Thankfully, the grips on these handles are made from a combination of polypropylene for strength, and TPR for softness and grip, and they really help to keep the tool under control. Speaking of comfort, there are plastic sleeves on the top sections of the handles to help with grip, making the shears easier to hold. Choose shears with long blades of at least 21 cm for large gardens; this way you won’t spend all day edging the lawn. Shorter, 17 – 21cm blades will work well for smaller gardens. However, you should also pay attention to the depth of your verges.

Some edging shears have self-sharpening blades. The angle at which the blades work produces a small amount of friction, which means the blades sharpen with every cut. This makes them comfortable to manoeuvre and use for prolonged periods; plus, on top of this, they have the addition of non-slip handles for better grip. As a result of these three factors, they’re some of the best edging shears in terms of comfort, particularly for taller gardeners who may have to stoop a lot when using other models. Just about everything about these edging shears shouts good build quality, from the handles, to the grips, to the blades, but that quality comes at a cost and that cost is manoeuvrability. At the top of the handles are large, yet soft and comfortable grips made from rubber that are designed to be anti-slip and they work really well. I used these shears without gloves on for a short while and I liked the way they felt in my hands, secure but still comfortable.Usually, when you go with a budget gardening tool, you have to expect that you will have to put up with the fact that they aren’t made from the best materials, or the build quality is slightly suspect. Fiskar have chosen heated steel as the material for the blades on these edging shears to give them more strength and durability, and there is a cushioned ‘bumper’ to reduce jarring and strain on the user. My initial reaction on pulling these Bahco edging shears out of the box was ‘those blades look good’, which is a good start for any cutting tool review. Offering a good combination of affordability, quality and value, these Bulldog Premier Edging Shears are some of the best edging shears to buy if you’re after a mid-range option. They’re not as expensive as premium shears, but still offer quality construction and durability. If the last set of shears were a high quality budget model. These servo-system edging shears from Fiskars are definitely a premium product, with it sporting some nice little design features for the extra bit of money you need to shell out for them.

This product comes with a 12 month ‘no quibble’ guarantee from the makers, which is very good considering the low price of these edging shears. Most other shears have a handle length ranging from 80 – 100 cm and will be suitable for the majority of gardeners. Unlike some edging shears, that catch on themselves whilst cutting, these glide past each other without excessive friction. It’s also possible to adjust the blade tension, with a dial on the blade if necessary. No tools (like a screwdriver) are needed to adjust the tension, which makes it very easy to do. The tubular-steel handles are 90 cm long, and the tool measures 100 cm in total. Although they are some of the longest edging shears on the market, they may still be uncomfortable for those over 6 ft tall to use for extended periods.

Razorsharp Steel Telescopic Edging Shears

In length, these shears measure 95 cm and have lacquered, hardwood handles that are relatively easy to hold onto. They have no grips added onto them, so wearing rubberised gardening gloves will help. Even in a large garden, you may need smaller blades to effectively cut a shallow verge . I also recommend these short blades for working in any fiddly, intricate areas. Due to the size and nature of some items, we're unable to despatch them via our usual delivery services. Different brands and models use different materials for their blades. Each with their pros and cons. Carbon steel is known for its hardness and the fact that you can get a razor sharp edge, but some blades of this type can be brittle and need a special coating to make them resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel blades require less maintenance and are good at fighting off rust so they are generally considered more durable but it is harder to get the sharpness that matches a carbon steel blade. Something like 420HC is high carbon steel and ideal for blades. High quality steel with high carbon content and a good heat treat retains blade edge the best Buffers

At the ends of the handles are rubber foam grips with ribbed and curved sides so that they fit in the hand more naturally and also provide better grip and prevent slipping once you start sweating. I found these grips comfortable enough and they certainly didn’t leave me with any blisters after using these edging shears for a while, but I do have fairly tough old hands. The 33 inch long handles certainly feel sturdier than the aluminium ones in our first review, but that doesn’t mean that they are more durable, they just feel more rigid as they are made from tubular steel and don’t have the slight flex of aluminium. In the end, handle material is a matter of preference, some prefer good old, solid steel, while others like the lightweight, rust free properties of aluminium. It doesn’t matter what your wife/girlfriend told you, size does matter when it comes to edging shears! 😀 The whole point of these tools is to negate the need for stooping or crouching down low to trim the edges of your lawn, so you need to work out what would be a comfortable length for you, personally. Too short and you’ll be bending over, too long and the tops of the handles will be in your armpits. Typically from testing the overall length is about 900-950mm in most of these – this is comfortable for a standard height man like myself as I found from testing. Handle and shaft material Bahco tools have a good reputation for quality and value, and their P75 Lawn Edging Shears are no different. Fiskars have opted to make the blades for this model out of stainless steel for increased longevity. Usually this means the blades aren’t as sharp as carbon steel, but these did a great job of cutting through everything I aimed them at, so no complaints there.Longer blades, measuring 21 cm + are more suitable for bigger gardens because they allow more edge to be cut in one go. However, be aware that the bigger the blade, the more depth it needs to open fully. If your verge edges are quite shallow, you may find that longer blades often end up digging into the dirt when you open them.

While there are some similarities between the two, we think that this particular model is slightly superior for a few reasons that we will highlight here. The first advantage that these edging shears have over their sibling, is that instead of steel, the handles are made from aluminium. In our opinion aluminium is a superior material because it is lighter, doesn’t rust, and doesn’t corrode. At just over 1 kg, you can wield these edging shears all day without worrying about any aches and strains creeping up on you. The handles on this product feel strong and very sturdy but the overall product is actually very light and I could swing these about with ease for hours without getting unwanted aches. The soft grip handle tops also helped in this department. The 20 cm blades are drop forged and hardened with chrome plating; in real-life terms this means they are powerful blades that create a very clean cut against edges. They’re sharp, and stay that way for a long time thanks to their self-sharpening mechanism, and have a smooth cutting action. Well, you could get a tape measure out and see how far it is to the ground from where your hands hang down in front of you and then search for products with that length, or you could invest in these telescopic edging shears from Faithfull.

Performance products for your home and workplace

The cutting is performed by two 9 inch long blades constructed from heat treated carbon steel which is a material that is easier to get an extremely sharp edge on than stainless steel and so makes it great for cutting. Another excellent feature of Fiskars servo system edging shears is the ability to rotate the blades 360 degrees so you can always get the angle that you need. You can also adjust the angle of the blades in relation to the handle so that it runs straight down and not perpendicular. This would be helpful for trimming some particularly tight spots. Even after mowing your lawn from top to bottom, the edges can still look a little wobbly and untidy.