The 9 Best Long-Handle Grass Shears

For thick, tufty grass along a lawn's edge, the Spear & Jackson 4867RS has the long blades and stiff steel handles the job needs. A nonstick coating on the carbon steel blades helps them shrug off sap and rust. Bob Vila's reviewers chose it as their long-handled pick after it cut through thick grass and weeds. Spear & Jackson backs it for 10 years. The catch is weight, and your arms will feel it on a long job.

One hand does the work with the Fiskars 36-Inch Swivel. You squeeze a trigger grip at the top, and short blades snip at ground level while you stand. The head turns all the way around, so the same tool trims a flat patch of lawn or cuts a vertical edge along a path. Fiskars covers it with a lifetime warranty. Fine grass is no trouble, but coarse weeds stall it, and it can feel top-heavy.

Battery power and a pair of wheels take most of the strain out of the Scotts LSS10272PS. A small shear head rides on a wheeled pole, so you roll it along a path while the blades buzz through the grass. Lift the head off the pole and swap in the longer blade, and it trims small shrubs by hand. The weak spot is the joint: the head can pop off the pole, and the wheels can work loose.

If kneeling is off the table, the Preferred Living L6814 lets the ground carry the load. A wheel under the head rests on the turf, so you push it along an edge and squeeze the grip, with no battery to charge. The cutting head tilts to suit your height and the angle of the border. It's a newer design with a short track record, so how well it holds up over several seasons is still an open question.

Crisp lines where lawn meets path are the job of the Spear & Jackson 4912RSS. Its blades stand upright, so they slice the grass that flops over a border instead of the top of the lawn. The handles slide out and lock, which lets a short gardener and a tall one share it. It's on the heavy side for a manual pair, and the handle grips can work loose over time.

Telescoping handles at a modest price are the draw of the Darlac DP811. A flip lever frees each handle to slide out, then clamps it in place, so you can set it short for a raised bed or long for the lawn. The blades have a wavy edge that grips grass rather than pushing it away, and Darlac sells replacement blades. Plan on cleaning, oiling and sharpening it now and then, as Darlac itself advises.

Built for overgrown sod and formal edges, the Bahco P75 pairs upright blades with stiff steel handles. The blades bite into matted grass that creeps over curbs and round flower beds, and they leave a clean vertical line behind. The handles don't flex when the going gets tough. All that steel adds weight, so long sessions tire the arms, and stock has been thin lately.

Everything comes in one box with the Worx WG801.4: the shear, a shrub blade, a pole, a battery and a charger. Clip the shear onto the pole to trim along beds standing up, or use it by hand on low hedges. The battery also fits other Worx 20-volt tools, and Worx claims up to two hours of run time. It's a newer kit without much history, and the narrow shear blade makes slow work of a big lawn.

Light enough to carry around the yard in one hand, the Fiskars GS46 uses a lever linkage that multiplies your squeeze at the blades. The head turns to any angle for edges or flat trimming, and an orange cap locks the blades shut for storage. It's a European model sold through import sellers, so stock comes and goes, and it draws more complaints about breakage than a tool this simple should.