EGO POWER+ 16" Cordless Weed Trimmer with Battery and Charger - ST1623T

Why it's worth it

The EGO cuts a full 16-inch swath, feeds its own line as it wears down, and winds a fresh spool with a button instead of a teardown. The carbon fiber shaft telescopes to your height, and at a listed 7.5 pounds it's the lightest full-size trimmer here.

The line feed is the reason to buy this one. EGO's Line IQ head senses when the line wears down and pays out more on its own, so your cut stays a full 16 inches instead of quietly shrinking to twelve. You're not stopping to tap the head on the driveway every minute. When the spool finally runs dry, PowerLoad winds a new length for you at the push of a button — This Old House rated that system the fastest re-spooling mechanism in a twelve-trimmer comparison, at under ten seconds.

Picture the strip between your fence and the neighbor's hedge, the one you always save for last. A wider head eats that in fewer passes. Family Handyman's lab work found 16-inch trimmers cover a given area up to 25 percent faster than 13-inch models, and fewer passes means less time holding a motor out at arm's length. On a quarter acre that's the difference between a chore and a quick lap.

From our review of 7 cordless string trimmers

What we like

• +The line feed is the reason to buy this one
• +Picture the strip between your fence and the neighbor's hedge, the one you always save for last
• +It's light where it counts
• +EGO rates the included 4.0Ah battery for up to 60 minutes and the charger refills it in 55

What to know

• –This is one of the most expensive trimmers here, and the clever head is part of why
• –EGO packs only fit EGO tools