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The best grass trimmers in 2026 - as tested by our experts

Published: Wednesday, 20 May 2026 at 12:42 pm

Need a new grass trimmer? Tackle long grass and tricky corners with our pick of the very best cordless and corded models.

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Grass trimmers are a great tool for tidying up straggly grass, as well as cutting areas a lawn mower can’t reach, such as path and flowerbed edges and around the base of trees. They can also help clear overgrowth if you’re starting a new garden, and trim vegetation on steep slopes.

If you've not used a grass trimmer before, it can be hard to know what type to buy. So we've been busy testing a range of models – both corded and battery-powered – to give you the lowdown on our favourite grass trimmers. Before you buy, take a look at our buyer's guide below. It gives you advice on how to choose a grass trimmer, what key features to look out for, and which products are our top picks for 2026.

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Kate’s wildlife care

Our wildlife editor, Kate Bradbury, has some advice on using a grass trimmer responsibly. “Always​ check before you trim. Use a broom or rake to sweep the grass before you start, taking care to look out for small critters like frogs and slow worms, but also larger animals like hedgehogs. Hedgehogs frequently sleep in long grass during the day and can suffer terribly from trimmer injuries, so it pays to check before you trim.”

Kate Bradbury

Grass trimmers - Buyer's Guide

The best grass trimmers to buy at a glance

Comparison table: best grass trimmers

ModelRatingRRPTypeCutting WidthRun-timeCharge timeWeightWarrantyStihl FSA 304.8/5£149 (kit)Electric Cordless23/25cm19 mins70 mins2.1kg2 yearsPowerbase 550W4.5/5£59Electric30cm30 mins90 mins3.1kg3 yearsStiga GT 500e4.5/5£321 (kit)Electric Cordless30cm20 mins50 mins3.05kg2 yearsGtech GT504.5/5£149.99 (kit)Electric Cordless23cm30 mins240 mins1.8kg2 yearsHusqvarna Aspire T28-P4A4.3/5£199.99 (kit)Electric Cordless28cm50 mins60 mins3kg2 years

Our expertise Getting the best grass trimmer means ensuring it has the right features, weight and price for you. We've tested a range of cordless and corded grass trimmers, putting them through their paces across arange of grass and terrains, to help you find the right one for your garden. Each grass trimmer has a detailed list of pros and cons for clarity and has been rated according to assembly and storage, handling, performance and value for money. From 2026, you’ll only see newly awarded Best Buy badges on grass trimmers that score 4.5 out of 5 or higher. Anything rated 3.5 or above will still feature in our ‘Best of the rest’ list. 

Jump to best grass trimmers:

Jump to grass trimmer advice:

Best Buy grass trimmers

Stihl FSA 30 Grass Trimmer

Our best lightweight grass trimmer

RRP: £149 (kit)

Our rating: 4.8/5

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.

Available from: Just Lawnmowers (£139)

Best Buy for those that lack strength: Stihl FSA

Our best lightweight grass trimmer: Stihl FSA 30

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

This little grass trimmer is powered by the tiny Stihl AS battery, which charges in 70 minutes and has a run time of 19 minutes. It’s very easy to set up and use – just the handle and spacer bar need screwing on, and it has an adjustable handle and a telescopic shaft, so it’s simple to ensure this trimmer is comfortable to use for all users. The head can also be adjusted to four different angles, plus it rotates 90 degrees for trimming edges, although unlike other trimmers, it doesn’t have a lever to enable this with ease. This is a blade trimmer, so it cuts with two plastic polycut blades that are easy to click into place, but you can also use a line cartridge or feed cut length of line into the trimmer if you wish instead. Six spare blades are included with the trimmer and are stored neatly on the trimmer for when you need them.

