Did you guys take the guard off your trimmer?

[Hipa Store]

I will take it off. Trimmers without a big guard make it more efficient. I can see how it is trimming and I can also use it as an edger.

[Richard Coers]

Sorry, I don't know what kind of tool is called a trimmer and has a big guard. And I've been working wood for 50 years. I only know about a laminate trimmer.

[glenn bradley]

Lawn trimmer?

[John Kananis]

Lawn trimmer?

Lol, was about to post the same thing. Weed-wacker!

[Jared Sankovich]

I think you are in the wrong forum if you are looking for outdoor power equipment feedback.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Having lost eye sight in my left eye due to a botched medical procedure, even wearing safety glasses, I need as much protection for my good eye. And figuring how much stuff still hits me in the face, even with the guard on, mine is staying in place.

[Tom M King]

I get enough stuff thrown on me with the guards on them. It's one of the few jobs that I wear boots for even. I'm running pro string trimmers though, which probably throw more stuff than the little ones.

[Jim Koepke]

My S-I-L does landscaping and runs his whacker without a guard. He also often runs it with only one string coming out of the head.

Removing the guard allows for about twice the string for a wider swath.

I have seen another person who does landscaping also run their trimmer this way.

The wider swath makes the work go faster.

jtk

[Ron Selzer]

Bought a Red Max reciprocating trimmer back in 2003. 2 4 finger blades reciprocating against each other. Works great, no guards needed or wanted.
Have to be careful around wire fence, fantastic in poison ivy
NOTHING GETS THROWN, very clean to operate
Wife got too close to it in the garage and ruined back tire on her car $200 2 years ago.
Went to use it afterwards and head was rotated on it, straight shaft trimmer
Took it in to get repaired and said all it need was tune up, air filter, fuel lines etc.
Ran it when I got it back and head rotated again. Took it back and then got told internal shaft antirotating dampers were bad and no parts available.
Red Max only makes it now as an attachment to a multipurpose machine.
NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING BACK TO A STRING TRIMMER THROWING CRAP EVERYWHERE

[Zachary Hoyt]

My trimmer is one of those ones with two handles, like a giant pair of scissors with round handles. No guard, and nothing gets thrown. It's a lot of bending over, though.

[Jerome Stanek]

At times I use a golf club type trimmer. It works like a sickle or scythe but you swing it like a golf club

[Stan Calow]

I have to go along a long cedar fence line. Without a guard, the bottom of the fence and posts would get worn away too much.

[Tom M King]

With a 72" mower deck that sticks out enough to the sides to go under shrubbery and fences, I've eliminated all areas that need string trimming on 14 acres of grass that's kept short everywhere except for around the fire pit stones. I now do that with an 18v trimmer and leave the guard on. I pulled up some shrubbery at rental houses so I could get that mower in places that I couldn't before. 2-1/2 hours to cut that grass, and the most aggravation is that fire pit.

[Lee DeRaud]

My S-I-L does landscaping and runs his whacker without a guard. He also often runs it with only one string coming out of the head.

Removing the guard allows for about twice the string for a wider swath.

I have seen another person who does landscaping also run their trimmer this way.

The wider swath makes the work go faster.
Yup, don't think I've ever seen a "pro" landscaper using a trimmer with a guard.
(Then again, around here they tend to care more about ICE than OSHA, IYKWIM.)

[Edward Weber]

I have a standard string trimmer (with guard) and a walk behind (with guard) There is no benefit to me for taking off the guard, why make the machine more dangerous for no reason.