It’s been a busy year for the Gardeners’ World Magazine testing team. We’ve put everything from robot mowers that map your lawn for themselves to cordless push mowers, scarifiers and aerators through their paces, plus hoses, hose reels and spray guns for the watering season, compost tumblers, pressure washers and cleaners, garden shredders and solar security lights – plus all sorts of handheld tools.
Each product we test is assembled and used on real jobs in real gardens, from mowing slopes to scarifying mossy lawns and shredding woody prunings, and marked on ease of use, performance and value for money, with the pros and cons set out in a full review.
So whether you want to hand the mowing over to a robot or simply find a spray gun that will last, this page is designed to give you a glance at which products impressed us most in the 2026 testing season.
Robot mowers
Mammotion Luba mini 2 AWD 1000
Manufacturer: Mammotion
Category: Robot mower
Award: Best Buy – Our best robot mower for bumpy or hilly ground
Rating: 5/5
All four wheels are powered, which makes this one of the best off-road mowers we’ve tested. It happily mows slopes of nearly 40° and copes with little steps and garden borders, and a second, smaller cutting disc underneath gives sharp edges. Three forward-facing cameras use AI to spot objects such as discarded toys and delicate flowers. Set-up is easy, with no boundary wire or antenna, and the app lets you choose different mowing patterns and cutting heights for each lawn. The only real downside is the modest 20cm cut width, so it takes a while to cover a large lawn.
For all robot mowers, go here.
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Segway Navimow i2 LiDAR (i208)
Manufacturer: Segway
Category: Robot mower
Award: Best Buy – Our best robot mower for easy set-up on big lawns
Rating: 4.5/5
Forget boundary wires and antennae. This robot maps your garden using LiDAR, taking 200,000 laser measurements a second, so it works under trees and when the satellite signal is poor. We charged it, connected it to Wi-Fi and agreed to ‘auto map’, and it mapped a 100 sq. metre lawn almost instantly. It suits gardens up to 800 sq. metres and is very quiet at 59dB. However, it’s two-wheel drive, so it’s not as capable on slopes as an AWD robot, and the centrally mounted cutting deck can’t reach the lawn edges, so you’ll still need a trimmer.
For all robot mowers, go here.
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Ecovacs GOAT O600
Manufacturer: Ecovacs
Category: Robot mower
Award: Best Buy – Our best value robot mower for medium-sized lawns
Rating: 4.5/5
The entry-level robot in the GOAT range packs in cutting-edge technology at a keen price. It’s guided by an RTK station, which means putting a pole in the ground, but set-up is simple and the connection is stable. Small and nippy at just 40cm across, it can get down paths as narrow as 70cm, and it’s rated for 600 sq. metres. It mows in parallel lines that change direction each week, or in a chequered effect, and you can dial in to the front camera through the app. With a cut width of just 19cm, it won’t mow huge gardens quickly.
For all robot mowers, go here.
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WORX Landroid Vision Cloud WR303E/WR305E
Manufacturer: WORX
Category: Robot mower
Award: Best Buy – Our best value robot mower for small lawns
Rating: 4.5/5
Getting this robot ready for its first cut is reasonably straightforward. You pair the Landroid app with your phone, connect to Wi-Fi and let the auto-mapping function use its camera to find the lawn edges, which was surprisingly accurate first time around. It combines RTK GPS with a front-mounted camera, so there’s no antenna to install in the garden, and the standard WORX 2.5Ah battery works across the brand’s tools. It’s best for lawns up to 300 sq. metres. The anti-theft and cut-to-edge modules aren’t included as standard, and it’s timid around bushy borders, leaving a few tufts at the edge.
For all robot mowers, go here.
