Hedge and edges; the most important phrase in the garden rule book, would not be possible without lawn edgers. Whether you’re an old-fashioned sort that uses hoes and shears or prefer modern lawn edging tools, creating crisp lines in your garden is the fastest way to neaten and freshen things up.
In this article, we’re going to look at the different types of lawn edging tools, and consider which makes the neatest edges, as well as what saves time, because sometimes you’ve got to weigh up your options.
More...
Top Pick
Premium Choice
Best Value
Best Lawn Edgers for 2024
Product | Our Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
1. BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Cordless Lawn Mower, String Trimmer & Lawn Edger |  | | |
2. Baumr-AG EX-880R Petrol Lawn Edger |  | | |
3. Draper Carbon Steel Lawn Edger |  | | |
4. Baumr-AG BCX720 7in1 Petrol Multi Tool with Lawn Edger |  | ||
5. WORX 20V Cordless 2-in-1 Trimmer and Lawn Edger |  | ||
6. Spear & Jackson Edging Shears |  | ||
7. Spear & Jackson Star Wheel Lawn Edger |  |
Lawn Edgers Buying Guide
What is a Lawn Edger?
Lawn edgers are tools designed for two purposes; cutting back roots and cutting back top growth of lawns. They fall into two distinct categories; hoes and shears.
Hoes are great all over the garden, but a single hoe around your entire lawn every year, just taking 10mm off the lawn will reduce roots and thatch from encroaching onto your borders, as well as any soil which has been displaced by spreading roots or maturing lawns.
Lawn edging shears are designed for more regular use and are best used to clip back the edges that the lawn mower can’t reach. You can buy electric or manual lawn edging shears, but both have the3 same effect.
Why do you need to edge lawns?
Lawn edgers are tools designed to crisp up the edges of your lawn. It might sound simple, but there’s a little more to it than that.
By hoeing your lawn edges once a year, you help to suppress weeds, reduce grasses from encroaching into borders, and help to aerate the extremities of your lawn which often suffer from compaction, moisture loss and fungal problems as a result of being up close and personal with your other planting.
The three main reasons to edge your lawn are:
- Suppress weeds
- Crisp edges
- Aerate lawn edges
Suppressing grass from encroaching into borders is one thing, but hoeing or using mechanical lawn edging tools can prevent weeds from encroaching onto your grass too. The same process helps to aerate your lawn.
Other lawn edging tools, like shears and lawn scissors are great for weekly or evenly monthly use, to add crisp lines to your garden, whether you’ve got a straight-cut lawn or a curvy sea of green running through your garden.
What to Look for When Buying a Lawn Edger
Lawn or garden edgers are pretty limitless in their designs, so make sure you know what you need from your tools. If you’re buying an edger to reduce the size of your lawn, then you’ll need a hoe or mechanical lawn edging tool that cuts right through the turf and its roots before removing strips.
For slightly reducing the size of your lawn, a hoe is more than enough. For trimming lawns on a regular basis, and just keeping the corners in check, then shears or electric lawn edgers are perfect.
The real choice when it comes to choosing a lawn edger is between electric and manual.
Electric Lawn Edgers
Electric lawn edgers are significantly more expensive than manual lawn edgers, but get the job done faster. The downside of electric lawn edgers is that they tend to be less precise.
Manual Lawn Edgers
Manual lawn edgers are slow, laborious tools, but give crisp, precise results, no matter what job you’re doing. We would always suggest manual garden edgers for domestic gardeners who have the time to enjoy their outdoor space, but electric tools for professionals who need to maximise efficiency.
Different Types of Lawn Edgers (and how to use them)
There are four key types of lawn edgers, and most have a best use case and the worst use case. Check out of the guide to different types of garden edger below to help you choose:
Garden Hoe
Garden hoes are ideal for annually refreshing lawn edges, removing slumped grass, or trailing thatch that is creeping into the border. They are easy to use but take a long time to get the desired result.
Note: A Dutch hoe cannot be used for this task, its curved handle can bend under downward pressure. Use a straight hoe, also called a traditional lawn edger for this task.
Strimmer
Strimmers are the fastest way to neaten up the edges of lawns, but give messy results. Strimmers’ best use case is for overgrown lawns, or annually cutting back meadow grass, or wildflower lawns, they should not be used to regularly trim the edge of lawns through the year.
Edge trimmer
‘Edge trimmers’ is a generic phrase for any electric powered lawn edger. They can do the job of a hoe, or the job of lawn shears, depending on the blade attached, and some are incredibly useful multi-tools too, so can be used for mowing small areas, as well as removing overgrown sections of lawn.
Look for electric edge trimmers rather than strimmers for a neater finish.
Edging shears
Edging shears are satisfying tools but do require ongoing maintenance as they quickly clog up and their blades can blunt thanks to a build-up of dried grass, dew, dirt, or loosening bolts.
Having said that, edging shears will give neater results than any other tool for weekly edging tasks.
Lawn Edgers Safety Tips
When using any lawn edger remember that they are fundamentally blades, so should be used with caution. For regular or prolonged use wear steel toe capped shoes to avoid accidental injury, and for strimmers and electric lawn edgers wear eye protection as stones and grit can be flicked backwards by spinning blades.
Lawn Edger Reviews
1. BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Cordless Lawn Mower, String Trimmer & Lawn Edger
These multi-purpose lawn care tools have been flying off the shelves lately and it’s not just convenient. The simplicity of the design, the precise results, the control and the energy efficiency all contribute to their popularity.
