The best strimmers for tidying up your garden
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A beautiful lawn doesn't come easy. It takes, blood, sweat, tears, and the real equipment. That's the same for everyone, whether you just dabble in gardening or you're a pro landscaper. Even if you struggle with the blood, sweat, and tears bit, it's certainly worth tooling up with the best gardening equipment you can afford.
Top of the list, of course, is a lawn mower. But it's worth backing that up with a strimmer (sometimes called a lawn trimmer). If a lawn mower does the bulk of the worth, a strimmer is for the finer details. Strimmers are designed to trim the edges, borders, and even keep the lawn itself tidy by cutting back weeds and long patches. In other words, the strimmer takes care of the bits that your lawn mower can't reach.
But unless you’re a gardening expert, choosing the right strimmer is harder than lugging a mower around. There's plenty of jargon and spec that might not make sense — not to mention a selection of brands to choose from. But we're here to help put you on the right (garden) path by recommending some top models. But before we get to that, here’s some helpful information about buying a new strimmer.
Are there different types of lawn strimmers?
The main types you’ll have to choose from are electric strimmers that plug into the mains, cordless strimmers powered by rechargeable batteries, and petrol strimmers which give you extra power. The best option for you really depends on the size of your garden and its current state. Is it big and overgrown? In that case you'll need power.
Corded vs. cordless strimmers — which are best?
It’s less a case of which is best and more which type best suits your garden and gardening needs. Corded strimmers are generally cheapest and best for casual use, but they’re slightly limited by the cord. You’ll need easy access to a mains outlet — and you must check that the cord reaches far enough to cover your lawn.
Cordless strimmers are built for convenience — lightweight and easy to handle around the garden. The main drawback is that you have to recharge them after use. Look for a model with battery power to match the size of your garden.
What are the benefits of a petrol strimmer?
Petrol-powered strimmers give you power. If you have a large garden, or particularly tough grass and weeds to cut through, a petrol strimmer is likely the best option. They’re not always the best for delicate or precision-perfect jobs.
What is lawn edging?
Lawn edging is pretty much as it sounds — the art of keeping your lawn neat, tidy, and even styled. It can be surprisingly hard to do if you don’t have the right tools. Some strimmers are built for both regular trimming and edging, or may have a cutting head that converts into an edger. This can add a touch of artistic flair to your gardening.
What are the most important lawn strimmer features?
As well as edging, there are other handy features that can elevate a strimmer from good to great. They can include a telescopic shaft, adjustable handle, shoulder strap, and brush cutter for tackling brambles and shrubbery.
What's an automatic line feed?
Another feature that can be a deal-breaker for some gardeners is an automatic line extension. The “line” is the thing that whips around quickly and does the actual business of grass cutting (though some strimmers use a blade). The line can sometimes break, so you need a system to replace the line mid-cut. Strimmers may have an automatic line feed, which replaces the line as you cut, meaning you do don't have faff about with changing spools. Others replace the line with the press of a button — or by giving the head a bump on the ground.
What is the best lawn strimmer?
There are plenty of impressive models out there from top brands like Bosch and Flymo. To help you find the right strimmer for you and your garden, we have lined up a selection of the very best models. We have considered customer reviews, specifications, and features to give you a clear idea of what's out there.
These are the best garden strimmers in 2025.
Flymo SimpliTrim Li
Best For Handling
The Good & The Bad
- Ultra-lightweight design
- Competitive runtime
- Durable blades
- Storage in charging port
- Can't replace blades
Why We Like It
The Flymo SimpliTrim Li strimmer has an ultra-lightweight design with optimised ergonomics. That means maximum comfort while you strim. And when you've been working hard all day in the garden, comfort matters.
With a powerful integrated 14.4 V battery and a generous runtime of 40 minutes, you can tackle everything on your list without needing to recharge. Durable blades ensure you get a manicured finish to your lawn.
It has an integrated charging port, which comes with an LED indicator and storage for your spare blades. And it terms of manoeuvrability, the lack of power cord allows you to move around your garden with flexibility.
Details
Greenworks Tools G40LT
Best For Corners
The Good & The Bad
- Speed control
- Good for navigating edges
- Extra line spools included
- Versatile battery
- Automatic line-feeding
- Battery not included
- Heavy-ish
Why We Like It
The Greenworks Tools G40LT is part of the brand's range of compatible tools. The battery isn't included but if you already own a 40V Greenworks tool, the batteries are interchangeable. One battery powers them all.
The adjustable front handle makes it easy to adjust the strimmer to different body heights. A two-split shaft makes it easy for storing away in the shed.
