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. Some buyers will use a strimmer to do that, but these can be quite messy. They will certainly remove the grass but it does go everywhere. That is why some buyers will use shears for the tidy up. You can of course buy hand shears to do this and they are usually a cheaper option. Although you might expect these shears to weigh more than others – based on their longer blades and handles – they are surprisingly lightweight. Weighing 1.1 kg, they are actually the lightest shears featured here, as well as the longest. Handles for grass shears should be at least 4 inches, but longer handles are generally better for an easy grip. Handheld options are used in crouching, bending, or kneeling positions. Long-handled shears come with an elongated shaft, enabling users to stand upright while tending to the lawn.

Although they may be most famed for their razors, Wilkinson Sword do a good line in gardening tools as well, as demonstrated by their Long Handled Edging Shears. As you might expect from Wilkinson Sword, the cutting blades are particularly well designed. 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. Clean your grass shears first. Before sharpening, make sure you remove all the dirt, grime, sap, and other substances that may have accumulated on your grass shears. You’ve brought your new grass shears home; now the work begins. Getting going is always one of the hardest parts, especially if you’re unsure of where to start. It’s common to have questions about new tools, and grass shears are no exception. To help, here are some commonly asked questions and answers about grass shears. Q. What do you use grass shears for? The handles move smoothly, with a crisp cutting motion, and don’t catch or bounce when they come together.We rounded up a collection of the most popular handheld grass shears and personally tested them for quality, comfort, cutting action, and overall use. Find out how each one performed later in this article. But first, here’s a preview of the list, followed by some helpful shopping considerations that informed our shopping and testing processes. Shears that weigh between 1.5 – 2 kg can still prove difficult to manage for a lot of gardeners. Naturally, they are slightly more manageable, but the weight will become noticeable after a while and more rests may be required than with lighter shears. It’s easy to tell the different between the two: lawn shears have blades that protrude out to the front, at roughly a 120° angle to the handle. Lawn edging shears have blades that face sideways, to make it easier to cut along the edge.

We tested these manual grass shears at the beginning of spring on a combination of succulent new grass and weeds, along with old, dry perennial stems from the prior year. Our first goal was to establish each tool’s initial effectiveness and overall user comfort, including all of the various adjustable positions for those with rotating blades. After using them as expected, we attempted to take each one to its operational limit by incrementally cutting tougher vegetation. If you want to elevate the appearance of your lawn after mowing, you may find that lawn edging shears are what you’ve been missing.If the total handle length is over 100 cm, the shears will be more appropriate for taller users, those who are approximately 5’10” (178 cm) or above. It’s also possible to get shears with a telescopic handle, but don’t instantly presume that these will definitely be longer than standard shears. A lot of telescopic shears still only extend to around 100 cm. If you’re tall, and you want to avoid stooping, take some time to compare different shears on the market. This is the best way to make sure to find shears that are comfortable. A short blade works best for curved edges to get the right arch in the snip, and they’re usually lighter, too. If you’re looking to cut the tops of your grass, in places where perhaps the mower can’t reach, you’ll want lawn shears. If you want to sort out the edges of your lawn, go for lawn edging shears. You can’t easily use one type of tool for both tasks. Even so, these are some of the best lawn edging shears on the market due to their quality and the results that they offer. In most gardens, they will work well to crisply neaten up grass edges – just make sure the weight will be manageable.

Dry your grass shears. After thoroughly cleaning your grass shears, be sure to dry them off to help prevent rust. The handles on long-handle grass shears are typically made out of aluminium or steel. Steel is the tougher material and is the material you should consider for heavier-duty use. Aluminium is lighter and the material of choice for people who are looking for a tool that is less fatiguing to use. Swivel head

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. Holding these shears is as nice as it gets with their ergonomically shaped handles, a comfortable grip, and a 5.63-inch handle length. A power spring fuels the cutting power of these shears, reducing the effort required by the user. The thin profile and good balance of these 13-ounce shears keep the wrist comfortable while in use. Weighing 2.4 kg, these shears are a little heavier than many others on the market and require reasonable upper-body strength to use. They also need to be used on edges that have quite a deep gully, due to the depth of the blades, and will be more difficult to use on shallow edges. File the blade. Using a flat sharpening file, match the angle of the bevel on your blade and file the edge – if you do not match the bevel while sharpening, you may ruin the shears.