Thanks to the small battery, this trimmer is really light, and although it doesn’t have the power that bigger, more substantial grass trimmers do, it performs surprisingly well. We think it’s ideal for trimming around trees and boundaries, and along the edges of beds and borders in small gardens. Once you’re finished trimming, it has an eyelet in the handle for hanging the trimmer up for storage.
The battery is interchangeable with other Stihl AS tools, including a hedge trimmer, powered pruners and a mini chainsaw, and it comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

Powerbase 550W Electric Grass Trimmer

Our best budget grass trimmer

RRP: £59

Our rating: 4.5/5

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Available from: Homebase (49.99), The Range (49.99) and Wilko (£49.99)

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Best Buy budget grass trimmer: Powerbase 550W Electric Grass Trimmer

Our best budget grass trimmer: Powerbase 550W Electric Grass Trimmer

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

This corded trimmer won a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for the best budget grass trimmer. A double line trimmer, it gives a fantastic cut, and thanks to its generous 30cm cutting width, tackles the job quickly and efficiently. It’s particularly good when edging due to wheels that help take the strain, so you can achieve a precise cut. The soft-grip loop handles on its telescopic shaft are comfortable, and there’s a helpful loop for tucking the cable away when you’re moving around. It has an automatic feed, and we love that there’s a storage compartment on the shaft for the spare spool, so it’s close at hand when it needs replacing.

However, gardeners with limited mobility should note that this grass trimmer weighs 3.1kg, which is over a kilo more than the lightest machine on test, the Gtech GT50, and it doesn’t come with a strap to help take the weight. The black power cable is only 10m, so you’ll need an extension cord if you plan to trim further from a power source, and it’s tricky to see it in the grass. It also requires some heft to move between the trimming and edging modes as the mechanism is stiff. That said, it’s good value, gives a great cut, and comes with a generous three-year warranty. Kay Maguire

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Stiga GT 500e Cordless Grass Trimmer

Our best grass trimmer for performance

RRP: £219 (kit)

Our rating: 4.5/5

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Available from: Just Lawnmowers (£189)

Best Buy for performance: Stiga GT 500e Battery Lawn Trimmer

Our best grass trimmer for performance: Stiga GT 500e Battery Lawn TrimmerPros

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for performance, this trimmer has a generous 30cm cutting width, and the durable nylon double line automatic feed keeps working, so you don’t have to bump the line out. The head is easy to rotate for use as an edge trimmer, and the wheels help to support the weight of the body, ensuring it cuts at a consistent height. However, as it doesn’t come with a support strap, it’s eventually tiring to use.

It’s powered by a large 2Ah 48V lithium-ion battery, which, along with the charger, is sold separately, making this significantly more expensive than other models in the test. That said, after a fast 50-minute charge, it runs for 20 minutes, cutting powerfully and efficiently. It copes well with large patches of long grass, as well as hard-to-reach areas, and cuts lawn edges cleanly. Light indicators on the battery let you know how much time you have left to finish the job, the telescopic shaft separates into two for easy storage, and it comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

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Gtech Grass Trimmer GT50

Our best grass trimmer for ease of use

RRP: £149.99 (kit)

Our rating: 4.5/5

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Available from: Amazon (£90.49), Gtech (£79.99) and Homebase (£149.99)

Best Buy for ease of use: Gtech Grass Trimmer GT50

Our best grass trimmer for ease of use: Gtech Grass Trimmer GT50

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

Awarded a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for ease of use, the Gtech grass trimmer GT50 is a well-designed tool. It includes a safety switch, an ergonomic harness, an adjustable loop handle, a swivel head to change from trimmer to edger, and easy-to-fit plastic blades. Weighing just 1.8kg, it’s the lightest in the group we tested, but has a relatively narrow 23cm cutting width, so it takes longer to cover ground than the Worx, with its generous 33cm head. On test it tackled long grass and thin woody weeds on uneven terrain, as well as leaving lawn edges looking neat.

