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- Best strimmers and grass trimmers: At a glance
- How we test strimmers/grass trimmers
- The best strimmers and grass trimmers you can buy in 2026
- 1. Bosch UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500: Best cordless grass trimmer overall
- 2. Bosch AdvancedGrassCut 36: Best heavy-duty trimmer for big gardens
- 3. Ryobi RY18LT23A-0: Best value cordless strimmer
- 4. Stihl FSA 50 grass trimmer: Best heavy duty grass trimmer for noise-sensitive neighbourhoods
- 5. Flymo Contour 500E: Best value electric trimmer
- 6. EGO ST1511E-T 38cm Line Trimmer (kit): Best strimmer for heavy-duty bramble clearing
- 7. Stihl FS40: Best petrol trimmer
- How to choose the best strimmer/grass trimmer for you
- What type of grass trimmer do I need?
- How much power do I need?
- How important is a grass trimmer’s cutting width?
- What battery system should I choose?
- How much do I need to spend?
- We test each and every strimmer we review in our own gardens on grass, weeds and brambles to see how they cope with a variety of vegetation
- Our testing includes noise and vibration tests – critical considerations that indicate how comfortable a strimmer is to use – and battery tests for cordless models
- Our favourite grass trimmer is the Bosch UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500, because it’s reasonably priced, powerful and uses a battery system that is compatible across multiple manufacturers
A good-quality grass trimmer is an essential piece of gardening equipment. As well as hacking down long grass or scything through undergrowth, the best grass trimmers allow you to get into those tight spaces that even the best lawn mowers can’t manage, such as around immovable garden furniture, toys, walls, raised flower beds or decking. Some can even be used for quick and effective edging.
Our favourite grass trimmer is the Bosch UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500, because it combines comfort with great performance and a reasonable price, all in one convenient package. Plus its cordless and the batteries are usable across other manufacturers’ tools.
To help find what you need, I’ve tested and reviewed over 20 grass trimmers since 2020, using my own back garden as the testing ground. Heavy duty and lightweight, petrol-, battery- and mains-powered; I’ve tested the lot and whittled my recommendations down to six of the best grass trimmers you can buy.
In my list below, you’ll find my recommendations based on the size, shape and topography of your garden – and of course, your buying budget. Take a look at the at-a-glance list below for a quick overview of my recommendations; or, if you need more information before you buy, head to the bottom of the page for my detailed buying guide.
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Best strimmers and grass trimmers: At a glance
- Best cordless trimmer overall | Bosch UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500 | Check price at Amazon
- Best heavy-duty cordless trimmer | Bosch AdvancedGrassCut 36 | Check price at Amazon
- Best value cordless trimmer | Ryobi RY18LT23A-0 | Check price at Amazon
- Best value corded trimmer | Flymo Contour 500E | Check price at Amazon
- Best cordless strimmer for bramble cutting | EGO 1 RY18LTX33A-0 | Check price at EGO
How we test strimmers/grass trimmers
When testing, I assemble each strimmer and run it through a gauntlet of grass-trimming trials. First, I use it to trim and edge small areas of my flat lawn, moving to a larger, sloping lawn with patches of rough and uneven grass, thick weeds and even brambles. This is where I find out how the trimmer performs with more challenging patches of green, assessing whether it’s up to some serious ground clearance.
During my tests, I also check how easy it is to adjust a tool’s handle, change the cutting angle, feed the line and replace the spool – and, with cordless models, I time how long the battery lasts during cutting, plus how long it takes to recharge via the supplied charger.
We also take noise level measurements at ear level and measure hand-arm vibration levels at the handle. These metrics tell you how comfortable the trimmer will be to use for longer periods of time.
We’ve been reviewing garden equipment for well over a decade and we always do so in real-world environments. Our methodology – which is identical from trimmer to trimmer – caters not just to cutting efficiency and general performance, but extends to other important factors such as hand-arm vibration, noise and battery life, so you can be assured our recommendations are based on exhaustive testing.
