Video buyer's guide to string trimmers

String trimmers are ideal for dealing with grass, weeds, and brush in areas your mower or tractor can't reach, keeping your property tidy and eliminating inviting homes for insects, rodents, and other critters.

If you're in the market for a new string trimmer for next spring or for the last bit of yard work you'll do this fall, check out our free buyer's guide (ratings available to subscribers) and watch the video from our recent tests of string trimmers (right).

The video features advice from Peter Sawchuk, a senior project leader in our Tech department and our go-to guy for testing outdoor power equipment, who discusses the basic types of trimmers and the pros and cons of straight and curved shafts.

Sit down longer with Peter as I get to do, however, and you can get additional details that can make a big difference in how much time you spend on your trimming chores. Take two- and four-cycle. Four-cycle engines are touted as cleaner (less smoke) and more convenient (no need to mix of oil and gas) than two-cycle engines. But results from the four such trimmers we tested demonstrate that four-cycle technology in string trimmers isn't the panacea you might think.

Another consideration relates to the head housing the monofilament line, which does the actual trimming. Fixed-head units use two or more precut pieces of line. Bump-feed models let out line when you bump the head to the ground. And automatic models release more line by themselves when needed.

As part of our Spring 2010 report on string trimmers, we'll look at models whose very designs tend to wear out line sooner than you might expect, others whose manufacturers have learned how to keep tall growth from wrapping around the shaft, and one that couldn't seem to keep its head together.—Ed Perratore | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out our "Fall Lawn and Yard Checklist" for details on tending to all facets of your property, and keep your power equipment in shape with our "End-of-Season Lawn-Equipment Guide." You'll find other tips on our Fall Cleanup Guide page.

Getting Their Goats: Another town turns to four-legged creatures for outdoor cleanup

The Men Who Stare At Goats, the new comedy starring Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, and George Clooney (shown below holding a cast member), is about a secret U.S. Army unit. But based on some news reports we’ve seen since spring, it could be a tale about landscapers who use goats instead of gas-powered equipment ton the job.

The latest town to go goat is Andover, Massachusetts, which has accepted one resident’s offer to use her goats to control weeds and undergrowth at a local nature preserve, according to this Boston Globe report. The six goats could handle a half-acre of grass, brush, and other growth every three days. Another benefit is that what the goats leave behind “will help the grass, as long as it doesn’t smell so bad that people won’t use it,” as one resident observed.

The news comes on the hooves, er, heels of the town of Hempstead, New York, and Google also deploying goats and some property owners in England using wallabies for landscaping work.

Goats might not be for you, but if you’re hoping to minimize your involvement in yard work, note that our tests have shown that some robotic mowers aren’t good performers. And if you’d like to go greener when tending to your property, keep in mind that some reel lawn mowers have not shined in our tests, though the top-performing electric lawn mowers and string trimmers  can rival some gasoline-powered models in performance and also produce no exhaust emissions. If you’d like to replace your gas-powered mower with an electric model, take advantage of a mower-exchange program.

At this time, we have no plans to test goats or other herbivores for next May’s report on lawn mowers and tractors.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Tap into the yard-care tips in our Fall Cleanup Guide.

Fall weather brings fallen trees

The high winds whipping across parts of the Midwest and Northeast in recent days caused major damage to trees in some areas, including a few at my Connecticut home.

Shortly after lunch yesterday, a loud crack and crash signaled that an irresistible force had bested a hitherto immovable object. It turns out a 35-foot white oak had toppled onto my stone fence (shown), which so far this year has been struck by lightning and undermined by moles. Using a neighbor's bow saw and my chain saw, I was able to cut the tree into movable sections and get it off the road.

While fall is a better time to plant rather than prune trees, the high winds also pointed out the need to trim any diseased or overhanging tree branches. The fallen oak missed my power lines, so I didn't have to use a backup generator to provide electricity to my home.

I'm checking my homeowners insurance policy to make sure my coverage is adequate, important given that some companies are limiting coverage and raising premiums.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Learn how to safely use a chain saw (video) and ladder. Our Fall Cleanup Guide has more advice on projects to do around the home, and our Storm & Emergency Guide will help you prepare for weather-related events at any time of year. Ratings of chain saws and backup generators are available to subscribers.

Weekend Project: Reclaim your garage with a garden shed

The statistics from one garage-storage-and-organizing company (Word file) indicate that many U.S. homeowners have packed their garages with so much stuff that there's no room for the car. While my car could squeeze into my garage, all the clutter required me to pull out the car or climb over it when I needed to grab a tool or access the electrical panel to reset a circuit breaker.

