There’s something about a clean line in the garden, isn’t there? A sharp edge where your lawn meets your flower beds adds a finishing touch, framing the plants nicely and bringing harmony to the entire garden. It also makes mowing quicker and easier, as you don’t have to avoid round plants growing in the grass, and saves time pulling weeds as the grass can’t continue to spread into the flower beds.
The half-moon edging cutter is the traditional tool for this job. Typically featuring a wooden handle with a T-shaped handle and a sharp half-moon stainless steel or carbon steel blade, the edging cutter is designed to be used standing up. You push the blade down with your foot, swing it from side to side, and then push the grass away to create a needle-sharp edge. To prevent the roots from spreading back into the flower bed, you then ideally create a shallow trough along the cut line.
So the sharper the blade, the better, for pushing through the grass roots and creating a defined edge. Serrated blades tend to be completely semicircular while smooth blades often reach a point where they are arguably better for breaking through fresh ground. Wide notches are good so you can stand on them comfortably and then use them to create a notch as you turn to the side. A lightweight tool will make the job less tiring. And the socket where the blade meets the shaft needs to be sturdy so you can pry the cutting out without breaking it.
We tested ten semi-circular edging machines in an average garden with a lawn and curved flower beds. We cleared the existing edges and then saw how they handled creating a new edge from scratch in the thick grass around a chicken coop. We rated them on comfort, durability, sharpness, value and craftsmanship. So which semi-circular edging machine has the edge?
Best Half Moon Edge Cutter: Draper Heritage Ash Handle Lawn Mower
Best for cutting tree roots: Kent & Stowe Stainless Steel Trim Iron
Best for strength: Iron border
Best for value: Moulton Mill CS Lawn Mower
Best for precise edges: Half Moon Lawn Mower – RHS Certified
Best for sharpness: Lawn Mower
Lightest semi-circular edging machine: Pedigree Edge Cutter
Best Heavy Duty Lawn Mower: Roamwild Multi-digger Edger
Best for short people: Spear & Jackson 3918K Neverbend Stainless Steel Lawn Mower
Best for flexibility: Wolf Garten Multi Change Lawn Edge Iron Blade
We like: efficiency
Sharp, sturdy and light to handle, this lawn mower ticks all the boxes. It has a wide groove and a curved stainless steel blade that is large, pointed and feels really sharp, cutting through grass roots quickly and easily. It also feels very solid. The blade is fully tempered, tempered and polished with double riveted sockets for added durability. The blade is non-serrated. The 16cm wide T-shaped ash wood handle is easy to hold and comes with a lifetime warranty.
We like: sharp serrated blade
This edger has a serrated curved stainless steel blade with sharp serrations that cut through roots with a satisfying bite. The blade is slightly pointed so it cuts through the ground easily. It cuts through my weeds quickly. I find it lightweight and easy to use. The grooves are spacious The ash handle is 100cm long (total length of the tool is 160cm) and the T-shaped ash handle is 15.5cm wide so it is quite narrow. It comes with a 15 year warranty.
We like: feels really solid and well made
Another traditional style edging tool, made by the UK company Greenman and sold by Sarah Raven. It feels sturdy and well made, the stainless steel blade is smooth, sharp and effective. The ash T-shaped handle is 13cm wide and has a generous footrest if you want to garden in flip flops (though then again, don’t). Easy to hold and effective to use.
We like: wide round handle
This one has a carbon steel blade instead of stainless steel. The blade is slightly pointed, has a hammer finish to protect it from rust, and is light and sharp. What I particularly like about this edging tool is the extra wide 30cm handle with very smooth rounded edges that make it very easy to hold and use. The ash wood handle has a warm caramel colour to it which gives it a rather vintage look. The wide grooves are polished so you don’t slip out.
We like: design
A quality edger with the traditional styling you’d expect from Burgon and Ball. It’s nice and light, the ash handle is FSC certified hardwood and the stainless steel blade is a full semi-circle and slightly knurled. The 28cm wide T-handle makes it easy to control and the knurling is medium width. It comes with a lifetime warranty. I find the full semi-circle shape means it doesn’t cut through thick roots as well as the slightly pointed models, but for maintaining a sharp. precise edge this would be ideal.
We like: The wide plastic pedals are comfortable allowing you to push down with your full weight comfortably. The angle of the blade means you are facing the way you are cutting so you can keep good track of the cut
The design of this edging machine is completely different from others as the blade is aligned in the same direction as your foot. You step on the pedal on top of the blade and push down on a wide plastic platform, underneath which the blade is in the middle. The blade itself is extremely sharp – thin and sharp like a paring knife – so be careful and use the included cardboard cover when not in use. It must be assembled before use, requiring a screwdriver and a wrench or socket to tighten the screws. The shaft is hollow aluminium and a simple cylindrical design. The blade cuts through the grass like butter and it’s great to see where you’re cutting along the cutting line. It’s best to clean up existing edges rather than create new ones as it’s not designed to pry up sections of grass.
We like: feels very light
Another stainless steel edger with an ash shaft, this one has a completely smooth half-moon blade and comes with a lifetime warranty. The blade is medium sized although the grooves are quite narrow. The blade is sharp and does a good job of maintaining existing edges although the lack of a sharp point means it is less effective at cutting through thick grass to create new ones.
We like: extra wide spikes for removing troublesome roots and cleaning trenches
This is an extremely sturdy, durable tool with a 27cm wide carbon steel blade for quick work. Like all the tools in the Roamwild range, it has a fibreglass shaft and a soft-grip O-shaped handle. It is designed not only to cut through lawns but also to clear trenches and pull up roots thanks to the wide grooves with a pointed tip. It also has a serrated side for cutting through thick roots. It is relatively heavy and the blade is flat at the base so it takes a bit of strength to get the most out of it.
We like: tilt handle
This edging mower has a D-shaped plastic handle, which feels quite different to the T-shaped type. The handle is also angled so that when you lift the cut grass, you don’t have to pull it down too far. It’s light to hold, not as tall as others, so it’s suitable for shorter people or those who just want a slightly smaller tool. The mirror-polished stainless steel blade has a fairly narrow groove and a sharp tip to cut into fresh soil. It comes with a 10-year warranty.
We like: convenience (if you already have a Wolf Garten username)
This is just the blade, designed to fit a Wolf Garten handle so obviously only useful if you are already a connoisseur of this versatile German brand. Wolf Garten recommends using the aluminium D-handle with this stainless steel edge trimmer, although I fitted it to my wooden handle and it worked perfectly. This sharp stainless steel blade is quite large and completely semi-circular with medium sized grooves.
