String trimmer

Garden tool for trimming grass A man using a gasoline-powered string trimmer A string trimmer, also known by the portmanteau strimmer and the trademarks Weedwacker, Weed Eater and Whipper Snipper, is a garden power tool for cutting grass, small weeds, and groundcover. Instead of a blade, it uses a whirling monofilament line which protrudes from a rotating spindle at the end of a long shaft topped by a gasoline engine or electric motor. String trimmers are commonly used for cutting low foliage near obstacles or on steep or irregular terrain. Most professional-grade line trimmers take brush cutter attachments for denser vegetation. History The string trimmer was invented in the early 1970s by George Ballas of Houston, Texas, who conceived the idea while watching the revolving action of the cleaning brushes in an automatic car wash. His first trimmer was made by attaching pieces of heavy-duty fishing line to a tin can bolted to an edger. Ballas developed this into what he called the "Weed Eater", since it chewed up the grass and weeds around trees.[citation needed] The word "strimmer" is a trade name of Black+Decker and is a registered trademark in the United Kingdom, but it is often