But that's no longer the case, now that I had a new shed (shown) installed, which is admittedly more of a multi- rather than a single-weekend project. I had planned to do the project with my son this spring and summer, but as the weeks went by and since the site preparation was going slowly, I settled for a model whose price included installation.

If you don't want to install a shed, consider holding a garage/yard sale to get rid of stuff you no longer need or try to do a better job organizing your space. For instance, if items like a leaf blower or other outdoor power equipment are taking up valuable floor space, stow them on hooks or other hardware. (Read "10 Questions for . . . Katherine Steiger, Professional Organizer" for advice on uncluttering your home.)

If you do go the shed route, follow these pointers to make the process go more smoothly:

Follow the letter of the law. It might be tempting to put up a shed without notifying your town, but you're better off abiding by building and other codes. The roughly $200 I spent for a building permit and certificate of occupancy means that the shed won't be an issue when I sell my house.

What's more, by consulting with the town early, I ascertained that the 8x10-foot model I was considering would not require a setback from the property line, a plus since my backyard isn't especially spacious. And if your neighbors are more informed about town or municipal requirements than you are, you could potentially be ordered to move or remove the shed.

Weigh all the options. Sheds come in many sizes, styles, and colors, and with numerous options. For mine, I chose vinyl siding (no need to paint the shed), vents (to air out the gas-powered gear), a pressure-treated wood floor (to hold off the critters), a little window and planter, and a code-required anchoring kit to better secure the shed during storms. Remember, each add-on bumps up the price of the shed.

Prep the site. If you're installing a shed kit, follow the manufacturer's guidelines to prepare the site. If you're hiring someone to assemble it, follow that company's instructions. The challenge at my house was that on two sides we needed to level the site by cutting into a hill (and find a place for all the dirt). We also had to dig down a few inches to situate a bolted-together 4x4 border. Drainage around and beneath the shed is also important; we laid about a cubic yard of a crushed-stone mixture typically applied before asphalt, and half that of gravel. If you’re lucky, your driveway will be near the shed site. Mine isn't, so it took my son and me about 40 long trips pushing the wheelbarrow between the front yard and the back yard. Also be sure there's adequate clearance all around the site where the shed will go.

My shed got installed last weekend, and now that the building inspector has approved the project, I'll soon have the certificate of occupancy. Next, I'll lay down a coat of wood preservative on the shed floor and then tackle the next big weekend project: emptying the garage.—Ed Perratore | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Once you get a new shed and have more storage space, autumn sales on lawn gear might entice you to buy. Check out our tools-and-power equipment and lawn-and-garden pages and free buyer's guide to mowers and tractors, string trimmers, snow blowers, and leaf blowers. For more information on sheds, read "Building a Shed," by Joseph Truini.

DIY or die? Building bust forces toolmaker to target homeowners

There's been some good news of late for the  housing industry, including a 7.2 percent  increase in existing-home sales for July, the fourth consecutive month of positive sales. But manufacturers that support the construction industry are still feeling pinched.

Bobcat Company, which makes light-construction equipment, announced this week that it will be closing its Bismarck, North Dakota plant; 475 jobs hang in the balance as the company juggles positions at a neighboring plant. "We are facing a huge economic challenge and we need to adapt,"  said Rich Goldsbury, president of Bobcat Americas.

To avoid downsizing, other companies are highlighting existing models or developing new ones that appeal to a wider market. That can be a boon for you. In our ongoing tests of cordless drills, we're seeing some major brands emphasize products for the homeowner market. Porter-Cable, for example, has been known for heavy-duty—and often hefty-priced—power tools. But its new 18-volt PC180DK-2 drill costs just $100. Better yet, it's holding its own in our drilling-speed and torque tests.

While Porter-Cable is not abandoning the contractor market, Frank Andrew, director of marketing, wrote in an e-mail that "the Porter-Cable line is designed to serve [a] crossover segment: pro users or DIYers who want performance for tough jobs, but cannot justify the expense of industrial-grade tools."

Whatever you call it, a power tool that delivers pro performance at consumer-friendly prices is a good thing in our book. Watch the video above to learn about drills that provide heavy-duty performance at  lower prices (ratings available to subscribers).—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Look for our latest report on cordless drills in the November 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in October.

