The first string trimmer was invented by a Texas man named George Ballas almost 50 years ago. He reportedly got the idea after watching the rotating brushes at an automatic car wash. Since their invention, tens of millions of string trimmers have been sold worldwide, and they continue to be a reliable earner for manufacturers of power tools. But, as is the case with most power tools these days it’s difficult to find string trimmers made in the USA. Difficult, but not impossible.
We surveyed the string trimmer landscape and managed to find several companies that produce string trimmers in the USA. Of course “produce” is something of an open-ended term. In this case, it means that the company’s string trimmers were, at minimum, assembled in America. Some with only American-made parts, others with a combination of foreign and American-made parts, and some with only foreign-made parts. Here are the best of those brands.
Related Article: Lawn Mowers Made in the USA
Brands of Weed Eaters Made in USA
Troy-Bilt
Troy-Bilt has been around for more than 80 years. Until 1967 it was called Rototiller Inc. after what was their primary product (rotary tillers). In the mid-60s, they became embroiled in a trademark dispute that resulted in the company changing its name to Troy-Bilt to reflect its hometown of Troy, NY.
Today, Troy-Bilt is a subsidiary of MTD (Modern Tool and Die Company), which itself is owned in part by Stanley Black & Decker. MTD also owns the Cub Cadet, Remington, Yard Machines, and Columbia brands and has manufacturing facilities in more than 20 countries. The company produces an array of power tools, including walk-behind and riding mowers, leaf blowers, rotary tillers, and chippers as well as electric and gas-powered string trimmers.
If you’re looking for string trimmers made in USA you’re in luck because the company builds most of its tools and equipment intended for the US market in the US. Although most of those products contain parts manufactured in China.
DeWalt
In 2023 DeWalt will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. The company founded by Raymond DeWalt in 1923 has undergone a lot of changes over the years, but has consistently produced high-quality power tools and lawn and garden equipment.
At the time of its founding, DeWalt offered only a single product, the radial arm saw that Raymond DeWalt himself invented. In the ensuing years, the company expanded its product line and in 1949 DeWalt sold the business to American Machine & Foundry Co, better known today as AMF.
After just 11 years AMF sold DeWalt to Black & Decker. B&D, in turn, sold off radial arm saw manufacturing to a pair of company executives, who continue to sell them to this day under the name “Original Saw Co”.
DeWalt went through a period where most of its power tools and garden equipment sold in the American market were manufactured overseas, primarily in China. In 2013, however, the company announced it was bringing assembly of some of its products back to the USA, including its weed eaters.
Toro
The Toro Motor Company was started in 1914. They decided on the name Toro because their sole purpose was to build engines for the Bull Tractor Company. Over the years the company survived the demise of the Bull Tractor Company, entered into, then left, then re-entered the riding mower business, became a giant in the snow blower sector, and grew to be the leader in lawn and garden equipment for the consumer market.
Some 25 years ago the company decided to move away from residential/consumer products toward serving the commercial sector, primarily golf course maintenance. Today, nearly 70% of their revenue comes from commercial customers. However, they still make a limited number of products for the consumer market, including weed eaters made in USA at several of their more than 15 US manufacturing locations.
Toro is also something of a corporate outlier in that, rather than being scooped up by a series of foreign multinationals, it is they who have done the scooping up. Besides its namesake products, Toro also owns the Dingo, Lawn-Boy, eXmark, Boss Snowplow and Lawn Genie brands, as well as Hayter mowers (UK) and Pope garden equipment (Australia).
Stihl
Stihl is named after Andreas Stihl who built his first chainsaw by hand in 1926. That saw weighed a meaty 141 lbs and was a challenge for even the strongest to wield. Over time, his chainsaws got lighter and more compact and his company branched out into other products.
Today, Stihl has production facilities in the US, Brazil and China. The Chinese factories handle the manufacturing of the company’s signature chainsaws. While string trimmers are assembled in the USA with mostly imported (Chinese) parts.
In a strange twist, Stihl has been warning consumers to be careful when purchasing chainsaws bearing its name that are produced in China. Apparently, there is a factory or factories there producing counterfeit Stihl chainsaws and they are doing quite a significant amount of business selling them online.
That said, Stihl string trimmers are well-made, durable, reliable and the best of them slice through weeds like a hot knife through butter.
String Trimmers Produced in the USA: Conclusion
In recent years there has been some good news for those who want to support American manufacturing jobs, as several companies have brought at least some of their production back onshore from overseas. As such, it’s safe to say that there are more string trimmers being made in the USA today than there were 20 years ago, and that’s a good thing.
The above profiled companies are all making quality weed eaters in the USA using a variety of American and foreign-made parts. So if you’re on the hunt for lawn and garden equipment Made in the USA, these brands are a good starting point.
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