Lightweight, low maintenance and easy to use – we found the 6 best cordless strimmers for a neat and tidy garden

Keeping grass verges, flower borders and lawns looking their best calls for one of the best cordless strimmers. They're a dab hand at taming overgrown grass, weeds and vegetation – all without being tethered to a power cord.

While cordless strimmers tend to be much more agile than the best petrol lawn mowers, you'll still need to consider factors such as weight, battery runtime, charging time and user-adjustable features.

To save you time and money, we've rounded up the six best cordless strimmers on the market, comparing everything from specs to customer reviews, with the Black+Decker STC1820PC-GB POWERCONNECT Cordless Strimmer scoring top points.

The quick list

Tight for time? Here's a speedy overview of the best cordless strimmers on this list, along with handy quick links to more information.

The best overall cordless strimmer

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This cordless strimmer by Black+Decker offers two brilliant settings to make easy work of weeding. The boost mode is ideal for cutting through tough weeds, light shrubs and long grass, while the eco setting is more practical for lighter gardening work.

It comes with a 18V battery, has an impressive cutting speed of up to 7,400 RPM, and is fitted with an easily adjustable secondary handle to give you additional control while trimming. There's also an automatic cord feed so you won't need to bend down and stop when the cord slips.

The battery takes around three to five hours to fully charge and can run for up to 40 minutes. If you want something with a longer life and speedier charge, opt for the Ryobi OLT1832 ONE+ Cordless Grass Trimmer, which can last up to 60 minutes.

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The best cordless strimmer for small gardens

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The Kärcher LTR 18-30 is an ideal tool for small to medium sized gardens that are kept in fairly good order and maintained on a regular basis.

Our reviewer, James Broadhouse, found it a real pleasure to use on test, with a good battery life of around 30 minutes which is enough to strim over 300 linear metres of grass.

James challenged this Kärcher string trimmer with an established patch of stinging nettles, which proved too much for it to handle, so you'll enjoy using this trimmer just as much as we did so long as you stick to the grass. If you're looking for something more powerful, we'd recommend the Greenworks G40LT33 40V Cordless Strimmer instead.

The battery is compatible with other tools in the range, which is always a great feature if you enjoy buying into one system or brand. Plus, it comes with a two-year warranty.

Read our full Kärcher LTR 18-30 Cordless Grass Trimmer review for more details.

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The best cordless strimmer on a budget

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This Ryobi grass trimmer is our top choice for casual gardeners who want to keep their small to mid sized garden looking neat and tidy. Thanks to the two-handle design and lightweight build, it's an absolute breeze to work with.

Costing under £70, this device is competitively priced – especially considering it is easy to manoeuvre, tackles grass and weeds with ease, and has decent battery life. It also features a couple of cool features, such as a line cutter to help you achieve a better finish and an adjustable cutting width.

Our reviewer, Steve Jenkins, said this model felt aggressive in its cutting manner, but it eased its way through thick, wet grass. You will just need to keep an eye on the disappearing cutting line which will need to be fed manually.

Read our full Ryobi 18V ONE+ Cordless Grass Trimmer review for more details.

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The best low noise cordless strimmer

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Strimmers can be noisy things, but this Stihl model bucks the trend. It runs surprisingly quietly with minimal vibrations, courtesy of the German brand’s quiet technology. It is pretty effective on tough jobs too – unlike other options in this guide, such as the Kärcher LTR 1830 18v Cordless Grass Trimmer.

The FSA 57 is a smooth-running machine that isn’t the lightest, but it features an ergonomic design with an adjustable shaft at the touch of a button for ease of use. You won’t feel like you’ve had an intense gym session at the end of the day.

There is a bump feed for the 1.6 mm spool, with the option to switch to alternative mowing blades. The AK10 battery lasts around 25 minutes on a full charge.

While we think this cordless strimmer is worth the higher price tag, those on a budget may want to consider the Ryobi OLT1832 ONE+ Cordless Grass Trimmer instead, which costs under £70.

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The best cordless strimmer for comfort

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The UniversalGrassCut is one of the best strimmers, if not the best, for ergonomic design. It keeps your back straight while you strim, and has a V-shaped handle which can be adjusted according to your height. This is perfect for anyone with mobility concerns.

It's not that easy to perform an accurate cut, but what you lose in super-precision you gain in features. There's a clever foot pedal button and handle twist which makes it easier to switch between edging and trimming. The InteliFEED feature automatically feeds the spool line for interrupted work without manual adjustments.

After an hour’s charge, the battery life is roughly 40 minutes. While this isn’t the longest runtime in this guide, it would work well for small to medium-sized gardens or those that require light maintenance.

If you're working with a larger space, opt for the Ryobi OLT1832 ONE+ Cordless Grass Trimmer instead, which runs for up to 60 minutes.

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The most powerful cordless strimmer

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If you want a powerful strimmer that does the basics brilliantly (and a little bit more), you can't do better than this machine from Greenworks.

