By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. If you make a purchase, Which? will receive an affiliate commission, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.

5 popular Which? tested grass trimmers for lawn edging

If you have overgrown lawn edges to sort out before the summer, we've rounded-up the right tools to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Looking for a tool that will help you keep the edges of your lawn looking neat?

Lawn edgers are a sub-type of grass trimmers, designed especially to help you achieve flawless lawn edges and to trim around obstacles such as washing lines. Keep reading to find out which models our experts found convenient for this task.


Breathe new life into your outside spaces. Sign up for our Gardening newsletter, it's free monthly


What is lawn edging?

Lawn edging is essentially defining the borders of your lawn and preventing the grass from overgrowing and spreading all over your flower beds, paths or other areas of your garden.

Some grass trimmers are made specifically for lawn edging. They'll often come with useful features for edging such as the edging wheel or rotating head, which can make this task much simpler. The rotating head flips the cutting mechanism, which mean you can change the angle of the cut. The head usually turns up to 90° and allows you to trim both horizontally and vertically. Too powerful a strimmer and you'll struggle to keep the edge neat as it cuts too quickly.

For information on other types of grass trimmers we've tested, head to our grass trimmers and strimmers reviews.

Popular grass trimmers for lawn edging

1. Flymo 650E

  • Power: Corded
  • Weight: 3.4kg
  • Line-feed method: Auto/manual feed

We liked: Easy to use

We didn't like: Automatic line-feed could work better

The Flymo 650E is a corded electric grass trimmer with two trimming lines. 

It has a 12- metre-long cable and comes with handy features, such as a speed sensor that increases the speed of the line depending on the thickness of the grass you're trimming, a plant guard, a telescopic handle and a large plastic wheel to support the machine along lawn edges.

See how this corded grass trimmer compares to similarly-priced rivals with our Flymo 650E review.

2. Powerbase 577172

  • Power: Cordless
  • Weight: 2.7kg
  • Line-feed method: Auto/manual

We liked: Edging wheel

We didn't like: Lacks power for tougher jobs

This cordless trimmer is powered by a 20V battery and comes with some handy edging features, such as telescopic shaft that ranges from 97-122cm, adjustable cutting angle allowing for trimming under shrubs, rotating head for edging the lawn and adjustable front handle.

It has one cutting line and has a maximum cutting width of 30cm. More line can be fed manually or automatically.

Read the full Powerbase 577172 review to find our if it's good enough to be a Best Buy.

Magazines

Which? Gardening Magazine

Expert advice through the seasons so you know what to do and when. £49 a year, cancel anytime.

Sign up now

3. Spear & Jackson S36GCBC Cordless Grass Trimmer and Brush Cutter

  • Power: Cordless
  • Weight: 4.58kg
  • Line-feed method: Bump

We liked: It's well designed

We didn't like: Batteries slow to charge

The Spear & Jackson S36GCBC is a cordless grass strimmer and brush cutter that's powered by two 18V rechargeable batteries. The battery charger allows both batteries to be recharged at the same time.

It comes supplied with two heads. One uses a blade for cutting tough weeds, and the other uses a dual line for cutting grass and soft weeds. It has a wide-grip handle and the line head has a 32cm cutting width.

Read our Spear & Jackson S36GCBC Cordless Grass Trimmer and Brush Cutter review to find out whether or not this cordless grass trimmer is worthy of a Which? Best Buy recommendation or buy now from Argos.


To discover which grass trimmers stand out from the crowd, visit our guide to the best grass trimmers.


4. Mac Allister MGT1827

  • Power: Cordless
  • Weight: 2.8kg
  • Line-feed method: Manual/auto

We like: Handle design gives good control

​We dislike: Single cutting line

This lawn edger come with plenty of useful features, such as rotating head, second handle, an adjustable shaft that can be extended between 100-130cm, and the angle of the cutting head can be changed.

The cutting head is also equipped with a guide wheel, which is handy for jobs such as cutting the vertical edges of lawns and under low obstacles. It uses an auto-line mechanism with a single line, and the line head has a 28cm cutting width.

To see if this grass trimmer impressed us enough to earn a Best Buy title, see our Mac Allister MGT1827 review.

5. Flymo Contour XT

  • Power:
  • Weight:
  • Line-feed method: 

We like: Light and comfortable to use

We don't like: Fixed shaft

This is a ight and basic corded grass trimmer from Flymo. The head rotates on a large ball joint for edging and there's a large wheel around the head to help with edging along a border. 

It has a fixed shaft and handles, and uses a single line to cut. Its cable is 12m long, which is longer than many other corded models we've tested.

Our Flymo Contour XT review reveals whether or not this grass trimmer is worth your money.

Can't decide what type of grass trimmer to go for? Read our should you buy a cordless grass trimmer guide to decide if going cordless is right for you.