TB42 which embodies a long and productive work of this company. TB42 is a brushcutter powered by the 2-stroke engine with the cylinder displacement of 27cc. As you probably know, starting a gas engine is a challenging task, but Troy-Bilt offers its own solution to this problem. The engine of the cutter can be ignited with the help of the JumpStart™ starter (not included). It allows you to make the engine run with a single push of a button. Even if you don't have a starter, the SpringAssist™ technology will provide a quicker engine starting by reducing your pulling effort by 55%. Having examined the tool's specs, we wish to highlight its convenient adjustable J-shape handle that will facilitate weeding for both left- and right-handed users. The 18" line can be used for cutting grass, but if you need to remove pretty thick vegetation, the 4-tooth blade will help you in clearing out cherry or raspberry underbrush. This brushcutter has another thing you'll surely like. It is connectable up to 10 different Troy-Bilt gardening attachments. This option lets you save the space in your home workshop and spare your money as you won't have to buy other tools.

Briefly About Troy-Bilt

The history of the Troy-Bilt company traces back to 1930. At that time, an entrepreneur Carl Kelsey owned a car-making company but, having analyzed the market, he realized that agriculture was becoming increasingly widespread and started to sell Siemens rototillers. After a huge success with Siemens, Kelsey decided to deal in agricultural machinery and focused his job on manufacturing tillers for home use. The Troy-Bilt® story begins from 1968 when WATCO Machine Products, Inc. promoted the brand in the field of gardening tools. Troy-Bilt has been a subsidiary of MTD Consumer Group, Inc. since 2001 and is regarded as one of the leading manufacturers of lawn mowers, cultivators, pressure washers, and power generators.

Additional Info

User Manual     Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B0076F6EPW

Proven Reliability

This brushcutter will quickly remove all troublesome vegetation from your yard. Remington RM2700 has a powerful 2-stroke gas engine. The QuickStart ™ technology will help you start the engine with a few pulls and minimum effort. We should note that the engine contains a full-sized crank that extends the unit's life. As to design features, the cutter has a straight shaft that provides a better durability in comparison with a curved shaft when a blade hits large objects. Another benefit of the straight shaft is a capability of using the unit in the most hard-to-reach areas. The convenient J-shaped handle can be adjusted and allows you to maneuver the shaft with the ultimate comfort.

TrimmerPlus

Having examined the tool, we'd like to tell you about the TrimmerPlus technology of Remington RM2700. TrimmerPlus is a versatile fixation system that allows connecting different attachments compatible with the system. Buying Remington RM2700, you'll be able to use the tool as a hedger, leaf blower, edger, or tiller. Such an impressive versatility saves your money as you only need to buy attachments instead of additional tools. Moreover, it can save some space in your garage, too! So, we can say that having purchased this Remington brush cutter, you'll appreciate its functionality and your yard or garden will look amazingly neat.

Additional Info

User Manual     Manufacturer

Last updated price $131.90
Stock In stock
ASIN B01DTBWPGS

Cutting Power and Compactness Combined

When it comes to gardening tasks and lawn maintenance, what makes a really good gardening tool is a powerful high-speed motor and an easy-to-maneuver construction.

And this is what you will get with the Shimaha brush cutter. All gas models provide the freedom of cordless operation and give you an opportunity to work in every distant corner of your yard or garden. However, the biggest issue about gas-powered tools is a sometimes pretty heavy weight. And the more powerful and hefty engine the unit has the heavier the whole construction turns out in the end. Though Simaha is not the lightest gas brush cutter out there, taking into account it’s cutting performance, it is still lighter than many other bulkier models. Moreover, the tool weight of 12.8 lbs can be cleverly distributed if you use a special strap to wear the cutter on the shoulder when working. And a loop handle with a side holder will let you work with comfort and precision.

A 26 cc 2-stroke engine speeds up to impressive 7500 RPM in an instant ensuring truly efficient cutting performance. Paired with a durable blade made of steel, the unit will help you fight heavy weeds and thick vegetation. It will cut anything up to 0.75 inches in diameter. Meanwhile, a dual spool string is great for grass trimming and edging. It means you’ll get two tools in one to keep your garden neat without the need to buy a whole tool arsenal.

