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Edging shears - these specialised lawn tools are long-handled shears with an angled blade, for trimming the edges of lawns next to paving, decking and flowerbeds. Lawn shears are also available and are similar to edging shears, but have a flat, horizontal blade for trimming awkward areas of grass, such as tufts around trees or next to fences and walls.
Hedge shears - Like big garden scissors, these are ideal for pruning and shaping hedges and trees, or cutting down garden waste for compost. They're available with standard or telescopic handles that extend, for safely reaching the tops of tall trees, shrubs, and bushes without using ladders.
For more help with pruning, take a look at our expert reviews of the best secateurs, the best loppers and the best hedge trimmers. And for help clearing up see our tests of the best wheelbarrows, the best shredders and the best wood-splitting axes.
Follow our tips to find the best hedge shears for your garden
Follow our tips to find the best edging shears for your garden
We reviewed a range of edging and hedge shears, putting them through their paces on different shaped lawns and on hedges of different ages and species. Each pair of shears has a detailed list of pros and cons for clarity and has been rated according to blade and handles, comfort, performance and value for money. Each pair of shears has scored a minimum of four out of five stars, so you can buy with confidence.
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In every review we award the outstanding products our coveted Best Buy award. To see these and the others we recommend, browse our pick of the best garden shears below:
RRP: £22.99
Our rating: 4.75 out of 5
Darlac Lightweight Shears
Pros:
Cons:
Awarded a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for the best lightweight shears, these hedge shears give an excellent cut, slicing cleanly through the branches of every hedge on test. They’re remarkably light; at just 820g, they weigh less than a bag of sugar. This weight makes them very nimble for precise trimming, but also a joy to use when cutting large hedges and shrubs. They’re made even more comfortable by their effective shock absorbers. They come with a lifetime warranty.
In this in-depth video review Alex David explains why the Darlac lightweight shears were awarded BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy status.
RRP: £27.42
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
Bulldog Premier Wavy Blade Hedge Shears
Pros:
Cons:
They might be small, but these hedge shears pack a punch, slicing through every hedge in our test with ease and we awarded them a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for ease of use.Their wavy blades are fantastic for gripping branches and leaves without chewing them up and their size makes them great for gardeners who are tight on storage space, plus they have a cover for hanging up and protecting them from rust. However, the shock absorbers don’t work very well, and the plastic handles feel a little cheap. The rubber grips on these handles are just 13cm long, so they may be uncomfortable if you have larger hands.
RRP: £39.99
Our rating: 5 out of 5
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Darlac DP812 Lawn Edging Shears
Pros:
Cons:
A BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy award winner for the best lightweight edging shears, these lawn edging shears have adjustable handles, which adjust from 66cm to 108cm, so you can use them with a straight back whatever your height and soft grips make them comfortable to handle too. These edging shears feature strong, wavy-edged blades that cut well, and, at 29cm in length, are quick and efficient to get the job done. They also come with a lifetime warranty.
Read the full Darlac DP812 lawn edging shears review
In this in-depth video review Cinead McTernan explains why the Darlac DP812 lawn edging shears were awarded BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy status.
RRP: £39.36
Our rating:4.75 out of 5
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Bulldog Edging Shears
Pros:
Cons:
Awarded a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for performance, these edging shears have high-carbon steel blades with an epoxy coating for extra protection against rusting. The handles have rubber grips, but although they aren't ergonomic they’re extremely well-balanced and always hang parallel to the edge. They’re also lightweight and comfortable to hold. These shears performed well during the test, cutting through the grass cleanly every time. The full length of the blade is sharp and effective, and they’re thin enough to sit neatly between the lawn and paving stones. However, they feel a little cheap, and no replacement blades are available. The mechanism to open the blades is also a little stiff.
RRP: £48.99
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
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Burgon and Ball RHS Endorsed Edging Shears
Pros:
Cons:
These are lightweight but sturdy edging shears, with one coated carbon-steel blade and one stainless steel blade, for the best of both kinds of steel - rust resistance and strength. They’re well-balanced, and have ergonomic handles, which are very comfortable and don’t rub and we awarded them a BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Best Buy for comfort. It’s easy to get these shears into position, and they easily slice through grass. They’re a good height, but shorter gardeners might find them a little long. However, they have no hook to hang them up with, and although they’re well-balanced, the blade doesn’t always hang parallel to the edge. Replacement blades aren't available for these and the shears don’t fully open for sharpening.
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Although some models didn’t quite achieve a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy award, they still have features that make them worth recommending. Browse our pick of the best of the rest on test:
RRP: £18.49
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Kent and Stowe General Purpose Hedge Shears 8”
Pros:
Cons:
On test, we found this pair great for snipping through leaves and thinner stems. They’re light and well-balanced, and their handles give great grip without rubbing. However, they struggle with woodier material, and the shock absorbers don’t soften the cut as well as they could.
RRP: £37.99
Our rating: 4 out of 5
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Burgon and Ball RHS Endorsed Hedge Shears
Pros:
Cons:
For cutting a lot of tough hedging, try these shears from Burgon and Ball. The wavy blades are chromed and coated for longevity, and they grip material well but their most important feature is a compound mechanism - a lever that assists with generating extra force, which means they slice easily through branches. However, they shears aren’t ideal for more delicate tasks like trimming conifers and the compound action also means that they don’t have shock absorbers, which is a little uncomfortable. We love the ten-year warranty.
