The Best Brush Cutter Reviews in 2018 – Cleanup Your Yard with Ease
Brush cutters are not tools a lot of people use, and that’s a real shame because of how useful they are. They are simply better, more versatile versions of weed wackers that can cut through the toughest plants with ease and clean up your yard in record time. Moreover, they won’t get stuck or malfunction as easily and have plenty of other uses.
In short, if you have a messy yard that needs cleanup and is full of rough terrain and obstacles, you should reach for a brush cutter to get it into perfect shape in no time.
Below we’ll discuss the benefits of some of the best brush cutters on the market right now as well as what to look for when buying one for you.
Why Buying a Brush Cutter?
What you need to ask is – do you need a brush cutter? Well, the answer is most likely that you do, but you do not know it yet.
Brush cutters are incredibly versatile machines that could replace much of your arsenal, and can certainly replace things like weed wackers. They can even replace smaller lawn mowers if needed, helping you get your yard in tip-top shape without the need to resort to such a machine. They can also work over bumpy, rough areas with plenty of obstacles much better and faster than even a zero-turn mower would.
However, while being more heavy-duty machines, they are still as portable as weed wackers, or string trimmers are. You can carry them around with ease and get into tight spots or awkwardly-shaped areas without any worries. They are also easy to operate, and almost anyone with enough strength to lift a brush cutter will be able to use it without issues.
Still, if you need them for a one-time use, just rent one, it will cost you less. If you intend on using them multiple times, then buy one, as it will most certainly pay off and you will quickly find plenty of different uses for it.
Cut Down a Jungle of Undergrowth with Brush Cutter
While the best brush cutters certainly offer plenty of benefits, not all of them are useful, especially those on the lower-end of the quality spectrum. Some of them can be useless junk – and expensive junk at that. Wasting your money on such a machine is a huge risk and if you don’t know how to distinguish the good brush cutter from the bad one it is even worse. Don’t fret though – we tested plenty of bad brush cutters, as well as some good and great ones, to come up with some tips for you. In this article, we’ll go over the top products we picked, what makes them great and what to look for in a good brush cutter. After reading this article, picking a good product should prove to be much easier. So, for starters, here are the three brush cutters we picked as the best.
Meet the Best Brush Cutters
The Good: Decently powerful and incredibly versatile brush cutter that runs smoothly.
The Bad: It’s expensive, might be difficult to start and somewhat uncomfortable.
The Bottom Line: This tool has its downsides, the biggest of which is the price, but it still offers a lot, and we think it’s worth it.
The Good: Great power, decent cutting width, and large fuel capacity.
The Bad: It’s heavy, poorly balanced and difficult to use for long time periods.
The Bottom Line: It is a brush cutter superior to most others in sheer power, but it’s extremely uncomfortable to use, making it a difficult sell.
The Good: Lightweight, well-balanced and incredibly easy to use and maneuver.
The Bad: Not a durable tool, the blade dulls quickly, and it has a low cutting width.
The Bottom Line: For the price, this brush cutter might not be worth it, due to its problems. However, if you value ease of use the most, you should still check it out.
These are our opinions on the products in short – we go into more detail below.
All of the Factors Considered
Picking just one from a veritable sea of different brush cutters out there can be a terrifying proposition, especially for the inexperienced. Knowing what to look for is difficult, especially since every product offers something slightly different and unique – or so it seems. To help you wade through all of this, we have compiled a list of the most important aspects of brush cutters. These are the things you should value the most when looking to buy one of these machines.
The Power of the Motor
The relative strength of the engine inside a brush cutter influences almost everything about its performance, but most importantly – how well it cuts. Without enough power, nothing else matters. If it can’t cut the things it should cut, it’s less useful than a steak knife.
Brush cutters mostly use gas-powered engines whose strength is usually expressed by horsepower and cc. Usually, the more powerful the motor, the better. However, if you know that you’re going to cut only lighter weeds or grass and you don’t need incredible power, you should opt for a weaker motor. Stronger engines are usually larger, and for a tool like this, that you’ll be carrying around for possibly hours, that can be a large issue as well.
Blade Type and Cutting Swath
Brush cutters can use a variety of different cutting mediums, but they mostly use either steel or plastic blades, or plastic strings similar to weed wackers.
In general, steel blades are the best as they can easily handle even the toughest vegetation without a problem. The problem is that they might not do so well when it comes to some softer vegetation or light grass. Strings are usually better when it comes to lighter cutting. Plastic blades should usually be avoided, but they are a fine cheap alternative to steel blades. Some brush cutters also have exchangeable heads and can use both blades and strings, depending on your needs.
