A good-looking lawn is a national obsession, but it takes more than a mower to do the job right. The best grass trimmers are an essential backup tool, giving you a way of hacking away at long grass to get the lawn in shape for mowing and trimming those awkward areas around garden furniture, decking, raised beds and walls. Most can also be used for edging around the borders, while more heavy-duty models can be conscripted for weed-whacking duties on overgrown plots. In other words, a good grass trimmer is one of the most versatile garden tools around.
That said, picking one is not actually that easy. Can you get by with an inexpensive, lightweight trimmer, or do you need something with a bit more beef? Should you go mains-powered, cordless or petrol, line or blade? Well, we’ve picked through the best available models to find the best grass trimmers for every kind of garden and every kind of gardener. Whether you’re after a monster that can slice through meaty nettles or a more manageable tool to quickly spruce up your garden, there’s a trimmer out there that can keep your lawn in shape.
Buying the right garden tools is all about matching your budget with your needs. If you only have a small lawn to tidy, trim and edge, then there’s no need to spend more than £50 on a lightweight trimmer, and no point in using something heavy that will be more work to move around. If you’ve got a larger plot or areas of thick, fast-growing grass in hard-to-mow spots, then it’s really helpful to have a trimmer with a bit more welly – or spend the extra on a cordless trimmer.
Electric trimmers will be rated somewhere between 250W and 600W, and while manufacturers will claim they use clever gearing systems or integrated processors to do more with less, the more power at your disposal, the heavier the work the trimmer can do. It’s a similar issue with petrol trimmers – look for the capacity in cubic centimetres of the engine – or cordless trimmers, where you need to look at the voltage. There, 24V will get you more cutting power than 18V or 12V, and professional models might reach 60V or more.
It’s no coincidence that the more powerful the trimmer, the wider the cutting width or swathe tends to be. The bigger the figure, the more grass you trim away with each sweeping move and – theoretically – the less time you’ll spend on the job. Trimmers generally go from 20cm up to 35cm, although the professional petrol models used by landscape gardeners can go up to 42cm and beyond.
Generally speaking, the more power you have and the bigger the swathe, the heavier and more expensive the trimmer is going to be. However, the extra cost and weight might be worth it; you’ll be able to tackle a larger plot in much less time. Don’t go overboard, though. Trimming is a tiring business, and the larger strimmers with heavier motors can be a strain to use for longer periods, even with a shoulder strap.
This really comes down to the size of your garden and overall convenience. Corded, electric trimmers are the cheapest option, but in a big garden there are huge advantages to going wire-free.
Cordless trimmers are, on balance, the most convenient. Models with fast-charging, long-lasting Lithium-Ion batteries are now the norm, and trimming gets a whole lot easier when you don’t have to think about the cord – provided you remember to charge the battery before use.
Electric trimmers are still a good investment. They’re often cheap and easy to handle, and usually more powerful than all but the biggest cordless models. The only problem is the cord, which makes a lengthy extension cable a must-have in medium-sized and larger gardens, and adds the risk that you might accidentally cut the cord.
Petrol trimmers are the best option for those with massive gardens and a lot of heavy undergrowth – many will even double as a weed-whacker. However, they’re not exactly environmentally friendly, they’re usually noisy, and they’re bigger, heavier and harder to manage – not to mention temperamental when you try to start them up.
All three types have their pros and cons, but if you’re going to go cordless with just one of your garden tools, make it the strimmer. When you’ve got a good-sized garden it’s a real plus not to have to worry about the cable. Charge up the battery, pull out the trimmer, and you can get to work.
A trimmer’s cutting action relies on a line-and-spool mechanism, where a plastic line emerges from a covered reel and breaks off against the shield (the bit that stops you slicing into your foot) to reach the right length. After that, either a manual feed or auto-feed mechanism keeps the line coming as it’s steadily worn down or snapped off. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the line (usually 1.3mm to 2mm in diameter), the heavier the grass and the bigger the weeds it can cut through. However, some trimmers use plastic blades instead. They’re easier to replace than line, which has to be wound onto the spool, but you’ll generally have to replace them more often. The costs soon mount up.
Some trimmers can also support a heavy-duty line or cartridge, ideal for tackling weeds, nettles, brambles, annoying saplings and daffodil leaves (though you should really leave them to die down naturally, right?).
Otherwise, trimmers can come with a range of useful features, including edging wheels to hold the trimmer in the right position for edging, wheeled decks that turn your trimmer into a lightweight mini-mower and plant protectors – usually thick, wire barriers that prevent you slicing into your prized perennials while you’re thinking about something else, surely one of the biggest pleasures of any garden job.
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Price: £49 | Buy now from Amazon
If you just need a trimmer for some lightweight trimming and edging on one or two small-ish lawns, the Flymo Contour XT has you covered. With a 300W motor and a 25cm cutting width, it’s cheap and light – in fact, it feels lighter than the 2.8kg weight would suggest. It also has some nice practical features, such as the chunky wheel for edging, the quick swivel mechanism that takes you from trimming to edging in a few seconds, plus the plastic plant guard and the handy hooks built into the handle to wrap the 10m cable around for easy storage. It’s not the most powerful grass trimmer and certainly not built to take on larger gardens or tougher weeds, but it does a fine job of the basics and doesn’t cost the earth.
Key specs – 300W motor; 25cm cutting width; 1.5mm line; Weight: 2.8kg
Price: £59 | Buy now from Amazon
Add an adjustable handle and an extra 200W of power to the Flymo Contour XT and you get something like this step-up model. It’s slightly larger and more unwieldy than its smaller sibling, but you get more cutting power to handle rougher grass and weedy areas, making this a better option if you have a larger garden. It doesn’t have the grunt of the Black + Decker GL7033 or the go-anywhere convenience of the cordless models, but if you want a great grass trimmer on a £50 budget, this is your best bet.
