Best Brush Cutters to Get Rid of Dense Plant Growth in the UK

Makita brand always stands for indisputable quality. Designing its numerous power tools for indoor and outdoor use, the manufacturer smartly combines advanced technologies and innovations to deliver the key values of reliability, power, and efficiency. The Makita EBH252U brush cutter is not an exception to this concept. This professional-grade tool comes fitted with a 24.5 cc 4-stroke engine yielding an immense power sufficient both for commercial and for home applications. The pack includes a cutter blade and a nylon cutting head. Hence the tool can be used as a heavy-duty brush cutter to clear weeds and saplings in tricky areas where a lawnmower fails and doubles as a line trimmer to trim long grass and tidy up your lawn.

The major problems of most gas power tools are sometimes difficult engine ignition and pretty heavy tool weight. In this petrol brush cutter, Makita has successfully overcome these problems. The machine features a spring-assisted recoil activated with mechanical decompression greatly reducing resistance at startup and flawlessly igniting the engine in mere seconds. Yet, the biggest advantage of this model is the truly lightweight design most petrol brush cutters cannot boast of. The tool weighs only 5.7kg and even if you fill in the fuel tank, its weight will remain comparable to that of electric models. This is mostly thanks to a hollow yet extremely rigid single-piece shaft.

With all the power-packed in a lightweight body, Makita is a highly dependable tool enduring heavy workloads and, at the same time, very convenient and easy to use. It features an ergonomic handlebar with a bike handle design for better control and fatigue-free operation while a padded shoulder harness with double straps and waist cushion will add comfort during work, especially when you have to trim big areas.

Multifunctional appliances and tools are quite a common thing today. Promising diverse functionality, though, not all of them live up to their promises and you might often end up with the tool that is pretty useless. Yet, it won’t be the case with the cutting multi-tool from Stanley that offers 4-in-1 functionality and delivers great in each and every function.

Straight off the reel, the model comes fitted with a number of interchangeable attachments that will save you the need and budget on buying three more separate tools. In the package, you’ll find a brush cutter blade, string trimmer spool, hedge trimmer cutter, and a chainsaw attachment. Thus, a 4-tooth 1.6 mm thick stainless steel blade 23 cm in diameter will let you clear your garden or yard from dense weeds and saplings while a string head with a 2mm thick nylon thread will help trim the grass and spruce up the lawn edges with ease. On top of that, a hedge trimmer is of great use for maintaining bushes and green fences neatly shaped and cut while a chainsaw will come in handy for pruning trees in between the seasons. As such, the tool is a real find for any avid home gardener who seeks professional-grade maintenance for the lawn and vegetation around their homes.

To cope with light and heavy-duty cutting and trimming tasks equally well, the Stanley tool comes fitted with a unique JetForce engine that boasts increased power and can speed up to a whopping 12,000 RPM. At the same time, it is consumption-wise and produces minimum emissions when operating, which is good for your budget since you won’t have to refuel the tool too often and favourable for the environment since the air won’t get polluted too much.

When it comes to Bosch, it’s about German quality and well-thought practical solutions. You’ll hardly find any Bosch tool that fails to do the job it's meant for. In most cases, Bosch tools even overcome your expectations, consistently delivering high performance within many years. The same is true about the Bosch AFS 23-37 brush cutter. If you need a reliable workhorse to regularly tackle a variety of garden tasks being sure it will never let you down, look no further.

At a glance, the tool looks pretty much like other brush cutters featuring a similar handheld design. Yet, it has a number of advantages over other models. Made of premium quality materials, it is dependable and built to last. The next thing we cannot leave unnoticed is an ultra-lightweight tool construction. Weighing only 5.3 kg, this brush cutting machine can be easily handled by men and women alike allowing them to work without fatigue and causing no strain to their arms. The power unit and the attachment are fitted together without any extra tool, simply using the nut and the locking button. The adjustable shoulder strap and the strap mount provide optimal tool balance for different body sizes and heights while an ergonomic loop-and-bar handle adds user comfort during operation.