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LawnMaster OcuMow AMB16-400
Manufacturer: LawnMaster
Category: Robot mower
Award: Best Buy – Our best budget self-charging robot mower
Rating: 4.5/5
This is a proper robot lawnmower that recharges itself for less than £400. It’s literally ‘drop and go’: there’s no app to download and no map to build. It simply drives until it hits a border, then turns and heads off in another direction. It copes with lawns up to 400 sq. metres and slopes up to 19°, and at just over 6kg it’s easy to pick up. A spiral-cut button gives tricky spots extra attention. As it relies on a camera and ultrasonic sensors, it needs clearly defined lawn borders and mows in a random pattern, but at this price it’s seriously hard to fault.
For all robot mowers, go here.
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Manufacturer: LawnMaster
Category: Robot mower
Award: Best Buy – Our best basic robot mower
Rating: 4.5/5
At first, this little machine didn’t look like it would impress, but it turned out to be one of the easiest robot mowers to use. Charge the battery, plug it in and press ‘Auto Mow’. There’s no schedule to set, no map to draw and no GPS antennae or Wi-Fi to worry about, and no docking station either: you simply pop the battery out and charge it like a drill battery. It’s designed for lawns up to 150 sq. metres and didn’t get stuck under a garden bench that has defeated pricier robots. It only works on lawns with clearly defined boundaries, though, and can’t mow to a schedule.
For all robot mowers, go here.
Cordless lawn mowers
Ryobi RLM18X33B50C
Manufacturer: Ryobi
Category: Cordless lawn mower
Award: Our best lightweight cordless mower, under £300
Rating: 4.8/5
This little mower assembles in just five minutes and weighs just over 8.5kg with the battery in place, so it’s light enough to mow with one hand. The soft-grip handle has dual triggers for left- and right-handed gardeners and three height settings. The 33cm cut width suits small lawns, and the 18V, 5.0Ah battery, which fits more than 200 Ryobi tools, ran for just over 30 minutes. You also get a mulching plug and a grass box with a fill indicator. The 35L box will need emptying often on a larger lawn, and the cutting height adjustment is a bit fiddly.
For all cordless mowers, go here.
Einhell RASARRO 36/34
Manufacturer: Einhell
Category: Cordless lawn mower
Award: Our best cordless lawn mower for ease of use, under £300
Rating: 4.8/5
Arriving fully assembled, the RASARRO is ready to mow straight from the box. It has a sturdy folding handle with three heights, ambidextrous controls and a comfortable soft grip, and it feels well made from solid materials. The 34cm cut width is narrow enough for tight spots, and five clearly labelled cutting heights run from 25-65mm. Two 18V, 3.0Ah batteries give 30 minutes of mowing and work in hundreds of other Einhell tools. At a little over 12kg it’s not the lightest, the 30L grass box fills quickly, and there’s no mulching plug.
For all cordless mowers, go here.
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COBRA MX4340VX
Manufacturer: Cobra
Category: Cordless lawn mower
Award: Our best push mower for larger gardens, £300-500
Rating: 4.8/5
Ideal for larger lawns, this Cobra has a 43cm cut width, five heights from 25-75mm and runs for up to 45 minutes on its 40V, 4.0Ah battery. Assembly took just a few minutes and needed no tools. At 14.5kg it’s substantial and feels built to last, with a very comfortable, grippy handle, and it feels more premium than some of the competition. There’s a mulching plug, front and side grass combs for an even cut, and a huge 50L grass box with a fill indicator. The handle folds down neatly for storage. The only drawback is that there’s no safety key.
For all cordless mowers, go here.
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Webb WEV2012RB4 20V 30cm cylinder
Manufacturer: Webb
Category: Cordless lawn mower
Award: Best Buy – Best cordless cylinder lawn mower
Rating: 4.8/5
A proper cylinder mower, but battery-powered. If you want an ultra-short lawn with crisp stripes without the fuss of a petrol machine, this is a marvellous and affordable choice. The cut height adjusts between 13-23mm in fine increments, and the electric motor keeps the cylinder at a constant speed however fast you walk. The 20V, 4.0Ah battery should run for up to 60 minutes and charges via USB-C. The 30cm cut width is for smaller lawns only, assembly is a bit fiddly, and the cylinder needs levelling before the first cut. It’s not designed for long grass.
For all cordless mowers, go here.
