I tried the Gtech GT50 grass trimmer on my small lawn – it's made tidying my garden feel effortless and my back agrees

If you’re looking for a lightweight grass trimmer that’s easy to handle, the Gtech GT50 grass trimmer could be just the tool for the job. Weighing in at just 1.8kg, it’s one of the lightest cordless strimmers on the market – ideal if you struggle with heavier tools or have a lot of awkward edges to reach.

With a safety switch, ergonomic handle, adjustable loop harness and a swivelling head that makes it simple to switch from trimming to edging, the GT50 offers safety and comfort alongside portability. It also ditches the traditional line or string of a strimmer in favour of easy-to-fit plastic blades.

I put the GT50 to work in my small city garden and a local community vegetable garden for a few weeks in April, in dry and warm conditions for the time of year. I evaluated its cutting quality, ease of use, manoeuvrability, as well as runtime and charging time. Discover how it performed during testing and learn more about its features, advantages, and limitations.

In a nutshell

The Gtech GT50 grass edge trimmer is a super-portable garden tool that takes the heavy out of heavy lifting when it comes to keeping your lawn trim. Powered by a rechargeable 18V lithium-ion battery, it offers up to 30 minutes of runtime, ideal for quick tidy-ups.

With an adjustable and ergonomic handle, a safety harness and a weight of just 1.85kg (just over four pounds), the GT50 is around the same weight as a laptop, making it a great lightweight option for smaller lawns that don’t need the heft of a lawnmower. Plus, you can switch from trimming mode to edging mode with just a quick swivel of the GT50’s head.

On the flip side, it takes a long time (four hours) to charge up, which can make spontaneous trims challenging, and the plastic blades can shoot off in all directions if they get too close to hard surfaces.

Specifications

• Measurements: (H)14 cm x (W)136 cm x (D)18 cm
• Weight: 1.85kg (4.08 lbs)
• Type: Cordless
• Battery voltage: 18 V
• Runtime: 30 minutes
• Charging time: 4 hours
• Material: Plastic
• Safety switch: Yes
• Cutting modes: 2 (edging and trimming)
• Cutting width: 23 cm (9.05 inches)
• Cutting speed: 9000 RPM
• Cutting reach: 120 cm (1.31 yards)
• Extra battery? No
• Warranty: 2 years

How I tested

Joanne Lewsley

I’m a freelance journalist who regularly reviews household and garden appliances for Ideal Home, Top Ten Reviews and Live Science. I’m also a keen gardener who loves reviewing products designed for a small city garden with limited storage. I tested the GT50 in my own small garden and at my local community garden, assessing its capabilities for edging, trimming, and even a little weeding. I was allowed to keep the trimmer for my own use after review.

Unboxing and setting up

The Gtech GT50 grass trimmer arrived in a cardboard box. Everything inside was well packaged and secure. Most of the packaging was recyclable, while two plastic bags could be recycled at larger recycling centres.

Inside the box you'll find the pieces that slot together to create the grass trimmer, including an ergonomic handle and pole, the trimmer head, a removable, rechargeable battery and charging plug, a 'shroud' for the trimmer head, a pack of 20 replacement blades and a safety harness, which clips onto the handle. There's also a product manual.

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It's incredibly easy to slot everything together, and it all feels well-designed and robust. The shroud is a little trickier to clip on; you'll need to ensure all three clips are in place at once before pushing down and securing the shroud to the trimmer head. In all, the set-up takes just a minute or two!

Although the trimmer comes with some charge, you'll want to make sure it's fully charged before your first cut. After all, a full charge only gives you 30 minutes of runtime.

Design

While everything, right down to the blade, is made of plastic, it doesn't feel cheap. There's enough heft to the tool's weight that gives confidence during use, while still being incredibly easy to lift, manoeuvre and control.

The GT50 has Gtech's distinctive green, white and back colourway. Triggers and buttons that allow you to swivel and move the handle and trimmer head are highlighted in bright green, making them easy to spot and use quickly without fiddling around.

The rechargeable battery simply clicks into place, and the LED dial shows you how much charge is left in a simple 'Simon says' game design.

