Regularly mowing and strimming your lawn will help keep your grass under control, but making sure your borders stay neat and tidy involves a little extra effort. Happily, there are plenty of effective edging tools to help you get the job done quickly.
Looking for how to protect your grass seed from the birds?
We’ve gathered our favourite lawn edging tools to use in the garden, from knives and shears to electrical gadgets.
Jump to:
Our pick of the best lawn edging tools
Edging shears
Spear and Jackson edging shears
SQUIRREL_TEXT_13085897
If you’ve got a sizeable garden with a decent amount of paving or pathways, these shears would be a sensible choice. They have strong, tubular steel handles with soft grips, and the 23cm chrome-plated blade is rust resistant, so it should stand the test of time.
SQUIRREL_13085897
CK Classic Legend Adjustable Lawn Edging Shears
The standout feature of these edging shears is their telescopic handles, allowing you to extend them to reach the ground or border. You can choose from seven positions along the handles to increase the 64cm tool to a maximum length of 105cm, and pack them down again for easy storage.
Despite the telescopic mechanism, these are lightweight shears and they come with hand grips, so they should be comfortable to use for long periods of time.
As for the head, you’ll get drop-forged blades with armour chrome plating for extra durability.
Fiskars Servo-System grass shears
For smaller jobs, you could get away with using a hand edging tool like these grass shears. They have an adjustable 360-degree cutting angle to help you get a smart finish on areas in need of attention to detail.
There’s also a ‘servo-system’ mechanism to stop the blade getting clogged with grass, as well as a lock setting, which you can turn on with just your thumb.
Edging knives
Vintage Ash Edging Tool
Buy from Agriframes (£17.99), Haxnicks (£19.99)
A high-quality tool with a vintage look, this edger is a beautiful item to use in the garden. The handle is crafted from FSC-certified ash, while the stainless steel head has shaped treads to reduce strain on the foot during use.
Kent and Stowe Edging Iron
Kent and Stowe is another great brand to turn to if you’re in need of some new garden gear. This edger is an example of the brand’s high-quality products. With its sharp serrated blade, it can cut through tough ground to create neat edges along garden borders.
The head is made from strong stainless steel for durability, and the design also includes a T-handle, which should make it easy to push the blade into the earth.
Spear & Jackson Select Stainless Steel Edging Iron
SQUIRREL_TEXT_13085898
You can always rely on Spear and Jackson to create durable gardening tools designed to stand up to many years of use.
While many brands give their edging knives traditional wooden handles, this one features a strong aluminium shaft to save on weight. It also comes with a T-shaped handlebar to provide plenty of grip.
The head itself is crafted from rust-resistant stainless steel, which is mirror polished to help it slice cleanly through earth.
SQUIRREL_13085898
Homebase Lawn Edging Knife
SQUIRREL_TEXT_13085899
For everyday edging tasks, you can’t go wrong with this simple yet robust lawn knife, complete with a pointed head to easily slice through turf and soil.
This lawn edging tool comes with a tempered carbon steel blade with a handy footplate to help you cut through dense ground.
A smart wooden handle finishes the design and gives it a traditional look to complement any set of gardening tools.
SQUIRREL_13085899
Spear & Jackson Lawn Edging Tool
SQUIRREL_TEXT_13107045
The edging knife from trusted brand Spear & Jackson has a heat-treated carbon steel head with a hammer-finished epoxy coating, so it should be a durable and long-lasting choice. The handle is made from lacquered ash wood to survive rain showers.
SQUIRREL_13107045
Step edgers
Step lawn edge trimmer
SQUIRREL_TEXT_13105829
If it’s innovative design you’re after, look no further than this lawn edging tool. The metal blade is mounted onto a flat platform, so you can press down with your foot and use your own weight to easily slice through turf. Thanks to the long handle, you won’t have to crouch; you can operate the edger while standing.
SQUIRREL_13105829
Electric edgers
Bosch Isio
SQUIRREL_TEXT_13107031
If you’ve got a large lawn or lots of edging to manicure, it might be worth investing in an electric trimmer like this one. It’s specifically designed for cutting grass and hedges, and comes with two interchangeable blades: one for lawns (8cm) and one for shrubs and bushes (12cm).
Thanks to the removable telescopic handle, you won’t have to bend over and risk hurting your back.
SQUIRREL_13107031
Brush cutters
STIHL FSA 57 Battery Brush Cutter Set
For narrow strips of turf or hard-to-access areas, an electric trimmer can come in handy. This one is from trusted brand Stihl and is ideal for cutting lawn around trees, shrubs and borders.
Choose this electric trimmer for its 28cm cutting circle, adjustable shaft and soft-grip handle. As an added bonus, the tool is battery powered, so you won’t need to worry about topping up a petrol tank.
We've included more great lawn care tools in our guide to the best lawn shears to buy this year.