- What are some of the most popular cordless tool system brands?
- What’s the difference between a cordless tool set and a cordless multi-tool system?
- Are cordless garden tools right for you?
- How to choose the best cordless tool system for you?
- Everything you need to know about cordless tool batteries
Five reasons to buy cordless garden tools
- Cordless tools are light, quiet and efficient.
- They don’t need fuel or an outdoor power source so there are no trailing cables or emissions to worry about.
- Lithium-ion batteries charge quickly, hold their charge and don’t degrade in storage, which is important for gardening tools as they might not be used on a daily basis.
- If you’re looking to buy more than one tool, you can use the same battery across a brand’s range of power tools, which reduces cost.
- Cordless tools also don’t need as much maintenance as their petrol counterparts, which saves time and money.
There are a number of cordless tool system brands, below we've listed some of the most popular. And if you’re looking for specific cordless tool, you can see how various tools go head to head on test in our round-ups for the best hedge trimmers, the best cordless lawn mowers and the best pressure washers.
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Worx
Worx’s PowerShare outdoor tool range includes:
- Hedge trimmer
- Grass trimmer
- Lawn mower
- Pressure cleaner
- Leaf blower
- Chainsaw
The PowerShare range uses a 20V battery, which can also be used with their DIY power tools in the same collection.
Read our Worx WG779E cordless mower review and Landroid S300 WR130E robot mower review, which both won Gardeners’ World magazine Best Buy awards.
Buy Worx cordless tools on Worx, Amazon and Ebay.
Stiga
Stiga’s cordless tool range includes:
- Series 100: Multi-tool system, lawn mower, hedge trimmer, grass trimmer and leaf blower. The tools in this range are powered by a 20V 4Ah battery.
- Series 500: Multi-tool system, lawn mower, hedge trimmer, grass trimmer, leaf blower and chainsaw. The tools in this range are powered by two 48V 2Ah batteries.
- Series 700: lawn mower, hedge trimmer, grass trimmer, leaf blower and chainsaw. The tools in this range are powered by Stiga E-Power E440, 4Ah batteries, which are sold separately.
- Series 900: lawn mower, hedge trimmer, grass trimmer, leaf blower and chainsaw. The tools in this range are powered by Stiga E-Power E475, 7.5Ah batteries, which are sold separately.
Read our Stiga Collect 136AE Kit cordless mower review and our Stiga 500 Multi Tool System review, both of which won Gardeners’ World magazine Best Buy awards.
Buy Stiga cordless tools on Stiga, Amazon and Just Lawn Mowers.
Stihl
Stihl’s cordless tool ranges include:
- AI: hedge trimmer, grass trimmer and leaf blower, which all have built in batteries.
- AK: lawn mower, hedge trimmer, grass trimmer, leaf blower, scarifier and shrub shears, which are powered by AK10, AK20 and AK30 lightweight 36V batteries.
- AP: lawn mower, hedge trimmer, pole pruner and chainsaw, which are powered by AP100, AP200 and AP300 36V batteries.
Read our Stihl Compact Cordless Power System review, HSA 56 Hedge Trimmer review and iMow 422P robot mower review, all of which won Gardeners’ World magazine Best Buy awards.
Buy Stihl cordless tools on Stihl, Amazon and Just Lawn Mowers.
Bosch
Bosch’s Power For All cordless tool ranges include:
- 18V System: shears, hedge trimmer, hedge pole and grass cutter
- 26V System: lawn mower, hedge trimmer, grass trimmer and leaf blower
Read our Bosch Power For All 18V Cordless System review and Rotak 32Li review, as well as the ALS Leaf Blower review and EasyHedgeCut 12-35 review, which both won Gardeners’ World magazine Best Buy awards
Buy Bosch cordless tools on Bosch, Amazon and Tooled Up.
Makita
Makita Power For All cordless tool ranges include:
18V System: leaf blower, hedge trimmer, grass shears, pole hedge trimmer, string trimmer, line trimmer, brush cutter and wheelbarrow
Twin 18V System: lawn mower, pressure washer, leaf blower, leaf vacuum, chainsaw, pruning shears, brush cutter and line trimmer
40V System: leaf blower, hedge trimmer and line trimmer
[LINK] Read our review of the Makita 18V System Lawn Mower, which won a Gardeners’ World magazine Best Buy award, and Twin 18V System Hedge Trimmer.
