If you want to take some of the hassle out of your everyday garden maintenance jobs, you can’t do much better than investing in a cordless strimmer. You can reach every corner of the garden without having to worry about extension cables, and there’s no risk of slicing through the cord. You’re free to work around all those awkward areas where there are walls, shrubs, raised beds or decking, and if you need to fight your way to the outer reaches of the garden on a weed whacking mission? Well, there’s no cable here to hold you back.
What’s more, cordless grass trimmers and strimmers have become much more affordable over the past few years: you can have a trimmer or strimmer with a battery and charger for under £100, with prices rising to around £350 for the more powerful, heavy-duty models. They’re also much more convenient than rival petrol models, not to mention quieter and more eco-friendly. Trust us – once you’ve tried a good one, you won’t ever want to go back.
Cordless grass trimmers start at around £50 for a model without a battery or charger and go up to around £350 for the more heavy-duty, pro-level strimmers. As always with garden tools, a lot of your choice comes down to the size of your garden. If you’ve got a small plot with one or two compact lawns, most cordless trimmers will do the job, but if you’ve got a lot of grass to keep under control, particularly long or rough grass, then you’ll need something with more power. That goes double if you need to tackle weeds and brambles on the edges of your garden.
The two things to look out for here are the cutting width and the battery power. Most cordless strimmers use a single 18V or 20V battery, but some of the larger, heavy-duty options double up to use two 18V or 20V cells for 36V or 40V in total, or use a specific higher-voltage battery. Similarly, some of the cheaper models have a 21cm to 25cm cutting width, while the bigger models take that up to 30 to 38cm. That makes a huge difference when you have large areas of tough grass in need of trimming down to size, though the drawback will be a heavier trimmer that’s going to put your arms, back and shoulders under more strain. If you’re buying one of these beauties, good ergonomics can make all the difference.
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Most grass trimmers use a plastic line to cut with. This emerges from a covered spool and breaks off against an edge on the guard or shield (the bit that protects your legs and feet) when it reaches the right length. This works with an automatic or manual feed mechanism that’s designed to keep the line coming when it’s been worn down or has snapped off. In general, the thicker and heavier the line, the tougher the grass and weeds it will get through, but thicker lines can also be prone to jamming and harder to manage, especially if you’re planning to save some cash and wind replacement line onto the reel yourself. While ready-wound replacement spools are usually available, they tend to be expensive.
A few grass trimmers use a plastic blade instead. These are easy to fit and easy to work with, but they also tend to snap when they meet anything thick or tough. With some trimmers, you can go through two or three in a single session. Other trimmers will feature an optional blade or heavy-duty line designed specifically to handle rough or weedy patches.
Otherwise, look for features that make life easier when trimming around plants or edging your lawn. Wire guards can stop you slicing through an apple tree or rosebush, while wheels and a pivoting head or handle can help when you need your trimmer on its side, hacking through the grass going over into your borders.
Most cordless strimmers use an 18V-20V battery with a 2Ah to 2.5Ah capacity, which will generally last for around 20 to 30 minutes of use. However, some will also work with other batteries in the same battery ecosystem, giving you the option of a 4Ah or 5Ah battery and a longer running time, albeit with a bit more weight.
If you need to keep going for an hour or more, either invest in an extra battery or look for a strimmer with a rapid charger. Some can recharge the battery in under an hour, while others take two or three hours (or more) to do the job.
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Price: £83 | Buy now from Amazon
You can’t get much simpler than the SimpliTrim Li. There’s precious little in the way of assembly and the battery comes built-in, while it uses easily fitted plastic blades rather than the normal line and spool. Charge it with the supplied wall charger, which takes around three hours, and you’re ready to trim the lawn for around 40 minutes. It’s light, relatively quiet, well balanced and easy on the shoulders, and it even stores its spare blades neatly in the handle.
With a cutting width of just 23cm, this one’s at its best in smaller gardens; it just doesn’t have the range of power to take on anything too big. What’s more, the plastic blades tend to wear away or snap when confronted with brambles or tough weeds, and cost around £9 for 20 replacements. It also works best if you can charge it in your shed or garage, as otherwise you’ll have to do it in the house. Yet we can’t help loving this easy-going, lightweight trimmer, which can make a small lawn ship-shape in no time at all.
