Brushcutter — modern varieties and tips for choosing a tool (90 photos)

All owners of country houses or cottages want to have well-groomed and attractive homesteads. To make their interior particularly original, you can plant a shady garden, equip a unique recreation area, build a cascade of fountains. But you can choose a simpler, but no less attractive way – to grow a hedge.

But it also requires effort – it is necessary to regularly trim the plants with a convenient gardening tool. Well, what kind of gardener without a powerful brushcutter? What are its advantages and which model to choose, you will learn from our article.

Summary of the article:

Garden brushcutters are included in the basic set of devices for both experienced gardeners and novice designers who are equipping their homestead territory. There are several reasons for this:

Versatility – they can be used both in the care of fruit trees, and in the arrangement of living fences, and in the fight against thickets in remote areas of the garden.

A variety of species with different technical characteristics, "sharpened" for unique purposes of use.

The ability to perform the function of a pruner, and more efficiently, productively, faster and more convenient compared to the original tool.

The design features of the knives guarantee a high-quality cut. Manipulations are easy to make, it is not necessary to hold the cut branches. This is also an additional convenience of the gardener.

Functionality. Many models are effectively used not only for pruning bushes and thin branches of trees, but also branches large enough in diameter and even trunks up to 30 mm thick.

There are quite a lot of advantages, different models have their own. A variety of equipment can be found on the market, as can be seen in numerous photos of the brushcutter. The main thing is to clearly define what this tool is being purchased for, choose the right type and brand.

What criteria are important when choosing

All buyers who want to buy a new product for themselves are interested in a list of parameters that are important when choosing from a variety of models for sale. The process of buying a garden tool is no exception. If you are interested in which brushcutter to choose, we recommend paying attention to the following selection criteria:

The power of the equipment. The quality of the task performed and productivity depend on this factor. 450-500 W will be enough for electric motor types of household tools, and 0.7 kW for gasoline engines.

The size of the cutting block. Its length can vary between 200-800 mm. As the length of the tire increases, the power of the unit increases. In this case, it can be used to perform the functions of an altimeter or when processing large areas of vegetation.

The household tool has a length of 400-500 mm. At the same time, a short cut allows for curly processing of bushes. The step of the knives is also important – the larger it is, the wider the possibilities for pruning thick branches.

The two-sidedness of the cut. Such models allow you to trim the vertical type and align the corners. At the same time, the speed of manipulation increases significantly.

Equipped with a corner for collecting cuts. With it, you will not scatter cut branches around the site.

The rotary handle helps with curly or vertical trimming. At the same time, it is desirable to have a special coating that prevents the tool from sliding. The built-in level will also facilitate horizontal haircut.

If you choose the electrical variety, then you should pay attention to the cable limiter. Its presence will exclude unintentional disconnection from the network, and the coupling guarantees protection against violations of the integrity of the wire.

Weight. This parameter determines the user's ability to handle the tool. After all, it is difficult for women to lift bulky gasoline units weighing up to 6 kg, for example by 1.5 m, and process the upper part of the bush. But electric samples are not so heavy – on average from 1.9 kg.

Mechanical tools

If you don't have a lot of vegetation on your site that you need to take care of regularly, then it is recommended to use a manual brushcutter. This device resembles ordinary garden shears with a long handle and cutting surfaces up to 250 mm.

With its help, you can trim bushes and thin branches of trees, trim hedges, flower beds. This is a cheap option, although it helps well in gardening.

The blades can be of two shapes – smooth and wavy. The latter option is convenient for curly haircut, and the undulation of the knife does not allow the branches to slip out of the grip.

But at the same time there are a number of disadvantages that limit the scope of use of hand tools:

the need for physical effort, which leads to fatigue;
low level of comfort during manipulations – to cut the upper branches, you need to reach for them;
the difficulty of pruning thick branches;
low performance;
the risk of splitting branches, which can cause diseases in plants.

When choosing, you need to check how convenient the brushcutter will be in use. Evaluate the weight, dimensions, ergonomics. Choose the desired length of the blades. Rubber pads on the handles will also be useful, which eliminates the sliding of hands.

Electric models

Vegetation can be distributed evenly or not very evenly over the site. Electric brushcutters are suitable only if the bushes and trees are not scattered around the site and are not too far from the house.

After all, an important limiting factor is the length of the cord and access to the power grid. The presence of an electric motor provides higher equipment power and good performance.