With User Safety in the Focus

As maneuverable and convenient in use as it is, the Shimaha brush trimmer also stands out for the safety features thought out to every tiny detail. The whole unit construction is well-balanced and won’t limit your movements. An ergonomic handle ensures secure and firm grip while a shoulder strap will deliver additional support for longer trimming and cutting sessions. The engine doesn’t vibrate even at higher speeds. Hence, it won’t wear your hands out even when chopping wild roses and brush. Unlike many rivals, the model provides for protective covers not only around the blades but also around the engine to prevent any risk of injuries and burns from contacting moving, sharp, and heated parts. Besides, thanks to tilted blade design, you can easily cut grass under the benches and in between the flowerbeds without the risk to break or damage the blade.

To round things up, if you need a reliable and high-performing weed whacker for domestic use, the Shemaha brush cutter will fit the bill just right. At an affordable price, it will offer quality and cutting efficiency of tools from reputed and much more expensive brands.

Additional Info

    Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B06XD3RHM9

A Tireless Workhorse

A homestead with a beautiful large garden around it or a kind of “infinity” yard merging with the woods or fields is a dream of nearly everyone. However, that’s not so fabulous in reality and those amazing lawns and lands need to be constantly maintained to look neat and well-groomed. Otherwise, your yard will be rather a deserted “jungle” of weeds, saplings, and uncared bushes. This is where the Blue Max trimmer and brush cutter will come in handy.

Grass trimming and weed whacking in an average-sized household won’t consume too much time and effort while covering a larger territory, especially with overgrown vegetation, might be a real challenge for most weed eaters. For most but not for the Blue Max since this model is designed to tackle heavy-duty grass cutting jobs. What you’ll get here is a really powerful tool. What 42.7cc engine displacement in contrast to about 26cc you would find in other models, this cutter will chop weeds really quickly and efficiently. It will let you tackle without a hassle all sorts of vegetation up to 1 inch in diameter. Hence, you can chop either through grass or through some thicker stalks and saplings without a hassle. Speeding up to 6800 RPM the engine drives the head with a three-prong blade or a string coil attached to it depending on the task you’ll have at hand. Moreover, a large 10” blade and a 15” string will cut a pretty wide swath in one go, thus, further expediting overall process.

Get it Done Without Fatigue

With the weight of 17 lbs, the Blue Max brush cutter is somewhat heavy. Yet, a powerful tool cannot be too light. What's more, the tool design has all the necessary features to re-distribute that heavy weight and let you operate the tool for a long time with minimum fatigue. First of all, the engine block outweighs and balances a spool or a blade with a metal protective shield cleverly distributing the tool weight. Dual handles provide additional support and give better control over the tool for precision cutting. Meanwhile, a shoulder strap included in the package will let you better fix the tool and transfer the load from your arms to your shoulders to prevent excessive fatigue during long grass cutting sessions.

To sum up, with the Blue Max brush cutter, you’ll get a tireless workhorse suitable not only for sprucing up lawn edges but also for trimming bushes and cutting through thick grass, weeds, and saplings. It’s a great choice for large yards and gardens as well as for properties with overgrown slopes and downhills.

Additional Info

User Manual     Manufacturer

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B00KWYHS0O

A Well-thought Basic Helper

If you live in a private house, a cutting tool to manicure your lawn and trim the vegetation in your backyard is a must have. No matter how large or small your garden is, it is absolutely necessary to cut grass, spruce up lawn edges, and get rid of weeds and overgrown saplings on a regular basis unless you want your house to plunge in wild vegetation. That’s why every homeowner has an arsenal of gardening tools to handle a variety of gardening tasks. And if yours still lacks a brush cutter and you need a basic tool to tackle common cutting jobs in your home garden, turn your eyes to the brush cutter from Poulan Pro.

Let’s start with the design. Similar to other models in the range, the Poulan Pro consists of two blocks linked with a clamp on the shaft. It’s an engine block and a cutting head block. Though the unit comes disassembled, you will put it together in mere minutes. A rounded handle with a soft foam pad ensures ergonomic grip and convenient unit handling. The whole construction is made of top-quality metal and plastic to endure extensive use and serve you for years to come.

A 25cc 2-stroke engine speeds up to 6500 RPM which is not the highest possible rate, yet, it is more than enough to cut grass, work through thick weeds, and even trim saplings with soft stalks. The patented SureFire™system improves the engine start due to an instant fuel injection while a spring-assisted system ensures flawless cutter startup in mere seconds. On top of that, a stop switch will automatically return to ON position to further facilitate the tool startup.

… and a Functional Transformer

As many other brush cutters available on the market, the Poulan Pro comes with a cutting blade and a string coil making it a two-in-one tool encompassing the brush cutter and string trimmer functionality. An 8” blade is made of stainless steel, coated against corrosion, and has razor-sharp edges to cut through all sorts of vegetation including dry and stubborn stalks. A 16” string head coming in the set is highly durable and will last for long before you will need to replace the string.