No matter what cutting medium the machine uses, the cutting swath it has is important, as it determines how quickly you will get the job done. Still, if you want a more maneuverable cutter that can get into tight spaces, you might want to get one with a smaller cutting width.
Comfort
Since you will be using these machines for extended time periods, comfort is important. One of the most crucial things is the weight of the machine – the heavier it is, the tougher it is to carry for a long time. However, if the weight is well-balanced, it might not be such a problem – a heavier machine could feel more comfortable than a lighter one that is poorly balanced. The design of the handle, as well as the strap, can also help alleviate the weight and make the time spent using your brush cutter more comfortable.
Durability
Tools like this usually go through a lot of abuse and are used on the regular. Because of that, you don’t want it to break in the middle of work or after a few weeks of use. To that end you should look for durable machines – those that don’t have a lot of plastic in their construction, that are well put together and don’t have too many extraneous parts, screws, bolts, etc.
Durable machines are also safer as you will be sure that, for example, the blade won’t fly off the head and into your legs in the middle of cutting a few saplings.
Extra Features
There are plenty of different additional features and add-ons that a brush cutter can have, but most of them are not that useful or are just quite limited.
Some of the best are, for example, replaceable blades that allow it to perform multiple functions, or telescopic handle which makes it easier to adjust for different users and different environments. There are others, but listing them all would take up too much space.
In the end, you should consider what you need and pick according to that. Even some obscure attachments might prove to be ideal for your needs.
After discussing all of the important aspects of a brush cutter, take a look at how our three top products size up:
In-Depth Reviews of 3 Brush Cutters
Key Features
Strong Engine
This unit features a 27 cc 2-cycle gas engine which is fairly robust, and quite small and light. It’s also rather noise-free for a gas motor. It’s a bit difficult to start though, due to the starting procedure being complicated.
Great-quality Blade
This brush cutter has an 8-inch, 4-tip blade made of steel that grants it a cutting swath of 18 inches. This is quite exceptional and above average, especially for a tool this light.
Poorly Balanced
This is a lightweight cutter and weighs only 14 pounds, meaning that most people can use it, but it is not well-balanced, and the weight will show. The adjustable j-handle helps to alleviate this problem a bit, especially for lefties but doesn’t eliminate it.
Solidly Made
This is a brush cutter made with great-quality parts and with nary a piece of plastic in sight. It seems like it will last for quite a while. The blade is especially durable and rarely needs to be sharpened.
Mostly Good Additional Features
The best extra this tool has is the ability to turn into different tools with great add-ons. However, they need to be bought The adjustable handle is also useful. The spring assist starting feature that’s supposed to make starting easily makes it a bit difficult to use instead.
Customer Reviews
Who Should Buy This Product
If you want an incredibly versatile tool, this is the one you should get. The versatility comes through attachments you can get for it that turn it into completely different tools. However, it still has above-average specs for a brush cutter, and it is quite durable.
What to Watch Out For
The cost is what might put some people off, at first. It’s not an outrageously expensive product, but the cost is above average – not to mention that all the useful add-ons have to be bought separately. In addition to that, it has some problems with the weight balance and is difficult to start until you figure it out.
The Conclusion
For what it is, this brush cutter is great – it offers above-average specs and loads of versatility since you can use it as other tools. Of course, you have to pay a lot for that, since the add-ons don’t come with it, and it has other issues too. Still, it’s good bang for your buck, and we believe it to be worth the price.
Key Features
Unparalleled Engine Power
This is an incredible engine with 42.7 cc It is stronger than almost any other brush cutter on the market, offering the power to take care of almost anything this machine could encounter. It is also able to run for a long time due to a large gas tank.
Blade or String, Your Choice
This unit uses a three-pronged 10-inch steel blade that gives it a cutting swath of around 15 inches – not great, but acceptable. It can also be exchanged for a string feed trimmer head for lighter work.
Uncomfortable to Use
There’s no way around the fact that this brush cutter is incredibly heavy and a lot of people will have some trouble lifting it, let alone using it. It’s almost 22 pounds. It’s not incredibly well-balanced either, and the strap itself is uncomfortable and difficult to adjust to your liking.
Sturdy Tool
This tool is made to be quite durable, having little to no plastic parts, though some parts in the handle are a bit flimsy. Other than that it is a tough tool that will last for a long time.
