Why These 7 Lightweight Garden Shears Will Elevate Your Gardening

A good pair of lightweight garden shears allows you to mince around your garden. Quickly trimming and tidying your shrubbery.

Getting back ache from lugging around a weighty pair of garden scissors is not what the doctor ordered regarding garden maintenance. This is why I’ve detailed my top 7 lightweight garden shears, which make light work of bushes and edging.

The Karcher Cordless Grass and Shrub Shears hit the top spot as the best garden shears in my playbook. They can do it all as an overall winner, but my other six ran them very close.

My selection of the best hedge, edging and grass lightweight garden shears ensures you have a quality set for any occasion.

Best Lightweight Garden Shears At A Glance

Best Overall – Karcher Cordless Grass and Shrub Shears
Best Hedge Shears #1 – Fiskar Light Hedge Shears
Best Hedge Shears #2 – ARS KR1000 Light Hedge Shears
Best Edging Shears #1 – CK Legend Edging Shears
Best Edging Shears #2 – Darlac Edging Shears
Best Grass Shears –Gardena Single Handed Swivel Grass Shears
Best Cordless Grass Shears – Makita Cordless Grass Shears

The Different Types Of Shears You Can Buy

There are several types of garden shears you can purchase.

Edging Shears

These speciality tools have lengthened handles and angled blades. They are designed to clean up the edges of lawns that border paving, decking, and sleepers.

There are also lawn shears, similar to edging ones, with a flat, horizontal blade. These are ideal for navigating challenging grassy regions.

Hedge Shears

Hedge shears resemble giant scissors and are extremely useful for pruning and shaping hedges and trees.

Whether you choose regular or telescopic handles that extend. These scissors provide secure access to the tops of large trees, shrubs, and bushes, eliminating the need for risky ladders.

Grass Shears

These adaptable shears allow easy grass cutting from standing. They come in two different types: horizontal blades and vertical blades.

Horizontal blades efficiently remove grass that the lawn mower may have missed. Vertical blades are ideal for trimming your lawn’s edges, resulting in a tidy and well-maintained finish.

The Best Lightweight Garden Shears For Garden Maintenance

Karcher Cordless Grass and Shrub Shears

Nice and lightweight, weighing a grand total of 1.4KG
It can be used for grass cutting around borders, hard-to-reach areas, and your standard shrub cutting.
This kit comes with two interchangeable blades, one for your hedges and one for your lawn.
I find these best for cutting all sorts of hedges and those tough-to-get grassy areas.

The Karcher Lightweight Garden Shears were a fantastic choice for us, and we still use them. 1.4 kg is very lightweight for an electronic shear.

The handle is ergonomic and comfortable, making it a dream for everyday maintenance.

I made the mistake of having my man’s eyes on when ordering because the kit does not come with a battery or charger.

These are easily purchased, though, as the entire Karchers battery range is compatible.

Trimming time is 1.5 hours before you notice the battery losing some juice, which is good.

As you can imagine, powered by juice, it provides great performance and an excellent cut.
Overall, super happy with these as an all-round garden shear.

Fiskar Light Hedge Shears

Light in your hands. 610 grams! Feels like you’re cutting paper at school again.
Made for trimming hedges and bushes.
Blades are strong, and longevity is something to behold
My hedges were tamed by these bad boys throughout several summers.

If you’re looking for a lightweight pair of manual shears, the Fiskar Hedge Shears are your answer.

It’s in the name of light. They weigh less than a kilogram, but that doesn’t reduce any performance when trimming your hedges.

The blades are good quality, and my pair can still do a decent job if I fancy a bit of manual graft in my garden.

These garden shears really impressed me. Although they have been retired, I wouldn’t hesitate to whip them back out.

ARS KR1000 Light Hedge Shears

Weighing a super light 780 grams.
Trimming hedges and, if desperate, doing a bit of edging.
Blades are slightly curved and can be replaced if needed
These are great, versatile, and still weigh less than one kilogram.

These were practically indestructible, and the fact you can replace the blades makes them a game changer.

These are my wife’s favourite, and she swears by their lightweight feel in her hands. They are robust, durable and can chew through the thickest of branches.

The blades are slightly curved, which helps with some awkward angles. You can replace the blades when they eventually get blunt, but you must buy them separately.

Lighter than life, the ARS KR1000 certainly fit in well in my dad’s tool shed.

CK Legend Edging Shears

1.78 Kilograms. A fantastic lightweight option for edging shears
Best for trimming the edges of lawns
Blades are self-sharpening and can be height-adjusted
The go-to when buying edging shears.

The secret to having a perfectly edged garden? These adjustable shears. The CK Legend Edging Shears are among the best edging shears in our garden.

They are super easy to adjust, and the weight of 1.78 kg allows you to take your time and trim those extra bits without getting arm aches.

Their quality is second to none. They perform like they are brand new. Every year, we get them out for a bit of pruning around our decking or sleepers.

I don’t throw around ‘best’ quite so freely, but these are certainly up there with the best edging shears on the market.

Darlac Edging Shears

1.2 Kilograms in weight.
Best for garden edging.
Telescopic handles and super sharp blades for your overgrown areas.
I love how durable and lightweight these edging shears are.

I’ve been delighted with these lawn edging shears. They come with adjustable handles, offering a height ranging from 66cm to 108cm.