However, there is more to come for this tool. Poulan is a reputed brand in power equipment known for the multifunctionality of its tools. This brush cutter is not an exception. The model features the ProLink™ rapid attachment system allowing for the use of a whole variety of different branded attachment heads. Though special attachments are optional and should be purchased separately, they will let you turn your tool into an edger, pole saw, hedge trimmer, and even a cultivator. And the price of an attachment head is times lower than the price of the entire unit. Moreover, the set of attachments will take less storage space in your shed or garage than several tools if you buy each tool separately.

All in all, the Poulan Pro weed eater is a truly versatile and functional basic model that will cover household grass trimming needs and add to the arsenal of any homeowner. Besides, it will give you an opportunity to grow your toolbox at almost no cost by buying just the necessary attachment and saving money on purchasing the whole tool.

Last updated price $0.00
Stock May be out of stock
ASIN B01MT9A78D

Infographics


What Is a Brush Cutter?

When it comes to lawn trimming, we all know that the tool that serves this purpose best is a lawnmower. Unfortunately, though, lawn mowers are not effective at removing overgrown plants like bushes, weeds, and tall and thick grass that usually grow around fences. If that's the kind of task you need to deal with, you definitely should look out for a good brush cutter. Being more powerful modifications of string trimmers, brush cutters house in higher-capacity engines and may feature heavy-duty blades or thick cutting lines for trimming the grass. Using a brush cutter does not require any special skills, and therefore it can be safely used by a novice user and a seasoned gardener alike. Brush cutters are designed to be used not only for trimming overgrown bushes, though. If you need to cut the grass along walls, flower beds, and footpath edging in your backyard, a brush cutter will help. Though it might not be the best idea to stuff your shed right up with all possible tools presented on the market, there are certain essentials you won't be able to do without when taking care of your garden. And a brush cutter is one of them. Another tool we'd certainly recommend you to add to your arsenal of essential tools is a gas chainsaw with the help of which tackling thick twigs and branches of trees will be a much easier task.

Best Brush Cutters

What Features to Compare

A brush cutter can be really helpful for you, but you should decide what you will be using it for to pick a proper model.

Type

First of all, you have to determine what type of a brush cutter you need. Brush cutters are divided into electric and gas models. Electric brush cutters are quiet and eco-friendly tools that are easy to use and maintain. They are designed for maneuverability and cutting medium greenery like nettle, ragweed, and others. Electric brush cutters will be suitable for people having medium-sized yards as the operating range of such tools is limited by their power cords (an extension cord can be used, though). Gas brush cutters are more powerful than their electric peers and they can cope with thick sprouts and dead weeds well. The gas cutters are more powerful than electric ones but are more difficult in use and need a regular maintenance. Gas models are more mobile and allow working anywhere you need.

Performance

Performance is one more important criterion when choosing a brush cutter. Moreover, the performance depends on several factors. The more powerful the cutter's engine is, the faster it cuts and makes the ground clean. If you deal with grass, you should use a brush cutter with the cutting line as it provides a good cutting width and allows you to clear a large territory. Yet, if you face thick and dense plants, a bush cutter with a blade will be much more efficient. Such blades come in multiple sizes and shapes, so you can use different ones for various weeds.

Usability

As brush cutters are manual tools, pay attention to the usability of each model. A brush cutter should be convenient and user-friendly to ensure a long and efficient work. The brush cutter's weight is probably the most vital aspect for its convenience, and a lightweight model gives you an obvious benefit when dealing with large territories. Most brush cutters are fitted with accessory handles for extra comfort and can be one-handed or two-handed. Such handles should be angle-adjustable to fit your needs. If your brush cutter has a folding shaft, you can always set its length according to your height. Pay attention to the presence of a harness or shoulder straps that evenly distribute the unit's weight over your body and reduce the strain on your hands.

Sources:

1. Renee Miller Advantages & Disadvantages of Brush Cutter Machines, SFGate.

2. String Trimmer Buying Guide, Lowe's.

3. CHOOSE A GRASS TRIMMER, Canadian Tire.

4. Mark Clement How to Use a String Trimmer Like a Pro, Popular Mechanics. October 8, 2013.

5. Julie Day Spring Lawn Care Guide, Today's Homeowner.

6. Chris Barnes Whipper snipper buying guide, Choice. September 19, 2016.

7. String trimmer, Wikipedia. October 11, 2016.

8. Grass Trimmers Buying Guide, Argos.

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