The advantages of this option include:

light weight;
weak vibration in operation;
affordable price;
ease of maintenance.

However, there are disadvantages. Firstly, when acting with one hand, you can damage the second limb when the gardener corrects the branches. Secondly, dampness is detrimental to the motor. Thirdly, there is a risk of damage to the wire during operations. Also, the engine power will not allow you to effectively cut elements with a thickness of more than 20 mm.

If you don't think much about shapes when cutting, then a one-sided blade will suit you, but for the original curly processing of the fence, a two-sided model of it will be required.

With a large distance between the teeth and good tool power, it becomes possible to trim thick branches, but the quality of the haircut may decrease. And a higher stroke frequency, for example, up to 3.5 thousand strokes per minute, improves the quality of work.

Devices with a knife length of 400-500 mm are convenient when cutting branches with a diameter of up to 20 mm at a height of up to 2 m. A telescopic brushcutter can be used to access the tops. His blade is longer – up to 600-800 mm.

Pay attention to the following factors:

the length of the cord and the possibility of using an extension cord — this increases mobility;
power that allows you to work more productively, but with increased energy costs;
the speed of revolutions at idle, which affects the speed of manipulation.

When buying the unit, it is recommended to pay attention to the products of Al-ko, Bosh, Stihl, Wolf-Garten (Germany) or Black& Decker (USA). Italian Alpina, Efco, Oleo-Mac and Japanese Makita have proven themselves well.

Chinese equipment is also in demand – it's Flymo or Grinda. They acquire Austrian and Swedish electric motor tools.

Battery-powered electric models

This option refers to more advanced hybrid tools. It has both an electric motor and a battery for powering it with energy. Thanks to this combination, battery-powered brushcutters are more mobile and maneuverable.

Two factors are important when choosing:

battery capacity and voltage;
the specified battery life.

For higher power and longer duration of operation, a very capacious battery is required. But in this case, the total weight of the brushcutter increases significantly.

The 1.3Ah battery can guarantee up to 30 minutes of operation without recharging. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the mass, the noise level of operation and the presence of an indicator. It is recommended to buy models with a double-sided blade, which facilitates a variety of manipulations in gardening.

Despite the environmental friendliness of such a brushcutter, its purchase will be justified if pruning is carried out regularly with a sufficiently large amount of work. With minor manipulations, you will not justify the invested funds, and the battery will become unusable if stored for a long time without operation.

The limited battery usage time, of course, is a significant limitation. However, it can be bypassed if you choose a model with a spare battery.

The leader in this group of equipment is considered to be Black&Decker, Bosh, Gardena, Metabo, Ryobi. Products of these brands can be bought without fear for quality and durability.

Gasoline equipment

To clean neglected areas with abundant thickets or pruning thick branches and even trees, a gasoline-powered brushcutter is used. It runs on liquid fuel, is not tied to the power grid, and therefore is very mobile and maneuverable.

High power, high productivity, the ability to perform significant amounts of work – these are the important advantages of this type of garden equipment.

But there are also disadvantages:

high cost;
significant weight;
fuel and lubricants expenses;
routine maintenance work, such as filter replacement;
fire hazard;
noisy operation;
impact on ecology.

Experts recommend purchasing European brands that are of higher quality and cost-effective in use. Chinese samples are not always durable, and Japanese ones are expensive to repair. To work in the garden, you need to buy household models. From the point of view of the design, rounded handles are considered convenient.

Pay attention also to:

the presence of anti-vibration protection, which increases the comfort of work and their productivity;
equipped with high-quality filters that reduce the danger of exhaust;
functionality and suitability for curly cutting of shrubs;
fuel consumption of the selected samples;
sufficiency for riding vegetation processing;
equipped with a primer pump for pumping fuel.

A gasoline unit is a fairly convenient option. But for many reasons, it refers to professional equipment that is not entirely cost-effective when used in the country for not too large amounts of work. If you are ready to spend money on powerful and productive equipment, then this type will be an excellent choice.

German brands Solo, Stihl and Bosh, Italian Efco and Alpina, Slovenian Elmos and Swedish Husqvarna, Jonsered, Stiga have positive reviews.

It is not difficult to create a well-groomed garden or arrange a beautiful hedge. After all, you have the opportunity to use a functional assistant – a brushcutter. There are several types, many models and modifications that are suitable for almost any situation. Our recommendations will help you make the right choice.