Forum Friday: Consumer Reports readers debate the best paint types

Painting’s a hot project, based on projections for recession-defying sales and an ever-expanding proliferation of new colors. It’s also a hot topic, as evidenced by the many discussions in our paints and stains forum.

Our ratings of interior and exterior paints and deck stains (available to subscribers) always spark discussions over the best brand of paint (Behr has its share of backers and detractors) or a debate over two specific brands (in this case, Valspar vs. Benjamin Moore).

Whichever brand you use, follow this pro painter’s surface-preparation tips (we’ve got more of our own here and in the video at right). Keep in mind this mixing trick from forums moderator Angelo Mannino, and don’t miss his warning on painting over stain.

Other posters have added valuable warnings on VOCs paints (unfortunately, one mentioned brand did badly in our tests—see our report on safer paints here) and the need to check whether paint is suitable for spraying. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Top Gear for Dad: Our best-performing Father's Day gifts

Don't feel guilty—you're definitely not the only one who's yet to buy Father's Day gifts. These gas grills (watch the video buying guide, below), cordless drills, mowers and tractors, leaf blowers, and string trimmers will give the dads in your life the most bang for your hard-earned bucks and will come in handy during your summer staycation or paycation.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Gas Grills
The Brinkmann 810-8410S gas grill, $200, provides very good cooking performance, lots of shelf space and a five-year warranty on its burners. The Fiesta Blue Ember FG50069-U409 and the Char-Broil Red 463250509, each $450, beat out grills costing as much as $1,400. If you often cook for a crowd, consider the larger Char-Broil Commercial Quantum 463247209, $500, which offers a lifetime burner warranty. More details on these and other impressive performers and coverage of wow-factor features are available in our June 2009 report on gas grills (available to subscribers).

Cordless Drills
The top-rated Panasonic EY6432GQKW combines performance and light weight, but its $200 cost might bust your budget. Consider instead the Craftsman 11588; it's been marked down to $99 at Sears. Or you can further downsize to the Ryobi HJP001K, $80, a compact drill that's a good alternative to pricey cordless screwdrivers.

One of our tested cordless tool kits, the Ryobi P841, is on sale for $129 at Home Depot. The included drill and circular and reciprocating saw were only average performers but should be adequate for most household work; otherwise, consider the heavier duty DeWalt DC4PAKA, $433 at Amazon.com.

If dad needs storage space, this Kobalt 53" Stainless Steel Tool Chest, $1,700, might make an extravagant gift. It boasts a Pioneer sound system, an iPod jack, a 1.6-cubic-foot refrigerator, and other bells and whistles.

Lawn and Yard Care
If your yard is small, a corded electric mower like the Black & Decker MM875, $230,  might be a good choice. Among gas-powered mowers, the self-propelled Toro Super Recycler 20092, $500, was easy to power up hilly lawns.

The Craftsman 28828, $1,750, John Deere LA115, $1,700, and Cub Cadet LTX1040 13RX90AR, $1,500, lawn tractors held their own against mowers costing $1,000 to $2,000 more. (Read this report and watch this video on lawn-tractor safety.)

The electric Black & Decker GH1000 string trimmer, $70, is easy to handle. The gas-powered Stihl HomeScaper Series FS45, $140, has dual cutting lines that made short work of tough weeds. The Toro Ultra Blower Vac 51599, $70, blows away the competition in performance, and its metal impeller can handle debris that can damage other impellers.

Essential information: For Father's Day, try out these easy, delicious recipes for the grill. And check out these suggestions for electronics gifts, courtesy of our colleagues at the Consumer Reports Electronics blog.

Tip of the Day: Fix common mower and tractor problems

Depending on the weather in your area, now might be the time to haul out your mower and get it ready for spring. (If you're still stuck in winter mode, the nicer weather will arrive soon enough.) Most of the work you'll do is pretty basic, as detailed in this story, but sometimes the job are a bit more involved.

Dan Weingartz, co-owner of Weingartz Supply, a power-equipment retailer and service center in Utica, Michigan, provided us with a list of typical mower and tractor problems and the costs to make the repairs.

Remember this rule of thumb: Replace your mower or rider if the repair costs more than half what you'd pay for a comparable new model.—Ed Perratore

Can This Mower Be Saved?
Problem: Your mower is hard to start or won't start after winter storage.
Solution: Drain the old fuel and add fresh fuel. If that doesn't work, you might need to clean and overhaul carburetor. (At the end of mowing season next fall, add stabilizer to the fuel and run the engine before storing.)
DIY fix: $10 to $20 for parts if needed, plus 1 hour of work.
Pro repair: $30 to $90.

