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Sharpen garden tools on a bench grinder

Updated: October 2026

The shed has blunt secateurs, a nicked pair of shears, and a hedge trimmer that tears rather than cuts. Sharpen garden tools on a bench grinder only where the steel is stout enough to cool between passes. A dry wheel at 2,980 rpm is the wrong first tool for a thin bypass blade. The [double grinder comparison](/hub/sanders/double-grinder) ranks the three Einhells. This page sorts the garden tools. Chisel bevels stay off it. RHS guidance and three UK price lists were checked on 16 October 2026. We did not sharpen a set of tools. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The shed has blunt secateurs, a nicked pair of shears, and a hedge trimmer that tears rather than cuts. Sharpen garden tools on a bench grinder only where the steel is stout enough to cool between passes.

Our top picks

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B

Best overall

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B
8.8/10about £64.95
View offer
Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150

Best value

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150
8.4/10about £37.30
View offer
Einhell Einhell TC-BG 200 L

Rank 3

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 200 L
8.2/10about £85.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Secateurs stay on a stone
  2. 2.Shears and loppers
  3. 3.Rust before the edge
  4. 4.Hedge trimmers and when to pay

Secateurs stay on a stone

The Royal Horticultural Society tells you to sharpen secateurs and loppers with a whetstone, a diamond, or a sharpening steel, on the bevel side only. That advice never walks through a bench grinder. A bypass blade is thin, and these Einhells have no speed dial. A few seconds of heavy contact will colour the edge, and blue means the temper has started to go. A whittling-knife comment on the TC-BG 150 B is not a test of secateurs. If secateurs are the only job, skip a new grinder. Do not sharpen the flat side. You will open the gap the two blades rely on.

Shears and loppers

A light pass can belong on garden shears, and only on the bevel you already have. Clayton Workshop suggests 20–30 degrees and a dip in water if the edge colours. That range is that site's figure, not a British Standard, so follow the existing bevel. Use K36 for a nick, not for the whole blade. K60 tidies the scratch and still does not hone. When the edge colours, stop. The rest gap, the ban on gloves, and BS EN 166 eye protection are on the how to use a bench grinder page. Shears that will not come apart are the case the RHS usually leaves to a professional.
Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B

Testsieger

Einhell Einhell TC-BG 150 B
8.8/10about £64.95
View offer

Rust before the edge

Paint and rust are not the edge. Cleaning is not sharpening. The wire brush on the TC-BG 150 B sits next to a K36 stone rather than K60. Use light pressure. If the brush grabs, move the work away and let the speed return. Wires leave a brush, so wear BS EN 166 glasses and a face shield, and do not stand in line with the wheel as it starts. Stone versus brush is sorted on the wire wheel or stone page. After the rust is gone, a bypass secateur still goes to a hand stone.

Hedge trimmers and when to pay

A powered hedge-trimmer blade is a row of teeth, and a poor candidate for freehand K36. Published UK prices are examples, not one tariff. KW Sharpening lists secateurs at £6, hedging shears at £8, and powered trimmers at £20 to £25. South East Precision lists secateurs at £3 and hedge trimmers at £20. Hart lists a sharpen and grease at £80. Against about £37.30 to £85.00 for a machine, a £3 to £8 secateur service is the smaller risk if that is all you own. Who should skip a heavier machine is on the best bench grinder page.

Common questions

Can I sharpen secateurs on a bench grinder?
You can, and you should not start there. The RHS method is a whetstone, a diamond, or a steel, on the bevel only. These grinders run at 2,980 rpm, and a thin bypass edge colours quickly. If secateurs are your only blunt tool, a hand stone or a service at £3 to £8 is the smaller risk.
What about hedge-trimmer blades?
A short, cool pass might tidy a stout shear. A powered cutter bar is a row of teeth, and freehanding them on K36 heats and waves the blade. KW lists about £20 to £25. South East Precision lists £20. Hart lists £80 where grease is included. Send a long bar to a sharpener unless you can cool each tooth.
How do I avoid burning the edge?
Keep contact short, keep water by the rest, and stop when the steel colours. Follow the bevel that is already there. Clayton's 20–30 degrees is that site's suggestion, not a standard. K60 does not stop the heat. It leaves a finer scratch.
Should rusty shears go on the wire wheel first?
Yes, if you have the brush and you treat it as cleaning. The TC-BG 150 B ships a K36 stone and a wire brush. Use light pressure, keep the guard on, and wear a face shield over BS EN 166 glasses, because wires leave the brush. Cleaning does not sharpen. A bypass secateur still goes to a hand stone.
Is the TC-BG 150 enough for garden tools?
It is enough for occasional shear touch-ups if secateurs stay on a stone. It costs about £37.30, weighs 5.89 kg, and includes K36 and K60, not a brush. Skip it if secateurs are the only job, or if rust is why you wanted a second wheel. The TC-BG 150 B is the brush listing, and that box has no K60.
When is a sharpening service the better spend?
When the tool is a bypass secateur, when shears will not come apart, or when the cutter bar is long. Published examples run from £3 to £8 for secateurs and £20 to £80 for powered trimmers, depending on what is included. A grinder pays when you will also deburr other steel. One pair of secateurs a year does not.
Will a dry wheel ruin a bypass blade?
It can. The edge is thin, the wheel is fast, and colour means the temper has started to go. The RHS route stays on a hand stone. A comment about whittling knives on the TC-BG 150 B is not a test of secateurs. If you have already blued a blade, stop. More passes will not put the hardness back.

Related pages

Sanders

Double grinder

Best bench grinder: which Einhell listing to buy or skip

Bench grinder buying guide for diameter, grit and watts

How to use a bench grinder without turning the edge blue

Bench grinder wire wheel or stone for rust and bevels

Sources

amazon.co.uk listings, Einhell UK, Einhell Service, Toolstation, and HSE HSG17. Prices and stars are the amazon.co.uk figures in those listings. Prices move.

  1. amazon.co.uk, Einhell TC-BG 150 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. amazon.co.uk, Einhell TC-BG 200 L (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. amazon.co.uk, Einhell TC-BG 150 B (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Einhell UK, TC-BG 200 L (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Einhell Service, TC-BG 150 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Einhell Service, TC-BG 150 B (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Toolstation, Einhell 200 mm bench grinder (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. HSE, HSG17 Safety in the use of abrasive wheels (retrieved 16 October 2026)