And when it comes to petrol-powered strimmers, engine capacity – measured in cubic centimetres (cc) matters. How important is a trimmer’s cutting width? Use your free hand to make your skin tauter. Place it below the area you're trimming and gently pull your skin away from the trimmer. This provides a steady support and makes it easier to trim looser areas, such as under your jaw and your cheeks. Most hedge trimmer manufacturers also now produce a range of tools that all use the same battery. As a result, you can often see 'bare' hedge trimmers for sale. These do not come with either a battery or a charger. Be aware, though, that the battery is often as expensive, if not more expensive, than the hedge trimmer itself and so the price will rise sharply once these are added in. At Men's Health, we take the art of grooming seriously. That's why every product adorned with our MH Lab logo undergoes an intensive evaluation by our panel of 200 men, who boast a diverse array of beard lengths and styles, over a two to three-week period. Some trimmers have stronger blades. These could glide through soft and hard bristles in our 'quality of trim' test. Others couldn't cut the hard, dense bristles.

The shaft length is 110cm, but you can adjust it by 17cm to suit jobs. The head of the trimmer is also adjustable which means people of all heights should be able to use it easily and you can rotate it 90 degrees to turn it from a strimmer into a specialised edge tool. Having said that, all of the models featured here let you remove the comb to gain access to the blade itself for a close trim (usually closer than the listed minimum trimming length). However, not all models are waterproof so with these, you will likely need to remove the comb and then use the supplied brush to clean the trimmer. Most, but not all trimmers require you to oil their blades from time to time. If this is the case, the trimmer will come with the appropriate oil in the box. How about battery life? In short, it depends what you’re going to do with it, says Broadhouse. “Curved shafts will be lighter and more compact, which makes them good for intricate work around flower beds etc.

The best strimmer and grass trimmers you can buy in 2023

The 10-metre cord on this entry-level trimmer limits its range severely, but keeps things simple. It’s easy to hang up in the shed and you don’t need to remember to charge a battery. In short, no. Nose trimmers work like beard trimmers, meaning the results should last a while before regrowth begins to show. Laser hair removal is the only permanent option, but it can damage the nasal cavity. How do I choose a nose hair trimmer?

Bladed grass trimmers avoid all the problems of line-feed systems, as it's easy to replace the blades on the trimmer head. Blade sheath or guard protects the blade when carrying or storing the machine, preventing dust and dirt from getting onto the blade and blunting the cutting teeth.

This is a lightweight and powerful cordless strimmer with a telescopic shaft. Even with the large 4.0 Ah battery installed, it weighs just 3 kg, which earns it a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy for large areas. This really comes down to the size of your garden and overall convenience. Electric trimmers with a mains lead are the cheapest option, but in a big garden there are huge advantages to going wire-free. The best beard trimmers are smooth across all parts of the face, getting an even trim after just one pass.