However, you’ll need to plan ahead for trimming sessions as the 18V lithium-ion battery takes a lengthy four hours to charge to give 30 minutes of power, though there are helpful indicator lights on the battery to keep track of how much time you have left. As it includes a battery and charger, it’s comparatively cheaper than some other cordless trimmers, but the battery is only compatible with two other Gtech cordless tools, the HT50 hedge trimmer and SLM50 lawn mower , which doesn’t represent the best value for money. Other cordless systems have more battery-sharing tools available. It comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

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Husqvarna Aspire T28-P4A

Our best grass trimmer for large areas

RRP: £199.99 (kit)

Our rating: 4.3/5

A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.

Available from: Husqvarna (£199.99)

Best Buy for large areas: Husqvarna Aspire T28-P4A

Our best grass trimmer for large areas: Husqvarna Aspire T28-P4A

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

This is a lightweight and powerful cordless grass trimmer with a telescopic shaft. Even with the large 4.0Ah battery installed, it weighs just 3kg. It comes in all cardboard packaging, and it’s easy to assemble too - a couple of screws attach the blade guard, and you’re ready to go. The battery charge time is a respectable 60 minutes and the run time a generous 50 minutes, which is almost the longest in our test. An auto-feed double line trimmer, it cuts beautifully through even thick grass, and with minimal vibration transmitted through to your hands. You can brace the end of the trimmer against your elbow on a rubberised section as well, which makes it particularly comfortable, even without a shoulder strap.

The loop handle is comfy enough to hold on to, but it’s a bit small, so you get less leverage for angled cutting. It comes with a handy storage hook that can be directly screwed into a shed wall or hung on the Husqvarna’s Storage Rail system, which is a great way to get it up off the floor and save some space. Both the battery and charger are compatible not only across the Husqvarna Aspire range but with the Power For All Alliance of cordless tools, which includes Flymo, Gardena and Bosch and will save you money if you invest in any of those tools in the future. It comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

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The best of the rest

Although some models didn't quite achieve a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy award, they still have great features that make them worth recommending. Browse our pick of the best of the rest on test.

Erbauer Brushless Cordless Grass Trimmer EGT18-Li - KIT

Price: £179.99

Our rating: 4/5

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Available from: Screwfix (£119.99)

Erbauer brushless cordless grass trimmer EG18-Li-KIT

Erbauer brushless cordless grass trimmer EG18-Li-KIT

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

Lightweight, capable and built for big gardens, the Erbauer EGT18 is a useful piece of kit. It didn’t take long to get up and running, and there are just a few screws to attach the shaft and blade guard. Supplied with a big 5.0Ah battery and a wide cutting capacity of 30cm, this double string auto-feed trimmer is well-suited to large patches of grass or awkward garden areas. You can comfortably trim a garden on a single charge, and you can charge it back to full within an hour as well, which is very efficient.

The large loop handle is comfortable and gives you extra leverage in tight corners, but it’s not designed for edging work. There’s a fair bit of vibration during use, and you’ll definitely need ear protection as it’s rather loud at 96dB. You can fold the shaft in half for storage, but you need to undo a bolt and not lose it in between jobs. It comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

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VonHaus F-Series Cordless Grass Trimmer

RRP: £34.99

Our rating: 4/5

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Available from: B&Q (£39.99), Robert Dyas (£39.99) and Tesco (£39.99)

Vonhaus F-Series Cordless Grass Trimmer - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Vonhaus F-Series Cordless Grass Trimmer

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

Despite its narrow 21cm cutting width, this grass trimmer gives a good cut. The plastic blades tackle grass and slightly woody material well, and the 30-minute run time is one of the longest in our test. We like the storage feature under the handle for the included spare plastic blades, which are bright pink and easy to spot if they snap off into the grass. However, while it's efficient, this machine is the loudest on the test at 98dB, and the handles are uncomfortable too. It also takes an hour and a half to charge, which, though less than the four hours of the Gtech model, is much longer than the 45 minutes of the Makita DUR181RT and Mac Allister 18V LI 18V 280mm.