I can maintain a straight back while using them; being over 6ft, some edging shears would require me to become a hunchback to use.

The soft grips make handling super comfortable, too. What really impressed me are the solid and wavy-edged blades—measuring 29cm, they cut through the job quickly and efficiently.

Another strong candidate for the best edging shears currently on sale to buy. Definitely a must-have for any gardening enthusiast.

Gardena Single Handed Swivel Grass Shears

400 grams. Lighter than a cloud
Grass shears. Great for manual grass-cutting
Wave-ground cutting blades. Super sharp and super precise.
Excellent for those touching finishes when making your lawn award-ready.

Garden scissors on steroids. These lawn shears will allow you to complete those finishing touches on your garden.

Uncooperative grass blades cower in the sight of the Gardena Single-Handed Swivel Grass Shears.

They are manual, so they have no electronic power. Still, they use a trigger system to produce precision cutting on your lawn.

The blades are 13cm long and chew through your grass like a warm knife through butter.

They are comfortable to use as well. I’m getting to the age when I get on my hands and knees. It’s harder to get up, but at least while I’m down there, I can make a comfortable difference using these shears.

Makita Cordless Grass Shears

1.8 Kilograms – lightweight and comfortable in one hand.
Grass and shaping hedges
Trimmer and shear blades can be attached when needed
A strong all-rounder for grass, edging and hedges.

A brand-leading tool to add some style and expert trimming to your garden. The Makita Cordless Grass Shears are a fantastic little addition to add a bit of elegance to your garden.

These are comfortable to hold, and the cutting is precise and accurate. It offers 3 cutting heights based on the length of your lawn, an essential feature if you’re all about precision.

The blades can easily be changed with tools that are not required. Nice and easy! It offers a double-blade cutting action, so it effortlessly chews away on hedges and lawns.

Batteries are fully compatible across the Makita range, so one battery fits all Makita products!

How Do I Know So Much About Shears?

My wife is a keen gardener, and we have accumulated some of the best garden shears.

Unfortunately, she has Multiple Sclerosis (MS). So, having a pair of lightweight garden shears is essential for her to continue enjoying her garden maintenance.

I have thoroughly tested various edging, grass and hedge shears. These have successfully kept our garden as well-groomed as my beardy face.

We subjected the above to various stress tests across our lawns, the hardest being living with us and our rough and ready gardening style!

Our main selling points were blade and handle quality, comfort, performance, and overall value for money. We wouldn’t be seen dead with anything less.

How To Choose Your Lightweight Garden Shears

Before buying garden shears, I always look at the following criteria to ensure I get what I need.

Blades

You’ll likely encounter blades crafted from steel when hunting for the perfect pair of shears. This is either durable and robust carbon steel or rust-resistant but slightly weaker stainless steel.

There is always a delicate balance between strength and rust resistance. I like to watch for polished carbon steel blades, offering an added layer of defence against rust. Fancy, I know.

It’s also worth noting that most lightweight garden shears come with a thin oil coating. This helps protect the blades from corrosion.

Handle Quality

Garden shears have a diverse range of options when it comes to handles. They might be straightforward, comfortable, or feature specialised grips for a better experience.

Materials vary widely, with choices such as steel, alloy handles, wood, or rubber grips.

Steel, for instance, promises a good, strong design but adds a bit of weight, making it not so lightweight.

On the other hand, wood excels at shock absorption, chomping through those more rigid branches. It demands regular maintenance, though and cares to stay in top shape.

So, as you weigh these factors, you’ll find the perfect handle that aligns with your preferences and gardening needs.

Comfort

It must fit in your hand to allow a good cut, so comfort is vital. There is no point in buying a pair of garden shears if you can only hold them for five minutes before you get a chronic arm ache.

Weight will play a factor in this. Lightweight is better, allowing easy manoeuvring when providing maintenance regularly. That is why I’m looking at lightweight garden shears!

Performance

Precisely what it says on the tin. The cut needs to be smooth and precise. Evaluate not only the end result but also the overall experience during use.

How sharp are they? How easily can they be maintained? It’s essential for your purchased tool to not only perform well but remain in top-notch condition over time.

Overall Value

Don’t pay under the odds for poor quality or over the odds for something that can do the same thing, £30 cheaper. Always consider value; this comes in reviews, materials and warranty.

FAQ's

What distinguishes garden shears from pruners?

Garden shears and pruners offer different roles. Pruners are designed to cut grass and light foliage, having shorter blades for more controlled cuts. On the other hand, shears are designed to prune branches and hedges, with longer blades for more reach.

How do lawn shears differ from edging shears?

Lawn shears and edging shears are similar yet serve different purposes. Lawn shears typically have a flat, horizontal blade for pruning challenging grass regions.
Edging shears with an angled blade are excellent for finishing the edges of lawns, pavers, and flowerbeds.

Should I mow or edge my lawn first?

For best results, mow your grass before using edging shears. Mowing creates a constant grass height, making cutting sharp edges with shears easy. This cycle results in clean and well-groomed grass.

Are grass shears a worthwhile investment?

Absolutely! Grass shears are helpful for precision pruning and preserving the edges of your grass. They provide a level of control and detail that lawnmowers need to improve on. This will result in a groomed and visually beautiful environment.