Creating and maintaining a garden requires skill, time and patience &#; and equally importantly &#; the right equipment. Before buying garden tools, the first thing you should do is understand your garden&#;s needs. Will you have a hedge that needs trimming? A rose bush that requires pruning? Consider the size and layout of the garden, the types of plants you will grow and what specific tasks need to be performed.
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Although they can be expensive, it&#;s important to invest in high-quality tools for both efficiency and longevity. Look for tools made from durable materials that can withstand the rigours of regular use. Materials can also range from lightweight to heavy, so keep this in mind when purchasing &#; you don&#;t want a pair of shears you can&#;t wield!
&#;My secateurs and hedge shears are made from lightweight Japanese steel with some plastic cushioning on the handles,&#; says Judy Horton. &#;And when using a digging tool such as a spade or trowel, I find a wooden handle is pleasant to hold.&#; Wood is durable and absorbs shock better than other materials, such as plastic. Plastic on the other hand, is light and affordable but tends to break easier.
The colour of your handles is also an important consideration. &#;Having brightly coloured handles helps make the tools easier to locate if you&#;ve lost them in the garden&#;, says Judy. &#;Alternatively, get out the paint pot!&#;
Wooden handled stainless steel hand trowel and hand fork tools.Assess what your physical limitations are &#; your strength, size and ability &#; and choose tools that will work for you to prevent strain or injuries.
&#;Lightweight and sharp are the most important features for me,&#; says Judy. &#;Comfortable handles help, too.&#;
Ergonomic handles with comfortable, non-slip grips will reduce wrist and arm strain. Also, consider tools with ratchet action, an extra mechanism that allows you to cut things in stages. This is a great option for those with reduced hand strength as it provides extra power when cutting.
Shopping in store, such as a hardware store or garden centre, gives you the chance to test out different tools for yourself. Mimic the motion you will likely be doing in the garden to see if the tool is the right weight and grip for you.
There&#;s also a huge range of gardening tools available online, and you can find some great deals. However, it&#;s important to do your research first. Compare different brands and read the product reviews before purchasing.
&#;I mostly buy my gardening tools from the hardware store although I bought secateurs and hedge shears from an online arborist supplier. I&#;ve also been fortunate to inherit some tools from my father,&#; says Judy.
For some gardening tasks you may prefer to use a power tool over a hand tool. Power tools are good for covering a large area in a short amount of time. The tools are doing most of the heavy lifting, which means less effort and strain for you. Hand tools on the other hand, allow for precise cuts and control but require more grunt work.
Hand tools are also fairly low-maintenance, requiring a clean, sharpen and oil here and there. Power tools require more regular maintenance. And then there&#;s the price&#; With power tools you&#;re paying for the convenience and power, so be ready to spend more upfront!
A few power tools that might be worth investing in include lawnmowers, chainsaws and hedge trimmers.
&#;I recently bought a small battery-operated saw with a 150mm blade and I absolutely love it. It makes it so much easier to prune small branches. It&#;s like a mini chain saw so the chain needs to be tightened regularly,&#; says Judy.
Photo credit: iStockIt&#;s easy to go overboard when purchasing gardening tools. But if you&#;re just starting out, here are some tools that are especially handy.
&#;Secateurs, pruning saw, hedge shears, spade, trowel, garden fork and mulch fork are all essential items for a tool kit,&#; says Judy. &#;I love to use good quality scissors as well for quick clipping and deadheading. And an old-fashioned hoe is handy for chipping weeds.&#;
Task: Pruning. This is done to shape a plant, remove dead branches and to encourage new growth and flowers.
Tools: Depending on the size of a plant&#;s branches, you will need either:
Task: Hedging. This a practice of trimming shrubs or trees regularly to form a dense, linear barrier or boundary.
Tools: Shears. They have long blades that get a nice sharp, straight cut. You use both hands, which means you have good control over what you&#;re cutting. Shears are used on new tip shoots, not woodier branches (and bear in mind that Americans call secateurs shears, which can be confusing!).
Photo credit: Getty ImagesTask: Cultivating
Tools: A shovel, spade and fork are the perfect trio for digging holes, moving soil and mulch, cultivating beds, harvesting root crops and turning compost. Here&#;s the difference:
Want to shop pots and planters don&#;t know what features to look out for? Read our pots and planters guide now.
Text by AB Bishop, Tammy Huynh & Loren Desbruslais
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While this new technology is exciting, the jargon that comes with it tends to be a bit confusing. To help, we&#;ve put together a cordless garden tool buyers guide, with all the information you&#;ll need to confidently choose the best cordless garden tool for you.
