With its pro-style ‘cowhorn’ handlebar and economical 22cc two-stroke engine, this attractively-priced petrol brushcutter from Harry is a comfortable and efficient way to maintain your garden’s outlying areas! It has a straight shaft and weighs-in at only 5.2kg.

The Stihl FS55 R brush cutter gives you the same beefy, 1hp performance as the standard FS55, but has been equipped with a 'loop' handle. Supplied with a bump-feed nylon head only, this bruschcutter is best suited for use in more confined work-areas. Weight 4.9kg.

With a high-output 1.2hp engine and a high-torque solid drive-shaft, the Scandinavian-designed Stiga BC 535 will power its way through nettles, tall weeds, bramble and dense, heavily overgrown grass without problem. It combines a handy bump-feed line-head with a large 0.8-litre-capacity tank so as to minimise time lost for cord-renewal and refuelling; and it’s fitted with a comfortable D-loop handle that works with a shoulder-strap to help keep fatigue at bay for as long as possible. This model also comes with a metal brushcutting-blade.

Supplied with a line-head and a three-tooth blade, this versatile, value-for-money machine from top Swedish brand Stiga is just as at home tackling lawn-edges and fence-lines as it is clearing areas of tall weeds and nettles. It combines Stiga’s VCS vibration-damping with a shoulder-harness and an ergonomic ‘loop’ handle for superior user-comfort; and it boasts a split-shaft design that facilitates compact storage and makes it possible to fit the available attachments (pruner; hedgetrimmer). The Stiga BC 330 A is powered by a 25.4cc engine and weighs just 7.1kg.