Problem: Your mower blade wobbles after striking an object.
Solution: Replace the engine because the crankshaft is bent.
DIY fix: $200 to $400 for a new engine, plus 1½ hours of work. A new mower probably makes more sense.
Pro repair: $300 to $500.

Problem: Your tractor or riding mower blade wobbles after striking an object.
Solution: Replace the bent spindle (drive) shaft.
DIY fix: $70 to $150, plus 2 hours or more of work.
Pro repair: $150 to $275.

Problem: Your mower or tractor cuts poorly from an unbalanced blade.
Solution: You need to file the blade to rebalance it. Do the work right away before the spindle shaft or crankshaft bends.
DIY fix: $10 for a file, plus about 20 minutes of work.
Pro repair: $6 to $12.

Problem: The mower drive system fails.
Solution: Replace the transmission belt.
DIY fix: $20 to $30, plus an hour of work.
Pro repair: $70 to $100.

Problem: Your tractor starts but doesn’t move, or the blades won’t turn.
Solution: Replace the transmission or blade belt.
DIY fix: $30 to $80, plus, 1 to 1½ hours of work.
Pro repair: $120 to $200.

Problem: Your mower or tractor deck has rusted.
Solution: Replace the deck.
DIY fix: $100 to $200 for a mower, $300 to $500 for a tractor, plus 2½ to 5 hours of work.
Pro repair: $500-plus for a mower (a new mower makes more sense); $500 to $800 for a tractor (new ones cost $1,500 or less).

SiteSeeing: Instructables.com shows you the way with its DIY projects

After working on our latest report on cordless drills and tool kits, I was inspired to find practical, skill-building home projects that could put my own tools to good use and maybe even save me a little money.

A friend tipped me off to Instructables.com, which was founded by four MIT graduates in August 2005. The site features more than 21,000 projects on 18 different channels, according to cofounder Eric J. Wilhelm. They run the gamut from simple (duct-tape wallets) to complicated (turning an old washing machine into a honey extractor) and take the occasional detour into the unusual (converting a car into a garbage-powered vehicle). Instructions are presented as easy-to-follow photo-and-text slideshows and as PDFs.

I wondered about the reliability of the projects—would I end up with an impossible-to-build or even dangerous piece of furniture because some schmo posted lousy instructions? But, says Wilhelm, "We have a publishing review process, and do reject some projects—typically they are simply not complete."

The site's terms of service do require users to agree to "bear all risks associated with, the use of any content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such content." I'm not a lawyer, but I think that means that Instructables.com is not responsible if something bad happens after I make a project I found on the site. My advice: Let the user reviews be a guide—if a project has only one or two stars, you might want to avoid it. And don't do projects for which you lack the skill set or that might pose a safety risk you're not willing to take.

With that caveat and these safety tips for cordless drills and circular saws in mind, consider some of the projects below. (Watch the short buying guide for cordless drills, right.)

Workshop
I told a follically challenged colleague about one of the myriad workbenches on the site. He's yet to build it, though I assured him he'd succeed without pulling out his remaining hair.

Bedroom
A lattice-framed platform bed that uses less $30 worth of lumber.
A loft bed that provides a handy closet space.
A laptop stand that allows you to work from bed.

Home office
A slot-together desk.
A design to convert a closet to a work area.
A collapsible hobby desk.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: See our reports on DIY closet and garage organizers and household glues and assembly tips for IKEA furniture.

International Builders' Show Product Preview: Kobalt 53" Stainless Steel Tool Chest

At this year's International Builders' Show, the over-the-top products I've become accustomed to seeing were few and far between, a sign of the times, I guess. But since the annual gathering was in Las Vegas, I knew I'd find at least a few glitzy and gaudy items—inside the convention center, that is. One of the most outrageous was in what's usually a pretty utilitarian category: tool storage.

The $1,700 Kobalt 53" Stainless Steel Tool Chest, available at Lowe's, is the mack daddy of tool chests. It comes with a Pioneer sound system, with built-in speakers and an iPod jack, and a 1.6-cubic-foot refrigerator (intended only for water and other soft drinks, natch). This Kobalt tool chest is equipped with LED lights, integrated power strip and hanging hooks, heavy-duty casters, and 16 drawers.

Only problem is, this rolling entertainment center might district you from getting your projects done.—Michael DiLauro