Lawn mowers vs trimmers. They will both cut your grass, but there are a lot of differences between the two. They look and function rather differently. If you have an area of grass to maintain, you might be wondering which option is the right one for you.
Whenever I’m trying to decide between two options, I find it useful to compare the two products across all the different key areas, so I know what each product is going to offer me. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do for you in this comparison between the lawn mower and trimmer.
Lawn Mower vs Trimmer: Key Factors Compared
It should be said that lawn mowers and trimmers do actually complement each other nicely (as you’ll see below). It’s not a strict “you have one or the other” kind of deal. But even so, it can be useful to be aware of how they differ and the various strengths and weaknesses each one offers.
Shape and Size
Sure, both a mower and a trimmer have a motor/engine that powers some kind of cutting implement (a blade for a mower and a line for a trimmer), but that’s really where the comparisons end in terms of shape and size. You only have to look at these tools side by side to see what I’m talking about.
A mower generally has a bigger footprint in terms of size, being more box-shaped, while a trimmer has a cutting head positioned on the end of a long pole.
Primary Function
Rather than seeing it as lawn mower vs trimmer – one or the other – this is where you’ll see that they do in fact complement each other. A lawn mower’s job is to cut the bulk of the grass on a lawn. 95% or thereabout.
A trimmer on the other hand is more of a “detailing” tool in that its primary use is to cut grass that is located in tight little corners, or around obstacles in the yard that a mower deck simply can’t get to. And that’s exactly how they can combine to be your “dream team”.
That doesn’t mean to say that you can’t use a string trimmer to cut grass all over the lawn; you can. You just have to be aware of the limitations. Because it’s not really designed for this, it’ll take you a lot longer than with a mower. Another use I’ve personally had for trimmers is clearing small patches of pretty badly overgrown grass at the front of my property, underneath a hedge that I have. The grass is actually on a slope, so it’s a lot easier to get at with a trimmer than it would be with my mower.
Coverage
A lawn mower is capable of helping you to maintain significantly larger areas of lawn than a trimmer. They come in all shapes and sizes, from a small little electric mower with a 14” cutting deck to a big ride-on mower with a 60 deck.
A trimmer by comparison has a relatively small cutting head which will only allow you to cut a small amount. As I mentioned earlier, if you were to use a trimmer to mow an entire lawn, it’d take you much longer than it would with a mower. Stick to detailing or maintenance of small areas of grass with a trimmer.
Handheld vs Wheels
Another major difference with lawn mowers vs trimmers is that a mower rolls along the surface of the grass on wheels, while a trimmer is a handheld device that doesn’t have wheels. This not only makes a mower more comfortable to use over larger areas, but it also means that it’s far easier to maintain a consistent cutting height with a mower vs a trimmer.
Trimmers being handheld does offer some advantages though. They can get to just about any space imaginable, so no matter where you have grass growing, a trimmer will be able to reach and maintain it.
Storage Footprint
We’ve already touched upon their size and shape, but now let’s just talk about storage for a second. Undoubtedly the average mower takes up more space than the average trimmer (check these ideas on where to store your lawn mower), and if storage space is at a premium in your home and you only have a small patch of grass to cut, this might tip the scales in favor of a trimmer.
While they’re bigger, a lot of mowers now allow you to fold over their handles to really cut down on the amount of space they take up in your shed or garage.
Type of Finish/Lawn Stripes
If you’re dreaming of looking out of the window and seeing a lush lawn, complete with perfect lawn stripes, you’ll need a mower, no doubt about it. A trimmer will cut your grass down to size, but that’s it. It won’t produce an incredibly level cut (unless you have very steady hands) and it certainly won’t produce stripes.
A mower on the other hand doesn’t rely on your hand and eye-hand coordination to control the cutting height throughout. The suction generated underneath the deck and the fact it’s being rolled over the lawn surface are the two key factors in lawn striping too.
What I’m saying is that if you were to use both a lawn mower and a trimmer on a decent size area of grass, the quality of the finish would be noticeably different. The lawn mower’s quality of cut will be superior every single time.
The Clippings
With lawn mowers, you have up to three different cutting options (depending on what type of blade you’re using) with regard to the clippings. You can either bag them (i.e. they’re automatically collected in a bag for disposal), discharge them back onto the lawn (to be collected by you manually later) or mulch them (chop them up very finely so that they can be left on the lawn’s surface as a natural fertilizer).
In all three cases, the clippings are chopped up more extensively than they would be with a trimmer. And with a trimmer, your only option is going to be to dig out a rake after you’re done, and collect the clippings manually. If it’s a large area, this can add a significant amount of time to the job. If it’s a small patch of grass, it won’t make much difference.
Something to think about!
The Bottom Line: Choosing Between Lawn Mowers and Trimmers
In my mind, it’s really very simple. You should always buy a lawn mower to take care of a full lawn. The only time I would choose a trimmer over a mower would be if you only have a very small lawn (and I’m talking postage stamp), and you really don’t have anywhere to store it. Otherwise, my motive for buying a trimmer would always be to complement my mower, and tidy up areas of grass that the mowers shape/size prohibits it from reaching.
Leave a Reply