But don’t let this simplicity fool you. Behind a lightweight body, there is a powerful 950W motor generating enough power and torque to cope with various vegetation types and delivering impressive cutting performance to get the job done. The combination cutting system makes it easy to change between an extra-strong line and blade. The Bosch AFS 23-37 brush cutter uses 3.5 mm fixed cutting lines to ensure high endurance cutting without having to frequently change the line. However, if you need a spare line, it will be always at hand, since spare lines are conveniently stored inside the safety bar. The line is suitable for long coarse grass and weeds whereas a super sharp three-tip blade is used more on nettles, brambles, and shrubs.

Choosing a tool for trimming your garden or yard, you need to keep in mind what kind of tasks you expect it to perform and what kind of space you are going to trim. Thus, if you have a neat city yard with a few trees and a puffy grass carpet, you’ll do with some common lightweight grass trimmer. Yet, if you live in a rural area or have a bigger property with diverse vegetation including brushes and saplings that need regular trimming during the year, you definitely need a much more robust tool capable of handling heavy-duty tasks like this scythe from Einhell.

To start from the functionality, the model is a solid combination tool that can serve both as a grass trimmer and as a brush cutter. It comes complete with a twin-line spool and thread ensuring a cutting width of 48 cm and a rugged stainless steel blade cutter 25.5 cm in diameter. As such, the tool delivers bigger coverage in one go and will become a real saviour for trimming larger areas. In the meantime, a 700-watt engine speeds up to 6,000 rpm in a grass trimming mode and up to 7,000 rpm in a brush cutting mode to easily tackle dense and stubborn growth while ensuring precision work for neat and professional-looking results.

Coming down to the tool design, the scythe is truly built to last. Made of durable metal, it was engineered to withstand heavy workloads a gas cutter is meant for. At 8.5 kg, it might seem quite heavy but, thanks to a thought-out construction, you won’t actually feel that weight too much when carrying it. A carrying strap evenly distributes the weight and balances the tool while an adjustable second handle with convenient controls on it provides a comfortable grip for accurate work. More than that, a Quickstart system with a primer will ensure a smooth and failure-free tool start time and again.

What are the most important features an experienced gardener or a novice horticulturist usually seek in garden power tools? It’s power, efficiency, ease of use, and functionality. The Ryobi 2-in-1 brush cutter offers all of this and even more.

The first thing to say about this tool is that it’s an electric model which means it’s lighter and more compact than gas-powered models since it has no fuel tank. And it will save you the trouble of mixing fuel with oil for 2-stroke petrol engines and thinking of fuel refilling when you have a lot of work to do. The only aspect you might have to worry about is an extension cord for larger working areas. As for the rest, just plug in your brush cutting machine and off you go. A handy shoulder strap will provide additional support and evenly distribute the tool weight for better balance, while a handle on the body and an extra loop handle on the shaft ensure a secure grip and add comfort during operation. Once the work is finished, you can split the shaft into two parts and compactly store the tool in a garden shed or somewhere in your garage.

Yet, despite its low weight and ease of use, this electric brush cutter is not as simple as it may seem. First of all, lightweight design in no way means a lack of power. The Ryobi RBC1226I is driven by a forceful 1200W engine delivering comprehensive performance to combat thick or wet grass and tackle small-size shrubbery with no problem. In the package, you will find a 26cm Tri-Arc+™ hardened steel blade for tougher jobs and a ReelEasy™ bump feed string head for less heavy-duty tasks. However, what will impress you most about this tool is its unmatched functional versatility the majority of other models do not offer. Thanks to the Ryobi Expand-it system, this machine is compatible with a range of Expand-it attachments that can convert it to a hedge trimmer, pole chainsaw or blower. Besides, there is an extension shaft that will give you an additional 62 cm of length for overhead works. Though you’ll have to buy those attachments, at a fraction of the cost of several garden tools you’ll have them all in a single tool.