[LINK] Buy Makita cordless tools on Amazon
Ryobi
Ryobi cordless tool ranges include:
One+: lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and chainsaws, which are powered by an 18V battery
[LINK] Read our review of the Ryobi One+ System, which won a Gardeners’ World magazine Best Buy award
MaxPower: lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, grass trimmers, leaf blowers and chainsaws, which use 36V batteries
[LINK] Buy Ryobi cordless tools on Amazon
Greenworks
Greenworks cordless tool ranges include:
24V: Multi Tool, lawn mower, hedge trimmers and grass trimmers, which are powered by a 24V 2Ah battery
[LINK] Read our review of the 24V Multi Tool
40V: lawn mower, hedge trimmers, grass trimmers and pressure washer, which are powered by a 40V 4Ah battery
60V: lawn mower, hedge trimmers, grass trimmers and pressure washer, which are powered by a 40V 4Ah battery
[LINK] Buy Greenworks cordless tools on Amazon
Flymo
Flymo cordless tool ranges include:
2 C-Link: Multi tool system, lawn mower, hedge trimmer, blower and grass trimmer
[LINK] Read our review of the 2 C-Link Multi Tool system
[LINK] Buy Flymo cordless tools on Amazon
Stiga 500 Series
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
Pros:
- Range of batteries and chargers to choose from
- Excellent performance and power
- Helpful indicator lights
- Tools well thought out with excellent features
Cons:
- Heavy
- Expensive - Battery and charger must be bought separately
- Limited range of tools in the system
Our testers found the SHT 500 AE Cordless hedge trimmer was able to cut woody growth well and the rotating head locked easily into five positions. The battery on this tool is quite large meaning it could be heavy for some users. The SGT 500 AE Cordless grass trimmer is easy to assemble and the wide head cuts efficiently. The tool is very adaptable as the shaft is telescopic, the handle adjusts and head also rotates, with a wheel for effortless edging.
This tool set sits at the higher end of the price-range and is best for committed gardeners. The tools performed every job well so we judged it a Best Buy.
Read the full review at: Stiga 500 Series review
Stihl Compact Cordless Power System
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
Pros:
- Available with or without battery
- Very easy to set up
- Light, comfortable and well balanced to use
- Tools have good features
- Good value once you have a battery and charger
Cons:
- Long charge time
- Limited range of tools in the system
The hedge trimmer HAS 56 cuts woody growth efficiently and comes with a handy safety lock. The grass strimmer FSA 56 has an adjustable shaft and handle and copes with most rough lawn areas well. The leaf blower BGA 56 is light and quiet with an adjustable tube so it’s suitable for most heights. There’s only one speed setting but it handles leaves and smaller debris well.
There’s no assembling as the tools arrived ready to go and the batteries charge in 80 minutes. We found the system was efficient and good value money and would suit regular gardeners or bigger gardens. We judged this a Best Buy through our expert cordless garden tools reviews.
Read the full review at: Stihl Compact Cordless Power System review
Bosch 18V Power for ALL Cordless System
Our rating: 4.3 out of 5
Pros:
- Extensive range of tools in the system
- Choice of batteries and chargers
- Very light and comfortable
- Good manoeuvrability
- Tools have some good features
Cons:
- Feel flimsy
- Lack power
- Short run time
We found the Universal Hedgecut 18-500 and Universal Grasscut 18-260 from this cordless garden multi tools system were simple to set up and the battery was easy to swap and recharge. The charger has indicator lights to let you know when the tool is fully charged. The hedge trimmer felt well-balanced and the ‘Antiblocking system’ stopped growth jamming the blades. However, it was less powerful than other tools and felt a little flimsy, although the blades were longer.
The grass trimmer head rotates easily for trimming although the cutting diameter is quite small. We liked the ergonomically designed handle and the way the battery tucked comfortably under the arm during use.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit brushless garden tools.
Read the full review at: Bosch 18V Power for ALL Cordless System review
Greenworks 24 V Cordless Series
Our rating: 4.3 out of 5
Pros:
- Extensive range of tools available
- Fast charging time
- Good warranty length
- Light, simple tools
Cons:
- Limited range of batteries and chargers
- Batteries and chargers purchased separately
- Unusual handle design for some testers
The 24 V string trimmer and hedge trimmer cordless garden multi tools set comes with battery and charger included, which is unusual for this style of tool.
