5 Cheaper Weed Eaters That Outshine Milwaukee's In Value

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The weed eater is a staple of outdoor yard maintenance. This is a trimming tool that gets in close to cut around flower beds, mailbox posts, and a wealth of other features that interfere with the natural straight line cutting of your lawn mower. There's a lot to debate over whether a gas or battery-operated yard tool is better for your specific needs, but it's also true that plenty of great options exist in both camps when it comes to lawn mowers, chainsaws, and weed eaters too.

One solid choice, which remains consistent across a broad range of tool options, is the Milwaukee Fuel model. Milwaukee's Fuel-badged tools go above and beyond the standard M12 and M18 systems. They generally feature brushless motors as a rule and include other enhancements throughout to offer a great user experience. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel 16-Inch String Trimmer delivers a peak of 1.76 horsepower, producing the equivalent of a 31cc gas engine. It's 9.9 pounds without a battery attached and offers three cutting speeds with a variable speed trigger acting as a nuanced control to manage the exact output you need (and a top speed of 6,200 RPM). The trimmer is available from Home Depot with a bare tool price of $299 and it's optimized for use with a 12.0Ah battery, making this among the tools you might consider using with the largest power packs available. In its kit configuration ($499), you'll get one of these batteries and a charger alongside the weed eater. There's a lot to like about this model, but plenty of alternatives come in at lower prices and deliver similar experiences.

Stihl is a legendary toolmaker with a long history of quality catalog staples. It's at the top of the list when considering the best options for chainsaw brands, and the company's 16.5-Inch Gas String Trimmer largely offers more of the same. It's available from Ace Hardware for $230. The tool is less expensive upfront, but you'll have to pay for gas to run the unit throughout its lifetime. That's one of the key drawbacks to using gas-powered equipment, as is the lengthy startup procedure. However, this model features Stihl's Easy2Start technology to almost entirely eliminate concerns over a difficult start. The unit offers a smooth running engine that makes it a consistently high performer, and the tool is lightweight to provide a comfortable hold that won't bog you down. It weighs a bit more than the Milwaukee model, coming in at 10.6 pounds, but runs on a durable two-stroke engine with a 27.2cc displacement.

The tool is also fuel efficient and produces fewer emissions than some of Stihl's other options. The trimmer is a powerful cutting solution with reliability built into the very core of its being. The fact that it's a traditional gas-powered model from a highly reputable company sets the tone right away, and its favorable price tag steals the show for buyers considering sticking with gas.

Ego is yet another high performer in the outdoor power tool arena. It's a battery-powered brand with beefy power and highly favorable pricing. The brand's Power+ Powerload 15-Inch 56V String Trimmer is available as a kit (with a 2.5Ah battery and a charger included) for $219 from Ace Hardware, making the entire bundle significantly cheaper than a Milwaukee bare tool in the same category. As a standalone tool, though, you'll get an even better discount, with a price pegged at $160.

The brand is well-known in the outdoor landscaping space, and plenty of users rely on a bevy of Ego products to manage their lawn and garden needs already. The brand's leaf blower is also among the ranks of tools that frequently outshine Milwaukee's blower offering, giving it a firm foundation to stand on when comparing the two toolmakers' options. This model can provide up to 45 minutes of runtime with a 2.5Ah battery attached (included in the kit format), and it features a telescopic shaft that allows for customizations that make it easier to use for a wider range of owners. The variable speed trigger pairs with two speed settings to generate a range of usage parameters.

The Craftsman 17-Inch Gas String Trimmer is another model that goes against the electric-powered grain of Milwaukee's example. The tool is available from Ace Hardware for $159, making it significantly less expensive than the other red-liveried toolmaker's option, too. The trimmer doesn't explicitly include a substantially pain-free startup procedure as is the case with the Stihl model, but it does function with a fairly streamlined three-step process that's much less hassle than gas tool users may be accustomed to working through. The tool also delivers a wider, 17-inch cutting swath that outperforms Milwaukee's weed eater capabilities.

This tool runs on a compact and powerful 25cc two-stroke engine. This helps reduce the overall weight of the tool according to Craftsman, while maintaining a solid standard of cutting performance. Craftsman has long been a highly regarded toolmaker, and even in more recent times the brand still delivers quality options for consumers and even professional users alike. The low price tag and classic design choices make this an easy pick to make when shopping for a new string trimming tool.

DeWalt's 20V Max String Trimmer is an interesting pick because it can be found as a standalone tool for a great price, or as part of a hugely valuable bundle option that's listed for the same price as the Milwaukee weed eater on its own. Buyers can find the tool with battery and charger at Ace Hardware at around $189 or invest in a kit that also features a bundled leaf blower for $299 at the same retailer. The tool is also included as part of a promotion that adds a third, free tool tossed in (up to a $189 value). Selections for this added freebie include DeWalt's power cleaner, hedge trimmer, and pruning saw, among a few others.

The trimmer itself delivers a 13-inch cut width, coming in a little shy of the performance that Milwaukee's Fuel model produces. It utilizes two speed settings with a variable speed trigger to manage nuanced power output in either mode. The tool is also lightweight, coming in at 8.5 pounds and features an ergonomic balance across its build to make cutting as easy as possible. The tool produces a marginally lesser performance than its key competitor, but the bundle options available make this a must-have choice for a DIYer looking for incredible value when handling lawncare projects, especially those already invested in the DeWalt range.

Ryobi's 40V battery platform expands upon the quality performance metrics of its mainline 18V system. These tools frequent Ryobi's outdoor power collection, and the 40V 15-Inch Expand-It String Trimmer is a central example of what the brand does right. The tool is priced at $159 for a bundle featuring a 4Ah battery and charger included at Home Depot. Buyers with plenty of power resources to support 40V Ryobi tools can also get the bare tool for $119. These prices are incredibly appealing, and yet buyer reviews of the unit remain at a notably high level, indicating that you won't have to sacrifice cutting quality or performance standards to get a great deal.

The string trimmer features adjustable cutting widths ranging from 13 to 15 inches, providing narrower cutting when necessary and matching the Milwaukee tool's capabilities at its widest. The tool delivers more power than an equivalent 25cc gas-powered model and provides a full hour of runtime when paired with the kit-included 4Ah battery (and just a hair under two hours with an 8Ah battery pack). The tool also works with Ryobi's Expand-It system, meaning you can swap out head attachments to use the unit as a pole saw, hedge trimmer, and more. It's also possible to buy additional Expand-It elements bundled with the weed eater. For context, the tool can be purchased in the full bundle with added hedge trimmer and edger attachments for $269, keeping the price of the entire collection still beneath Milwaukee's bare tool price.

All of these weed eater selections provide a similar cutting experience in a tool from a highly reputable brand. They are all less expensive, sometimes significantly, than the mainline M18 Fuel Milwaukee trimmer, too. The blend of performance and value makes each one a great option for a buyer in the market for something new without relying on Milwaukee products if they choose to look elsewhere.