Golden Shed Award Winner

The best Lawn Edging Shears

Lawn edging shears are simple tools that have been around for hundreds of years with few changes. I have tested dozens of pairs and gave one of my coveted Golden Shed Award to the lightweight Aluminium handled CK legend lawn edging shears.

I recommend them because they are light, have longer handles and a better cut than most others I have used. They are made in Germany so are a bit pricey but will last a lifetime if kept oiled and adjusted regularly.

 They also have unique solid forged steel blades that put them in a class of their own. The quality of the blade and the adjusting mechanism  mean that they are virtually self sharpening.

I have used and recommended this product for over 10 years and know there is nothing better. Oil your shears occasionally and they will last a lifetime. I think £54 is a fair price if you consider that .

Made in Germany

Alternatively - Simple, Good Quality Lawn Edging Shears

 If you don't need the extra length or are not concerned about lightweight then these much cheaper but equally good quality,  European made Bahco lawn edging shears make a good alternative. Or if you want work with another person who is taller or shorter than you then telescopic lawnshears are a good option. I have used these Darlac ones for several years and also like the way they telescope down very small for easy storage.

Lawn Edging Against Paths and Concrete

 If your lawn has edges against concrete then a fast easy way of trimming them is to use this wheeled edger. I tested this gadget many years ago after it was invented in New Zealand. A bit of work may be required to clear a slot for the blade but once this is done the trimmer can be quickly wheeled along like a big pizza cutter !

Mr. Arnold Kammerling - Owner of CK Tools and proud inventor of the CK Legend shears

 click for latest price on CK Legend Lawn Edging Shears

Or click below for normal length ones with top quality cutting blades - as used by Fred!

Best Lawnshears for flat surfaces

from the same stable as the Golden Shed award winning shears above these lawn shears have flat horizontal blades for cutting areas of lawn around trees and along he side of sheds and walls.

This type of tool is a great alternative to an electric grass trimmer for smaller areas and is much more pleasant to use.

It will also last a lot longer and make no noise!

These German made CK legend shears are the lightest as they have aluminium handles. If the £54 price tag is too high , I  can recommend the European made Bahco P 74 lawnshears.

They have the normal , heavier steel handles, are slightly longer and have a good quality blades.

buy these ck legend shears from a fredshed recommended supplier

These top quality shears make a long lasting and environmentally friendly alternative to electric grass trimmers. No noise, no electricity and 99% recyclable.

Not that you will need to recycle them, just keep them well oiled and these top quality shears will last your lifietime.

Alternative to Nylon Grass Trimmers

Personally I don't like electric trimmers that cut with Nylon cord. I find that the cord is likely to become brittle over time and break, fail to self feed and can be hard to replace or find replacement cord.

For small jobs I prefer an electric version of the sheep shear that has  metal blades and is battery powered.

This type of tool has been around a long time and is well tested. The Wolf tools version is the most versatile as it can be fitted to a telescopic handle and have wheels attached.

check prices and info for Wolf Accu shear range

New Product -  Smaller grass shear wiith Lithium Ion Battery!

The Bosch ISIO can be converted from a grass shear to a small shrub trimmer in seconds and is surprisingly efficient. I also like the drop in charger base and metal tin that the tool comes in.

 Running time is very good thanks to the Li-ion batteries and I get 20 minutes use which included some woody shrub material. The softer the material you cut the longer the battery will last between re-charges.

The Bosch Isio comes in 2 versions. The shrub cutting version and the grass cutting version. .

A good accessory  is the telescopic handle which makes the Isio a joy to use on your lawn edges. The handle has wheels for easy cutting on top of the lawn but this prevents  the Isio from being turned on its side to cut vertical edges.

The more expensive Wolf Accu model has clip on wheels that can clip off when doing vertical edges. However whilst this sounds like a good idea I found the wheels fell off and were really annoying.

The Isio wheels are built into the handle, wont fall off but do restrict the edge cutting ability somewhat when used with the long handle.

 get the latest Bosch Isio 2 kit from a Fredshed Partner site

 Wolf and Bosch make the best electric grass shears

(The Wolf ones are bigger and cost more)

New Bosch Grass Trimmer Range

14.4v & 18v cordless trimmers

Pictured right is the Bosch ART 23 Li cordless trimmer. This is a well balanced and easy to use trimmer and has the all important swivelling head to enable you to trim the top and side edge of your lawn. This battery powered trimmer also has the advantage of using small plastic blades instead of a nylon spool.