RRP: £20.00
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Homebase Lawn Edging Shears
Pros:
Cons:
These basic edging shears are made from steel, so they're heavier than the aluminium ones we tested and as the handles aren’t adjustable and 97cm long, it’s worth checking they will be comfortable to use. They feature heat treated carbon steel blades, which makes them tough and durable, however, at 24cm, their cutting blade is relatively short so it will take longer to edge lawns with these than with the others. They come with a two-year warranty.
Before you buy consider the following features-
Blades - These are almost always steel; either carbon steel, which is durable and strong but prone to rust, or stainless steel, which is highly resistant to rust but is a little weaker. Sometimes carbon blades are powder coated to protect the steel from rust. Almost always, shears arrive with a thin coating of oil to both further protect the blades and lubricate the hinge.
Handles - These can be simple and plain, ergonomically designed or include grips for comfort, and are usually made from steel, aluminium, wood or composite plastic. Steel is long lasting but heavy, wood helps to absorb shock but needs maintenance and care, while composite handles can't be recycled.
Weight - The lighter the shears, the better. These tools get hours of use, so it’s best to steer clear of heavy types, which will be tiring for your hands, wrists and arms.
Bumpers - Generating the power to cut through tough hedging like leylandii, yew, and hawthorn can put a lot of force on your hands. Good bumpers or shock absorbers will soften the impact and ensure a comfortable cut. This is especially helpful for gardeners with mobility or strength issues with their hands.
Length - The longer the blades, the more efficiently they will perform the job, the shorter the shears, the more nimble. If you need to tackle a lot of hedging, go for long shears; for small, neater work, go for smaller shears.
Some hedge shears have wavy blades rather than straight blades. This is to help them grip the plant stems and stop them slipping when being cut and is useful for more open, larger leaved hedging. However, wavy blades can be tricky to sharpen, and because they’re a little more expensive to manufacture, can be pricier than more traditional straight-blade shears.
We tested a range of both edging and hedge shears, just as a gardener would use them, on grass between lawns, paving stones and borders and on a variety of species hedges. They were assessed according to the following criteria with equal marks attributed to each:
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This review was last updated in October 2023. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.
The lawn aerator shown above is made by Sneeboer of Holland. It does clog up occasionally depending on the conditions. There is another even more expensive model ( �145) from Swardman that has angled tubes that should prevent this but I have not tried it yet.
TOP TIP - USE LAWN AERATORS ONLY WHEN YOUR LAWN IS SOFT TO ALLOW SOIL PLUGS TO PUSH EASILY THROUGH THE TINES - ALSO SPRAY WD40 THROUGH THE HOLES BEFORE AND AFTER USE.
If you are thinking of buying those silly spiked shoes then I would say don't waste your money. I suspect that they are also risky to use if you have any sort of weakness or problem with your ankles of lower legs.
The Handy aerator has a collector box to save you time raking up the extracted plugs, however it is not easy to penetrate the ground with it and it can block up.
One annoying thing about most lawn aerators is that they leave the extracted soil plugs on the ground. If you have a large lawn then it would be better to buy a powered aerator or get a specialist in who has one of these machines.
Manual lawn aerators are one tool that I find very disappointing and there is a big gap in the market for someone who can make an effective one for a reasonable price.
A wide ash handle and plenty of boot space at the working end.
Best Lawn Aerators - Tried and Tested by Fred-in-the-shed
Lawnrakers and Scaryfiers tested and reviewed
The latest electric scarifiers/lawnrakers are battery powered like this 40v Cobra I am currently testing.
NOW MY GUIDE TO THE BEST LAWN SCARIFIER
Electric Lawn Rakers and Scarifiers
Tested and Reviewed by Fred-in-the-shed
To keep your lawn well drained and cleared of "thatch" build up I recommend using a powered lawnraker. (also known as an electric scarifier).
Doing this job by hand on anything other than small areas is for the super-fit, super-skint or totally insane!
Sadly, like grass trimmers there are a lot of poorly designed and made lawn scarifiers out there.
Here are some of the better ones I have tried and tested over the last 20 years.
The Black and Decker GD300 is a cheap and cheerful workhorse for lawn raking.
It has a 600w motor. Bosch made a similar and slightly better built model called the AMR32F lawn raker. It has now been replaced by a 900w model.
The Bosch ALR900 (now called UniversalRake 900) has wire tines and the one to get if you want your lawn raked but not destroyed. Bosch also make the AVR 1100 Verticutter which has metal blades if you want to seriously improve the drainage of your lawn by gauging deep slots in it.
Bosch Electric Lawn Raker UniversalRake 900
If you have a large lawn you will need an aerator with at least 900w of power. The budget price 600w electric ones are not up to the job and will take ages to cover the distance, or burn out under the strain.
TOP TIP - don't set blades too deep or use on hard dry lawns - this may burn out your motor!
I currently use the Cobra 40v cordless raker/scarifier which comes with 2 interchangeable cylinders, one with wire blades for raking and the other with fixed metal blades for deeper aerating. The Cobra is very effective and nice to use although I am not too impressed with the height adjustment and bag capacity.
All of the above machines have their pros and cons, all could and should be improved. A common problem with them all is the limited range of height adjustment and small collection boxes.
I like the idea of cordless rakers - but they are 2x the price!. Please use my links or mail me if you need help choosing an electric lawn-raker
Cobra S3840V 38cm (15in) Cordless Battery Scarifier & Aerator, 40v 5Ah battery and charger
A good thing to look for is the availability of spares,
Tines may bend or break after a lot of use, especially if your lawn is too dry!
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