Manageability is especially important when considering a heavy petrol strimmer. These are powerful machines and, even with a harness, they can feel unwieldy. You need to be relatively confident in your physical ability, especially to use a strimmer over 10 kg. Complaints I have are – the instructions need a bit of improvement. The pictures are too small and not clear. Also changing the spark plugs on this model takes a fair bit of time, though it’s not done that often. Finally, for , I think there should have been a shoulder harness included just in case you’re using a brush cutter attachment.

The handle position is also adjustable, so users of different heights can find the position that is most suitable, and the engine also starts relatively easily which will reduce fatigue from pulling the engine cord.

Types of Strimmer and Brushcutter

To buy a strimmer harness is to make an investment that will pay dividends in reduced user fatigue and a consequently greater work output over time. We offer a wide range of strimmer harnesses to suit our equally wide range of strimmers. Depending on the type of strimmer, we sell a number of types of harnesses to suit. A cordless strimmer, for example would require a different harness to a petrol strimmer. A suitable harness for a petrol strimmer would offer a support cushion, protecting the user from the weight of the strimmer resting on the hip area. A good petrol strimmer harness would also balance the weight of the strimmer completely and the fully adjustable straps would allow flexibility. To sum it up, you need a lawnmower for doing the brunt of the heavy work and a strimmer for tidying and polishing the final look of your lawn. According to Flymo, this strimmer is fitted with a 1.5 mm ‘silent’ dual auto line, but it’s worth pointing out that customers still report it as being quite noisy. So don’t buy this under the false illusion that it won’t make any noise at all. As with most things, this robustness comes at a price and the price is an increase in weight when compared to plastic only models. Don’t let that put you off, it’s light enough for almost all to handle. With a bit of adjustment, the harness that comes with the strimmer helps to make the machine feel lighter than its 9.15kg. The handlebar design helps to keep the weight load spread out evenly too. The shaft can be split in half for ease of transport and storage and the design of the adjustable handle is one that is very compact and space-saving. Instead of bike style handlebars, or large cow horns, McCulloch has opted for a small, triangular-shaped loop handle and it is padded and comfortable.

This model is well balanced and will give you up to 46 minutes of runtime when fully charged so not as long-lasting as a petrol engine but pretty impressive for a battery power source. Battery life is often short – around 20 minutes, so you may need to stop and recharge which can take a long time Nevertheless, this strimmer is generally pleasant to use. The lightweight design means it’s easy to manage, and the plant guard protects shrubs from damage when trimming close by. For the price, you pay you to get the battery and charger included as well as a line trimmer head, brush cutter blade, shoulder strap and various tools you need to get you going. You don’t have to worry about your fillings getting shaken out of your head with the Stanley as vibration levels are quite low, and the D-handle situated along the shaft does a good job of not letting you feel what shakes there are.Along with the harness, a tool kit and fuel-mixing bottle come included. Whilst you may get more from using your own tools for maintenance, the bottle is useful for easily combining the petrol and oil needed before starting.

This new 18v cordless strimmer comes with a number of alluring features including an adjustable spring-loaded shaft that accommodates a variety of user heights, an ergonomic non-variable speed trigger system with a safety on/off switch replete with battery gauge and a five-position handle for different arm lengths.

This excellent 30cm strimmer is a top option for general strimming tasks though its non-telescopic aluminium shaft is quite long so it might not be suitable for those of very short stature. The type of handle can make a difference in terms of how easy the strimmer is to control. There are generally two types of handles: a bicycle-handlebar style handle, and a U-shaped shaft handle. Another advantage is that they are more mobile because petrol strimmers don’t need a power lead, so you have more range and freedom of movement. There are cordless electric strimmers but they rely on batteries that need to be charged when they run out and don’t last as long a tank of petrol.

The 2 stroke engine is easy to start, powerful and not too noisy, it hardly ever gets bogged down because of the power. The build quality of this petrol strimmer / brush cutter is surprisingly good for something priced so low. Everything feels strong and well-made and should last a while as long as it is not abused.This model features two cutting speeds: Eco and Turbo. To use, hold in the ‘on' button for a few seconds and it will default to Eco mode which is ample for most strimming needs. If the grass is really long or straw like, switch it to Turbo mode and it’ll slice through it like butter. When it comes to clearing nettles, brambles and really long grass on an industrial scale, you need a commercial-style petrol-powered ‘brush cutter’ with handle bars and a full harness – just like this excellent model from Cobra. Use your strimmer to cut away all the thorny branches until you’re left with just a stump. To avoid this re-generating you need to dig out the stump as well as remove as much of the roots as possible. Any seedlings should be dug out and removed by hand as well. Petrol strimmers aren’t generally used for small jobs – they’re tough machines that are well suited to clearing large areas and tough undergrowth. There’s no limit on how long mains-powered strimmers can be used for – it doesn’t have a battery to run down and won’t need refuelling. Of course, the motor may need a bit of time to cool down during extended use.