I like the bright and breezy design aesthetic of the Gtech GT50. You're unlikely to lose sight of it in a dark shed, and you can also disassemble it for easy storing in a cupboard, making it perfect for smaller homes with limited storage.

Using the GT50 is a dream. It's so light (just 1.8 kg - around the same weight as a laptop) that you can simply glide it about your lawn. However, the safety harness makes it even easier, reducing the strain on your back and helping you get an even cut.

Many cordless grass trimmers available on the market typically weigh between 2.5 kg and 4 kg, depending on their battery size, motor power, and build materials. For example, models from brands like Bosch, Black+Decker, and Ryobi often fall within this weight range. The GT50's lighter build is particularly brilliant if you're looking for ease of use.

If you're used to the old days of trimming strings, you may be surprised by the plastic blades that the GT50 employs. These brightly coloured green plastic blades simply clip into place on the trimmer head. There's no detangling or fiddly insertion needed.

One thing you'll need to ensure is to wear safety glasses. It would be great if these were supplied with the GT50, but thankfully, I had some on hand for DIY projects. Even the smoothest of lawns can contain twigs or stones, and the slightest movement from the trimmer blade can pelt these in all directions, so it's important to protect your eyes.

Performance

First up, I took the GT50 out to my tiny city garden lawn for a test run. The lawn has seen better days since my Golden Retriever likes to use it as a toilet, but there's still enough grass to test out the GT50's capabilities and plenty of edging to tidy up.

The GT50 has a 23 cm cutting width and operates at 9,000 RPM, making it very efficient at tackling longer grass. Although there's no way to set a cutting height, like with lawn mowers, I found the cut to be sharp and consistent, largely because the unit is so light that it's easy to control.

You can set the angle of the trimmer head by pushing in the green button and moving the head to click into place. It's ideal if you have a sloping or hilly lawn, as you can simply adjust the angle to suit the incline.

Because my lawn is so small - only around four metres squared, I was able to tackle the whole area in one go. But I think anyone with a larger lawn would struggle to finish mowing in the 30-minute runtime, especially if you want to edge the lawn at the same time.

Speaking of edging, it's super-easy to turn the GT50 from a trimmer to an edger. Just swivel the trimmer head and you've got a separate tool. I used the edger to trim the parts where grass (and even soil) has started to creep over the wooden frame that boxes in the lawn.

As you can see, the GT50 cut straight through the grass and soil to trim the edge and reveal the woodwork, now in need of some restoration!

I did find at first that the trimmer mangled a few millimetres of the lawn itself, but that improved as I became more confident about where to place the blade at the edge.

The ease of control allowed me to use the edging function to quickly and easily trim around curves, neatening up the edges and sharpening the lawn's contours.

You can also use the trimmer to cut away the bulk of weeds that have taken over your beds. I used it in my local community garden to clear weeds from a bed earmarked for tomatoes. It halved the time it would have taken to pull weeds out by hand and also reduced the amount that went into the compost bin.

Another advantage of the GT50 is that it allows grass clippings to stay on your lawn, rather than bagging them up. Grass clippings are full of nitrogen, one of the key nutrients your lawn needs to stay green and healthy. As the clippings break down, they return nutrients to the soil, reducing the amount of fertiliser you need to buy and apply. A light layer of clippings acts like a natural mulch, helping the soil hold onto moisture. This can be especially helpful during dry spells.

You won’t need to stop mowing to empty a grass box, and there’s no need to drag bags of clippings to the bin or compost heap. It’s just easier to let them lie!

There was one downside to the GT50's performance for me, though. I found that the plastic blades flew off quite easily, especially if they hit rock, wood or dense soil. During my testing, I managed to get through no fewer than eight blades.

Thankfully, the blades are easy to fit on quickly. Plus, the GT50 comes with 20 blades, and you can buy 50 replacement blades at the Gtech site for just £3.99 with free delivery. However, I'm not pleased about bits of plastic flying into my lawn and shrubs, most of which I couldn't find again.