Looking for a new mower? Check out our round up of best cordless lawn mowers to buy this year. Or perhaps you'll be after a hedge trimmer, leaf vacuum or leaf blower this autumn? If so, we've got it covered with our pick of the best hedge trimmers, leaf vacuum buyer's guide and leaf blowers buyer's guide. For your next DIY project, take a look at our best cordless drills and best multi-tools.
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Five reasons to buy cordless garden toolsThere are a number of cordless tool system brands, below we've listed some of the most popular. And if you&#;re looking for specific cordless tool, you can see how various tools go head to head on test in our round-ups for the best hedge trimmers, the best cordless lawn mowers and the best pressure washers.
Worx&#;s PowerShare outdoor tool range includes:
The PowerShare range uses a 20V battery, which can also be used with their DIY power tools in the same collection.
Read our Worx WG779E cordless mower review and Landroid S300 WR130E robot mower review, which both won Gardeners&#; World magazine Best Buy awards.
Buy Worx cordless tools on Worx, Amazon and Ebay.
Stiga&#;s cordless tool range includes:
Read our Stiga Collect 136AE Kit cordless mower review and our Stiga 500 Multi Tool System review, both of which won Gardeners&#; World magazine Best Buy awards.
Buy Stiga cordless tools on Stiga, Amazon and Just Lawn Mowers.
Stihl&#;s cordless tool ranges include:
Read our Stihl Compact Cordless Power System review, HSA 56 Hedge Trimmer review and iMow 422P robot mower review, all of which won Gardeners&#; World magazine Best Buy awards.
Buy Stihl cordless tools on Stihl, Amazon and Just Lawn Mowers.
Bosch&#;s Power For All cordless tool ranges include:
Read our Bosch Power For All 18V Cordless System review and Rotak 32Li review, as well as the ALS Leaf Blower review and EasyHedgeCut 12-35 review, which both won Gardeners&#; World magazine Best Buy awards
Buy Bosch cordless tools on Bosch, Amazon and Tooled Up.
Makita Power For All cordless tool ranges include:
Read our Makita DLM460PT2 Cordless Lawn Mower review, which won a Gardeners&#; World magazine Best Buy award, and our Makita DUH551Z Hedge Trimmer review.
Buy Makita cordless tools from Amazon, My Tool Shed and Tooled Up.
Ryobi cordless tool ranges include:
Read our Ryobi One+ System review, which won a Gardeners&#; World magazine Best Buy award
Buy Ryobi cordless tools on Ryobi, Amazon and Ebay.
Greenworks cordless tool ranges include:
Read our Greenworks 24V Multi Tool review.
Buy Greenworks cordless tools on Greenworks, Amazon and Ebay.
Flymo cordless tool ranges include:
Read our Flymo 2 C-Link Multi Tool system review
Buy Flymo cordless tools from Flymo, Amazon and Homebase
These are individual tools, sold separately and usually with the choice of with or without a battery and charger. Therefore once you've bought your first tool, battery and charger from a particular range you only need to buy 'bare' tools from that range in the future. Tools available can include:
To find out more, watch our cordless tool system buyer&#;s guide:
Are you interested in learning more about Cordless Garden Tools? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
Cordless tools can require a bit of forward planning to keep your batteries charged - there&#;s nothing more frustrating than waiting for batteries to charge when you&#;re ready to start the job at hand.
If your cordless tool uses a rechargeable battery pack, it&#;s often a good idea to have a spare, which can be charged while the other one is in use, but batteries can be expensive because they are complex to manufacture.
Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries need a special charger to match the battery&#;s specific size, but this can increase the costs. Some cordless tools don&#;t come with the battery and charger included, while others have a range of different sized batteries that fit the range and provide more power - great news, but they will require a specific charger to fit their size.
Think about your garden and what sort of tools you&#;ll need to tackle different jobs and choose your range accordingly.
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Once you&#;ve chosen which type of cordless power tool you&#;re looking for, it&#;s time to think about power. Most brands offer a range of cordless garden tools, which vary when it comes to the power they offer, from entry level needs to a higher spec that is designed to be used in large gardens, and by professionals.
Three factors determine the power of your cordless power tool:
Sometimes cordless tools can be bought with an integrated battery, in other words the battery is built into the tool and you charge the whole tool as opposed to just the battery, but most often they come with a chargeable battery pack - usually lithium-ion - which is removed from the tool to charge and can be used to power other cordless tools in a brand&#;s range. Integrated batteries are smaller than battery packs, making this type of cordless tool cheaper and lighter than those with removable batteries but the batteries don&#;t hold a charge as long so they&#;re ideal for smaller jobs.
Cordless tools with a chargeable battery pack might be a little heavier and more expensive but if you&#;re happy to stay with one brand, you can use the same battery with other tools in the range. While you can expect to pay a little more for them, if you&#;re happy to stay with one brand, you can use the same battery with other tools in the range assuming their size and voltage is compatible.
