A petrol strimmer, like the Hyundai option, is very powerful and suitable for heavy duty garden work. The plastic release button on the handle does feel a little bit flimsy, but the “heft” of the actual edger should easily be sufficient to achieve sharp edges without exerting too much pressure on the handle.

If you're just planning to cut your lawn edges, look at buying long-handled shears instead. These are better for the environment and much quieter in use. They're also easier to cut a straight line with than some grass trimmers. It comes with an 18 V 2.0 Ah Lithium battery included, as well as a charger. The power can be reduced for lighter tasks which will extend the battery run time, but overall the battery life is very good. I got around 20 minutes of run time on the turbo setting. The downside is that it takes a long time to charge, up to 4 hours from flat. As tools go, strimmers are up there with the most useful and versatile, plus the cost of purchasing and maintaining a strimmer is fairly low. It’s actually easier to handle with the battery in as its weight counterbalances the head against the adjustable loop handle. That head isn’t adjustable but this entire tool is so light you can just flip it and use it for edging as well as trimming. The whole product, with all the attachments, weighs in at 16kg but it’s lighter than this for just the strimmer part.Corded, cordless and petrol grass trimmers all operate quite differently, so it's not surprising they encounter different problems. How much the strimmer weighs is essential to consider as it’s you who’ll be carrying the thing around the garden. Make sure you choose one that you can manage. Petrol models tend to be a lot heavier but also tend to come with harnesses which makes them a lot easier to work with. I’ve reviewed more strimmer harnesses here. F.A.Q.s What’s the difference between a trimmer and a strimmer?

Key details – Size: Overall length 90cm, tool head width 21.5cm; Materials: Stainless steel blade, ash handle; Weight: 0.76kg You can take the shaft apart for easy storage or transport and the strimmer comes with a tool kit to help you do this. The cutting head on the Gtech ST20 can be rotated 180 degrees by twisting it. You don’t have to press a button, you just rotate it. This means that you can cut in any position, from over your head to under your feet. It would, for example, be easy to trim hanging baskets or widow boxes. Although it’s not equipped with a huge number of safety features, it still feels very well designed. The handle is ergonomic, and it’s easy to keep the tool seedy thanks to the secondary handle. It’s simple to switch between functions, and all parts are durable. The safety switch on the handle means you’ll need to continuously push down to activate the strimmer. If you trip and let go, the strimmer will stop running.Line can cost as little as 20p a metre, but it will all depend on the quality and the amount you buy at one time. Plastic blades can deposit broken plastic on to the garden if they get damaged while in use. Brushcutters

You can move the head to suit the angle of the job needed, but thanks to the easy adjustment, with a button hold and move, this is genuinely helpful if you’ve got low bushes or trees to work around. The handle and telescope shaft are also easily adjusted, which we found useful for compact storage.If your corded grass trimmer develops a fault, it's most likely to be the line feed malfunctioning, with 34% of people saying they had experienced this. For cordless models, 17% also said the line feed malfunctioned, but this was joint with the battery not holding its charge. For petrol trimmers, the most common fault was the engine failing to turn over. Avid readers will already know that we’re huge fans of the grass trimmers that Stihl puts out (there are two in this very list), but the Stihl FSA 57 Cordless Grass Trimmer shows exactly why the company is a cut above the rest. The power of the motor in the strimmer determines how fast it spins and so how well it will cut through vegetation. Power is generally measured in cc for petrol engines, watts for electric ones and volts for batteries. For batteries, it’s also worth considering the amp hours as this dictates how long it will last. Despite being relatively new to lawn maintenance, famed pressure washer brand Kärcher has got off to a very good start with its LTR battery grass trimmers.