Some Great Extra Features
There are a few good additional features on this unit, like the exchangeable head, but that’s about it. There are no other additional features in sight, though it could use some.
Customer Reviews
The only issue I came across when using it is that the plastic guard wasn’t working well, and at one point the blade just cut a piece out of it. It seems to be due to the bolts not being tightened properly.
Otherwise, this is a quality machine with more than ample power.
Who Should Buy This Product
If you want power, this is where you will get it. This brush cutter can easily handle almost everything you would need. It can cut through the toughest vegetation without any troubles and run for a long time as well, with no risk of it breaking due to the sturdy construction.
What to Watch Out For
The real black mark on this product is just how uncomfortable it is. Using it for extended periods is almost impossible due to the high weight and how poorly balanced that weight is. The poor shoulder strap doesn’t help either as it is difficult to adjust to the way you like it.
The Conclusion
The best thing this unit has going for it is the supreme power it possesses as it can outstrip most other brush cutters in that regard. However, it is also incredibly uncomfortable to use, so you can’t use it for long, despite the large gas tank it has. It is a quality product, but that one sore spot makes it difficult to recommend.
Key Features
Decently Powerful Engine
It’s a 27 cc 2-stroke engine, meaning that it’s around average when it comes to power. Not incredible but it does the job well and doesn’t produce a lot of noise or guzzle that much fuel.
Low Cutting Width
The cutting width of this 4-sided metal blade is only a poultry 8 inches, which pales in comparison to similar products. When using the string cutter head it cuts a wider swath, but not by much. The metal blade is also low in quality, and it dulls quite often.
Lightweight and Comfortable
It’s quite a lightweight unit at only 14.5 pounds, and it’s well-balanced to boot, meaning that you barely feel any of that weight. It’s quite comfortable to use, and even weaker people can handle it.
Far from Durable
This is a shoddily-made machine for the most parts. Some pieces of it hold up fine, but the ones that matter the most – like the easily dulled blade – do not. Don’t expect it to last for years.
Decent Extra Features
It has separately bought attachments that can turn it into different machines, which is fine enough, and it has an exchangeable string cutter head that comes with it. However, that head is difficult to attach and take off – it seems poorly made.
Customer Reviews
Who Should Buy This Product
If you want a light brush cutter that is easy to use and well-balanced, this is the one you should get. It’s especially useful for older and weaker people as it won’t put a large strain on your back or arms. It also does the job adequately despite being rather lightweight.
What to Watch Out For
The largest problem this unit has is the fact that it is not incredibly durable, especially when it comes to the blade. It dulls quickly and needs to be regularly resharpened, and it seems like it won’t last for a long time. It also has quite a narrow cutting swath, though it’s larger when using the string cutter instead of the blade.
The Conclusion
The largest selling point of this brush cutter is the fact that it is incredibly lightweight and easy to use, due to being well-balanced. However, it is not durable and has an incredibly small cutting width – this is just not acceptable when you compare it to similarly priced products. Still, if you simply want a lightweight brush cutter, it is a good product.
The Best Pick – Troy-Bilt TB42 BC
The build-up to picking the best three products we featured here was not easy. We tested plenty of different machines and struggled a lot with the choice of which ones to pick for the top three and which ones to leave out. However, we never had doubts that one of these would make it into the top three and that’s our best pick for the day – the Troy-Bilt TB42 BC.
It was a simple choice because it’s the best of both worlds – it has ample power while still retaining a large cutting swath and having decent maneuverability and low weight. Sure, it is poorly balanced, but it is still not that difficult to use, and most of its other flaws can be easily amended – not something you can say for the other two products presented here. That’s why we value it above all the other brush cutters out there and consider it to be the best.
Video Review
The Conclusion
So, that’s our pick for the best brush cutter out there, and we have no doubts about our choice. You might have some doubts though, and that’s perfectly valid – after all, not everyone values the same things equally. If you’re not keen on getting this product you should check out some of the other two in this article, as they are also rather good. Or, you should just use the info we gave you here to pick out the one you consider to be the best out of the incredible variety of products out there. In the end, we can just hope we were of some help to you. We also hope you will share this article so others in need can find it easier. Have a good day, and we’ll see you next time!
Homyden
We are home and garden enthusiasts, we share our unique knowledge and expertise. If you have home and garden ideas, feel free to write for us. However, your articles must be unique, informative, made of short and straightforward sentences.
