8 best cordless strimmers and grass cutters to keep your lawn in check

This is a quiet, battery-operated model that comes with a variable cutting path of either 28cm or 33cm, and with the line already fitted onto the cassette, so you can hit the ground strimming.

The line is adjusted by simply unscrewing and rotating (by 180-degrees) a small cutter on the underside of the cutting deck, which will automatically cut the line to the size you want to work with. The machine coped with its grass duties, and the rougher stuff around the edges, with the auto feed working well when you ease off on the power during cutting.

For a strapless machine, the ergonomics were good, after a few adjustments to the handle.

This electric model from the British manufacturer comes with a 28cm cutting swathe and 10m of cable, so it’s able to make its way around most small lawns without the addition of an extension lead. The automatically fed line worked well and cut with ease through longer grass areas and ivy.

There is a spool-sized storage area in the handle (with an extra spool and line) for another length of cord, so, if you do run out in the middle of the job, you can replace it there and then without a trip back to the shed. A telescopic shaft, foot pedal adjustment for degree of cut and an edging wheel makes that job much smoother, and we found the machine left a nice, tidy line in its wake.

The battery-operated Karcher did a superb job of reaching the parts of the garden that were out of bounds for the mower (for example, underneath a low, stone garden bench), thanks to an easy-to-change pivoting head.

The 30cm cutting width was ample for small to medium gardens, and the automatic line feed worked well, while changing the line in and out was straightforward. The two grips were ergonomically positioned and the telescopic handle made the machine user-friendly for any height.

This is an incredibly lightweight battery model that’s nicely balanced and uses plastic blades (instead of cord), which clip onto the cutting head and are effective at taking down long grass, nettles and even some of the larger, well-established weeds it had to tackle.

There’s no strap or harness, but the fact the machine is only 1.85kg means it’s ready to just pick up and go whenever you want to give a lawned area a quick touch up. It’s particularly suited to finding its way into hard-to-reach areas, such as in and around a rockery. The swivelling head was effective for edging, and the machine comes with 20 replacement blades as standard but, as long as you clear your working area of hidden rocks and stones and take care near patio edges, a few blades should see you through a summer’s worth of strimming.

Even with the batteries on board, this machine was very light, and the 33cm cutting path impressively reduced some tough patches of heavy grass and weeds. When it came to the more delicate job of edging, the results were equally impressive, and we were left with a nicely defined cut down long lengths of lawn. We didn’t need to think about the line’s length for the entire time we were strimming, with the machine’s auto-feed mechanism working well every time we stopped and then started strimming again.

Like the Gtech, there’s no strap but the WORX’s light weight works well in combination with the rubberised grip and adjustable handle, giving you good control of the machine without it placing too much strain on your body. However, this does limit the machine to shorter shifts of strimming on a small to medium sized patch, rather than an all-out assault on the entire garden.

For a battery model, this delivers really impressive power, with a minimum of noise and fuss. We were able to get through some thick ground-hugging ivy and clumps of long grass without any issues – when we wanted more line to deal with them, the bump and feed mechanism worked well.

A push-button start and easily adjustable handle and shaft add to the ease of use, and the plant protector gave sufficient space between border plants. The fact it runs so quietly, even on full power, makes it an attractive option for urban gardeners who don’t want to be branded a noisy neighbour.

We’ve featured plenty of products from Husqvarna’s aspire range in our edits of the latest and best landscaping tools, and we’re happy to recommend the aspire trimmer, too. It’s nicely designed and balances performance and power cutting with a solution for anyone who has a garden but doesn’t have a lot of room to store the kit needed to maintain it.

The telescopic shaft tailors the tool to you for good ergonomics but it’s also a space saver, as you can just retract the handle and then hang up the strimmer using the storage hook. We didn’t have any problems with the auto feed, and we liked the fact there is an automatic shutdown if the machine is left on but isn’t in operation.

For a machine with a sizeable cutting width, the Ego did very well on more-delicate duties around the lawn edge, thanks to a responsive trigger and two preset speeds. However, when it was time to take on the brush, it was able to perform without skipping a beat, so, it’s a great tool if you have to contend with lawns and undergrowth in equal measure, as you won’t have to switch to a specialised brush cutter, unless things get really thick and clogged.

You also won’t have to stop to tend to the line, thanks to Ego’s Line IQ auto feed, which was very responsive, ensuring we had enough line in play at all times, for effective cutting. The strap is comfortable and works well to take the weight of the machine and makes it easier to move along, cutting in an arc.