Cordless

A good hedge trimmer turns an afternoon of tedious shearing into a 20-minute satisfaction session. The wrong one leaves you with ragged cuts that brown at the tips, jammed blades that stall on half-inch branches, and arms that ache for days. Hedge trimmers have moved almost entirely to battery power in the last few years. Today’s top cordless models match gas-powered performance for typical yard hedges — with none of the fuel mixing, pull-cord frustration, or ear-splitting noise. But picking the right one means balancing blade length, cutting capacity, battery compatibility, and reach. We tested 6 hedge trimmers for suburban yards, from compact shrub trimmers to long-reach pole models. ...

A lawn mower handles the open grass, but it can’t reach fence lines, garden beds, or around trees. That’s where a string trimmer — often called a weed eater or weed whacker — earns its keep. It’s the detail tool that turns a “just mowed” lawn into a manicured landscape. Cordless string trimmers have gotten good. Today’s best battery models rival gas trimmers in power without the fuel mixing, pull cords, and exhaust fumes. But with options from budget plug-in models to professional-grade battery systems, picking the right one means weighing cutting width, battery compatibility, line feed mechanism, weight, and price. ...

Gas mowers are loud, smelly, and require constant maintenance. Corded mowers tether you to an outlet. The modern battery-powered lawn mower delivers gas-like cutting power, push-button starts, near-silent operation, and zero direct emissions. For most homeowners, that makes it the smartest choice. We tested 8 of the best electric lawn mowers to help you find the right one. How We Evaluated We scored every mower on the criteria that matter to real homeowners: ...

Leaf blowers have come a long way. A few years ago, “cordless leaf blower” meant a barely-useful breeze that couldn’t move wet leaves. Today’s battery-powered blowers rival gas models in power, without the noise, fumes, or pull-cord frustration. But with dozens of options from brands like EGO, Greenworks, Ryobi, and DeWalt, picking the right one isn’t easy. We tested 7 of the best cordless leaf blowers to help you decide. ...