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Electric weed remover for block paving

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a block drive full of moss in the joints, and a long-handled brush looks like the way to stay on your feet. An electric weed remover for block paving often meets a gap narrower than the wheel, so the cup rides the blocks, throws the sand, and leaves the root. The listings on the [electric joint cleaner comparison](/hub/garden-supplies/electric-joint-cleaner) were not built as 3 mm picks. Marshalls specifies jointing sand for joints of about 2–5 mm. Plan the spare wheel before you pay. The dry-session order is on [how to use an electric patio cleaner](/hub/garden-supplies/electric-joint-cleaner/sub/electric-joint-cleaner-how-to-use).

You have a block drive full of moss in the joints, and a long-handled brush looks like the way to stay on your feet.

Our top picks

Ryobi Ryobi RY18PCA-0

Best overall

Ryobi Ryobi RY18PCA-0
5.2/10about £83.95
View offer
Ark Mat Ark Mat LW-1

Rank 2

Ark Mat Ark Mat LW-1
7.5/10about £55.95
View offer
Einhell Einhell GC-CC 18 Li Solo

Best value

Einhell Einhell GC-CC 18 Li Solo
7.0/10about £47.36
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.How wide the joint is
  2. 2.Sand that comes out
  3. 3.Spares and a second pack
  4. 4.When the blocks have already moved

How wide the joint is

Look at one gap, not only at the diameter on the box. Ark Mat and Ecobuild list a 110 mm wheel, which is the cup, not the thickness that has to enter the joint. On the Einhell solo the brush is called too wide for narrow block joints. Ryobi’s head wanders on narrow gaps. A soft or worn face wants nylon, which is the split on the wire brush vs nylon patio cleaner page. Kärcher’s nylon band at £128.99 does not solve the width.

Sand that comes out

The brush throws jointing sand onto the blocks, and that sand is what locks an unbound pavement. Marshalls says weeds colonise the sand rather than growing through a sound drive. One Einhell reviewer brushed the thrown sand and soil back in. Do it the same day, before rain or a car moves the sand into the gutter. A second wire pass empties the joint further. A jet aimed down the joint only strips more sand.
Ryobi Ryobi RY18PCA-0

Testsieger

Ryobi Ryobi RY18PCA-0
5.2/10about £83.95
View offer

Spares and a second pack

Shop prices here were about £11.95 for nylon 3424110 and about £15.95 for set 3424115, on Einhell’s site rather than amazon.co.uk. Ecobuild claims four brushes and a 10 m cable, but only four reviews and two conflicting weights. If the socket is close, a corded Ark Mat at £55.95, with a claimed 10 m lead and both wheels, avoids the pack count. Lead versus pack is the electric patio cleaner buying guide.

When the blocks have already moved

If blocks have sunk, rocked, or the edge restraint has opened, sand brushed back will not hold them. More wire passes remove more of what locks the blocks. Stop, and have a paving contractor lift and re-lay that bay. A leaned edge restraint is the same fault: the weed is a symptom, and the cup will not push the blocks back.

Common questions

Will a rotary brush get inside a 2–5 mm block joint?
Usually it will not. Marshalls specifies jointing sand for about 2–5 mm. Einhell aims these brushes at about 10–15 mm, and steel spare 3424100 is for joints from 15 mm. Reviewers say the Einhell wheel sits on narrow block weeds and that Ark Mat’s brush is too thick for some gaps. The cup clears moss at the mouth and throws sand. A knife enters the gap the wheel missed. Another pass does not make the wheel thinner.
What joint width does Einhell design for?
About 10–15 mm, on Einhell’s UK grout-cleaner pages. Spare 3424100 is 100 mm across and 15 mm wide, for joints from 15 mm. Spare 3424110 is nylon with a 10 mm cleaning width, for joints from 10 mm. Set 3424115 is a 10 mm steel and a 6 mm nylon. The amazon solo’s 10 cm cutting width is the diameter class. Measure your gap before you treat any of those as a fit.
What do you put back in the joint?
Put the jointing sand back the same day if the wheel threw it out and the blocks have not moved. If the joint was already empty, use kiln-dried sand specified for a 2–5 mm joint and sweep it in. Marshalls treats empty joints as a route to failure. Soil and weed debris are not a substitute. Do not leave the drive sandless because the moss has gone.
How many spare wheels does a driveway imply?
At least one extra steel or wire wheel when the area is a drive. One Ark Mat review used a wire wheel up in about six hours on a large brick drive, and a double drive used two. Einhell wheels are described as brand-specific. That six-hour note is one review, not a lifespan we measured. Order the spare with the tool rather than after the hub is bare.
Do cheap hex wheels fit Ark Mat or Einhell?
Do not assume they do. One Ark Mat reviewer says their wheel uses a 1/4 inch hex, so a same-size wheel might fit that tool. Generic Lazy-Weeder wheels are not confirmed here. Einhell reviewers say other brands do not fit, so use 3424100, 3424110 or 3424115. A similar-looking hex wheel is an easy way to own a spare you cannot mount.
Is a bare 18 V tool enough for a whole drive?
Not on these reviews. Ryobi users saw about 20 to 30 minutes, and one four-car drive took four batteries a day across two days. The Einhell kit includes a battery and still needed three charges, or a recharge about every 30 minutes. The solo includes no battery. Ark Mat or Ecobuild avoids the pack count when the 10 m lead reaches. Kärcher’s area claim is about 15 square metres a charge, which is a patio patch, not a drive.

Related pages

Best electric patio weed remover

Electric joint cleaner

Electric patio cleaner buying guide: corded or 18 V

How to use an electric patio cleaner the first time

Wire brush vs nylon patio cleaner: which wheel fits

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices are the figures used for this comparison. Updated 22 October 2026.

  1. HSE, electrical equipment (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Electrical Safety First, garden (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. IET, BS 7671 Regulation 411.3.3 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Einhell UK, patio grout cleaners (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Ryobi UK, RY18PCA-0 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Kärcher UK, WRE 18-55 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. HSE, glyphosate renewal (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Ark Mat LW-1, amazon.co.uk B0CBKXP4XQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)