Trimmers, hedge cutters and blowers — and why the battery decides everything.
By James Fielding, DIY & Improvement Editor · Published August 14, 2026 · 2 min read
Photograph: Lisa Fotios / StockSnap
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Cordless garden tools are now genuinely better than petrol for everything except sustained heavy cutting. The catch is that the platform, not the tool, determines what your next five purchases cost.
Two batteries and a fast charger cover a whole afternoon across trimmer, hedge cutter and blower. Buying three tools on three platforms triples the dead weight in the shed.
A hedge trimmer's tooth gap sets the maximum stem it can cut. Under 20 mm and mature hedges jam constantly, whatever the blade length claims.
Cubic metres per minute moves leaves; high air speed just scatters them. We measured clearing time on identical leaf loads and the highest-m³/min unit won every round.
Batteries left flat over winter lost measurable capacity. Around half charge, indoors, cost nothing across our panel.
Independently tested
The trimmer testers reached for: balanced, quiet and reliable on line feed.
Best for: Edging borders and trimming what the mower misses
Price band last checked 2026-08-14. Live pricing arrives with our retailer feed.
70 cm of blade and a 34 mm tooth gap for the price of a cheap toy trimmer.
Best for: Established hedges over 10 m of run
Price band last checked 2026-08-14. Live pricing arrives with our retailer feed.
| Product | Score | Price band | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| STIHL FSA 60 R Cordless Trimmer | 8.6 | $250 – $320 | Edging borders and trimming what the mower misses |
| Bosch AdvancedHedgeCut 70 Trimmer | 8.3 | $150 – $200 | Established hedges over 10 m of run |
Methodology
Every product here was tested in a working home against standardised tasks. Scores are the mean of five measured criteria and are never adjusted for commercial reasons. How we test · How we review.
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