The 12V, 2.0Ah F-Series lithium-ion battery is compatible with just three other VonHaus tools - a hedge trimmer, garden saw, and handheld hedge and grass trimmer - which can save you money if you buy these in the future, but is limited compared to other cordless systems, such as the dozens of compatible tools in the Worx PowerShare cordless system. Crucially, this trimmer also has no edging function, so if you’re after neat lawn edges, you should look elsewhere. Because it’s just 12V, the battery is less powerful than others on test, but if you need to tidy up a small garden on a budget, it will do the job well, and comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

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VonHaus 36 Volt Cordless 2-in-1 Grass Trimmer & Brush Cutter

RRP: £124.99

Our rating: 3.5/5

A star rating of 3.5 out of 5.

Available from: Argos (£130), B&Q (£124.99) and Tesco (124.99)

VonHaus 36 Volt Cordless 2-in-1 Grass Trimmer & Brush Cutter

VonHaus 36 Volt Cordless 2-in-1 Grass Trimmer & Brush Cutter

Reasons to buy:

Reasons to avoid:

VonHaus have doubled up with this battery powered 2-in-1 brush cutter and grass trimmer. By switching over cutting heads, you can tackle heavy brush or delicate grass trimming, but it’s a bit of a fiddle.

Set up: Setup involved a little more guesswork than necessary. Unfortunately, the manual doesn’t go into much detail when it came to attaching the brush cutting or string trimming heads. It comes supplied with a couple of different washers to keep the heads on, but it wasn’t made obvious which one was which. Attaching the handles was a simple enough process, made easier by the inclusion of a small tool kit in the box. You get a T-handle spanner with a crosshead screwdriver on the end and a hex key that does up or undoes all the bolts on the brush cutter.

Brush cutting: I attached the three-bladed metal brush cutting attachment first, to clear some thick clumps of grass and woody vegetation from my new allotment site. The motor has a soft-start feature, which takes some of the shock from using it, but once it was up to speed the noise levels were high. It's supplied with a pair of 18V, 2.0Ah batteries, which slot in on both sides of the rear motor to help with balance. They have charge level indicators on them, and recharging is made easy thanks to a dual-port fast charger. You can top off both in just 60 minutes, which is just right in my opinion. I managed around 25 minutes of brush cutting before the batteries ran out of charge.

Something I liked was the shoulder strap on this cordless brush cutter. Adjusted properly, it took the trimmer’s 6kg weight off the hands and onto the shoulders. The quick release mechanism is a vital safety feature that’s always good to see too. The other thing this brush cutter lacks, however, is a variable speed trigger. It would be nice if you could moderate the speed to save battery life and keep noise levels down when necessary. But for the money, you get a capable cordless brush cutting tool.

At top speed, I felt vibration through the dual handles after using it for more than ten minutes at a time. After tightening down every bolt on the brush cutter, the vibrations reduced, but it was still a little uncomfortable to use for extended periods of time. And make sure you have enough space for storage. As comfortable as the “bike handle” style grip is, it takes up more space than a standard handle grass trimmer.

Vonhaus-GRASS-trimmer_IRL

The VonHaus grass trimmer head cuts an impressive 34cm-wide swathe. Image: Harry Duncton

Grass trimming: Then I swapped out the cutting head for the string trimmer. Featuring a spool of light duty 1.6mm wire and a bump feed mechanism, it was just right for bashing back the overgrown grass on the allotment borders. There was negligible vibration in this mode. The metal brush cutting attachment cuts a 25.5cm swathe, while the grass trimming attachment cuts a 34cm swathe. Overall, this is a decent and budget-friendly option if you want plenty of cordless brush and grass cutting power. It could do with a better manual, and lacks a bit of refinement, but it gets the job done without breaking the bank. Harry Duncton

What's a grass trimmer used for?

Trimmers cut the long grass and weeds that a mower can’t reach. They’re great for cutting in tricky places, such as around the base of a tree, the corner of a lawn, or on steep slopes. Depending on their power and their blade material, they can also tackle woodier growth like ivy, brambles, and stinging nettles. Many grass trimmers can also be used to tidy up along the edges of a lawn by adjusting the angle of the cutting head.

