Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Which Black and Decker strimmer

Updated: October 2026

You have already decided the brand is BLACK+DECKER, and amazon.co.uk is showing you seven different tools under that name, from a £28.99 corded edge trimmer to two £99.99 kits. Sorting by stars, or grabbing the bare cordless row because the price looks lower, answers the wrong question. Products Compared did not lab-test a cut. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The shelf itself is the [Black and Decker grass trimmer comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/black-and-decker-grass-trimmer). Updated 22 October 2026 by Peter F., DIY and tools editor.

You have already decided the brand is BLACK+DECKER, and amazon.co.uk is showing you seven different tools under that name, from a £28.99 corded edge trimmer to two £99.99 kits.

Our top picks

Black+Decker Black+Decker BCSTA536B-XJ

Best overall

Black+Decker Black+Decker BCSTA536B-XJ
8.8/10about £90.00
View offer
Black+Decker Black+Decker GL7033-GB

Rank 2

Black+Decker Black+Decker GL7033-GB
8.6/10about £66.99
View offer
Black+Decker Black+Decker GL250-GB

Best value

Black+Decker Black+Decker GL250-GB
8.2/10about £28.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the grass, not the stars
  2. 2.Corded: GL250, GL360, then GL7033
  3. 3.Cordless: what the price does not include
  4. 4.A resin blade is a different cutter
  5. 5.Which listing to open

Start with the grass, not the stars

Width is the first split, because a head that is quick in the open is clumsy against a fence. In this set, 23 cm is the GL250-GB and 25 cm is the GL360-GB and the resin-blade kit. 28 cm is the pair of 18 V line trimmers. 33 cm is the GL7033-GB and the 36 V bare unit. A neglected strip behind the shed, full of docks, does not want 23 cm and 250 W. Stars come after that, and only with the sample attached. The five-review line will sort to the top and still tell you nothing about your border.

Corded: GL250, GL360, then GL7033

The GL250-GB at £28.99 is 250 W, 23 cm, bump feed, and it needs assembly. The listing names an A6226-XJ spare spool. A short shaft shows up too: one reviewer at 5 ft 1 in had to bend. It is the corded tool to open for a light edge beside a socket, and the wrong one when the grass is already thick. The GL360-GB at £37.33 steps to 350 W, 25 cm and a second handle. Buy it for the second handle. Leave it if you needed 33 cm. The GL7033-GB at £66.99 is 700 W, 33 cm, automatic single-line feed and a wheel edge guide, and the reviews talk about stubborn weeds. If the lead cannot cross the garden, the corded branch ends here. The fork is the corded or cordless page.
Black+Decker Black+Decker BCSTA536B-XJ

Testsieger

Black+Decker Black+Decker BCSTA536B-XJ
8.8/10about £90.00
View offer

Cordless: what the price does not include

Two cordless rows are bare. The BCST918B-XJ at £74.19 is 18 V, and the highlight says battery and charger are not included. The BCSTA536B-XJ at £90.00 is 36 V and also bare. An 18 V pack does not run it. The two kits are both £99.99 and both say kitted 2 Ah. The amazon capture for the BCST918D1-GB does not name a charger, so read the included-components line on the day you buy.

A resin blade is a different cutter

The BCSTR918D1-GB is the other £99.99 kit, and it is not a nylon strimmer. The title says a resin blade, the swathe is 25 cm, and it is 4.6 from five reviews. If you wanted a blade and you can live with five reviews, this is the only row in the set that says so.

Which listing to open

A short lead points at the GL250, or the GL360 if you want the second handle. Thicker weeds point at the GL7033. Match 18 V or 36 V only to a pack you can supply. Setup, the guard and the cable over your shoulder belong on the how to use page. A head that will not advance line belongs on the line not feeding page.

Common questions

Which Black and Decker strimmer should I buy for a small garden?
For a short edge and a nearby socket, start with the GL250-GB at £28.99, 250 W and 23 cm, with 4.1 from 2,098 reviews. Move to the GL360-GB at £37.33 if you want the second handle and you will ignore the listing's 300 g weight in favour of the manual's 1.6 kg. Move to the GL7033-GB at £66.99 when the grass is thicker than a light edge.
Is the GL250 enough, or do I need the GL7033?
The GL250 is enough for a light border. Good Housekeeping's test of that model found it weak once the grass thickened, and the line snapped. The GL7033 is 700 W and 33 cm, with automatic feed and a wheel, at £66.99 and 4.3 from 1,292 reviews. Buy the larger one when the small head is the thing that is failing, not because its star is a little higher.
Does the 18 V kit include a battery and a charger?
The BCST918D1-GB title says kitted 2 Ah, and the battery line says one lithium-ion battery is included. A charger model is not in the amazon capture for this comparison. A trade page lists a 400 mA charger and a 1.6 mm spool for the same model code. Treat that as the trade page's box. On amazon, read the included-components line on the day you buy, because the captured page does not name a charger.
Will an 18 V pack run the 36 V trimmer?
No. BLACK+DECKER lists 18 V POWERCONNECT packs and 36 V packs as separate systems. The BCSTA536B-XJ is the 36 V bare trimmer. The BCST918 rows are 18 V. A pack from one does not run the other. If you already own 18 V batteries, price the bare BCST918B-XJ or the 18 V kit. If you own 36 V, the BCSTA536 is the matching head, and £90.00 still excludes the battery.
Why does the GL360 page say 300 g?
That is the item-weight line on the amazon listing. The GL250/GL360 manual states 1.6 kg for the GL360. The maker's web table also prints 0.00155 kg, which is not a real carry weight either. Use 1.6 kg from the manual when you are deciding whether you can hold it. The 300 g figure is the conflict to notice, not a weighed check by this site.
Should I trust 4.6 from five reviews?
The BCSTR918D1-GB prints 4.6 from five amazon.co.uk reviews, with one thin UK written note. The GL7033 prints 4.3 from 1,292. A higher star on a handful of ratings is not a better machine. This 4.6 row is a resin blade, not a nylon spool, so it is a different tool as well as a thin sample.

Related pages

Best Black and Decker grass trimmer

Black+Decker grass trimmer

Corded or cordless Black+Decker strimmer for the UK

How to use a Black+Decker strimmer for the first cut

Black+Decker strimmer line not feeding: what to check

Sources

Sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk captures named in the digest.

  1. Electrical Safety First, grass trimmers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. GL250/GL360 manual (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Black+Decker POWERCONNECT (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. HSE, noise duties for employers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. RHS, how to garden safely (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. idealo, Black+Decker GL7033, October 2026 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Power Tools Direct, BCST918D1 (retrieved 22.10.2026)