The grass trimmer has a rotatable head for edging but a slightly small handle meant the tool was uncomfortable for some testers. The hedge trimmer also had issues with the handle, as testers felt it was insubstantial. It is a light tool but struggles with thicker growth. The leaf blower was more comfortable to use and felt powerful, with two speeds plus a nozzle for more focused blowing.
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Simplicity
Battery-powered yard tools can do the same job as many electric and gas-powered yard tools while eliminating extension cord wrangling and gas, oil and annual tune ups. They’re not only powerful enough, but the batteries last long enough for the most common yard tasks. Plus, battery-powered yard tools are far more reliable than any gasoline engine. Just plug in a fresh battery, press the start button and you’re off and running.
Photo: The Toro Company
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Peter Sobolev/Shutterstock
Know Your Motors
Battery-powered yard tools can be equipped with either a “brushed” or “brushless” -style electric motor. Brushed motors cost less so they’re often used in economy tools where a low selling price is critical. Brushed motors are also less energy efficient than brushless versions, so they’re not a good fit for tools that must handle heavy loads or run for long periods because they’ll drain the battery faster. But that doesn’t mean you should rule them out completely. Brushed-motor hedge and edge trimmers save money and work just fine for maintaining smaller yards. Due to the shorter run times and lighter loads, the battery can easily last through the job.
However, that’s not the case with leaf blowers and chain saws. They’re typically run for longer periods at higher speeds. For those tools you’ll want a brushless-motor tool and a large battery—you don’t want to run out of power in the middle of a tree trimming or leaf wrangling project.
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Cheng Wei/Shutterstock
Understanding Electric Motor Power Usage
You’ll find battery-powered yard tools with 18-, 24-, 36-, 40-, 56- and even 80-volt batteries. You may think that a higher voltage battery automatically translates to more power. That’s true in some cases, but not always. In fact, a well-designed tool with a 40-volt battery can match the power of an 80-volt tool, so you can’t rely on battery voltage alone to judge a tool’s suitability.
The true measure of a battery-powered yard tool’s efficiency is its wattage. To calculate wattage simply multiply volts times amps. Here’s how that applies to battery-powered yard tools. If you think of volts as pressure (psi) and amps as volume (gallons), then multiplying volts (pressure) times amps (volume) gives you the number of “gallons” at a set pressure (volts). So a tool with a higher wattage rating uses more power than a comparable tool with a lower wattage rating.
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Understanding Battery Capacity
The electrical storage capacity of a battery is rated in amp-hours. An amp-hour rating gives you an idea how long a battery can continuously output a set number of amps. A 5-amp-hour battery, for example, will discharge 5 amps continuously for one hour. If you run the yard tool at a higher speed or higher load that draws more than 5 amps, the battery will discharge faster.
But a battery’s amp-hour rating alone doesn’t give you an indication of how much total power the tool can deliver. That’s why you also need to compare the battery’s watt-hour rating (volts x amp-hours). Some manufacturers list the watt-hour rating, but many don’t. Here’s an example of two similarly sized batteries based on amp-hours.
The 40-volt Toro PowerPlex T90 battery has a 2.5 amp-hour 90 watt-hour rating. Another manufacturer provides an 18-volt 2.0 amp-hour battery with a 36 watt-hour rating. Even though the batteries have similar amp-hour ratings (2.0 and 2.5), their watt-hour ratings are very different (90 versus 36). If you’re comparing batteries, make sure you compare watt-hour ratings instead of just amp-hours. Life hack: How to double the life of your lithium ion batteries.
Photo: The Toro Company, Rick Muscoplat
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About Those Battery Power Indicators
Many lithium batteries come equipped with a series of lights that indicate remaining battery power. They’re an invaluable aid to let you know whether you’ve got enough power to finish the job or start a new one. The indicators are fairly accurate, but they’re not foolproof. That’s because lithium batteries don’t discharge like older nickel–cadmium (NiCad ) or nickel metal hybrid (Ni–MH) batteries. Those batteries discharged slower and slower until they finally conked out. So you could “milk” that last little bit of power out of them to finish the job. Lithium batteries, on the other hand, output power at a fairly steady rate until battery voltage reaches a pre-set cutoff point, and then the battery shuts off completely. So be warned; if you start a job with less than 1/4-power left on the battery, your yard tool will probably shut down sooner than you think. Once it’s shut down, you’re out of business.