Key specs – Power: Built-in 14.4V Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 23cm; Line: Flymo RotorCut blades; Dimensions (stored): 110 x 23 x 90cm; Weight: 1.7kg
Price: £108 | Buy now from Amazon
So, you don’t need some powerhouse trimmer to sort out some overgrown wasteland; you’re just looking for a basic, affordable grass trimmer that can take care of your lawn. Say a big hello to the Ryobi RLY1825M. It’s light, well designed and solidly built, with a 25cm cutting width and a two-handle design that makes for a comfortable trimming session. The bundled 2.0Ah battery lasts for around 25 minutes, or you can buy one of Ryobi’s 5.0Ah One+ batteries and boost that up to around one hour.
It’s got a bit more beef than the Flymo Simplicut, and will cheerfully take on the odd patch of weeds, but it’s also easy to get a consistent cut across large areas of grass, while the shaft and head quickly rotate into an easy-edging mode when you press a button. It’s not the most powerful or feature-packed trimmer, but it gets the job done without any fuss.
Key specs – Power: 18V 2.0Ah One+ Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 25cm; Line: 1.6mm; Dimensions (stored): 70.2 x 23 x 16cm; Weight: 1.7kg
Price: £90 (tool only), £130 (starter kit with battery) | Buy now from Amazon
If you’ve got a bit more money to spend on your grass trimmer, the Universal Grass Cut 18-26 comes highly recommended. Why? Because Bosch has aced the design, with a lightweight form that you can easily adjust to the perfect height and a secondary handle that extends from the main shaft to help you balance the weight of the cutting head. With the battery slotting in below where your elbow naturally rests, this trimmer feels superbly balanced, making the 2.7kg weight feel like almost nothing. Put your foot on the pedal on the head and it quickly shifts into its edging mode.
It won’t take on heavy weeds or woody brambles, but the Universal Grass Cut 18-26 shines when it comes to lawncare, even tackling overgrown areas of thick grass. It works quietly and reliably, and lasts a little longer – 40 minutes – from a single 90-minute charge than is the norm. Maybe it’s too much to say that this trimmer turns lawncare into a pleasure, but it definitely makes it feel less of a chore.
Key specs – Power: 18V 2.0Ah Power 4 All Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 26cm; Line: 1.6mm; Dimensions (stored): 120 x 27 x 24cm; Weight: 2.7kg
Price: £120 (1 x 2.0Ah battery), £130 (2 x 2.0Ah battery) | Buy now from Amazon
The Worx WG163E sits neatly between the low-cost, lightweight grass trimmers and the more heavy-duty models, with enough power to do more than your basic trimming and edging, but without the weight – or the price tag – of the bigger strimmers. Whether trimming an overgrown lawn or dealing with weeds and thick grass on a slope and around steps, we found it very easy to work with, and it could still tackle thistles and the odd bramble without breaking a sweat.
The head can be tilted at a range of angles to cover different jobs, or swivelled around for edging purposes. There’s even a pull-out wire plant protector. Battery life isn’t exceptional, with around 25 minutes of cutting from a charge, but the WG163E works with any battery from Worx’s PowerShare 20V MAX range, and you can buy the trimmer with two 2.0Ah batteries for just £30 extra. If this isn’t the champ in any one area, it’s an excellent all-rounder.
Key specs – Power: 20V MAX Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 30cm; Line: 1.65mm; Dimensions (stored): 88.8 x 31 x 13cm; Weight: 2.4kg
Price: £130 (solo), £163 (starter kit with 2.0Ah battery) | Buy now from Amazon
Bosch’s powerhouse trimmer has what it takes to handle larger, rougher gardens. Running on a 36V battery, it has more cutting power than your average cordless trimmer, and Bosch’s Syneon chip continually optimises it to get you the right performance for the job in hand. The 30cm cutting width is ideal for medium-sized and larger plots, and you can easily get 40 minutes of trimming and edging from a single charge.
It's the smaller touches that make this such an effective tool. The semi-auto line feed does a great job of ensuring that you never have to think about the cutting line during use, while the head rotates for easy edging. There’s also a pull-out plant protector to keep shrubs and tree trunks safe while you’re trimming close around them. It is heavy – a shoulder strap would be appreciated – but if you believe a cordless trimmer can’t match your existing electric or petrol model, the AdvancedGrassCut 36 could surprise you.