What do I need to know about Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries?The most common batteries used in cordless tools are lithium-ion. Technology behind lithium-ion batteries has dramatically improved in recent years, because they&#;re the same batteries used to power electric cars and energy storage. Significant investments have been made to develop the battery&#;s efficiency and performance and you can now expect the same power from cordless tools as you would get with corded and petrol alternatives.
Lithium Ion (Li-ion) batteries are ideal for cordless garden tools because they provide a decent amount of power, and, despite being relatively small, can cope with being charged time and time again regardless if it&#;s fully or half used, so you don&#;t have to worry about charging it at the right time and in the right way.
While this will always depend on use and storage, lithium-ion batteries hold their charge for months, even if only partially charged.
Lithium-ion batteries hold their charge for months, even if only partially charged.
In the long term, lithium extraction may have a detrimental impact on the environment, (according to earth.org, Lithium is extracted through &#;water-mining&#;, which requires an enormous amount of water throughout the process and toxic chemicals are needed to process lithium, leading to frequent water contamination and shortage lithium-producing countries). Ultimately, if lithium could be recycled, this would help manage the demands and make it a more sustainable option. In the meantime, they are a much better alternative to fossil fuels and signify a move towards sustainable development.
Although these rechargeable batteries come with a healthy lifespan of several years, ultimately when they need replacing they must be recycled. Some manufacturers will have the batteries back and recycle them, otherwise find your local recycling depot that will accept them.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
Stiga 500 Series cordless tool system product review
Pros:
Cons:
Our testers found the SHT 500 AE Cordless hedge trimmer was able to cut woody growth well and the rotating head locked easily into five positions. The battery on this tool is quite large meaning it could be heavy for some users. The SGT 500 AE Cordless grass trimmer is easy to assemble and the wide head cuts efficiently. The tool is very adaptable as the shaft is telescopic, the handle adjusts and head also rotates, with a wheel for effortless edging.
This tool set sits at the higher end of the price-range and is best for committed gardeners. The tools performed every job well so we judged it a Best Buy.
Read the full review at: Stiga 500 Series review
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
Stihl Compact Cordless System product review
Pros:
Cons:
The hedge trimmer HAS 56 cuts woody growth efficiently and comes with a handy safety lock. The grass strimmer FSA 56 has an adjustable shaft and handle and copes with most rough lawn areas well. The leaf blower BGA 56 is light and quiet with an adjustable tube so it&#;s suitable for most heights. There&#;s only one speed setting but it handles leaves and smaller debris well.
There&#;s no assembling as the tools arrived ready to go and the batteries charge in 80 minutes. We found the system was efficient and good value money and would suit regular gardeners or bigger gardens. We judged this a Best Buy through our expert cordless garden tools reviews.
Read the full review at: Stihl Compact Cordless Power System review
Our rating: 4.3 out of 5
Bosch 18V Power for ALL cordless tool system product review
Pros:
Cons:
We found the Universal Hedgecut 18-500 and Universal Grasscut 18-260 from this cordless garden multi tools system were simple to set up and the battery was easy to swap and recharge. The charger has indicator lights to let you know when the tool is fully charged. The hedge trimmer felt well-balanced and the &#;Antiblocking system&#; stopped growth jamming the blades. However, it was less powerful than other tools and felt a little flimsy, although the blades were longer.
The grass trimmer head rotates easily for trimming although the cutting diameter is quite small. We liked the ergonomically designed handle and the way the battery tucked comfortably under the arm during use.
Read the full review at: Bosch 18V Power for ALL Cordless System review
Our rating: 4.3 out of 5
Greenworks 24V Cordless Series cordless tool system product review
Pros:
Cons:
The 24 V string trimmer and hedge trimmer cordless garden multi tools set comes with battery and charger included, which is unusual for this style of tool.
The grass trimmer has a rotatable head for edging but a slightly small handle meant the tool was uncomfortable for some testers. The hedge trimmer also had issues with the handle, as testers felt it was insubstantial. It is a light tool but struggles with thicker growth. The leaf blower was more comfortable to use and felt powerful, with two speeds plus a nozzle for more focused blowing.
Read the full review: Greenworks 24 V Cordless Series review
Save £30.99 on the Greenworks G24HT 24 V cordless hedge trimmer on Mad4Tools
Save £50.99 on the Greenworks line trimmer in a bundle with the Greenworks cordless mower on Mad4Tools
Our experts have also put a number of individual cordless tools through their paces, from various tool systems, including:
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If you want to learn more, please visit our website Cordless Power Tools Manufacturer.