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The best strimmers and grass trimmers you can buy in 2026
1. Bosch UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500: Best cordless grass trimmer overall
Price when reviewed: £106 | Check price at Amazon
- Great cutting performance
- Easy to use
- Line feed is flawless
- A little head heavy
- Battery life could be better
Reviewed by Stuart Andrews
Bosch has abandoned the ergonomic design of the old UniversalGrassCut 18V-26, but this new strimmer makes up for it with a combination of good design, rock-solid build quality and great performance. When it comes to whacking chunky thistles and tough nettles, it’s the best strimmer in its class and I found it every bit as capable for regular trimming and edging duties.
Thanks to its excellent line management, you can pretty much squeeze the trigger and let it get on with its job, and don’t forget that Bosch’s Power For All batteries can also be used on other manufacturers’ tools, including Flymo, Husqvarna and Gardena.
True, I didn’t find the Universal GrassCut as easy on the shoulders as some others, but it’s still well-balanced and very adjustable, with a head that works in four positions and can rotate through 180 degrees for edging. The chunky loop top handle helped reduce the strain on my arms, then folds flat for storage. The 20-minute battery life isn’t brilliant, but at least the 2Ah battery recharges in just 1hr 15mins. Beefy, versatile and practical, the UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500 should handle most gardens in style.
Read our full Bosch UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500 review from 2024
Key specs – Power: 18V 2.0Ah to 4.0Ah P4A battery; Cutting width: 26cm; Line: 1.6mm; Weight: 2.2kg
2. Bosch AdvancedGrassCut 36: Best heavy-duty trimmer for big gardens
Price when reviewed: £129 (tool only), £219 (with battery) | Check price at Amazon
- Great cutting power
- Wide 30cm cutting width
- Decent battery life
- A little on the heavy side
- No harness
Reviewed by Stuart Andrews
If you have a larger, rougher garden but don’t want the hassle of a petrol trimmer, the Bosch AdvancedGrassCut 36 is a great choice. With a 36V battery, it has more power than your average cordless trimmer and, with a 30cm cutting width, it can tackle a big-sized plot – especially with a respectable 40 minutes of cutting time.
I have to say that a harness would have been a nice extra, particularly as most of the weight is towards the cutting head, but the movable soft-grip handle and adjustable pole helped make it slightly easier on my arms and shoulders.
This is a heavyweight trimmer for heavyweight jobs, and you will struggle to find a cordless model with more raw grass-cutting and weed-chopping power. Better still, the 36V Power For All batteries it takes can also be used on garden tools from other manufacturers, including Husqvarna, Gardena and Flymo.
Key specs – Power: 36V; Battery: 2.6Ah; Cutting width: 30cm; Line: 1.6mm; Weight: 4kg
3. Ryobi RY18LT23A-0: Best value cordless strimmer
Price: £62 (without battery) | Check price at Amazon
- Well priced
- Light
- Easy to use
- Noisy
- Feels a little flimsy
Reviewed by Stuart Milne
There aren’t many cordless strimmers around that cost less than the Ryobi RY18LT23A-0, and it comes free if you buy it in a bundle with the company’s cordless 23cm lawn mower and ONE+ 5Ah battery. That’s only £200 at the time of writing.
Despite the low price, however, our reviewer was impressed with the Ryobi’s overall performance. It’s lightweight at a mere 2kg and easy to wield, which means you can get to trimming without having to strap a harness on.
Its head can swivel around and trim your edges with ease, too, and we found the battery life was impressive, lasting 73 minutes in our no-load tests with the 4Ah ONE+ battery in place.
It isn’t the greatest at clearing thicker clumps of grass and brambles – for those jobs you’re going to need to spend a little more money – but it did cope reasonably well with nettles and light scrub in our testing.
Read our full Ryobi RY18LT23A-0 review from 2026
Key specs – Power: 18V 2.0Ah to 5.0Ah ONE+ battery; Cutting width: 23cm; Line: 1.6mm; Weight: 2kg
4. Stihl FSA 50 grass trimmer: Best heavy duty grass trimmer for noise-sensitive neighbourhoods
Price when reviewed: £159 (without battery) | Check price at Stihl
- Very quiet
- Lightweight and easy to wield
- Highly adjustable
- Line prone to breakage
- Complicated trigger operation
Reviewed by Stuart Milne
The Stihl FSA 50 is one of the quietest strimmers we’ve ever had the pleasure to test here at Expert Reviews. In testing, we measured its noise output at a mere 78dBA, which is very quiet for a strimmer of this class.
