Editor's Note: January 20, 2025: We're looking ahead to spring and now is the perfect time to plan for it. We've reviewed this article and still stand by our recommendations. For our next update, ...

When I bought a home 25 years ago, for the first time, I needed to mow my own yard—an 80-square-foot, postage-stamp-size area. I got a hand-me-down corded string trimmer and started hacking away with ...