In a lot of ways, it’s the anti-string trimmer. In addition to its cutting abilities, it offers a tranquil mental and physical experience, accompanied only by the whooshing swish of the blade against the grass. The scythe is an ancient tool, discarded by our modern culture, yet wildly effective at cutting grass.

If your trimming needs include taking down a large grassy area, like an LA hillside or maybe a spot that’s not quite lawn, but also not quite woods, consider bringing a scythe into your life, specifically, the Lee Valley Traditional Austrian Scythe Set. This model replaces our previous top pick, the Ego ST1521S, which is almost identical except that it lacks the telescoping shaft and the easy handle adjustment. It wasn’t the lightest trimmer we tried, but its excellent balance and handle adjustments made it one of the simplest to swing around and maneuver in tight spots. There are a variety of systems that do this, but the Ego’s is the easiest we’ve tested. The Ego comes with a push-button line-load system, which eliminates the typically tedious process of putting a new line on the spool head. It was also among the most capable cordless trimmers we found, with enough run time to cut a 1-foot-wide strip of grass almost two-thirds of a mile long on a single battery charge. The Ego ST1511T is just as powerful and affordable as a gas tool-but without the messy fuel, smelly exhaust, or time-consuming maintenance. This allows it to work for a wide variety of heights and body types. This model, the latest in a long line of successful Ego trimmers, distinguishes itself with an easily adjustable telescoping shaft and a quick adjustment for the secondary handle. But it was the quietest tool we tested, with a hair-dryer-like hum that sounded more pleasant than the whine of its competitors. Considering all that power, you’d expect this trimmer to be noisy.

This trimmer cut through 1-inch-thick Japanese knotweed as if it were grass, while most of the others pathetically slapped their strings against the thick stalks. Compared with other cordless trimmers, the Ego ST1511T Power+ String Trimmer with Powerload is on a different level.

Ego trimmer st1521s