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Brush cutter vs strimmer

Updated: October 2026

The lawn edge looks like a job for a nylon line. The brambles along the fence look like something else, and the amazon.co.uk title may use both names for one 15 cm kit. Brush cutter vs strimmer is a question about the cutting head, not about which word the seller preferred. You should know when a line trimmer is enough, when a metal blade on a shaft is the tool, and why so many cheap listings say both. The machines in this batch are on the [brush cutter comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/brush-cutter). Peter F. checked those listings. It is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The lawn edge looks like a job for a nylon line. The brambles along the fence look like something else, and the amazon.co.uk title may use both names for one 15 cm kit.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch AFS 23-37

Best overall

Bosch Bosch AFS 23-37
9.2/10about £124.90
View offer
Einhell Einhell Agillo

Alternative

Einhell Einhell Agillo
8.6/10about £158.99
View offer
Gompuy Gompuy D-001

Best value

Gompuy Gompuy D-001
8.2/10about £29.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The two tools
  2. 2.When a strimmer is enough
  3. 3.When the brush cutter is the one to buy
  4. 4.Titles that say both

The two tools

In ordinary UK use, a strimmer and a grass trimmer are the same habit: a lighter tool with nylon line, for edges and for soft grass a mower leaves behind. A brush cutter adds a metal blade for nettles, brambles and thicker growth, and many also keep a line for the grass afterwards. ParkerBrand and MowShop describe that split. STIHL's UK advisor adds a gearbox and a straight shaft, against a bent shaft on many trimmers. Those shapes are not fields on these listings, so do not assign them to an ASIN that does not say so. Ryobi does state a bike handle. Read the head. Line for edges. Metal for coarse growth. Then check the head is actually in the box.

When a strimmer is enough

A strimmer is enough when the job is the edge of a lawn, the fringe under a fence, and grass that is long but not woody. You want nylon, a guard, and a machine you can hold for the time the edge takes. You do not need a 5.3 kg shaft and a metal disc for that. A line-only WORX trimmer was removed from this comparison because it was an edger, not a brush cutter. If your garden matches that job, you are in strimmer territory. Gompuy at about £29.99 calls itself a brush cutter and a strimmer, at 2.5 kg and 15 cm, and the reviews that praise it are about a small lawn. That is strimmer work with a small metal head. Umbryxion's title leads with grass strimmer, and a nylon spool is not confirmed. The moment the line stalls, wraps, or polishes a woody stem without cutting it, you have left this section.
Bosch Bosch AFS 23-37

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch AFS 23-37
9.2/10about £124.90
View offer

When the brush cutter is the one to buy

Buy a brush cutter when the growth is brambles, thick weeds, vines or a bed that has been left, and when a metal blade is stated in the box or you already own the battery that tool needs. In this batch the shaft class is three listings. The Bosch AFS 23-37 at about £124.90 is corded, with a 23 cm blade and a 37 cm line and 5.3 kg. You need a socket, and the lead has to stay behind the head. The Ryobi OBC1820B at about £155.00 states a 20 cm blade, and the battery is excluded. The Einhell Agillo at about £158.99 states a three-tooth blade and a line, on two 18 V packs you must already own. The width field says 30 cm and also 25.5 cm. Those three state both a metal blade and a line head. A body-only price is not a finished kit.

Titles that say both

Amazon titles in the cheaper band often stack every search term that might sell the tool. Gompuy, both LEEIKOO listings, VFMFM, KEJSNDXC and Umbryxion mix strimmer, grass trimmer and brush cutter language, from about £29.99 to about £45.88, at about 1.13 kg to 3.42 kg. Where a width is stated it is about 15 cm, or 15.2 cm on the VFMFM. SUAIIOLK at about £128.92 uses all three names and states no centimetre width. A 15 cm metal head can beat nylon on a small border. One KEJSNDXC review says the branch pictures overstate the tool, and one VFMFM review says the tool cuts grass only. Both can be true of a light kit. That is not a 23 cm Bosch blade. If you only edge, buy a line trimmer. If the job is brambles, buy a blade-capable shaft and treat a 15 cm kit as a small-border gamble. The trade-offs are on the brush cutter buying guide.

Common questions

Is a strimmer the same as a grass trimmer?
In UK shop language, yes. Both names usually mean a nylon-line tool for edges and soft grass. A brush cutter is the tool that adds a metal blade for coarser growth. Sellers still print all three names on one cheap title, so the head matters more than the heading.
When is nylon line the right head?
Line is right for lawn edges, grass around obstacles, and the soft growth left after you have cleared anything woody. Bosch owners describe using the 37 cm line that way once the blade has done the rough work. Line is the wrong head once it stalls in brambles or wraps without cutting.
When do I need a metal blade?
You need a metal blade for brambles, thick weeds, vines and a bed that has been left. In this batch, Bosch, Ryobi and Einhell each state a metal blade and a line head. The blade only helps if it is in the box, or if you are not still waiting on a battery the title excluded.
Can one tool do both?
Yes, when the listing includes both heads. Bosch puts a blade and a line in the box. Ryobi and Einhell state both heads and exclude the batteries. A title that merely says both jobs is not the same promise. Read the included-components line.
Why do cheap listings say brush cutter and strimmer?
The words are search terms. A Gompuy at about £29.99 can say strimmer and brush cutter while stating a 15 cm cut and 2.5 kg. You are being shown a light kit that might trim a small garden, not a second name for the Bosch. Read the width, the weight and the included line.
What did this comparison leave out on purpose?
A line-only WORX trimmer and edger, a tiny strimmer, a hedge trimmer and a blade-only pack were removed as the wrong product. Petrol cutters are absent. If your only job is a lawn edge, you want that line-trimmer class, outside this table.

Related pages

Best brush cutter

Brush cutter for brambles

Brush cutter

Brush cutter buying guide: the box, width and weight

How to use a brush cutter: guard on, know when to stop

Sources

Sources from the research digest, retrieved on 22 October 2026.

  1. HSE INDG480 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. HSE forestry vibration (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. HSE flail bulletin (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. HSE noise employers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. GOV.UK outdoor noise (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. B&Q grass trimmer and brushcutter buying guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. ManoMano brushcutter buying guide (retrieved 22.10.2026)