For me though, it comes down to one thing – you don’t need space for three tools in your shed. In the smallest shed, you can easily store these brilliant gadgets.
Black+Decker are making by far the best lawn edgers, strimmers and mowers might now, but they’re not cheap!
Pros
Cons
2. Baumr-AG EX-880R Petrol Lawn Edger
For fast results and professional standards you need to look for petrol lawn edgers like this model from Baumr-AG, with its 31cc engine and hardened alloy blade which whizzes through lawn edges and can be used all year round for trimming long grass or even taking back the border slightly.
There is basically nothing these tools can’t do, but they should be used with caution and practised before using on an openly visible part of the lawn as they can produce pretty rough results until you’ve had a little practice.
Pros
Cons
3. Draper Carbon Steel Lawn Edger
As well as edging your lawn by cutting the grass regularly, it’s important to cut back the physical edge, including the thatch and about 10mm of soil around the lawn edge every year as healthy lawns spread and push the soil outwards as they do.
To prevent your lawn from creeping into the border, cut back its roots with a lawn edging hoe.
Pros
Cons
4. Baumr-AG BCX720 7in1 Petrol Multi Tool Brushcutter and Trimmer with Lawn Edger
This multi-tool from Baumr-AG is great for any gardener and priced to suit too, but it's designed for professional use, with fittings for brush cutting and shrub clearance.
The bull-horn handles are well balanced making them easy to control, but the edging attachments do have a tendency to rip up your lawn edges if you’re not careful.
The advantage here is speed. The disadvantage is accuracy.
Pros
Cons
5. WORX 20V Cordless 2-in-1 Trimmer and Lawn Edger
The Worx lawn edger might look like a standard strimmer at first glance, and it kind of is, but the head turns on a 45-degree angle, giving easy and accurate control of this lightweight tool.
Rather than using standard brush cutters or strimmers, try something like this which is easier to handle and makes light work of overgrown lawn edges, and can even help tackle the overgrown thatch in spring when it’s time to neaten up your borders.
Pros
Cons
6. Spear & Jackson Edging Shears
If you want perfect lawn edges, there’s no better tool for a weekly trim than old-fashioned lawn shears. The long aluminium handles for the spear and Jackson lawn shears are perfect for comfort and to reduce fatigue massively too.
Simply take it slow and trim back any over the grass by hand with these sharp tools. One note of caution is that they should be sharpened and cleaned regularly to keep them as effective and efficient as possible.
Pros
Cons
7. Spear & Jackson Star Wheel Lawn Edger
I’ve only recently discovered these gadgets – sort of half-mechanical, half manual. Rolling lawn edgers take a bit of getting used to, but they’re fun to use, as well as accurate.
They do take time, and a little bit of pressure to get good cuts the first time, but they take up barely any space in the garage and are perfect for weekly fortnightly or even monthly use to just keep on top of overgrown grass.
Pros
Cons
Our Lawn Edger Top Picks for 2024
Best Lawn Edger - Our Top Pick
Black+Decker’s multi-tool lawn cutter is the best lawn edger we’ve seen this year, not just for edging but for overall lawn care. It’s compact, easy to use, easy to store, and surprisingly precise.
It might seem expensive, but if you consider the price of a lawn edger, lawn mower, and strimmer, you’re saving a lot of money with this clever multi-tool!
Premium Choice Lawn Edger
There’s no getting away from the imprecision of these powerful lawn edgers, but Baumr-AG definitely makes the best of them. For professional lawn care experts, these fast lawn edgers are the only tool worth considering as they cut your time down by about 70%.
For domestic users, this might not be the best garden edger as it takes practice and patience to create neat edges.
Best Value Lawn Edger
Sometimes value means price, sometimes it means quality. Here, we mean both. The draper carbon steel lawn edger is easy to use, gives perfect results, will last a lifetime, and costs less than 10% of the price of electric or petrol alternatives.
Ok, so you might want the convenience of electricity, but the reality is that if you want a truly perfect lawn, the best way is always going to be by hand.
Lawn Edger Frequently Asked Questions
What is better; a string or blade edger?
Lawn edgers are used to create crisp, neat lines around the edge of lawns. Blade edgers create much neater lawn edges than string edgers, or strimmers, which can tear up the lawn if used without care.
How often should you edge your lawn?
You should edge your lawn every time you mow the grass using edging shears or electric lawn edgers, but the larger job of hoeing the edge of your lawn should be done just once a year to remove slumping roots and thatch.
How deep should a lawn edge be?
Lawn edges can be as shallow or as deep as you like. Many gardeners with mobility issues use garden edgers to keep the grass in check at the same level as their borders for ease of access. Traditionally 2” was seen as the optimum height for a lawn edge.
For more tools to help you maintain your lawn, be sure to see our list of product reviews below:
Get that Perfect Edges by Using the Best Lawn Edgers for 2024
Lawn edgers are a truly critical bit of garden kit, whether you stump for the electric models, or stick to manual lawn edgers, there is a tool to suit every gardener. Just remember that if you’re after perfection you need a manual garden edger. If you’re after speed, you need an electric lawn edger.
With practice, any lawn edger will become a simple and enjoyable part of your garden routine, so I hope we’ve helped you make an informed decision on the best lawn edger for your garden.
Published on June 27, 2022 by Gary Clarke
Last Updated on January 11, 2024