Plus, it’s balanced in the hand and very smooth in operation, too. Our tester recorded vibrations of a barely-there 2.9mm/sec, which means you could use it all day and still be within the Government’s guidelines for power tool hand and arm vibration exposure.
Other positive things include great battery life – it lasted 42 minutes in our no-load tests – enough power to cut more than grass (as long as you buy the optional brush cutter attachment), and superb adjustability, making it well-suited to tall and short gardeners alike.
Read our full Stihl FSA 50 grass trimmer review from 2026
Key specs – Power: 18V 2.0Ah to 4.0Ah P4A battery; Cutting width: 26cm; Line: 1.6mm; Weight: 2.2kg
5. Flymo Contour 500E: Best value electric trimmer
Price when reviewed: £52 (corded) | Check price at Amazon
- Lightweight
- Comfortable handle
- Cheap
- The cord is inconvenient
Reviewed by Stuart Andrews
The addition of an adjustable handle and an extra 200W of power when compared to my previous budget favourite – the Flymo Contour XT – makes the Contour 500E a serious step up for around the same price, and the best-value option right now.
With more cutting power to handle rougher, tougher grass and weedy areas, the Flymo Contour 500E whizzed across my garden in testing. It also has some nice practical features, such as the large adjustable handle, which I found helped to alleviate arm and back strain during longer cutting periods, and a wire plant guard across the front of the cutting head, which helped protect my prized plants from utter destruction.
Sure, this Flymo doesn’t have the go-anywhere convenience of cordless models but, for such a low price, this is a superb performer that will likely remain at the top of my list for quite some time.
Key specs – Power: 500W motor; Cutting width: 25cm; Line: 1.5mm; Mains cable: 10m; Weight: 3.1kg
6. EGO ST1511E-T 38cm Line Trimmer (kit): Best strimmer for heavy-duty bramble clearing
Price when reviewed: £359 (with battery) | Check price at EGO
- Great build
- Excellent ergonomics
- Powerful cutting
- Line is hard to thread
Reviewed by Stuart Milne
If you’ve had enough of petrol strimmers but prefer the cleanliness and convenience of battery tools, take a look at the EGO ST1511E-T. It’s a battery trimmer with all the power of a petrol machine, and can tackle everything from large gardens to unruly allotments with ease.
With two speeds, you can tackle tough and delicate areas with the one tool, and the bump-feed spool has a handy motor that can wind line back in if you find you’ve accidentally fed out too much.
In our testing, it made light work of tough clumps of grass better than any strimmer our reviewer has ever tested and it sliced through brambles like they weren’t there. Our reviewer particularly liked the chunky 2.4mm nylon twist line provided with the trimmer – once installed, he found it rarely snapped – and battery life is decent. The 56V 2.5Ah battery provided around 49 minutes of working time per charge in our tests and took the same amount of time to charge.
The one caveat is that the EGO ST1511E-T is expensive at £359, but if you want a cordless tool with the power of a petrol strimmer, you won’t be disappointed.
Read our full EGO ST1511E-T review from 2026
Key specs – Power: 56V 2.4Ah battery Cutting width: 38cm; Line: 2.4mm; Weight: 3.2kg (without battery)
7. Stihl FS40: Best petrol trimmer
Price when reviewed: £228 (petrol) | Check price at Travis Perkins
- Robust, pro-grade construction
- Awesome weed-whacking skills
- Bump and feed head works well
- Big and heavy
- Brush cutter blade is optional
Some gardens need a petrol trimmer and the Stihl FS40 is a great, affordable example from one of the biggest names in the business. The two-stroke engine provided plenty of power for my overgrown garden, so I’ve no doubt it can handle even the toughest landscapes. Plus, 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 – something I found incredibly useful.
