A weed whacker is a gardening tool which is designed to quickly and efficiently cut through weeds, shrubs, and overgrowth. You may also hear a weed whacker referred to as a weedeater or a string trimmer. These tools can be very useful to have around, especially for people with a big and sprawling garden which has varied terrain. Most hardware stores and garden supply stores carry them, offering a number of options from low-cost, low-power models to more expensive, powerful versions.
There are three main parts to a weed whacker: a long handle, an engine, and a piece of flexible monofilament which acts as a blade. The monofilament is rotated at very high speeds when the weed whacker is turned on, causing it to stiffen. Unlike a blade, the line will flex and warp when it encounters something to hard to cut, rather than chipping or breaking, and the line is also cheap and easy to replace when it becomes worn out.
Most weed whackers have very long handles, allowing people to hold them comfortably while distancing themselves from the monofilament line, which can be just as dangerous as a blade. Some are gas powered, with small engines mounted on the handle, while others are electric, designed to be plugged in. Electric weed whackers are more efficient, but the user is tethered by a cord, which can be extremely annoying.
One of the major advantages to a weed whacker is that it is safer than something with a blade. A bladed cutting device could jam up against a hard object like a rock, potentially jumping in the user's hand and creating a risk of injury. However, there are certain safety risks with a weed whacker; the line in the weed whacker is exposed, creating a potential risk, and weed whackers also throw back a great deal of plant material and sap, which can cause problems when they are used around things like poison oak.
Many people like to use a weed whacker to perform a rough cut on an overgrown lawn, and to trim around the edges of a lawn after mowing. These devices can also be handy when cutting down shrubbery and small plants alongside a road or in an empty lot, where a neatly trimmed, uniform lawn is not considered to be very important, but people still want to cut down the risk of fire.
