Best Brush Cutter Under $100: What That Budget Actually Buys

The BESTA510 is the default answer at this price. The 6.5 amp motor is at the top of what corded trimmers in this class offer, and the 14 inch swath is wide enough to finish an average suburban lot without feeling slow. The AFS automatic feed spool pays out line as it wears instead of making you tap the head on the ground, which is the single most annoying part of cheap trimmers.

It also flips into an edger with a guide wheel, so you can cut a clean line along a driveway or sidewalk without buying a second tool. What it will not do is cut brush. The 0.065 inch line handles grass, dandelions, and soft weed stalks. Anything woody will just fray the line.

The WG119 trades a little motor for the widest cutting swath in this roundup. On open grass that is a real time saver, because 15 inches per pass adds up over a big yard. The shaft telescopes and the auxiliary handle slides, so tall and short users can both get a comfortable stance.

The head rotates 90 degrees for edging, and there is a guard wheel to keep the line off concrete. Around tight flower beds and fence posts the wide head is less precise than a 12 or 13 inch trimmer, so if your yard is mostly awkward corners, pick something narrower.

Craftsman's corded trimmer and edger matches the BESTA510 on motor size and cut width, and its edger conversion is the part people actually keep using. Drop the guide wheel, rotate the head, and you can walk a straight line along a driveway without kneeling down with a spade.

It feels a bit more nose heavy than the BLACK+DECKER, which you notice after twenty minutes. In exchange you get a sturdier feeling guard and handle. If you already own Craftsman gear and like the ecosystem, there is no reason to look further at this price.

This is the cordless option that gets closest to the budget without leaving you battery-less. The LSTE523 bundle includes two 20V MAX batteries, which matters because a bare tool plus a battery and charger usually costs more than the kit. The EASYFEED button pays out line on demand instead of bump feeding.

The two speed switch is the useful feature. Low speed stretches runtime for ordinary grass, high speed gives you the torque for thicker weeds. Realistically you get 20 to 30 minutes of mixed cutting per pack, so swap batteries and expect to recharge for a large yard. Price on this one moves around, so check it before you commit to the under $100 plan.

At 4 amps the TRJ13STE is the weakest motor here, and you will feel it the moment you push into a dense clump of wet grass. Take lighter passes and it copes fine. For a small yard, a townhouse strip, or as a second trimmer kept in the shed, the price is hard to argue with.

The automatic feed head is a genuinely nice inclusion at this price, since most ultra cheap trimmers use a manual or bump spool. The build is plastic and it will not survive being dropped off a truck, but treated normally it does the job it is sold for.