Key specs – 500W motor; 25cm cutting width; 1.5mm line; 10m mains cable Weight: 3.1kg
Price: £90 (£125 with battery and charger) | Buy now from Amazon
It’s not hugely powerful and it doesn’t come cheap, but the Bosch Universal is easily the most ergonomic grass trimmer we’ve tested yet. The main pole is telescopic, so you can adjust it to the most comfortable height, while a second handle extends outwards from a pivot to help balance the weight of the cutting head. Meanwhile, the 18V battery slots into a spot at the top where your right elbow naturally rests while the machine’s in use. This design minimises the 2.7kg weight of the strimmer so much that you can keep on trimming for hours – the battery will run out of puff long before you do. The 2Ah battery lasts for around 40 minutes and takes just under 90 minutes to charge.
This trimmer hasn’t got what it takes to take out heavy weeds or brambles, but it’s ideal for tackling lighter stuff and grass. It works quietly and reliably, while a pedal makes it easy to tilt the head for edging or cutting at an angle. Overall, it’s a fantastic little strimmer.
Key specs – 18V; 2Ah li-ion battery; 26cm cutting width; 1.6mm line; Weight: 2.7kg
Price: £85 | Buy now from Currys
This one’s called the SimpliTrim for a good reason. You can put it together in minutes and, with its easy-fit plastic blades, there’s no tricky line or spool to deal with. Even the battery comes built in. Charge it using the supplied wall-wart charger – it takes just over three hours – and you can then trim away for around 40 minutes. At just 1.7kg, it’s also light for a cordless trimmer, and even easier on the arms than the brilliant Bosch Universal Grass Cut 18-26. We also like the way it stores the spare blades in the handle.
Admittedly, there are some compromises. With a cutting width of just 23cm, this one’s for small gardens only; anything more than a light trim here and there takes an absolute age. And while the plastic blades are a lot less prone to jamming and easier to replace than traditional line, they break pretty quickly on contact with anything hard and cost around £9 for 20 replacements. This trimmer also works best if you’ve got mains power in your shed or garage, as otherwise you’ll have to bring the whole shebang inside to charge. It’s a brilliant trimmer for quick jobs on smaller plots, but the Bosch Universal is a bit more versatile.
Key specs – 14.4V; Li-ion battery; 23cm cutting width; RotorCut plastic blades; Weight: 1.7kg
Price: £64 | Buy now from Amazon
Black & Decker’s 700W strimmer is built to handle heavier workloads, with a 33cm cutting width that’s ideal for tackling medium-sized and larger gardens and 2mm line that can hack through longer grass. B&D’s E-Drive tech is designed to make sure you get extra power if you need it, and when it’s time to break out the big guns, you can take out the main spool, slot in the one with the extra heavy-duty line, and teach thick weeds and nettles some respect. The weight gets tiring on the arms after a while, but the mid-mounted motor and curved shaft improve the strimmer’s balance and keep the business end away from your feet. What’s more, the wheel edging guide helps it do a decent job of edging, too. Overkill for smaller gardens, the GL7033 is brilliant for bigger, more unruly plots.
It’s built for a heavier workload than others, but that works to its advantage. You’ll find yourself stopping far less often to untangle the line – or to use another tool to cut a thick stem. With the motor at the top of the shaft, you also don’t have a heavy cutting end to wave about, providing precision and control.
Key specs – 700W motor; 33cm cutting width; 2mm line plus heavy-duty lines; Weight: 3.2kg
Price: £209 | Buy now from Just Lawnmowers
Some gardens need a petrol trimmer, and the Stihl FS40 is a good, affordable example from one of the biggest names in the business. The two-stroke engine gives you plenty of power for even the toughest, most overgrown gardens, and if the 2mm line can’t get through the weeds, you can fit an optional three-tooth, poly-cut head to get through thicker undergrowth and brush. The FS40 is easy to handle, with a simple bump-feed mechanism where you bump the head on the ground to release more line. It’s easier to start than most petrol trimmers, too. However, at 2.9kg with the motor placed right at the end of the stalk, it’s not going to be manageable for everyone. Still, this is the kind of rock-solid, heavy-duty trimmer that will last for years.
Key specs – 2 stroke engine; 0.34l tank; 38cm cutting width; 2mm line; Weight: 2.9kg
Price: From £120 (£236 with 2Ah battery and charger) | Buy now from Tooled-Up
The replacement for the highly regarded Bosch ART 30-36Li is slightly lighter but no less powerful. If you have a larger, rougher garden but don’t want the hassle of a petrol trimmer, this model is a good bet. With a 36V battery, it has more power than your average cordless trimmer, and Bosch’s Syneon Chip technology intelligently delivers that power to suit the job at hand. With a 30cm cutting width, it can tackle a good-sized plot, and you’ll eke 40 minutes of cutting out of a charge.
A harness might have been a nice extra, particularly as most of the weight is distributed towards the cutting head, but the movable soft-grip handle and adjustable pole help make use slightly easier on the arms and shoulders. It’s a heavyweight trimmer for heavyweight jobs, and you’ll struggle to find a cordless model with more raw grass-cutting, weed-chopping power.
Key specs – 36V; 2.6Ah battery; 30cm cutting width; 1.6mm line; Weight: 4kg
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 relying 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 designed to trim a massive lawn. In fact, go with the kit with the 5A battery and you’ll run out of puff before it does; it ran for nearly fifty minutes before the battery lost its charge. What’s more, that’s with it chomping through patches of long, thick grass and some fairly chunky weeds in an overgrown corner of the garden. Nor will you have to wait an age while it recharges; Makita’s fan-assisted fast charger will 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 doesn’t work the 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
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