How to Use a Strimmer

A strimmer is a garden power tool that’s used to cut grass or weeds. It uses an inline motor together with long blades made of metal. The line spins really fast, enabling it to spin the blades cutting down weed and grass.

What You Need

To use the strimmer, you need some essential parts like spools, a strimmer head and a cordless rotary tool. There are different types of strimmers that you can buy off the shelf. You need to know what kind you want before going out to buy one.

How to Use a Strimmer: Step by Step Guide

Step 1. Unpacking

When you get home with your strimmer, the first thing you need to do is to take it out of its box and make sure everything is there. Check for essential parts like cordless rotary tool, battery pack, two spools and a strimmer head. Make sure all parts are in good condition before going out to your garden.

Step 2. Preparing the Strimmer Head

When you need some more cord, cut a little bit of line off for later use. Make sure that when you are cutting it, the same piece is taken from both spools so you don’t run into problems when using your strimmer. You can also use the two lines and create a lasso. This is useful for cutting grass along walls and fences where you need to go round corners.

Step 3. Loading the Cord

To load it, you have to feed one end of the cord through the eyelet on the side of your strimmer head and roll up as much line as possible. Make sure that the line is fed through its eyelet neatly without any type of twists or knots.

Step 4. Starting the Strimmer

Before you start using it, make sure that your string trimmer head can rotate freely. If it doesn’t, you need to free up the spool by pulling back on the bump feed. This will let the spool spin round on its axle so that it can cut grass properly.

Step 5. Cutting Grass

Move the strimmer into position where you want to start cutting grass or weeds, making sure you are guiding it through your intended path using your hands. Once you have started to move, don’t stop since the head will keep spinning, but slow down once you need to turn so it doesn’t pull on the string or damage it. You can also change what kind of line you are using depending on what type of surface you are cutting.

Step 6. Replacing your String Trimmer Head

To replace your cord trimmer line, first take off the strimmer head and then take off your line spool. Take off as much of the old cord as possible before loading with a new one. Cut off any pieces that might be stuck inside the line trimmer housing, if not, it will cause damage to your tool. To replace the string trimming head, make sure it’s off, take out the old trimmer line and load in a new one.

Step 7. Cutting Grass with Various Surfaces

You need to change up your cutting strategy when you are using different surfaces like walls or fences since they might not be flat. Use slow movement on hard surfaces while taking smaller movements when doing delicate work like this on a wall.

Do not press too hard on the trimmer head when cutting grass since it will cause damage to your line and spool. It is better if you just use a lightweight touch, especially when going round corners or cutting where you need to go along a fence or wall. If you have any problems using your strimmer, feel free to contact the manufacturer for any advice.

Step 8. Tips

You need to fill the cot trimmer head only with line that is designed for your particular model of strimmer. Never use too much cord since it will tangle up and slow down the spool, causing damage to your line or head. You must also make sure that you are not running out of power while working on your lawn, especially when half way into cutting grass.

See also our breakdown of the Best Cordless Strimmer UK here.

Petrol Powered Strimmers & Trimmers

2 stroke engines of various horsepower can also be used to power petrol boilers. They’re completely cable and wire-free, making them highly portable gardening equipment. Some strimmers come with specialized trimming instruments, such as the SGS 52C, which includes a Strimmer and Brush Cutter (ideal for thick bracken or shrubbery).

These equipment are quite useful, but they need further training or instruction in order to be used correctly. These can be found all around the world and come at a cost of anywhere from £25,000 to £35,000 in the United Kingdom.

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Electric Strimmers & Trimmers

As their name suggests, these strimmers are powered by electricity. They have a cord which needs to be plugged into a power source at all times. The cord can easily get tangled up and may limit the user’s movement if not handled with care.

These tools come in various shapes and sizes – from small handheld models to heavy duty professional-grade strimmers used by landscapers. Handheld battery powered models are commonly found in DIY stores, but heavy duty ones are generally available only from specialist garden centres.

These equipment generally cost between £80 and £180.

Battery Powered Strimmers & Trimmers

They can be more expensive than electric models, but they come with the added benefit of functioning without a cord.

The main disadvantage is that you have to stop and recharge the battery from time to time – something that might not happen if you’re trimming your garden at night or on weekends. In addition, they’re generally more expensive than electric strimmers.

Apart from the standard petrol and battery powered models you’ll find in your local garden centre, there’s also a hybrid type of strimmer. It’s called the cordless rechargeable one-cut system (RRSCS), and it uses a combination of electricity and petrol to provide added power and speed to the strimmer.

Conclusion

A part from cutting grass, a strimmer can also be used to cut thick brush and woody shrubbery. If you’re going to use a strimmer for this purpose, then make sure it has a brush cutter head attached before buying one.