Key specs – Power: 36V 2.0Ah Power 4 All Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 30cm; Line: 1.6mm; Dimensions (stored): 78.8 x 24 x 14cm; Weight: 4.1kg
Price: £119 (solo), £163 (2x 2.0Ah battery) | Buy now from Amazon
Think a cordless trimmer can’t handle the really rough stuff? Prepare for a shock with the Worx WG184E. With 40V of cutting power, a 33cm cutting width and a chunky 2mm line, this one can take on big lawns, weedy patches and just about anything else. We’ve been using it to tackle the kind of tasks we used to leave to a big electric trimmer with a special heavy-duty line. Even the heaviest patches of brambles, weeds and nettles couldn’t slow it down.
This kind of power comes with some drawbacks. It’s a heavy trimmer, but well balanced, with the weight of the batteries at the opposite end to the cutting head. The two batteries, meanwhile, last roughly 25 minutes before conking out, and you’ll really want the kit with the dual-battery charger rather than rely on an existing single-slot charger (the trimmer will work with any two batteries from Worx’s PowerShare 20V MAX range). However, with a tilting head and extending, rotating shaft it’s a more versatile trimmer than you might think, and we love the automatic line feed controls and chunky on/off trigger. It’s a fantastic option for any large, messy gardens in need of a little tough love.
Key specs – Power: 2x 20V 2.0Ah MAX Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 33cm; Line: 2mm; Dimensions (stored): 125 x 28 x 14.5cm; Weight: 3.9kg
Price: £82 (tool only), £215 (5A battery and charger) | Buy now from Amazon
Whether you go for the DUR181Z trimmer or the DUR181RT kit with battery and charger, you’re getting a solidly-built trimmer that’s built to trim a massive lawn. In fact, go with the kit with the 5A battery and you’ll run out of puff before the tool does. Our review sample kept going for nearly fifty minutes before the battery lost its charge, and that was with extensive patches of long, thick grass and some fairly chunky weeds to get through. What’s more, you don’t face a long wait while it recharges; Makita’s fan-assisted fast charger can do it in just 45 minutes.
The DUR1818 is heavier than some trimmers, and has a more modest 26cm cutting width than the Worx WG184E or the Bosch AdvancedGrassCut 36. Yet the design does a good job of reducing the workload on your shoulders, and Makita includes a strap for additional support. The shaft adjusts to give you a range of cutting heights and angles, and the only minor niggle is that the bump to activate the line feed can be tricky to activate; we’d really like it to work first time, every time. Still, if you’ve got a lot of grass to keep tidy, this versatile trimmer will comfortably do the job.
Key specs – Power: 18V 5.0AH Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 26cm; Line: 1.65mm; Dimensions (stored): 142 x 29.7 x 23.5cm; Weight: 3.1kg
Price: £205 | Buy now from Amazon
Aimed at professional gardeners and those with large and overgrown plots, this DeWalt trimmer combines an 18v, 5.0Ah XR battery with a 33cm cutting width and a 2mm line. Don’t let the lower voltage battery fool you; this one has enough power to chomp through weeds and brambles even at its low setting. Switch it up to high and it’ll tear through just about anything that you don’t need a metal-bladed brush cutter to get through. What’s more, on the low power setting the battery lasts for 30 to 40 minutes, although you’re looking closer to 20 to 25 minutes at the higher speed. With the supplied charger, a battery will charge in just over an hour, so buy a second battery and you can keep on strimming with just the occasional tea break.
As you might expect, it’s pretty large and pretty heavy, but most of the weight is concentrated at either end, so it doesn’t feel too unwieldy during use. It’s an expensive trimmer and frankly overkill if you don’t need this kind of power, but if you’re looking for a serious alternative to a petrol trimmer – something you can keep and maintain for years – then you’re going to find the DCM561P1 hard to beat.
Key specs – Power: 18V MAX Li-ion battery; Cutting width: 33cm; Line: 2mm; Dimensions (stored): 170 x 28 x 23.5cm; Weight: 3.6kg
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