Brush cutter - modern varieties and tips for choosing a tool (90 photos)

All owners of country houses or cottages want to have well-groomed and attractive personal plots. To make their interior especially original, you can plant a shady garden, equip a unique relaxation 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 - you need to regularly trim the plants with a convenient garden tool. Well, what gardener without a powerful brush cutter? What are its advantages and which model to choose, you will learn from our article.

Summary of the article:

The benefits of brush cutters

Garden brush cutters are included in the basic set of fixtures and experienced gardeners, and novice designers, equipping their homestead territory. There are several reasons for this:

Universality - 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 secateurs, and more efficiently, productively, faster and more conveniently than the original tool.

The design features of the knives guarantee a quality cut. Manipulation is easy to do, you do not need to hold cut branches. This is also an added convenience for the gardener.

Functionality. Many models are effectively used not only for cutting bushes and thin tree branches, but also for branches that are sufficiently large in diameter and even trunks up to 30 mm thick.

There are a lot of advantages, they have different models. You can find a variety of equipment on the market, as can be seen in the numerous photos of the brush cutter. The main thing is to clearly determine why this tool is purchased, choose the right look 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 significant 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 brush cutter to choose, we recommend that you pay attention to the following selection criteria:

Power equipment. The quality of the task and productivity depends on this factor. For engines of electromotor varieties of household tools 450–500 W will be enough, and for gasoline - 0.7 kW.

The size of the cutting block. Its length can vary between 200-800 mm. With increasing tire lengths, the power of the unit increases. In this case, it can be used to perform the functions of a high-cutter 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 the figured processing of bushes. The step of the knives is also important - the larger it is, the wider the possibilities for trimming thick branches.

Bilateral cut. Such models allow you to trim the vertical type and align the angles. At the same time, the speed of manipulation increases significantly.

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

The rotary handle helps with curly or vertical cropping. In this case, it is desirable to have a special coating that excludes the sliding of the tool. The built-in level will facilitate horizontal cutting.

If you choose an electric version, 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 ability of the user to cope with 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 electrical samples are not so heavy - an average of 1.9 kg.

Mechanical tool

If you have not so much vegetation on the site that you need to regularly care for, then it is recommended to use a manual brush cutter. This fixture resembles conventional 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 a lot in gardening.

Blades can be of two forms - smooth and wavy. The latter option is convenient for curly haircuts, and the undulation of the knife prevents the branches from slipping out of the grapple.

But there are a number of drawbacks that limit the scope of use of hand tools:

the need for physical effort, which leads to fatigue;
low level of comfort during handling - to cut the upper branches you need to reach for them;
the difficulty of trimming thick branches;
low productivity;
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. Estimate the weight, dimensions, ergonomics. Select the desired blade length. Rubber pads on the handles will be useful, which eliminates the sliding of hands.

Electric models

Vegetation can be distributed evenly or not very across the plot. Electric brush cutters are only suitable 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 cord length and access to the mains. The presence of an electric motor provides higher equipment power and good performance.

The advantages of this option include:

light weight;
weak vibration in work;
reasonable price;
ease of maintenance.

True, there are also disadvantages. Firstly, with one-handed action, the second limb can be damaged 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, engine power will not allow you to effectively cut elements with a thickness of more than 20 mm

If you don’t really think about the shapes when cutting, then a one-sided blade is suitable for you, but for the original curly processing of the hedge, a two-sided model is required.

With a large distance between the teeth and a good tool power, it becomes possible to cut thick branches, but the quality of the haircut may decrease. A higher stroke rate, 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 brush cutter can be used to access the tops. His blade is longer - up to 600-800 mm.

Pay attention to the following factors:

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

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

Chinese equipment is also in demand - this is Flymo or Grinda. Austrian and Swedish electric motor tools are purchased.

Battery Electric Models

This option relates to more advanced hybrid tools. It contains both an electric motor and a battery for powering it. Thanks to this combination, cordless brush cutters are more mobile and maneuverable.

Two factors are important when choosing:

battery capacity and voltage;
set battery life.

For higher power and longer operating times, a very capacious battery is required. But in this case, the total weight of the brush cutter increases significantly.

A 1.3 Ah battery can guarantee up to 30 minutes of operation without recharging. Therefore, you need to pay attention to the mass, noise operation and the presence of an indicator. They recommend buying models with a double-sided blade, which facilitates a variety of manipulations in gardening.

Despite the environmental friendliness of such a brush cutter, 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 investment, and the battery will become unusable during prolonged storage without operation.

The limited time of the battery, of course, is a significant limitation. However, you can get around it if you choose a model with a spare battery.

The leaders in this group of equipment are Black & Decker, Bosh, Gardena, Metabo, Ryobi. The products of these brands can be bought without fear for quality and durability.

Gasoline equipment

For cleaning neglected areas with abundant thickets or trimming thick branches and even trees, a gas-powered brush cutter 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 volumes of work - these are 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 replacing filters;
fire hazard;
noise at work;
impact on the environment.

Experts recommend purchasing European brands that are better and more cost-effective to use. Chinese designs are not always durable, while Japanese ones are expensive to repair. To work in the garden, you need to buy household models. From the point of view of 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 risk of exhaust;
functionality and suitability for curly cutting of bushes;
fuel consumption for samples taken;
sufficiency for horse processing of vegetation;
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, which is not very cost-effective when used in the country for not too large volumes of work. If you are ready to invest in powerful and productive equipment, then this type will be an excellent choice.

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

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