After a season trimming a 1-acre Pennsylvania property, the EGO POWER+ 16″ string trimmer is the first battery trimmer I’d recommend over gas without hesitation. The POWERLOAD head re-winds line at the press of a button, the 56V battery finishes my whole yard with charge to spare, and the carbon fiber shaft carries a lifetime warranty. It isn’t the cheapest option — but it ends string-feeding frustration for good.
EGO POWER+ 16″ String Trimmer (POWERLOAD)
The battery trimmer that finally makes gas feel like a chore
What I Loved
- POWERLOAD head re-strings line in seconds — push a button, done
- Finishes my full yard on one charge, with margin
- Carbon fiber shaft: light, stiff, lifetime warranty
- Instant start, no choke, no fumes, quiet enough for early mornings
What I’d Change
- Heavier than budget trimmers once the battery is in
- Premium price if you don’t already own EGO batteries
- Guard throws clippings at your shins in heavy growth
Bottom line: buy it if you’re done fighting bump feeds and pull cords.
Check Price on Amazon →I bought this EGO POWER+ 16″ string trimmer because my old bump-feed unit turned every Saturday into a line-feeding wrestling match. Halfway through the season, I’d already stopped thinking about the trimmer entirely — which is the highest compliment a tool can get.
This review covers real use on my own property, how the POWERLOAD head holds up after months, where it beats gas and where it doesn’t, and exactly who should and shouldn’t spend the money.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I bought this trimmer with my own money.Watch the Test: 3 Minutes of Real Use
Most reviews tell you how a tool works. I’d rather show you — here’s the trimmer on my actual yard, including the overgrown spots that kill cheap trimmers:
EGO POWER+ 16″ Trimmer: Key Specs
| Spec | Detail | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting swath | 16 inches | Fewer passes — noticeably faster than 13–14″ budget units |
| Line loading | POWERLOAD™ push-button rewind | The headline feature — re-string in under 15 seconds |
| Line feed | LINE IQ™ auto-feed | Keeps a continuous 16″ cut without bump-feeding |
| Battery | 56V ARC Lithium, 4.0Ah included | Shares batteries with every EGO mower, blower, and saw |
| Shaft | Telescopic carbon fiber, lifetime warranty | Stiffer than aluminum, adjusts to your height, warrantied forever |
| Weight | ~10 lbs with battery | Balanced, but heavier than $99 trimmers — try the stance first |
| Price | Check current price (kit w/ battery + charger) | Bare-tool version is much cheaper if you already own EGO batteries |
What a Season of Real Use Taught Me
Spec sheets don’t trim fence lines. Here’s what stood out after a season on a property with long fence runs, stone landscaping beds, and the kind of June growth Pennsylvania humidity produces. If you’re planning your whole yard season, my PA spring lawn care guide covers where a clean trim fits in.
It starts every single time. Click the battery in, squeeze, trim. After years of gas ritual — choke, prime, pull, swear, pull — this alone changed how often I trim. Five-minute touch-ups now actually happen, because there’s no startup tax.
Power is real, with one caveat. In normal grass it’s indistinguishable from my old gas unit. In thick growth the high-speed mode chews through, but it drains the battery noticeably faster. Budget your charge if your whole property is heavy growth.
Trimming a fence line? Run the head at a slight angle so the line tip — not the side — meets the wire. Line consumption drops dramatically, and it’s the difference between re-loading weekly and monthly. (Building fence? See the grass seed guide for repairing the line you trim against.)
The POWERLOAD Head Is the Whole Argument
Every EGO string trimmer review eventually comes down to the head, because that’s where trimmers fail. EGO’s answer: feed the line through, press the button, and the head winds itself. Under 15 seconds, no disassembly, no spool origami.
A full season in: zero jams and zero manual rewinds. I’ve re-loaded a handful of times total, in the yard, wearing gloves. That reliability — not raw power — is why this trimmer replaces gas without feeling like a compromise.
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EGO vs Gas vs the Budget Battery Crowd
| EGO POWER+ 16″ | Typical Gas Trimmer | $99 Battery Trimmer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting | Instant, every time | Choke + pull ritual | Instant |
| Re-stringing | 15-sec push button | Manual spool wind | Manual spool wind |
| Power in heavy growth | Strong (high mode) | Strongest | Bogs down |
| Runtime | Full yard + margin | Unlimited w/ fuel | 20–30 min |
| Noise / fumes | Low / none | High / yes | Low / none |
| Ecosystem | 56V across 70+ EGO tools | — | Usually orphaned |
The honest comparison: a good gas trimmer still wins on unlimited runtime for multi-acre properties. For everything around an acre, the EGO’s convenience advantage compounds every single week — and if you ever add an EGO mower or blower, the shared batteries effectively discount every future tool. It’s the same logic that made my AIVOLT electric wood chipper an easy call over gas.
Buying the bare tool? Double-check the listing. The “tool only” version ships without battery or charger — a real deal if you own EGO batteries, a frustrating surprise if you don’t.
Who Should Buy It (and Who Shouldn’t)
Buy it if: you maintain up to ~1.5 acres, you’re tired of gas ritual or bump-feed jams, or you’re already in the EGO battery ecosystem — the bare-tool price makes it a near-automatic upgrade.
Skip it if: you trim multiple acres of heavy growth weekly (stay gas), or you trim a small patio yard twice a month — a budget battery unit honestly covers that, and I’d put the savings toward your Pennsylvania lawn care plan instead.
EGO POWER+ 16″ String Trimmer with POWERLOAD
One season in: zero jams, whole-yard runtime, and a re-string that takes 15 seconds. The trimmer I reach for every week — and the one I’d buy again.
Check Current Price →Side note for the project-minded: the fence build in my videos runs a pneumatic stapler off the hybrid air hose I reviewed here — the two upgrades pair well.
Working along a fence line? My fence staples guide covers the sizing that keeps welded wire tight.
For compact gear to keep in the truck alongside the trimmer, I also tested a backyard camping setup — a GOLABS instant tent that goes up in about a minute on the same PA property.
Once the limbs are down, the same yard cleanup often starts with clearing limbs with a pole saw before the trimmer comes out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the EGO 16″ trimmer run on one charge?
With the included 56V 4.0Ah battery I finish my full 1-acre property — perimeter, fence line, and beds — with charge left over. Heavy growth on high speed drains it noticeably faster, roughly half the runtime.
Does the POWERLOAD head take regular trimmer line?
Yes — standard 0.095″ line. Feed a pre-cut length through the head, press the button, and it winds itself. No proprietary spools or cartridges to buy.
Is the EGO string trimmer powerful enough to replace gas?
For properties up to about 1.5 acres, yes — in a season of use it handled everything my old gas unit did, including overgrown edges on high mode. For multi-acre rural properties trimmed weekly, gas still wins on runtime.
Do EGO batteries work across other EGO tools?
Yes — every 56V ARC Lithium battery works in all EGO tools (mowers, blowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers). That ecosystem is a big part of the value: the bare-tool version costs much less if you already own a battery.
What’s the warranty on the EGO POWER+ trimmer?
5 years on the tool, 3 years on the battery, and a lifetime warranty on the carbon fiber shaft when you register with EGO.
Keep Reading
- AIVOLT 1800W Chipper Shredder Review — my other most-used yard tool, tested for over a year
- Pennsylvania Lawn Care Hub — month-by-month schedule for PA lawns
- Spring Lawn Care in PA — where a clean trim actually fits in the schedule