Photo: The Toro Company, Rick Muscoplat
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KPad/Shutterstock
What’s the Deal With Battery Run Time?
The most common complaint from battery-powered yard tool owners is that the battery doesn’t last as long as advertised. Most manufacturers publish run times based on the tool on the lowest speed. If you run the tool at a higher speed, you simply won’t get the advertised run time.
Here are some rules of thumb for managing battery run time:
• Many homeowners run their leaf blower at top speed to move leaves and clean sidewalks and driveways. You don’t always need that higher speed to get the job done. You’ll get longer run times if you buy a leaf blower with several speeds and a power boost button. Run the tool at the lowest speed and use the higher speed or power boost only as needed.
• String trimmers and hedge trimmers can run at the lowest speed when trimming weekly growth. But if you let the growth get out of hand, don’t be surprised if your battery discharges faster due to the heavier load.
• Battery-powered chain saws can usually handle felling and cutting up small trees and shrubs on a single charge as long as you cut slowly. However, if you try to cut too fast, you’ll overload the motor and discharge the battery faster.
Which is faster, a gas- or battery-powered chain saw?
These are our top 10 chain saw tips.
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Which Speed Button Setup is Best?
Battery-powered yard tools are available with several speed options.
• Multiple speeds that you control from the trigger or push button control panel
• Infinitely variable speed that you control from the trigger or with a speed dial
• Boost mode that provides maximum power as long as you depress the “Boost” button
Infinitely variable speed may seem like the best choice because it allows you to fine tune the speed to get maximum battery run time. In reality, most users find it a nuisance. The truth is, few projects require that degree of speed control. If you’re considering a tool with trigger-controlled variable speed, make sure it’s equipped with a “cruise-control” trigger lock so you can release the trigger and still maintain the speed. Otherwise, choose a multiple-speed unit with boost mode.
Photo: The Toro Company
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For Leaf Blowers, It’s All About MPH and CFM
Leaf blower buyers get really confused by air velocity and air volume specifications. They wonder which is more important—miles per hour (MPH) or cubic feet per minute (CFM)? When it comes to lifting and moving leaves, MPH alone isn’t a reliable indicator of the leaf blower’s abilities. That’s because MPH is directly related to the tool’s nozzle size. So a blower can easily achieve a high 300-MPH rating, but have a very small nozzle opening. That may be great for blowing out the cracks in your driveway, but the blower sure won’t round up many leaves.
You need high air velocity (MPH) to lift leaves off your lawn and out of flower beds. But you need a high CFM and MPH rating to round up piles of leaves. So, the best leaf blowers have the highest CFM and MPH rating, along with multiple nozzles. Here are 14 tips for dealing with leaves like a pro.
Photo: The Toro Company
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Edger/Trimmers Offer the Best of Both Worlds
You can turn any string trimmer into an edger simply by rotating the tool 90°. That trick works if you have a short sidewalk. But holding the handle in that position for a long time can be hard on your wrists. That’s where a dual-mode edger/trimmer unit comes in handy. Use the head in the horizontal position for trimming around your foundation, fence and gardens. Then rotate the head 90° and edge a long walk and driveway while holding the handle in its normal position.
Photo: The Toro Company, Rick Muscoplat
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An Additional Battery Boosts Your Productivity
If you’re like most homeowners, you cut the grass, trim and edge with a string trimmer and then clean up the sidewalk and driveway with your leaf blower. If you have a small yard, you can probably do all those jobs with a single battery. But on larger yards, you’ll be far more productive if you buy a second battery. That way you’ll finish the job faster instead of waiting around for the battery to recharge. Here are some tips on caring for lithium ion batteries.
Photo: The Toro Company, Rick Muscoplat
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Marian Weyo/Shutterstock
Protect Your Batteries From Extreme Heat and Cold
High heat and freezing temperatures can dramatically reduce battery life and replacement yard tool batteries are expensive! To get maximum life out of your battery, avoid leaving it in a hot garage, in the sun or in your car on a hot day. Store the battery indoors in the winter. Leaving a battery in a discharged state for long periods also reduces its life, so keep it charged. Finally, avoid repeated discharge/recharge cycles in a short period of time. Here are 23 awesome yard tool hacks that will make your life easier!
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