For more lawn tool reviews, check out our reviews of the best lawn mowers, particularly our tests of the best cordless lawn mowers. For more cutting, trimming, or pruning help, see our reviews of the best garden shears, the best hedge trimmers, the best secateurs and the best loppers.

What are the different types of grass trimmer?

The key thing is to always check before you trim. Use a broom or rake to sweep the grass before you start, taking care to look out for small critters like frogs and slow worms, but also larger animals like hedgehogs.

Can I use a trimmer to mow the lawn or trim hedges?

Hypothetically, you could use a trimmer to cut a lawn, but it would take a long time. Trimmers are much less efficient at this task than lawn mowers, and it’s more difficult to get an even cut. Trimmers aren’t designed to trim hedges, as their woody growth is too thick to be cut with plastic blades or nylon cord, and it would be very dangerous. Instead, use a hedge trimmer, or for more precise work, shears, a pruning saw, or pair of secateurs.

What are the key features to look out for?

Before you buy, think about the following :

How we tested grass trimmers

We tested a range of grass trimmers, putting them through their paces on lawn edges, sloped areas and big and small gardens. They were assessed according to the following criteria, with equal marks attributed to each:

For more information on our testing process, see How we review

Meet our testing panel

Oliver Parsons, Strategic Projects Editor
Oliver is a gardener and magazine journalist of 20 years’ experience. He trained as a professional horticulturalist at RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Chelmsford and has also worked for Gardening Which?, as a freelance gardener and with the gardening team at Down House in Kent. He is now Strategic Projects Editor at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and GardenersWorld.com, heading up our reviews desk, Apple News output and weekly newsletter.

Kay Maguire, Magazines Editor
Kay trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and has been writing and making films about gardening ever since. She has written for websites and magazines, including The Garden and Amateur Gardening, was Horticultural Editor on BBC Gardeners' World Magazine for five years, and has also written several books on a range of gardening topics from growing house plants to making the most of a small space. After several years as Reviews Editor, building up our reviews section into a leading resource for UK gardeners, she has now become Magazines Editor for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, responsible for all print output.

Harry Duncton, Freelance Powered Tools Tester
Harry has a wealth of experience, from being a language teacher to a tree surgeon, and has built this into a career writing about all things DIY and gardening. A passionate believer in self-reliance, his aim is to inspire others to give it a go themselves and not worry about making a few mistakes along the way. A regular contributor to popular DIY blogs and a recent addition to the BBC Gardeners' World Magazine team, he loves tracking down the best new tools and writing about them.

Sue Fisher, Freelance Garden Writer
Sue’s extensive horticultural career spans over 40 years, starting with a decade in the garden centre and nursery industry before developing into an accomplished gardening writer, designer and speaker. Sue writes regularly for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine, GardenersWorld.com and Garden Answers magazine. She has written 10 books on subjects including container gardening, plants for small gardens and designing with colour, and she has co-authored other books with some of the biggest names in gardening.

Emma Crawforth, Horticulture Editor
Emma holds the Kew Diploma in Horticulture and has been working in horticulture for 18 years, including roles in public gardens, a plant nursery supplying plants for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and a training college for young horticulturists. She looks after an ornamental, fruit and veg garden at home and regularly undertakes trips to see plants growing in their natural habitats. She is the author of the Kew Publications book, Things to Do with Plants.

Jane Moore, Freelance Garden Writer
In a horticultural career spanning 30 years, Jane has been a head gardener at a Benedictine Abbey, a writer for national gardening magazines and newspapers, a researcher on BBC gardening programmes and a TV presenter on BBC Gardeners’ World. Among her many accolades are a Chelsea Flower Show medal, several awards from the Garden Media Guild and her books are published worldwide. She has spent 30 years working as a hands-on head gardener, using tools on a daily basis.

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This review was last updated in May 2026. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.

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