The Bosch range of trimmers was vastly  improved in 2008 with lighter and more powerful lithium ion batteries. This break through makes the trimmer lighter AND more powerful!

The 2 Bosch Cordless trimmers are called Accutrim whilst the 3 corded models are called Combitrim as they have a normal tap and go spool and a extra strong spool as well

I really like the idea of plastic blades on grass trimmers and found that they perform well and are VERY easy to change when worn. A pack of 24 for the ART23 and ART 26 Accutrim grass trimmers costs about £5.

 buy trimmer spool for Draper, Ryobi and Bosch Grass Trimmers

The Bosch ART 23 and 26 trimmers use different size plastic blades, and the mains powered combitrim models use nylon spools.

FREDSHED TOP TIP

DON'T USE YOUR HEDGE SHEARS ON GRASS!

The wonderful Golden Ceka shears shown right are made from the best quality steel by German craftsmen. However most shears of this type are made specifically for hedges and not grass. If you use hedge shears on grass the blades will go blunt VERY QUICKLY

Not many people know that!

Click link below for hand shears suitable for grass

There are dozens of single handed grass shears available and the majority are poor quality Chinese tools.

I have used the 2 below for many years and am confident of their quality and performance. The Wolf Garten model has been in production ( and used by me) for over 20 years and now has a grass deflector to keep the grass off your borders.

(blades rotate to different angles)

Shears like these are designed for cutting shrubs and hedges and not grass.

If you want a pair of shears for grass and soft foliage then these little ones below are the type to get.

New even more powerful Garden Vac

Although I personally don't like garden vacs I have tested quite a few and the best was this AL-KO Hurricane.

In 2006 this long established model was up rated to 2400W. There is also a budget 1700W model.

AL-KO is a German company well known for its excellent shredders and good quality garden power tools.

Guild price £90

click here for prices and more garden vacs

Fantastic Lightweight Leaf Rake

I have tried dozens of rakes over the last 15 years that I have been researching and testing gardening products.

This 65cm wide plastic rake is one of the best as it is so light and effective and is widely used by professional gardeners. It is made in the UK and has extra prongs to hold the leaves and debris in place.

The best feature of this rake is that it is self cleaning and you can lift and deposit debris into a wheelbarrow by just turning it sideways.

Price approx £23

Click to buy from a Fredshed recommended supplier

The Chelwood Rake has been widely used by professional grounds men for years.

Great Tip To Save Time!

Use your mower to collect the leavers on the lawn in winter.

Even if the lawn does not need cutting the mower will collect the leaves, beats raking any day!

The best Lawn Aerator?

One annoying thing about most lawn aerators is that they leave the extracted soil plugs on the ground. If you use one a lot or have a large lawn (and a bigger wallet) there is one model that collects the soil plugs and makes 4 holes.

click here for top of the range aerator that collects the soil plugs

TOP TIP - USE LAWN AERATORS ONLY WHEN YOUR LAWN IS DAMP TO ALLOW SOIL PLUGS TO PUSH EASILY THROUGH THE TINES

Wolf Multichange lawn aerator

If you have limited storage space for your tools then the wolf Multichange system could be the answer.

Wolf offer the largest range of top quality tools and handles to cover virtually every job in the garden, including cleaning greenhouse and conservatory windows.

For lawncare the Wolf Multichange system includes and aerator, scarifyer, lawn edging tool, weeding tools and every type of rake imaginable.

You will need to buy a separate handle for the aerator on the link above. However this handle can also fit a huge range of top quality German made garden tools.

click here for best prices on Wolf Multichange tools

click here to buy wolf Multichange handles online

 See the Award winning Dewit long handled corkscrew weeder

Electric Lawn Rakers and Scarifiers

To keep your lawn well drained and cleared of "thatch" build up I recommend using a powered lawn-raker. (also known as an electric scarifier).

Doing this job by hand is for the super-fit, super-skint or totally insane!

Sadly, like grass trimmers there are a lot of poorly designed and made models available.