Best of all, the G40LT offers precise handling and impressive results thanks to its electronic speed control. This helps when you're navigating the edge of a patio, sensitive plants, or tree trunks. The sturdy metal frame keeps flowers and other delicate plants safe from getting cut.
Details
Bosch EasyGrassCut 23
Best For Tight Budgets
The Good & The Bad
- Easy to assemble
- Comfortable handling
- Semi-automatic spool
- Lacks advanced features
- Cord is restrictive
Why We Like It
The Bosch EasyGrassCut 23 is a basic but highly capable strimmer. It has a balanced, lightweight, ergonomic design that ensures easy handling. And this model can do all the essential work — cutting grass and weeds, cutting around plants and tricky spots, and lawn trimming.
It also has a hassle-free cutting system that promises minimal fuss. A semi-auto spool feeds the line at every trigger release, so you always have the optimal cutting line length. You’ll never need to manually adjust the spool.
The EasyGrassCut 23 may be lacking advanced features, but you get a golden combo of brand reassurance and low price.
Details
WORX GT3
Best For Features
The Good & The Bad
- Lightweight design
- Automatic feed system
- Multi-purpose battery
- 2-in-1 cutting action
- Not the most powerful
- Battery and charger sold separately
Why We Like It
The WORX GT3 is a third-generation upgrade of the always-popular GT strimmer. And this model is absolutely stacked with features.
It has a 90-degree adjustable head, a telescopic body, an easy-to-adjust handle, and an automatic line feed that works with the push of a button. Elsewhere, there's a built-in guard for protecting your plants and ornament. This tool also converts from a strimmer to wheeled lawn edger with a swift, easy action.
Another helpful feature is its PowerShare battery, which is compatible with any WORX cordless tool. But as with other strimmers that come as part of a larger, compatible tool range, the battery isn't included. There is, however, a slightly more expensive version that comes with two batteries.
Details
McCulloch Trimmac
Best For Power
The Good & The Bad
- Powerful performance
- Adjustable handle
- Carry strap
- Disassembles into two parts
- Multi-purpose functionality
- Noisy option
- Attachments sold separately
- Heavy build
- More expensive
Why We Like It
The McCulloch Trimmac strimmer has a rare dual-purpose: It’s about both power and convenience. The petrol-powered engine has an output of 0.6 kW — it chops through dense, tricky lawns — while a split shaft design allows you to disassemble the strimmer for easy transportation and storage.
The Trimmac head has a Tap ‘n’ Go function. All you need to do is bump the head on the ground and the strimming line will automatically extend. It comes equipped with a carry strap that will distribute weight evenly over your shoulders, along with an adjustable handle, and an easy-to-access air filter cap.
The split shaft design connects to other attachments and transforms the strimmer into a cultivator, hedge strimmer, edger, and other tools.
Details
VonHaus 20V Max
Best For Battery Life
The Good & The Bad
- Lightweight build
- Excellent-looking design
- Innovative blade system
- Rubber handles
- Not the best in long grass
Why We Like It
The VonHaus 20V Max does pretty much everything you need from a cordless model, while keeping the price at the lower end of the strimmer spectrum.
The 180-degree adjustable strimmer head helps you get accurate border edges by tackling the trickiest spots and trimming the tightest corners. The VonHaus 20V Max also features an innovative friction-based plastic blade system, designed for sharper, stronger, more efficient cutting.
You can also adjust the handle height, while the lightweight design — with soft grip rubber handles — helps make those lengthier trimming tasks easier. Longer garden jobs are further helped by 50 minutes of cordless strimming action — that's the best battery life performance on this list.
Details
Black + Decker String
Best For Overgrown Gardens
The Good & The Bad
- E-drive technology
- Easily cuts through long grass
- Switches to edging mode
- Auto line feed system
- Adjustable telescopic body
- Not much for the price
Why We Like It
If you need some serious oomph to get through tough, overgrown grass, the Black + Decker String Strimmer is an excellent option. It's also come down in price, so it's not only well-recommended, but excellent value too.
It's powered by high-torque E-drive technology, which combines with a super-fast cutting speed of up to 7400rpm. An automatic feed system detects when the string has broken or worn out and replaces it with a fresh line.
This model is also highly versatile. As well as an adjustable telescopic body plus secondary handle for ergonomic grip, it has a Trim'n'Edge feature. This allows you to simply twist the body and put the trimmer into an edging mode, helping you craft perfectly neat lawn edges with minimal effort.
Details
Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.
Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.
Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.