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Webb 40V 47cm brushless self-propelled (WEV20X2LM47SPB4X)
Manufacturer: Webb
Category: Cordless lawn mower
Award: Best Buy – Best self-propelled cordless mower for easy charging
Rating: 4.5/5
A powerful yet easy-to-handle mower for medium to large lawns. It arrives fully assembled, and the brushless motor cuts through thick, wet grass while the adjustable-speed rear wheels take the effort out of pushing. It runs on a pair of 20V, 4.0Ah batteries that charge via USB-C, and they double as power banks for your phone. The 65L grass box, mulching plug and side discharge chute give you three ways to mow, and it stands on end for storage. Runtime is the catch: around 20 minutes with the drive engaged at low speed, though there’s room for four batteries. At 25.5kg it’s heavy to lift.
For all cordless mowers, go here.
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LawnMaster CLMF4841E
Manufacturer: LawnMaster
Category: Cordless lawn mower
Award: Our best push mower for stripes
Rating: 4.5/5
This is a lot of mower for the money. The wide cut suits larger lawns, the handle is height- and length-adjustable with a soft grip, and the onboard roller creates stripes. Unusually at this price, you can choose from three power levels or an auto mode, so you can save battery or crank up the revs in long, thick grass. A charge-level indicator on the handle and a ‘full’ indicator on the 42L grass box are both useful, and it stands on its end to save space in the shed. A pair of 24V batteries runs for 25 minutes. At 14kg it’s not the lightest, and it’s awkward to carry between different areas of grass.
For all cordless mowers, go here.
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Stihl RMA 235
Manufacturer: Stihl
Category: Cordless lawn mower
Award: Our best push mower for a quality cut
Rating: 4.5/5
Robust and well engineered, the RMA 235 gives an excellent quality of cut, even on substandard lawns, thanks to a powerful motor and a curved blade. At 13kg with the battery in place, it’s not the lightest 33cm mower, but that weight adds to the quality feel, and the ergonomics make it well balanced and easy to manoeuvre. It’s ideal for small to medium lawns, with five heights from 25-60mm and a 30L rigid grass box. The recommended battery isn’t included ,and buying one separately with a charger costs just under £360, so it’s best value if you already own Stihl batteries. There’s no safety switch.
For all cordless mowers, go here.
Lawn aerators and scarifiers
WORX 36cm Scarifier and Aerator WG855E.9
Manufacturer: WORX
Category: Lawn aerator or scarifier
Award: Best Buy – Our best cordless scarifier and aerator
Rating: 4.5/5
If you want to improve your lawn without the back-breaking effort of doing it by hand, this powerful 2-in-1 does the hard work for you. It feels like a quality piece of kit, with a sturdy handle and large front wheels, and setting it up was as easy as a lawnmower. Swapping between the scarifier and aerator cartridges is tool-free. It brought up plenty of moss, and the aerator left clean furrows even at the lowest of four depth settings. At just over 10kg without batteries, it’s easy to carry. The 40L collection box fills in under a minute, and the batteries last around 15 minutes of scarifying, so it’s best for smaller lawns.
For all lawn scarifiers and aerators, go here.
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Greenman R1710 Scarifying Rake
Manufacturer: Greenman
Category: Manual scarifying rake
Award: Best Buy – Our best traditional lawn scarifying rake
Rating: 4.5/5
A traditional-style manual tool with a handsome ash handle and stainless steel head. It oozes quality from tip to tip, is nicely balanced and is comfortable to use, if a touch heavy. Its trick is a set of pivoting tines, which make removing dead matter and aerating the soil that much easier, and the reasonably sharp tines cut into the top few centimetres to stimulate grass growth and prepare for over-seeding. At 155cm long and just over 1.4kg, it’s fine for taller gardeners. There’s no getting around the effort of scarifying a thick, mossy lawn by hand, but this rake makes it as easy as possible. It has a 10-year warranty.
For all lawn scarifiers and aerators, go here.
