6 Alternative To String Trimmer: Useful Common Options

Alternative to string trimmer are ones that would work just as well as these powered tools. Do not despair when your hand trimmer gets damaged or lost; you need to use it.

Lawn cutters, edging shears, lawnmowers, shovels, etc., are just some of the alternatives that work as well as a string trimmer. These manual and automotive gardening tools can pull out weeds and create precise lawn edges.

Here are six common tools you never knew could substitute for Stihl trimmers in lawn care.

List of Different Alternative To String Trimmer

1. Brush Cutter

A brush cutter is also known as a brush saw, grass shears or clearing saw, and it is the best alternative if a trimmer is unavailable or its noise irritates you too much. 

On the other hand, when you invest in a brush saw, it will help eliminate weeds and cut grass all over the lawn. This machine is particularly important in obscure areas where lawnmowers cannot reach. It is a rather heavy-duty tool and is better suited for very tall and thick patches of grass and shrubbery. It is even strong enough to cut down small trees and wood logs.

Not only that, but this one is a battery-powered tool with an uncanny resemblance to string trimmers, except a sharp blade is at its cutting trimmer head instead of a vibrating string. They are efficient tools that can slice easily through plants and grass while reaching places usually inaccessible to larger machines. Because of the blade, they will be heavier than your average weed eater and it can easily replace a string trimmer with its steady use. 

2. Lawn Edging Shears

Lawn edging shears are a variation of ordinary gardening shears, except they were made especially for trimming the edges of the lawn. Which means that when you use this edging shears, you can cut grass very neatly along the edges of the lawn, and basically you will end up having a fresh manicured lawn. This makes them a worthy alternative in case your weed trimmer is unavailable.

This machine is one that has been characterized with its blades, as they e shears and usually at an angle of 90 degrees to the handles. They also are heavier than ordinary gardening shears. It is best to opt for blades made of carbon steel as they do not rust and cut grass efficiently. You can also get lightweight edging shears if yours are too heavy to carry.

3. Scythe

It is possible to trade old manual tools like a scythe for powered ones like weed eaters. Sure, they take much longer to complete grass cutting or weed whacking, but the result is neat, and it looks pretty cool. 

Before push and riding mowers were invented, scythes and sickles were used principally for lawn care and this would show you that they can do the job well. You can easily mow grass with a scythe and pull weeds from the ground. 

However, you must be using it to trim the yard’s edges and to cut grass or weed under the fences. Mowers and other electronic equipment are useless when the grass is too wet, but a scythe will also cut neatly through that.

A scythe is a very simple tool comprising a long handle at the end attached to a curved blade. The handle is usually made of wood and has several grips along its length. The key to getting results from a scythe similar to a string trimmer lies in how you hold it, and due to the latter, it would be meant to be used while standing upright, your posture is very important. Otherwise, you might have a really bad back problem.

4. Sickle

There is no way you don’t have a sick lying around the house somewhere. This multi-purpose tool has been used for centuries to carry out tasks that have now been relegated to cordless string trimmers. 

Just like a weed wacker, you can use a sickle to carry out an effective weed eradication on the lawn. Identify the areas where the weed grows particularly thick, and then take your sickle to it. You may either cut the weeds off neatly from the ground up or use the sharp tip of this tool to pull them out from the ground. 

However, remember that because the tip is so thin and narrow, the weeds will be removed without damaging the soil’s surface much. You can also take the sickle to the peripheries of the lawn to get neat edges after each mowing session. 

On another note this is a hand-held tool with a wooden handle and a half-moon-shaped cutting blade, and the given is a key feature that it has. It is one of the simplest and yet the most effective tools out there in the gardening world. 

It comes in many sizes, and you can choose one that fits your hand the best and is easy to carry around. Remember that it is a hand-held tool, and it will be easy for you to work with if it is small and lightweight. 

5. Mower

A mower will not be able to pull out weeds like a string trimmer, but it will surely be able to cut grass and maintain a neat lawn nonetheless. As the name suggests, the primary purpose of this machine is to cut down grass and maintain it at a certain height, and it would do it perfectly well, however, remember that it needs to be kept or stored well for winter.

Even if you have a manual push type of mower, it will still be able to mow the lawn in a very short amount of time. In comparison, manual tools like a spade or a shovel will take ages and tire you.

Mowers come in all shapes and sizes, and it is up to you to see which one you like best. Push-type mowers work best for small-sized lawns, in addition to a diversity in the quality and the price that you would invest in. For moderate lawns that require bi-weekly mowing, you need to think about gas-powered or electric-powered self-propelling types of mowers. 

This way, you will cut down a ton of manual labor and time during lawn mowing. You can get riding-type mowers for lawns and fields larger than one acre. These are a bit pricier but the most practical options when such a large area has to be mowed.

Moreover, all mowers have rotating cutting blades instead of string trimmer heads that cut grass at the height you want. They will also chop down the weeds down to the level of the ground. Unlike string trimmers, mowers are not so good near the corners and might leave patches of grass behind.

6. Shovel

Is there a more versatile gardening tool than the good old shovel? So many shovels are available, but you can make do with an ordinary square. Just like a powered weed wacker, you can use any shovel to uproot weeds and create neat lawn edges. 

A shovel can also be used to break ground and plant grass seeds. You can dig out soil from it and carry it from one place to the next. On the other hand, remember that this tool is a simple instrument with a long, wooden, straight shaft with a handle and a blade on the other. The blade, in most cases, is concave on one side with a rounded tip. 

Conclusion

Now we know what to do if a string trimmer is not available for cutting tall grass on the yard’s edges.

• Go directly for manual tools like a scythe, sickle, or shovel because they all work well to pull out weeds, break soil and cut grass.
• Use a mower and see how easy and convenient your lawn maintenance becomes.
• Electric cutters or edging shears can be used to make perfect yard edges.

Try out all these useful alternatives we discussed today, and remember to tell us how it goes.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Evergreen Seeds

If you are looking for help gardening you’ve come to the right place! We love gardening and we want to share this love with you. Join our dynamic garden community.

Latest posts by Evergreen Seeds (see all)

• 12 Plants That Like Morning Sun and Afternoon Shade Equally - September 26, 2023
• Are Banana Peels Good for Tomato Plants? Ways To Use It - September 25, 2023
• Is Cigarette Ash Good for Plants: Important Considerations - September 25, 2023