Why Choose a Lightweight Weed Eater?
Why we sometimes choose the lightweight weed eater over the heavier ones also has a good reason behind it. As we always knew when it comes to tools, the heavier the tougher, this is not always the case with the weed eaters. Also called the weed wackers, brush cutters and many other names, these tools are hand-carried and you sway, swing and dance with them when trimming, edging and cutting your grass. 
Any weed eater that is less than 12 pounds can be considered a lightweight and that includes the rechargeable weed eaters with their batteries. With the gas-powered types, they are loaded with lots of parts so these are naturally a bit heavier. So what can you derive from using the lightest weed eater? Are they powerful enough to give your grass a good trim at a faster rate? 
So let’s talk about why owning a lightweight weed wacker is oftentimes more practical than the average size types.
Advantages of Using the Best Lightweight Weed Eater
A lightweight weed wacker won’t make you suffer from its use. Especially when it comes to trimming and edging which doubles up the work, the lighter the machine the better it won’t give you pain and fatigue on your arms and shoulders.
They are easy to carry around. If you are walking up and down the terrain trimming and edging grass that your lawn mower couldn’t reach, you won’t physically suffer from using a lightweight weed eater. 
If you have chronic back pain or weak legs, you still can use a lightweight gas weed eater especially the cordless or the corded type. You can find some that can weigh less than 7 pounds and half-liter gasoline won’t add much to the weight.
Women also enjoy using the best lightweight weed eater. These are actually perfect for ladies who are into gardening and planting veggies or growing flowering plants in their backyards while wanting to maintain a nice grassy environment. 
Your teenagers can also enjoy using a lightweight weed eater and these types of trimming tools are not very dangerous unlike with the brush cutters with metal blades. However, don’t leave your kid unattended when using a lightweight but gas-powered weed eater.
Can provide just the right exercise for older people who are still fond of tending their lawns. But we recommend for them to use the cordless types which have push-button start features and not the gas-powered that requires cord pulling. 
When to Consider Buying the Lightest Weed Eater
As we have mentioned, 12 pounds or below with the weed eaters is already in the category of the lighter type. Though some homeowners still prefer the heavy-duty types because they know that these are far more durable and perform well on various types of vegetation, many traditional type weed eaters that are on the lighter side can also match these hardy machines in terms of performance and reliability. 
So where do the lightweight weed eater lag compared to the commercial class? The only main differences between the two are basically in the category of durability, the longevity of use and probably their overall size which the commercial weed eater can be the winner. But would you need a heavy-duty weed trimmer if you only have a small or medium-sized lawn? This is where the lightweight weed eater can be the better choice. 
So whenever you want to buy a weed eater unit, always consider the size of your lawn, the roughness and toughness of the grass you have to deal with and your physical condition as the operator. Initially, we seriously consider weight to be a great factor when looking for the best weed eater because if it is heavy, this will strain you physically with its weight. If it’s very light and weak, then it becomes useless in no time. But if you find one that’s light but have durable parts, that will be perfect. But how would you know that the machine could be the best lightweight weed eater for you?
Criteria When Looking for the lightest machine
We consider here only the best gas weed eater because presumably the cordless and the corded types are naturally lighter already while the gas types are commonly heavier.
Size
Bulky may also mean heavy. If it’s bulky but light, then most of its parts are made of plastic especially on the casing which is also not good. Consider the size of the engine and the length of the shaft to know if the machine fits your physical features. 
Alloy, not steel
Steel is heavy, alloy is much lighter but equally durable and resistant to heat. Particularly the shaft, an alloy-made shaft would give you better freedom in your movements.
Engine size.
The size of the engine is what makes the weed eater heavier. The larger the engine, the more powerful the machine. But if you only need a weed eater for basic edging and trimming soft grass, go for the lightweight gas weed eater with a smaller engine but with at least a 25cc engine. 
Adjustable shaft.
Why we recommend units with adjustable poles/shaft is because anybody in your household can use it. From the tallest member of the family to the shortest, using a lightweight weed eater would always be a breeze.
Head trimmer size.
We all want the wider cutting length to finish faster using our weed wackers. But the wider the cutting length of the weed eater, the more accessories are attached and therefore the more weight these put up on the trimmer head. Around 15 to 17 inches cutting width is enough for a lightweight weed wacker to be efficient. 
You don’t really need to carry a lightweight gas weed eater if you only need to trim grass around the house, our best recommendation would be the cordless weed eater types. They have a little more weight than the corded but they won’t limit your movements and you can still go up to your fence and around the street edges. The only issue with them is that they need quite some time to get them fully recharged though they are the lightest and most quiet to use.
Some Disadvantages of Using Light Weed Wackers
Not everything about the lightweight weed eater will be good much the same as with the traditional sized units. Even the commercial weed eater types also have some disadvantages attached to them and that they are particularly heavy. So for the lightweight weed eater kinds, here are a few of their disadvantages.
Not as powerful as the units with heavier engines. Like we always say, the size of the engine will tell you a bit of the power capacity of the weed eater especially with the gas-powered types. 
Less power means a longer time finishing a large lawn with lots of edges. The average weed cutter’s head spins at an average of 100 spins per second. The heavy-duty types can do about 150 or even more. So this means less power is lesser cutting speed.
Most of them can’t be fitted with a weed blade or brush cutter blades. Because of their limited size and power capacity, a blade would be heavy for the lightest weed eater to handle. 
