Top five best grass trimmers and lawn edgers

The best grass trimmers can tidy the lawn edges easily and trim hard-to-reach grass without much hassle.
The worst we’ve tested leave straggly grass and stubborn weeds in the garden, suffer far too many line-feed jams, or have a battery that dies within minutes of starting the job.
We’ve pulled out our top five petrol, cordless and electric grass trimmers and lawn edgers from our tests in the table below. We also reveal the models that you’re better off avoiding.
Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table below. If you're not yet a member, you can get instant access by joining Which?.
Best grass trimmers
Not found the right product for you? Browse all our grass trimmer reviews.
Grass trimmers to avoid
The worst grass trimmers can leave you with messy lawn edges and an aching back. Here are two grass trimmer that we wouldn't recommend buying:
Useful features to look for when buying a grass trimmer
Here are three of the most useful features to look for when buying a new grass trimmer:
- Rotating head - this lets you flip the cutting mechanism so you can cut vertically.
- A wheel on the grass-trimmer head - this supports the weight of the grass trimmer and maintains a constant cutting height.
- Telescopic shaft - a shaft handle that you can adjust to suit your height.
For more advice on choosing the best grass trimmer for you, head to our grass trimmers buying guide.
Why Which? grass trimmer reviews are better
Which? is independent and doesn't accept advertising or freebies, so you can trust our reviews to give you the full, honest and impartial truth about a product.
As part of our grass-trimmer tests, our experts cut short grass growing over the edge of paths, along a flower border, and against a fence. They also cut grass that has been allowed to grow to a height of 15cm, as well as tough weeds and vegetation. While cutting, our experts look for:
- how neat the finish is
- how easy it is to guide the grass trimmer in a straight line
- whether you can see the area you're cutting
- whether you have to stand in an awkward position to do this
- how heavy the grass trimmer is to carry
- how noisy it is
- how easy it is to break the line – and re-feed it
- battery life and how easy the machine is to start
- useful features
To find out more, head to how we test grass trimmers.

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