The Black and Decker GD200GB had been around for a long time and is a cheap and cheerful workhorse for lawn-raking. It has been replaced by the GD300 with a 600w motor. Bosch made a similar and slightly better built model called the AMR32F lawn raker. It has now been replaced by two 900watt models. One has tines the other has metal blades and will rip your lawn apart.

If you have a large lawn you will need a more powerful lawn aerator. The budget price 400w electric ones are not up to the job and will take ages to cover the distance, or burn out under the strain. There are better and more expensive machines for larger lawns but at £70 these cheapie lawmakers I tested were adequate for use once a year on small lawns

TOP TIP - don't set blades too deep or use on hard dry lawns - this may burn out your motor!

Another option is the Qualcast Classic range of Cylinder mowers that come in petrol or electric versions and have the innovative QX scarifier cassette system. I have used the system and although it is a bit of a pain to fit it does work well.

I am currently testing the new Draper 1300W raker/scarifier which comes with 2 interchangeable cylinders, one with wire blades for raking and the other with fixed metal blades for deeper aerating. I am also testing the Bosch ALR 900 electric lawnraker and have used the Flymo model.

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. On average I like the Flymo best - for small- medium lawns and occasional use.

Other good makes of heavier duty lawn rakers are

AL-KO and Wolf Garten

Please use my links or mail me if you need help choosing an electric lawn-raker

See different makes and heavy duty lawn scarifiers

The cheaper machines use wire tines and are called lawn rakers

Black and Decker GD200GB Lawn raker

Bosch ALR 900 & Draper 45544 1300W Lawnraker

compare price of the Flymo Lawnraker 340

Wolf Multichange lawn Scarifier

If you have some spare energy or don't like electric scarifiers a good option is a manual one like this German made tool. Some years ago I owned its little brother that did not have wheels and I must say it was a b**tard to use.

This new model - the Wolf URM3 Roller Scarifying Rake is more vor sprung dork tecknic and is much easier to use. For fitness fanatics and masochists everywhere this is the lawn tool for you!

You will need to buy a separate handle for this tool and can use the link  below. The good news is this handle can also fit a huge range of other garden tools too.

click here for best prices on Wolf Multichange tools

click here to buy wolf Multichange handles online

click to buy the environmentally friendly lawn scarifier

It's wheely easy!

Unique Solid Forged Lawn Edger

Also known as an edging knife or edging iron this tool is the best thing to keep your lawn edges tidy and separate from bedding areas.

This is the finest example of a half moon lawn knife available and the only one I know of where the blade is made from one piece of steel, forged by hand for maximum strength.

Most lawn edgers are made from 2 pieces of steel,  welded together. This introduces a weakness in the tool. As users have a tendency to lever the soil away with the tool,  many become bent or broken.

This exceptional tool is actually strong enough to dig with (though I don't recommend it) and also has a solid ash shaft with a generous width T handle.

Stainless Steel Long Handled Lawn Edging Knife

Whilst Stainless steel is not essential for this tool, a good quality stainless steel edging iron may produce a cleaner cut in wet conditions or if you have clay soil. The one below represents good value and reasonable quality.

If you have the wolf multichange system a stainless steel lawn edger is available too.

 click for the Wolf Multichange lawn edger RMM

 click for one-piece Wolf lawn edger with D handle

Smartedge - Flexible lawn edge strip

Smartedge is a British made innovation for making perfect lawn edges to enhance the appearance and ease maintenance of your lawn edges.

The patented innovation is the A frame mesh that is pinned down to your lawn to hold the edge in place. This "A" frame quickly becomes covered in grass so all you are left with is a nice smooth edge for easy trimming. - in theory.

I found it quite hard to get a straight edge and the level right but maybe it was operator error.?

click here to see latest price on Smart edge lawn edging system

Sharpening your lawncare tools

Cutting grass can quickly blunt even the best steel blades so an essential part of lawncare work will be to clean and sharpen your tools.

Traditionally a carborundum stone was used but nowadays tungsten carbide and even diamond sharpeners are available in a range of shapes  sizes and sharpening grades.

 If your blade edge is really blunt you will need something coarser like the cigar shaped carborundum stone.

For a finishing a sharp edge and keeping smaller blades like secateurs sharp the  Bahco sharpe -X-E or the Felco dual sided stone are best.

I favour the Felco sharpener for fine edges and the large cigar shaped stone for larger blades like edging shears.

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© Fred Walden 2010