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The GreenWorks 21272 is our most recommended electric weed eater – for a good price you’ll get a lightweight tool with solid power and many useful adjustments that will make maintaining your yard a lot easier.
Pros:
- Solid power
- Good price
- Tilting head, wheels
Cons:
- Problems with line feed and spare spools
Key specifications:
- Edger:
- Weight: 7 lbs
Corded
The 21272 comes with all the advantages and disadvantages of electric corded tools. It’s quite cheap, lightweight and easy to maneuver. Also quiet, starts with a push of a button and doesn’t require maintenance or dealing with fuel or batteries.
On the other hand, you are limited by the extension cord so you won’t get the freedom typical for gas or battery powered machines.
Power
This string trimmer offers plenty of power for normal use and a nice large 15″ cutting swath – the necessity to use cord predetermines it for small or medium sized yards where it excels, particularly with the edging possibility.
Just don’t expect to use it on heavy duty jobs, the power still can’t be compared to gas tools.
Line feeding
An autofeed is used to advance the line so no bumping is required – it works quite well but it requires a certain technique to be effective. The line is advanced every time you release the trigger for 2 seconds so if your are trimming non-stop, the line can get short after some time – and on the other hand, if you are constantly starting and stopping, you’ll eat through the line quickly. So the best way is to develop some kind of routine how often to release the trigger to have the right length of line and not waste too much of it. And if you need to advance more line at once, you can do it manually as well, by pressing a button.
Also, the prewind spools (package of one or three spools) get out of stock quite often, so many users recommend winding it yourself which is not difficult (some even recommend using a thicker line for better performance).
Using the tilting head
Edger and adjustments
Most electric weed whackers are equipped with an edger adjustment and this machine is no exception. One-touch system enables a quick change between trimming and edging tasks, a metal guide for keeping appropriate distance from objects is present as well.
It also equipped with little wheels for more precision. They are quite wobbly and cumbersome as they’re attached directly to the shield – but certainly help to give your edges a more professional look.
Other adjustments include setting the shaft height and position of the handle (both tool free) to fit your height and preference. And good news is that it’s fairly comfortable even for tall people.
And a nice feature is the ability to tilt the head (one-touch conversion again) which makes trimming hard-to-reach areas (see the picture) a lot easier.
Conclusion: If you are looking for a good string trimmer / edger for a small or medium sized garden, GreenWorks 21272 is our most recommended option – light, easy to use and with decent power and several useful adjustments.
However, it’s not designed for heavy trimming or larger yards – so if that’s your case, take a look at gas, brushless or more powerful corded machines.
>> Read more or buy the GreenWorks 21272 here
Specifications:
- Brand: Greenworks
- Type: Electric, corded
- Edger:
- Tilting head:
- Amp: 5.5 Amp
- Cord lock:
- Weight: 7 lbs
- Cutting swath: 15″
- Line: 0.065 dual line
- Feeding: autofeed
- Warranty: 4-year for non-commercial use
- Includes: prewound line
Frequently asked questions:
Are there any accessories I should buy?
We recommend getting the 3 spool replacement package and if you don’t have a long extension cord yet, go with the Coleman 100 feet cable.
It’s also possible (and not difficult, see the video below) to wind the spool yourself with a line of your choice – some users even recommend it.
Show Video
Is there any maintenance needed?
No, the motor is an enclosed unit so no maintenance is required. Just clean the machine from dead grass occasionally.