Garden hoses
Claber Kiros Kit 20m
Manufacturer: Claber
Category: Hose reel
Award: Best Buy – Our best garden hose reel for versatility
Rating: 4.8/5
A very neat, compact and low-key hose reel, boxed complete with a spray nozzle and a universal, multi-size tap fitting. The black and silver hose has a 12.5mm bore for a good volume of water, and the subdued colours don’t shout in the garden. The reel runs freely when you pull it out and winds in nicely without tipping or dragging on the ground, and you can attach the handle on either side. A snap-on grip is great for wet hands. It comes with wall fixings and a two-year warranty, although the wall brackets look a bit lightweight.
For all hoses, go here.
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Hozelock Wonderhoze 30m
Manufacturer: Hozelock
Category: Expandable hose
Award: Best Buy – Our best expandable hose for flexibility
Rating: 4.8/5
The perfect choice if you can’t manage a hose reel or don’t want the clutter. The 12.5mm fabric hose expands to 30m, three times its original length, and doesn’t kink. It comes out of the box ready to use, complete with a five-setting spray gun and a universal, multi-size tap attachment, so you can literally pop it on and get watering. It’s lightweight and incredibly flexible, which is kind to plants where it brushes against them. The downside is that it’s distinctly floppy and slightly unwieldy, and with no storage or wall mounting supplied, it can end up as a messy pile. Five-year warranty.
For all hoses, go here.
Claber Basic Spiral Hose Kit 10m
Manufacturer: Claber
Category: Garden hose
Award: Best Buy – Our best spiral garden hose
Rating: 4.5/5
With a wildly different design to most hoses, this spiral kit makes a statement as a funky addition to the garden as well as a useful bit of kit. It’s perfect for small gardens such as courtyards, as the hose tucks neatly against the wall in its low-key bracket and needs very little storage space. The 10mm-gauge hose is the smallest our tester has used, but it does deliver. The kit comes complete with wall fixings, a spray nozzle and a universal tap fitting, plus a two-year warranty. The spiral is springy, so it takes some effort to pull out.
For all hoses, go here.
Hose spray guns
Claber Multi-Jet Confort
Manufacturer: Claber
Category: Spray gun
Award: Best Buy – Our best all-round hose spray gun, under £30
Rating: 4.8/5
A step up from the simple shower pistol and only a fraction more expensive, this offers four spray patterns (shower, jet, fan and mist), a classic twist flow control and a lockable on/off trigger. It’s beautifully lightweight, and the rubber handle is perfect for gripping with wet hands or gloves. Changing the pattern is easy with a twist of the head, although this exposes a greased section that could become worn with grit, or even seize as the grease wears away. It comes with a two-year guarantee.
For all hose spray guns, go here.
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Hozelock Multi Plus Spray Gun
Manufacturer: Hozelock
Category: Spray gun
Award: Best Buy – Our best lightweight spray gun
Rating: 4.8/5
A sturdy, versatile spray gun with seven easy-to-switch settings, including a fine mist for delicate plants, a powerful jet for washing off dirt, shower and aerated settings for seedlings, and a fast-fill setting for watering cans. A slider on the body reduces the flow by up to 50 per cent and is easy to adjust with your thumb. The mix of metal and plastic hits a sweet spot of being robust but lightweight, and there’s a lockable trigger and a two-year guarantee. The thumb flow adjuster could be awkward for some.
For all hose spray guns, go here.
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Hozelock Ultramax Multi Spray Gun
Manufacturer: Hozelock
Category: Spray gun
Award: Best Buy – Our best spray gun for durability
Rating: 4.5/5
Something of a Rolls Royce of spray guns: sturdily made, heavy and built to last. It has a die-cast metal body and seven spray patterns that are easy to switch between by twisting the clearly marked head, from fine rose and mist to powerful jet, cone, fan, aerated and fast fill. A flow control adjusts from 50 to 100 per cent, and the trigger locks for long periods of watering. It’s pricey and heavy to hold, so it’s not for the weak of limb, but a five-year warranty makes it a good choice if you have a lot of watering to do.
