weed eater vs push mower

In the past, I've not been crazy about a weed eater and have used the push mower as much as I could, to the point I think I surprised my husband with how much could be accomplished with a push mower (specifically in the ditch in front of the house). Growing up, we didn't have a weed eater, and so we used the push mower for everything.

This weekend I tried weedeating the ditch instead of using the push mower, as all the boys who've cut grass for us in the past preferred that.  And now I'm not sure which is the best method.

A weed eater takes longer, much longer...as in, I'm still not done with the trim work.
However, a weed eater is much easier on the ankles and shoulders. Instead of having to fight inclines, you can simply stand in one spot and move up and down the sides...harder on the hands and forearms, but I didn't turn my ankle or feel my foot slide in my shoe once. So as far as ease, weedeater hands down.

But as far as time goes...a weedeater does not cover the wide swath that a lawn mower does, so that adds to the time frame. A weedeater has string that might/might not advance properly (or runs out), so you spend time repairing that, and the gas tank for a weed eater obviously is not as large as that of a pushmower, so you spend a lot more time trekking back and forth out of the ditch to refill it (okay, only twice). There's also the safety feature, as a lawnmower's cover around the motor protects the eyes and upper body from blades of grass and small rocks being thrown at you.

My jury is still out about which method I'll use from here on out. But I will say this: I hate trimwork (it ranks right up there with exercise) and I'm finding it a little scary that I dread it so much after having only done it three times this spring.  That does not bode well for the summer and its hot temps.