Not easy to trim or cut hard stringy weeds. It will take you a bit longer to cut those tough weeds you’ve found growing among your flowering plants.
They have limited fuel capacity so you need to do a bit more of the refueling if you’re up to edging wide open lawns. 
Finally, they are not as durable as their bigger counterparts. With the lightest weed eater, this will only be good for maintaining a small yard and not capable to do large trimming jobs or otherwise they will break easily.
Review of the Best Lightweight Weed Wacker Types
Makita 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless String Trimmer, Tool Only, (Battery Not Included)
This lightweight weed eater only weighs almost 6.5 pounds including its battery. However, you have to order the lithium battery and the charger separately because many customers just wanted to buy this single unit without these essential accessories. Why we choose this cordless weed eater is because we’ve known Makita for years to be one of the manufacturers of quality American brand power tools and equipment including cordless residential tools. That’s why with our initial check, we know well that this 18V cordless lightweight weed wacker will live up to its name. 
Special features of this unit is its Makita 18V motor that can deliver up to 7,800 RPM so even this is one of the lightest weed eaters sold by Makita, its speed and performance are really unbelievable. The battery can be charged fully only in 30 minutes and has a 45 minutes run time. So if you have an extra battery on hand, you could finish a good-size lawn without the need to stop and recharge. 
In terms of design, this is of course ergonomically built so it’s well-balanced but compact. If some taller people have problems using the lightest weed eater, don’t worry because this unit has a telescopic shaft that can be adjusted from 48.5 inches to 56 inches which is not common among lightweight weed eaters. The cutting capacity is 10 1/4-inches wide. If you want to convert it from edger to trimmer, you only need to flick its guard and you’re good to go. So if you don’t have a lawn mower for your small lawn, don’t worry, this can be your best lightweight weed eater that can trim your grass including reaching under your flowering plants and pots.
Husqvarna 324L 4-Cycle 18″ Cutting Path Gas String Trimmer
Would you believe that this gas-powered weed wacker only weighs around 6 pounds but has a 25 cc 4-cycle engine and an 18-inch cutting width? Yes, such a lightweight weed eater can match the bigger versions in terms of performance and flexibility. It also has the “N Go line that only requires tapping the trimmer head on the grass to release the string while reloading the trimmer line is also made easier. 
Being a 4-stroke machine, this unit uses unleaded gas so if your concern is the fumes that are ordinarily seen among the 2-stroke weed cutters, this one is safe for you and to the environment. Added to these, its translucent fuel tank will allow you to monitor the fuel on a quick glance. Plus, using the primer bulb, this will quickly eliminate unwanted air from the carburetor which normally happens among the 4-cycle engines. 
For residential use, this lightweight weed eater has 2-year warranty coverage. But the most special feature that this Husqvarna 32L has is its capability to do 7000 RPM thanks to its .9 hp that can deliver faster cutting, trimming and edging speed in a flash. No need to mix oil and gas and with its wide cutting width, you can easily manage a small-size or even a medium-size lawn at a comfortable speed. We have even seen some of these units being owned by landscapers during grass edging and this is the perfect lightweight gas weed eater that can serve as a backup for the heavy-duty weed eater types.
BLACK+DECKER 40V Max String Trimmer / Edger
No doubt about the Black & Decker. This brand has been in existence for decades thus earned a good reputation of being world-class in the manufacturing of residential tools and machines that are proven to be durable and quality made. This B&D LST136 model has a powerful 40V Lithium-ion battery that can run for 2 straight hours and deliver powerful cutting power to any type of grass. Plus its power drive transmission, using this for edging and trimming is so much easier and faster. 
Weighing only around 7 pounds, this is one of the lightest weed eater types that we always recommend to people with back problems, knee issues, or slight physical disabilities. Older people can use it because they can easily start it with simple push-button control. Aside from that, they can also choose between maximum power and maximum run time if they want to use lots of power for the machine for quick trimming or save the battery charge and run the machine on a low rpm when they have to deal with softer and smaller grass. 
Another good feature of this unit is its Automatic Feed Spool system that does not need for the spool head to get bumped on the grass as the line trimmer will automatically adjust as the trimmer head keeps running. If you wanted to use this also from edger to trimmer, you can do this easily with an easy twist of the shaft. By the way, the telescoping shaft has a maximum length of 52 inches long so any adult or young adult in your family can use it.
My Conclusion
A lightweight weed eater can be the coolest machine to use with your lawn or garden. Small but reliable tool to turn your lawn into a beautiful landscape, who does have a lawn without a weed eater? There are basically two types of grass cutting machines that you can choose to keep your lawn nicely trimmed and looking great. For large lawns, you can depend on the riding mowers or zero-turn mowers for faster and efficient grass cutting. 
For medium-size residential lawns, the walk-behind lawn mowers are the most practical choice. But regardless of the size of the lawn, there will always be edges, corners and under the shrubs that need to be trimmed of grass. So this is where you should use the weed eater. To make it easier and more convenient for you, we suggest you choose the best lightweight weed eater so that everybody in your family who can handle small machines can enjoy and help in maintaining your grass. 
For our next article, we will be tackling the battery weed eater types. These types of weed eaters are generally some of the lightest next to the corded weed eaters. You will learn more of them so watch out for our next blog.
