Should I buy a cordless strimmer or grass trimmer?

Cordless grass trimmers let you carry out jobs around the garden and allotment without worrying where the nearest plug socket is. All you need to do is charge the battery and you're good to go.

With a variety of models made for either light or heavy jobs, you can pick the perfect trimmer according to your gardening needs. 

But this convenience will normally come at a price. Cordless grass trimmers typically cost more than their corded or petrol counterparts. 

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Are cordless grass trimmers any good?

Pros

• Easy to manoeuvre.
• You can use them anywhere.
• You can choose between a light or heavy-duty trimmer.

Cons 

• Generally more expensive than corded or petrol models.
• You need to remember to recharge after every use.
• Some batteries don't last long enough to finish a job.
• Rechargeable batteries don't last forever.

To see how cordless models fare in our rigorous lab tests, head over to the cordless grass trimmer reviews.

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How much do cordless grass trimmers cost?

You can expect to pay between £60 and £150 for a basic cordless model designed for light garden jobs. Around £90 is the average for a good trimmer but, as our tests show, a higher price doesn't always guarantee quality. 

If you're on the lookout for a more heavy-duty cordless trimmer, you should expect to pay around £200. These are designed for cutting down large areas of grass and weeds, and can be an alternative to petrol models. 

Keep an eye out for deals, too – discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl sell cordless grass trimmers for a few weeks each year.

Discover the best and worst grass trimmer brands.

Batteries for cordless grass trimmers

• 12V lithium-ion battery - often found in cheaper, less-powerful models. 
• NiCd (nickel-cadmium) batteries - often found in older models.
• Lithium-ion batteries with voltages of 36V or more - often found in newer cordless models designed for home gardening.
• Batteries with higher voltages of 72V or more - often found in heavy-duty trimmers.

Many batteries state both the voltage and the amp hour (Ah) rating. 

Ratings are generally from around 1.3Ah through to 6Ah. Batteries with high Ah ratings tend to be very large and heavy, and so are often less suited to grass trimmers, as these make the whole tool too heavy to carry around and use. 

How long does a grass trimmer battery take to charge? 

Grass trimmer batteries can take between 30 minutes and more than four hours to charge, so it's important to check this before you buy. 

If you can’t manage all your trimming on one battery charge, you'll have to wait for it to recharge before you can carry on with the job, so a long wait may be frustrating.

Alternatively, it’s worth considering buying a second battery. It’s often useful to have a second one charged and ready to go when you’re carrying out jobs that will take some time to finish. These are costly, but the price is generally lower when you buy the battery as a package with the grass trimmer rather than separately at a later date.

How much will the battery and charger cost? 

Most trimmers will come with a battery and charger included, but not all. Always check the small print to find out what you're paying for. 

If the battery and charger come separately, check to see if any of your existing tools have a battery or charger that you can use instead. Manufacturers often have one or two standard batteries and chargers that are compatible with a wide range of tools.

Always bear in mind that rechargeable batteries don't last forever, and they may start to develop problems such as not holding their charge. If this happens and you're no longer under guarantee, you'll need to pay to replace the battery yourself.  

Should I buy an electric grass trimmer or strimmer?

Electric corded grass trimmers have a power cable that needs to be plugged into the mains at all times. So if you need to do gardening work away from the home, such as in an allotment, then a corded trimmer isn't for you.

Designed for lighter gardening jobs, such as trimming around garden furniture and edging along the garden path, corded trimmers also tend to be the cheapest option. Just make sure you use an RCD (residual current device). This will protect you from an electric shock if you accidentally cut through the cord.

You can expect to pay between £20 and £110 for a corded electric grass trimmer. Cheaper trimmers usually have a fixed-length shaft, so you won't be able to adjust it to the right height for you. They also often have a fixed head, which means you may well have to hold the grass trimmer at an awkward angle to cut vertically along lawn edges. Many low-cost electric grass trimmers are really only intended for short grass.

If you pay £50 or more, you will find models with enough power to cut long grass, and also some great features to make it easier to trim lawn and path edges. 

Most corded trimmers have 300W to 600W motors. You can generally expect the latter to generate more power and therefore be able to tackle tougher jobs. 

Should I buy a petrol grass trimmer instead?

A petrol grass trimmer is designed for cutting down large areas of long grass and weeds, and is one option for working away from the house. 

Unlike cordless electric models, which need recharging regularly, all you need is a can of petrol and you can work for hours at a time. Petrol trimmers are ideal for gardeners who need to clear an allotment or cut down a wildflower meadow. 

However, don't expect them to be suited to all trimming tasks. They are much too powerful and hard to control to edge the lawn, for example. 

Pros 

• You can work wherever you want.
• Powerful enough to clear tough weeds or cut down a large meadow.

Cons

• Too powerful to use for light gardening jobs. 
• Can be hard to start.
• Petrol mowers are generally a lot heavier than other types.

Petrol trimmers typically cost from £100 for a basic model up to around £700 for a high-end professional model. 

What is the future for petrol-powered grass trimmers? 

With sales of new petrol and diesel cars set to be banned by 2030, could petrol gardening tools be next? By improving the appearance of outside spaces, we may be inadvertently contributing to environmental damage.

Unlike cars, petrol garden machinery doesn’t have catalytic converters to reduce the amount of pollutants that enter the atmosphere- likely due to the cost of the materials bumping up the retail cost and because the UK regulations are not as strict for garden tools.

Californian Governor Gavin Newsome has signed legislation banning the sale of petrol gardening equipment by 2024.

We're already seeing less petrol launches from manufacturers, who appear to be focusing their attention on cordless tools.

Cordless tools produce zero emissions and are quieter, offering a better option for the environment and our health.

We’re finding that cordless tools are now rivalling petrol in their power and, in some cases, out-performing, so many consumers have already made the switch.