The best cordless strimmers to tidy up your lawn in no time

The best cordless strimmers are the perfect tools for tackling those areas of your garden that lawn mowers just can't reach – and are a far easier way to trim tricky-to-cut spots than with shears or secateurs. 

But the big benefit, as with the best cordless lawn mowers, is that you won't be restrained by the location of the nearest power socket. This makes them ideal for larger gardens and avoids the need for fiddly extension leads.

Onboard lithium batteries make sure that a cordless strimmer packs plenty of power and will last the distance whatever the size of your garden. Watch out for the battery capacity, however. Those with a higher rating such as a 5.0Ah will typically last longer than a 3.0Ah battery before they need recharging. 

Take a look through our guide to the best cordless strimmers available right now to help you find the perfect model for you and all your gardening requirements. 

The quick list

Tight on spare time to search for the best cordless strimmer for your needs? Luckily we've put together a speedy overview of all the strimmers on this list, along with handy quick links that allow to you skip down the page to get right into a more detailed review of the particular product that you like the look of. 

The best overall strimmer

The Black+Decker STC1820PC-GB strimmer 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 four to five hours to fully charge and can run for roughly 30 minutes.

Best for small gardens

The Karcher 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.

It is a real pleasure to use and has a good battery life of around 30 minutes which is enough to strim over 300 linear metres of grass. 

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

READ OUR KARCHER LTR 18-30 REVIEW

Best lightweight option

The Ryobi grass trimmer is a great choice for the occasional gardener who wants to keep their small to mid sized suburban garden looking trim and fresh.

It's competitively priced – especially if you have a Ryobi battery and charger already – easy to manoeuvre, tackles grass and weeds with ease, has decent battery life and a couple of neat features like a line cutter to help you get a better finish. 

READ OUR RYOBI 18V ONE+ CORDLESS GRASS TRIMMER REVIEW 

Best low noise model

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's pretty effective on tough jobs too. 

The FSA57 is a smooth running machine that isn't the lightest, but features an ergonomic design with 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's a bump feed for the 1.6mm spool, with the option to switch to alternative mowing blades. The AK10 battery lasts around 25 minutes on a full charge. 

Most comfortable to use

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. 

Best budget model

For a cheap and cheerful strimmer that does the basics brilliantly, 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 for the price. 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 Greenworks 24 Li-ion battery separately, but once you do you can use it for every 24V Greenworks tool - and if you buy more than one you can recharge one battery while using a second one in another machine.

How to choose the best cordless strimmer

You can browse our guide to the best strimmers for corded options, but if a cordless strimmer is your preference then use this criteria to find the model for you. 

Batteries and 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 overgrown grass, but for larger tasks and heavy duty strimming you'll probably need a more powerful battery. 

Weight

If you need a cordless strimmer for the occasional trimming job, then you'll want to get something lighter. Lightweight strimmers are more likely to have a lower run time than medium and larger strimmers.

The line-and-spool plastic

Keep a look out for strimmers with bump and auto-feeds, which push out more line automatically, saving you the time and effort of fiddling with the spool.

FAQs

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. 

How we test the best 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.