Best grass trimmers in the UK — tested

Neatening the edges makes a lawn look finished. Grass trimmers use a rapidly spinning nylon line (typically about 1.6mm) to shear grass and light weeds, while brush cutters swap the line for a metal blade for tougher undergrowth; many electric brush cutters also include a trimmer attachment.

The tester, who has spent the past 30 years reviewing products, tried eight electric trimmers — five cordless and three corded. Battery life and noise were measured by running fully charged cordless models to drain and recording decibels, then each trimmer was used on half the lawn edge and on ivy and weeds beneath a hedge, with tougher nettles tested nearby.

Top pick Stihl FSA 50 is a 36V cordless with a lance-like layout, adjustable length and a variable trigger to stretch battery life; with a 4Ah AK 20 battery it ran for 1hr 11mins in the tester’s trial and handled edging and ground-level ivy well. It’s versatile and well balanced, though optional extras such as a plastic mowing head and shoulder strap are sold separately.

United Kingdom

grass trimmers, lawn edging, stihl, fsa 50, cordless trimmer, corded trimmer, battery life, ak 20, 4ah battery, brush cutter