Tidy Up Your Yard Quickly and Efficiently With The Best Weed Eater String

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If you take care of your own lawn and landscaping, you’re going to need a string trimmer. These powerful machines and their rotating string allow you to quickly and easily trim and slice through vegetation, ensuring your yard, sidewalk, and curb areas always look neat and tidy. Rotating string provides more precision to give your lawn crisp lines and clear borders between vegetation and your gravel, pathways or driveway.

Your trimmer, however, needs to be equipped with weed eater string. Even though these strings might all look the same, they’re actually more varied than you may think — and it’s important to know the differences between their shapes and sizes. Regardless of the string you use, make sure to always practice the proper safety protocols when using your weed eater, like wearing protective eyewear and long pants, and maintaining awareness of flying debris.

We've gathered our favorite weed eater string on the market, so read on for our recommendations, plus a rundown of things to consider before you shop.

Best Weed Eater String

• Best Overall: Oregon 22-855 Magnum Gatorline

• Best for Frequent Trimming: A Anleolife 5-Pound Commercial Square String Trimmer Line

• Best Value: Oregon 21-380 Gatorline 1-Pound Round String Trimmer Line

• Best for General Use: Stihl Premium Round Trimmer Line

• Best Twisted Option: Oregon 20-020 Magnum Gatorline Supertwist Trimmer Line

What to Consider

Shape

The most important factor to take into account when choosing weed eater string is its shape. If you’re simply looking for a good all-around option for trimming grass and small weeds, go with a round string, as it's more durable, and less likely to break if it comes in contact with fencing or other landscaping elements. Multisided–or “square”–strings, on the other hand, provide a cutting edge that is designed to slice through grass, as opposed to ripping it. Serrated strings are the most aggressive of all, with actual cutting blades shaped into the string, to tackle heavy-duty projects.

Thickness

The diameter, or thickness, of the string is something else to consider. A good rule of thumb is that lines from 0.065 to 0.080 inches are for lighter work, like typical residential lawns with light weeds. Strings measuring .085 to .105 inches are suited for yards with thicker vegetation, and anything above that is designed for your extra rugged, heavy-duty projects with lots of thick brush and growth.

Compatibility

Most importantly, you should always make sure the string you purchase fits your eater. Otherwise, you can end up with something that’s too thick for your spindle, which can either jam it up or not fit at all.

How We Selected

With experience as a landscaper at a large state park, I spent plenty of hours using a variety of weed eaters and different types and sizes of string. I get the hassle of winding, replacing, and adjusting frayed and broken string, so the brands covered below are all reliable and preferred by professionals. A wide range of sizes and shapes are featured as well, so whether you have a low-maintenance yard or an unruly lawn full of aggressive vegetation, you should find an option that fits your specific situation.

22-855 Magnum Gatorline

If you’re dealing with ultra-rugged brush and weeds, this heavy-duty string could be a great fit. Its square shape and thick, 0.155-inch size allows it to easily chop through thick vegetation without affecting your machine’s efficiency.

A strong inner core also increases its durability, reducing the chances of it snapping or fraying when it comes in contact with fences or rocks.

This durability also allows you to work longer, and spend less time refilling your spool. It's a bit pricier than most options though, so make sure you really need a string this heavy-duty.

5-Pound Commercial Square String Trimmer Line

This string comes in at a lengthy 1280 feet, making it great for those who do a substantial amount of weed whacking, or plan to in the near future and want to stock up.

Its square shape provides the sharp edges necessary to slice through grass, and the 0.095-inch size allows it to be relatively flexible, and should reduce the chances of it snapping or cracking during use.

It's also compatible with nearly all trimmers, gas and electric, so you shouldn’t have an issue fitting it in your machine. A small cutter is included to make it easy to quickly snip your string to length whenever you need to.

21-380 Gatorline 1-Pound Round String Trimmer Line

This 0.08-inch Oregon string is designed for lighter-duty use, like low grass and weeds, and is compatible with a range of trimmer brands like Stihl, DeWalt, Ryobi, and Greenworks.

At 413 feet in length, this should last you quite a while, and for about $15, is relatively cheap compared to most other options. Even though it’s not suitable for heavy-duty use, this string is still nice and durable, as the round shape should reduce the chances of breakage during operation, and an outer shell helps to resist any welding with the line itself.

Premium Round Trimmer Line

If you’re looking for a reliable, quality string for general use around the yard, this round 0.095 string should be a great fit. Stihl has been making quality tools—and accessories like this string—for nearly 100 years, and though it isn’t going to be ideal for rugged applications like removing thick weeds, it's still nice and durable, and should last a while.

Its bright orange color also makes it easy to see exactly how far out it’s going to reach, which comes in handy for those precision tasks.

20-020 Magnum Gatorline Supertwist Trimmer Line

The twisted design of this Oregon string combines the durability of a rounded model with the aggressive cutting power that comes from a textured shape. This design also creates less drag when whipping through the air, which tends to result in a quieter operation than other string shapes.

We’re always looking for products that reduce the chances of potential hearing damage over time, so this feature is definitely appreciated.

This string is compatible with heavy-duty eaters like Husqvarna, Stihl, Troy-Bilt, and Echo models, and the durable inner core means you’ll spend less time bending over to change or replace your string.

Desert Extrusion Commercial Trimmer Line (4-Pack)

The star-shaped design of this model features six blades for maximum cutting power, and should be compatible with most trimmers that use 0.065 size string.

We’re big fans of this low-cost option too — for just $14 you’re getting 300 feet of string — and its compact donut packaging is convenient for those who don’t have the space to store larger spools.

The thin size makes this string impractical for heavy-duty use, however, but it should easily slice through most typical residential grass and leave you with clean, precise results.

MaxiEdge Commercial Grade Trimmer Line

If your budget is too tight for our other options, but you’re still looking for a quality trimmer string that can effectively trim your lawn, this string could be a great fit.

Its star-shaped design makes it nice and effective, and at 140 feet long, it lasts for five refills. It should be compatible with the majority of handheld trimmers, just make sure they can accept 0.080-diameter string.

MaxiEdge also offers several different string sizes, shapes, and colors—all at reasonable prices—so you have a nice variety to choose from.

Sawtooth Dual-Core Serrated Trimmer Line

The serrated design of this string features rigid teeth for sawing through extremely thick and dense vegetation. It’s designed specifically for walk-behind trimmers, though, not your typical handheld models, so keep that in mind.

It wouldn’t be a practical choice for use on regular lawn grass, but if you have an area of overgrowth that you need to quickly and easily take down, this string is probably going to be your best bet. Plus, it comes with a handy cutting tool, making it simple to snip off the end when loading it up.

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