The popular “Wirecutter” column in the New York Times is known for ahead-of-the-trend recommendations about technology, techniques, and overall best-and-worst practices in navigating modern life. As the NYT writer Dorie Chevlen says in the latest installment:

Wirecutter is best known for recommending things that are the best of the best. But on occasion, we discover the worst of the worst.

What’s in the “worst of the worst” category now for Wirecutter? None other than the ongoing subject in this space, gas-powered lawn equipment. Wirecutter says:

For the most part, we don’t recommend that you buy gardening tools equipped with gas engines. Historically, string trimmers, leaf blowers, pressure washers, and lawn mowers have been gas powered, and admittedly gas models do work fine. But as more companies switch to producing battery-powered or electric models, we now prefer them since they eliminate the nuisance of regular maintenance, trips to the gas station, and breathing in stinky exhaust.

Well and clearly put by Chevlen and Wirecutter. The change is underway.