Ease of use

I've tested and reviewed a variety of garden tools over the years, and I've been pleased at how manufacturers have worked to make these tools lighter and easier to manoeuvre, so that they're accessible to more people, especially those with limited mobility.

The GT50 is at the top of its game when it comes to ease of use. Not only is it light and simple to operate, but the adjustable ergonomic handle means that you can customise how you hold the trimmer to suit your height and level of comfort, minimising strain on your back and shoulders. The harness helps to evenly distribute weight, too, giving you even more control.

The swivel head allows for almost seamless switching between trimming and edging without having to reach for extra tools or accessories, while the simplified blade system ends the struggle of detangling nylon wires and strings.

The built-in safety switch also prevents accidental start-ups (you need to actively press it before engaging the power trigger), so you can feel safe and confident during operation.

Hands down, it's one of the simplest and easiest gardening tools I've ever used.

Noise levels

The GT50 operates at around 90-94 db, which is comparable to the noise level of most petrol-powered trimmers or a loud vacuum cleaner. It's not whisper-quiet, but it's certainly not the loudest tool in the shed either. The noise level feels typical for cordless trimmers and shouldn't be a deal-breaker for most users.

Storage and maintenance

When it comes to storing the Gtech GT50, I couldn’t ask for anything simpler. It’s compact and super lightweight, so it doesn’t take up much space in the shed or under the stairs. Because it’s cordless, I don’t have to worry about tangled wires or dragging extension cables around either.

If you wish, you can even take the trimmer apart and store the separate pieces in a cupboard, as everything clicks smoothly together again without any fuss. Or you can hang it on a hook off the floor in your shed or garage for even more space-saving.

I give it a quick brush and then a wipe-down with a damp cloth after each use to keep it clean, and I store the battery indoors to protect it from any frost or damp.

That’s pretty much it - no oil changes, no spark plugs and no drama. If you’re after a no-nonsense trimmer that won’t ask much of you, this one's a dream.

Energy use

One thing I really appreciate about the Gtech GT50 is how energy-efficient it is. Because it's battery-powered, I don’t have to mess about with cords or extension leads - I just pop the battery on charge and I’m good to go.

It runs on an 18V lithium-ion battery, which gives me up to 30 minutes of trimming time once it’s fully charged. Charging takes about four hours, which can rather take the spontaneity out of gardening, but that's ok.

As for electricity use, it’s incredibly low, roughly the same as a laptop. So I’m not worried about a spike in my energy bills. Plus, it feels good knowing I’m using something that doesn’t pump out emissions like a petrol trimmer would.

How does it rate online?

At the time of writing, the G-Tech GT50 cordless grass trimmer rates very highly with happy customers. With over 1000 reviews on Amazon, it has an overall star rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Customers note its ease of use and effective performance, and appreciate the trimmer's power and comfort during use. They also rate the cordless design and ergonomic handle.

On the Gtech website, over 3,000 happy customers have given it a 4.4-star rating out of five, while many praise the trimmer for its robustness. However, quite a few customers express disappointment with how easily the blades fly off during use, and others say they would prefer a longer battery life and faster charging time.

Should you buy the Gtech GT50 cordless grass trimmer?

If you’ve got a small garden and want a grass trimmer that’s light, easy to store and simple to use, the Gtech GT50 is well worth considering. It’s one of the lightest cordless models on the market – perfect for quick tidy-ups and tackling edges without breaking a sweat. It’s ideal for older users, those with limited mobility, or anyone short on storage space who wants a tool that’s light, compact and ready to go.

The ergonomic handle, safety harness and easy-swivel head make trimming and edging a doddle, while the plastic blades are a breeze to fit. Setup takes minutes, and everything feels sturdy and well-designed, despite the all-plastic build.

But there are some trade-offs. The 23cm cutting width is narrower than rivals, and the 18V battery takes four hours to charge for just 30 minutes of use. Plus, the battery only works with two other Gtech tools, limiting its versatility.

Buy it if you want a lightweight, no-fuss trimmer for small lawns. It’s not one for big gardens or long sessions, but for neat edges and quick trims, it gets the job done.