Despite being slightly heavier than some other models, this machine is still easy to move around as you take on grass and weeds. And the 30cm-cutting width is generous, and larger than most in this guide. It also has an edging wheel that makes keeping flowerbeds around lawns and paths tidy an easy job.

One drawback is that you have to buy the battery separately for £100 [available at Amazon]. However, once you do, you can use it with every 40V Greenworks tool, and if you buy more than one, you can recharge one battery while using a second one in another machine.

If you're looking for something a little more lightweight, we'd suggest the Kärcher 18V Battery-Powered Grass Trimmer – but bear in mind that it won't be as powerful.

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How to choose the best cordless strimmer

“When considering which cordless grass trimmer is right for you, there are lots of things to consider. Taking care of your garden should be easy, so comfort is crucial," says Julie Blades, Global Product Manager at Flymo.

She outlines the key considerations below:

• Weight: Make sure you know how much the trimmer weighs so that you can hold it for as long as you need. Typically, a cordless trimmer should be around 2kg for comfortable use, but you know your own strength best. 
• Size: If you have lots of intricate areas you need to cut into, a smaller cutting width of up to 23cm would be best. But if your priority is covering distance, a larger cutting width of up to 30cm might suit you best. An adjustable shaft length and handles can help you get every angle you need to trim your borders effortlessly, minimising aches and pains.
• Voltage: The thicker the patch of lawn you’re trying to tackle, the more voltage you’ll need to cut through. For the majority of gardens, an 18V grass trimmer will be sufficient to keep edges tidy and precise. However, if you’re working with denser, thicker grass and weeds consider a model with a power boost function. 
• Running time: Corded and petrol strimmers work on continuous power, but cordless strimmers will require charging, and it can pay to investigate how long a model takes to charge – some take as little as an hour or two; others up to five. Any batteries of 36V are generally suitable for medium and low-level gardening tasks like trimming long grass, but for larger tasks and heavy duty strimming you'll probably need a more powerful battery.
• Extra features: Consider whether you’d like any additional features on your trimmer. If you have flowers bordering your lawn, a built-in plant guard can ensure you don’t accidentally cut any petals. A stabilising edging wheel can also increase precision if you’d like your lawn edges to be sharp and sleek.

Feeling undecided? Here's a round-up of the best cordless strimmers in this guide:

Julie Blades

Julie Blades is the Gobal Product Manager and lawn care expert at Flymo.

How we test cordless strimmers

Here at Homebuilding.co.uk we like to get our hands dirty and trial as many products as possible, but in the instances where we aren’t able to, such as with some of the best cordless strimmers in this guide, we leave no stone unturned to provide you with the crucial information you need to know before buying.

Our team is passionate about DIY and home improvement (which probably won’t be a surprise) so we already have knowledge about the brands that make these strimmers. Moreover, we have taken into account user reviews when compiling this buying guide.

There's a lot to consider to ensure you buy the best cordless strimmer for your budget and needs, and we’ve scanned the pros and cons of each model in this buying guide to ensure you feel confident in choosing the right product for your garden.

For more information on our process, read our dedicated page on how we test products.

FAQs

Do I need a cordless or corded strimmer?

“A cordless grass trimmer offers great flexibility, reducing any worry of cutting through the cord during use. It also means that you can take the trimmer around the garden, using any angle you like without any restrictions," says Julie Blades, Global Product Manager at Flymo.

“A corded grass trimmer might be best if you need to use it for a long period of time in one go, or if you need a bit more cutting power.”

Can you use a strimmer on wet grass?

"Can I cut wet grass?" It is a question often asked by gardeners keen to keep their gardens looking neat and tidy – even in the unpredictable British weather. But is the advice the same when it comes to strimming?

It's certainly similar. While strimming wet grass once in a while shouldn't cause too much in the way of damage to your lawn, or your machine, you should definitely leave any waterlogged areas well alone. It is also best to wait until the afternoon for strimming so that the grass has a chance to dry out a little.

How do you edge a lawn with a strimmer?

Many strimmers come with lawn edging functions, but even without these, it is still possible to create a crisp finish if you know how to use a strimmer properly.

Homebuilding & Renovating's DIY expert Steve Jenkins suggests moving your strimmer horizontally along the edge to remove stray strands of grass before angling the strimmer vertically so it is sitting about 90 degrees to the edge. You can then follow the edge slowly to create a crisp neat edge.

Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins is is a keen DIYer with over 20 years of experience in transforming and renovating the many homes he has lived in. He specialises in painting and decorating, but has a wide range of skills gleaned from working in the building trade for around 10 years and spending time at night school learning how to plaster and plumb.

Once you've invested in your shiny new cordless strimmer, it's worth reading our lawn care guide and taking a quick look at our lawn care calendar for the UK.

Edited by Beth Murton.