This is the Easiest Way to Load and Feed String Trimmer Line

Loading and feeding trimmer line are two of the biggest pain points when you’re using a string trimmer. We’ve seen plenty of attempts to improve the process—even a design that uses zip ties instead of line (spoiler: we don’t recommend it). Some of those innovations have made genuine steps forward, and one has made both loading and feeding easier than anything else we’ve used.

Easier Line Loading

Dual line trimmer heads are the most common, and if it’s a manual design, it’s a royal pain. You have to wrap a bottom section of line and then a top section separately. Once you have one set, you have to hold it while you wrap the other.

Wrap too loosely or lose your grip, and the line flings out while you try to put the head back together. Too tight, and the line can bind and fail to feed.

Quick-load (AKA Rapid Load, Speed-Feed) trimmer heads were the first big step forward. If your string trimmer doesn’t have one, we highly recommend swapping the stock head out and upgrading. It’s that important.

With a quick-load design, you don’t have to take apart the head at all. You line up the channel, run the line through the head to the middle of its length, and then twist the head to spool it up. It’s far less frustrating and much faster.

EGO took things even further with the development of its PowerLoad system, and it’s by far the easiest line loading system we’ve ever used. I still remember the day the product manager came down to visit us on a stealth mission with a prototype for us to use. After one demonstration, we knew it was going to change the game.

So what was it that had us so impressed?

Most of the line loading process is exactly the same as a quick-load head. But instead of twisting the head manually, you just push a button and the line loads automatically. It’s faster and easier, and you can reload from start to finish in less than a minute. You can even get it down to about 30 seconds with a little practice.

So, if line loading is a constant frustration for you, upgrade to an EGO PowerLoad string trimmer. Not only will line loading be easier, but you’ll also enjoy the convenience of a battery-powered string trimmer with no cords, no gas, no emissions, low noise, and almost no maintenance.

There’s one caveat, though. We’ve noticed in our testing that PowerLoad doesn’t play nicely with all trimmer lines. It works great with EGO’s line as well as other round line designs. My personal preference is ECHO’s Black Diamond line, which doesn’t load well with its square design. So, take that into consideration as you weigh the benefits of PowerLoad.

Easier Line Feeding

Line feeding is another pain point for many homeowners. It seems like most times you need more line, there’s nothing hard to bump the head on. So, you bump it in the grass and get a shorter circle that messes up the nice, even line you were cutting. Plus, if the ground is too soft, you have to bump multiple times, making the problem worse.

This is an issue that doesn’t have a widespread innovation to solve it, but once again, EGO has one. It’s called Line IQ, and it automatically feeds line so it maintains a constant length.

Essentially, the system auto-senses when the line gets too short. When it does, it automatically feeds additional line from the spool—no bumping required.

It’s a convenient feature for a couple of key reasons. One, you avoid those annoying short circles around the edges of your lawn.

What I didn’t anticipate before using Line IQ for the first time was how much I’d appreciate the uninterrupted workflow. Bumping doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. It only takes half a second most of the time. But you have the effort of stopping, bumping, resetting, and getting your momentum going again. With Line IQ, you just trim. It’s faster, and you get more even results.

Easier Loading or Easier Feeding? How About Both?

Of course, the ultimate in battery-powered string trimmer convenience is to have PowerLoad and Line IQ on the same trimmer. Fortunately, you have options, including one that’s on EGO’s multi-head system for those of you who prefer multiple attachments and just one powerhead.