Corded or cordless Black and Decker strimmer
Updated: October 2026
The GL360 is £37.33 and the bare 18 V trimmer is £74.19, and those two numbers are not the same kind of price. One is a complete mains tool. The other is a head without a battery or a charger. This page is that fork. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The shelf with every price 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.
The GL360 is £37.33 and the bare 18 V trimmer is £74.19, and those two numbers are not the same kind of price. One is a complete mains tool. The other is a head without a battery or a charger. This page is that fork.
The GL360 is £37.33 and the bare 18 V trimmer is £74.19, and those two numbers are not the same kind of price. One is a complete mains tool. The other is a head without a battery or a charger. This page is that fork. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The shelf with every price is the Black and Decker grass trimmer comparison. Updated 22 October 2026 by Peter F., DIY and tools editor.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Power | Cutting width | Battery in the box | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Black+Decker Black+Decker GL7033-GB | Corded, 700 W, 240 V on the title | 33 cm | Not cordless | 8.6 | about £66.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Black+Decker Black+Decker BCST918B-XJ | Battery, 18 V | 28 cm | No. Bare unit | 8.4 | about £74.19 | View offer |
| Best value |  Black+Decker Black+Decker GL250-GB | Corded, 250 W | 23 cm | Not cordless | 8.2 | about £28.99 | View offer |
On this page
What the two prices are buying
Corded, in this set, means three complete tools. The GL250-GB is £28.99, 250 W and 23 cm. The GL360-GB is £37.33, 350 W and 25 cm. The GL7033-GB is £66.99, 700 W and 33 cm, with 240 V on the title. The small-pair manual says 230 V.
Cordless splits into bare tools and kits. 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. No lone-pack price was captured here, so add a pack and a charger before you call a bare tool cheaper than a kit.
Width still matters inside the fork, and the buying guide holds that order.
When the cable is the right constraint
Choose corded when the grass is within a lead you will manage, and when you would rather not own a battery platform. Electrical Safety First wants a 30 mA RCD on the outdoor socket, the cable over your shoulder, the extension fully unwound, and the plug out before you clear a jam. UK reviews of the GL250 and GL360 still call the fitted lead short.
The GL250 and GL360 are the light-edge tools. The GL7033 at 700 W and 33 cm is the corded listing for thicker weeds. You leave the cable when you will not drag a lead through the border.
When a battery is the right constraint
Choose cordless when the socket cannot see the grass, and only on the voltage you can supply. An 18 V POWERCONNECT pack does not run the 36 V BCSTA536. If you own 36 V, the BCSTA536 at £90.00 is the matching head, and reviewers often prefer the older angled handle.
There is no measured decibel gap here, so this page does not treat a cordless tool as quieter.
If a socket and an RCD can reach the grass, buy corded. Do not buy the 36 V bare unit to save money against the GL7033 unless the battery is already paid for. Who should skip a row is the best Black and Decker grass trimmer page.
Cordless is not automatically safer
A cordless trimmer removes the cut-flex hazard. It does not remove the spinning line. The guard, the glasses and the wait after switch-off apply to both sides. A battery tool used in the wet is not a free pass.
On a lead, stop and call a repairer for a damaged flex, an RCD that will not reset, a hot or buzzing socket, smoke, or a cracked guard. On a battery tool, a jammed head still wants the battery off. The first-use sequence is the how to use a Black and Decker strimmer page.
Common questions
Should I buy a corded or a cordless Black and Decker strimmer?
Buy corded if an outdoor socket can reach the grass through an extension and a 30 mA RCD. The complete prices here are £28.99, £37.33 and £66.99. Buy cordless if the border is beyond that lead, and match 18 V or 36 V to a pack you own or to a kit whose battery is in the title. A bare cordless price, £74.19 or £90.00, is the tool only.
Is the GL7033 more powerful than the 18 V kit?
The GL7033 is 700 W from the mains, 33 cm, at £66.99, with 4.3 from 1,292 reviews. The 18 V kit is a 28 cm battery tool at £99.99 with a 2 Ah pack named in the title and 14 reviews. The corded tool does not stop for a charge, and the kit does not need a lead. UK reviews describe the GL7033 on thick weeds. One UK review sent the 18 V kit back as weak after 10 minutes.
Why is the bare cordless dearer than the GL360 and still incomplete?
The GL360 at £37.33 includes the motor and the lead. The BCST918B at £74.19 includes neither a battery nor a charger. You are comparing a finished corded tool with a bare head. Reviewers of the bare listings say the missing pack is what they discover after delivery. Until you price a compatible pack, the £74.19 figure cannot win a value argument against £37.33.
I own 18 V batteries. Which cordless listing fits?
The BCST918B-XJ, bare, at £74.19, if you also own the charger. The BCST918D1-GB kit at £99.99 if you want a 2 Ah battery in the title and you can live with 14 reviews and no charger named on the amazon capture. The resin-blade BCSTR918D1-GB is also 18 V and kitted, and it is a blade rather than a line spool. None of these is the 36 V BCSTA536.
I own 36 V batteries. Which listing fits?
The BCSTA536B-XJ at £90.00. It is 33 cm, automatic feed, bare, 4.4 from 710 UK-headed reviews. The battery and charger are not in the box, which is fine if they are already on the shelf. UK reviews often prefer the older angled handle. Amazon prints 5,500 rpm and the maker page prints 7,300 rpm.
Do I need an RCD for the cordless one?
The 30 mA RCD advice from Electrical Safety First is for the mains lead: the corded GL250, GL360 and GL7033, and any extension you add. A cordless tool does not plug into that socket while you cut. The charger, when you own one, is a mains appliance and belongs on a sound socket. The RCD does not make a spinning line safe.
Related pages
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.
- Electrical Safety First, grass trimmers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GL250/GL360 manual (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Black+Decker POWERCONNECT (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE, noise duties for employers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- RHS, how to garden safely (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- idealo, Black+Decker GL7033, October 2026 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Power Tools Direct, BCST918D1 (retrieved 22.10.2026)