For all hose spray guns, go here.
Compost bins
Maze 180 litre compost tumbler
Manufacturer: Maze
Category: Compost bin
Award: Best Buy – Our best compost tumbler
Rating: 4.5/5
A well-made, thoughtfully designed tumbler with two chambers for a rotation of compost making, large opening doors for easy filling and emptying, and a geared turning mechanism. The sturdy handle and gearing make turning easy even when full, and lock the tumbler in position for emptying. Ground clearance is a good 35cm. The UV-protected barrel holds 180 litres and is made from 90 per cent recycled plastic, with a powder-coated zinc frame. Assembly took an hour, but the instructions are clear. At 109cm tall and with bright green trim, it’s hard to hide in the garden. Three-year warranty.
For all composters, go here.
Pressure washers and cleaners
Ryobi RY18PWX41A-140 cordless pressure cleaner
Manufacturer: Ryobi
Category: Cordless pressure cleaner
Award: Best Buy – Our best cordless pressure cleaner for tough cleaning jobs
Rating: 4.5/5
A pressure cleaner that provides plenty of power while staying completely off-grid, with a maximum of 41 bar of pressure. The grip is well designed, with plenty of rubberised sections and a comfortable front hold for two-handed use. In the box, you get a two-litre bottle adapter, a siphon hose with filter for drawing water from a bucket, and a net bag to keep everything together. Three power levels let you match the pressure to the job and get the most from each battery, and the nozzle includes a rotating ‘turbo’ mode for stubborn grime. It’s chunky, at 2.65kg the heaviest cordless model our tester has used, and you get just over 20 minutes at full power. Accessories are Ryobi-only.
For all pressure washers and cleaners, go here.
Garden shredders
Makita UD2500 electric shredder
Manufacturer: Makita
Category: Garden shredder
Award: Best Buy – Our best powerful garden shredder for tough jobs
Rating: 4.5/5
If you want unlimited shredding power, this is an ideal choice. It’s a corded ‘crusher’ style machine, using a steel cylinder with six curved blades to shred garden waste up to 45mm in diameter, and it happily dealt with anything that would fit in the hopper. The huge 67-litre collection box means fewer stops to empty, and the 10-metre power cable makes it handy almost anywhere in a smallish garden. Assembly is minimal, just the wheels, but at 27kg it’s hard to move around, especially up and down steps. There’s no push stick, and it doesn’t fold for storage, so it will take up lots of vertical space in the shed.
For all shredders, go here.
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Husqvarna GS 340is battery shredder
Manufacturer: Husqvarna
Category: Cordless garden shredder
Award: Best Buy – Our best cordless garden shredder
Rating: 4.5/5
If you want to tackle woody garden waste away from easy access to power, such as in a big garden or at the allotment, this cordless shredder is an ideal choice. It runs on Husqvarna’s 36V BLi-X battery system, and its slow-turning ‘crusher’ mechanism uses a steel cylinder with seven curved blades to deal with branches up to 40mm in diameter. The motor folds down into the collection box, so it takes up little space in the shed, and there’s an automatic reverse for jams and an onboard safety key. It’s not too noisy at 86dB, and our tester shredded for just under an hour per battery. It weighs more than 24kg, and the small 45-litre box needs emptying often on big jobs.
For all shredders, go here.
Solar lights
Dover Solar Double PIR Light
Manufacturer: Dover
Category: Solar security light
Award: Best Buy – Our best solar security light
Rating: 4.5/5
Compact, functional and easy to set up with clear instructions, this is a sturdy yet affordable solar-powered security light. A central light pivots 90° up and down, and two side lights adjust 360° up and down and 120° side to side, covering a 180° field. Two PIR sensors detect movement at 8m, lighting up a front door, side path or driveway with 800 lumens. There are three modes of use, the third switching off after 20 seconds and recommended for winter. It’s highly weatherproof with an IP65 rating, has a well-protected on/off switch and comes with a 12-month warranty.
For all solar lights, go here.