The FS40 was easy to handle and has 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, and 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 – Engine: 2 stroke; Tank: 0.34l tank; Cutting width: 38cm; Line: 2mm; Weight: 2.9kg
How to choose the best strimmer/grass trimmer for you
What type of grass trimmer do I need?
Cordless trimmers
Pros: Freedom of movement | Cons: Batteries can cost extra, may lack power
These are 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. Just bear in mind that not all cordless trimmers come with a battery or a charger, so you could end up forking out more than you expect – unless you own other tools that use the same battery pack.
Corded trimmers
Pros: More powerful, cheaper | Cons: Require plug socket, limited range
These are 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 or larger gardens. You need to take real care not to cut the cable, so make sure you’re using a circuit breaker – either integrated into the extension cable, or a standalone socket-type version.
Petrol trimmers
Pros: Very powerful, ideal for thick grass | Cons: Very noisy, generally heavier
Petrol trimmers are the best option for massive gardens with a lot of thick undergrowth. However, they’re usually noisy and bigger, heavier and harder to manage and maintain.
How much power do I need?
Cordless strimmers
You can tell roughly how powerful a strimmer is by looking at its specifications. For battery powered units, look at the voltage of the battery system it supports.
Strimmers with 18V or lower batteries are usually better suited to small gardens and light work. Those with 24V, 36V or higher will cope with heavier workloads and won’t get bogged down in scrub or clumped grass.
Corded strimmers
Corded strimmers will normally have a rating of between 250W and 1000W. Again, the bottom line is that the higher the figure, the more punch it will pack: 600W and below for smaller gardens and light work; higher than that for more heavy duty work.
Petrol strimmers
With petrol-powered strimmers, engine capacity – measured in cubic centimetres (cc) – is what matters when assessing power. Most gardeners will find that engines up to 30cc will deliver enough oomph for their needs.
How important is a grass trimmer’s cutting width?
Simply put, the bigger the trimming width, the more grass you trim away with each sweeping move and – theoretically – the less time you will spend on the job. Trimmers generally range from 20cm up to 35cm.
Generally speaking, the more power you have and the bigger the swathe, the heavier and more expensive the trimmer is going to be. However, I’ve found that the extra cost and weight can often be worth it; you will be able to tackle a larger plot in much less time, using less electricity or fuel as you go.
What battery system should I choose?
If you’re going to be buying a battery powered grass trimmer, there are two key questions you should ask yourself before taking the plunge:
Do you already have power tools in the house?
If so, it may be worth checking to see if the company that makes those tools also makes a strimmer. You may be able to share the battery you already own with your new strimmer, potentially saving you a lot of money.
Is this your first battery powered garden tool purchase?
Take a beat before you buy and consider these three things before you purchase:
- How expensive are replacement battery packs for your chosen tool? Some companies charge £100 and more for a battery and charger – are you willing to pay the premium?
- You’ll probably be buying more battery powered tools in the future, so it makes sense to maximise the battery sharing potential. Does the company that makes the strimmer you’re interested in make other tools you might need? A lawnmower, perhaps, a chainsaw or a leaf blower?
- With this in mind, it’s worth bearing in mind that some batteries can be used in other manufacturers’ tools. Yes, this is a thing! Specifically, the Power For All batteries, which can be used in tools from Bosch, Gardena, Husqvarna, Flymo and more
How much do I need to spend?
The amount you spend will largely depend on the size of your garden and how much you will likely use a grass trimmer. A cheap, lightweight corded strimmer should suffice for a small garden for getting into tight corners, and to trim and edge. Many such models are wieldy, compact for storing in the garden shed, and could cost as low as £55 – such as the Flymo Contour 500E, our top budget recommendation.
For larger gardens, especially those with grass or weeds that grow quickly, you might want a model with extra power. Plus, if you’re covering a lot of ground, then ditching the cord for a battery or petrol-powered trimmer might be more suitable. For bigger gardens, I recommend the Bosch AdvancedGrassCut 36, which costs £143 tool-only, or £204 with a battery and charger. Or, for petrol trimmers, you’ll want the Stihl FS40 (£228).
