Top 4 Brush Cutters: Conquer Brambles with Ease & Precision

Updated/Fact-Chacked on April 25, 2023 by Gareth James

Any gardening enthusiast will probably know that brambles can be a nightmare. Brambles are a frequent problem because they tend to overgrow and may be very difficult to eradicate once they are established in your garden.

The larger your property, the more likely you are to have a problem with brush. But what is brush?  Brush is any unwanted woody plant that has invaded your property and includes bushes, small trees, vines, and shrubs. You might also have a problem if you have bought a property left unmanaged for many months; we took over an allotment in Durham and it was in a dreadful state.

If you struggle with denser foliage in your garden, a lawnmower or a strimmer will not cut it. Brush cutters are much more suitable for tackling brambles and thick vegetation, they are similar to trimmers but have thick blades.

We’ve compiled a list of the best brush cutters for brambles that would make caring for your garden a breeze is weed killers are not working. We have tested all these models for this comparison test; we own the Ryobi brush cutter and borrowed the others from friends.

Note: Most of these products have multiple heads and can be switched to a standard grass strimmer.

Brush Cutter Comparison Table

The 4 Best Brush Cutters for Brambles

ParkerBrand 52cc Petrol Garden Brush Cutter 

This is an excellent brush cutter for brambles for those who want good value for their money.

Its price tag, however, doesn’t at all mean a reduction in power. The ParkerBrand brush cutter comes with an impressive 52cc, two-stroke engine, and it is capable of spinning the blades at 7500 rpm with 2200 watts of power. Not to mention, the engine is easy to start and doesn’t produce too much noise.

Moreover, the build quality is exceptionally good for its price. All the parts are very sturdy and robust, and you don’t have to worry about them falling apart any time soon!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with as many attachments as pricier models. Nonetheless, it still functions incredibly well as a brush cutter and grass trimmer to tackle thick vegetation and brambles. It comes with two attachments: a spool fed grass trimmer and a more heavy-duty brush cutter attachment.

Bottom Line

If you’re on a budget but still need a powerful tool that’d get the job done, and you don’t particularly care about having additional attachments, then the ParkerBrand cutter is the choice for you.

Ryobi RBC1226I Electric 2-in-1 Brush Cutter

Best electric brush cutter

If you’d rather not deal with constant refueling and pull-starting your machine, then you may want to look for an electric brush cutter instead.

Our favourite electric brush cutter is the Ryobi RBC1226I Electric 2-in-1 Brush Cutter. Featuring a powerful 1200-watt motor, it can easily tackle brambles and long vegetation.

It also comes with a strimmer spool attachment for trimming grass. Moreover, as part of Ryobi’s Expand-It package, you can easily adjust it by adding many more attachments later on.

You won’t need to worry at all about after-sale service. As a household name, Ryobi offers a two-year warranty and a superb customer support team to help you should anything arise.

At just over 5 kilograms, it’s also a great lightweight and compact option for those who would prefer not to lug around heavy tools around their garden.

Bottom Line

While its motor isn’t as powerful as the other petrol-run models, the Ryobi RBC1226I Electric 2-in-1 Brush Cutter is still very much a more-than-capable option for those who don’t want to go down the petrol-powered route.

Makita DUR365UZ Twin 18 V Li-ion Brushless Brush Cutter

Best cordless brush cutter

This Makita model offers another alternative to petrol-powered models, this time in the form of two 18V LXT lithium-ion batteries, sold separately.

The batteries supply a powerful 36V DC brushless motor, which means it can stay cooler and have a longer working life.

The motor offers a maximum RPM of 6,500. This is a very respectable speed that would tackle dense brambles quickly and with ease. If you’re worried about running time, fret not. It offers a running time of up to 2 hours depending on how you use it.

The model comes with 3-stage speed control, which allows you to configure your speed to preserve battery power while doing lighter tasks. You can adjust your speed to either 3500 rpm, 5300 rpm, or 6500 rpm by simply pushing a button on the user-friendly LED display.

Bottom Line

The Makita DUR365UZ is a very reliable model that offers you the strong performance of a hefty petrol brush cutter without the noise, the weight, or the hassle of pull-starting them.

BOSCH AFS 23-37 Strimmer and Brush Cutter

This Bosch trimmer/brush cutter is a beast of a machine and can handle anything you throw at it. It is so much more than a simple brush cutter. In fact, it’s a three-in-one multi-functional tool.

It features a 3-tooth brush cutter blade of 37cm to cut through all your woody plants like brambles and high-quality grass strimmer with a standard line cutter head.

It comes equipped with a 950 Watt motor, but light enough to easily move around.

Bottom Line

While it’s more expensive than most models on this list, it still offers great value for money since the assortment of attachments means that you’re essentially getting a whole garden kit.

Brush Cutter V Lawn Trimmer

Your lawn trimmer does a splendid job of clearing your grass until you reach the part of the turf that it can’t quite access. For these parts, it would help if you had a brush cutter to keep your yard looking neat. Today we compare the lawn trimmer and the brush cutter.

So, which one is right for you?

Brushcutter

These are designed to cut through the brush, including small tree stems, thick weeds, and small saplings. The cutting system integrated into the brush cutter is a metallic blade. Again, there is a wide range of trimmer heads and changeable blades you can switch depending on how you intend to use it.

Besides, a brush cutter can reach narrow growth patches, and its durability makes it an excellent choice for clearing the parts with a lot more growth.

Pros
Flexible use with various blade attachments
Can easily access hard-to-reach places
Potent enough to cut small trees and brush

Cons
Cumbersome
Can throwback grass or other cutting material at the user

Lawn trimmer

Also known as a string trimmer, a lawn trimmer is more lightweight and user-friendly, though less sturdy than a brush cutter. They feature a monofilament or nylon string system to cut. Depending on your yard’s layout and growth, a string cutter is a handy addition to your garage.

Pros
Available in cordless, corded, and gas models
It can function as a lawn edger
User friendly and light

Cons
Lines tend to break quickly if it’s not used properly
It cannot cut thicker weeds or brush

Which is right for you?

When buying a lawn trimmer or brush cutter, consider several variables like your budget, yard, and the person using the tool. You could also opt for a product with multiple heads that can do both jobs.

Landscape

Consider your yard; if you utilize a lawn trimmer, which parts aren’t accessible? Again, if you don’t have either tool, how large is your yard. Particularly, consider features like a sapling, thick weeds, gravel, and rocks. If you are handling more grass, the ideal option will be a brush cutter. However, for a place with no issues, just grass that needs trimming, go for a lawn trimmer.

Budget

If you have still not decided which one to pick between these two powerful and handy power tools, consider your budget. The power and durability that come with a brush cutter make it more expensive. For this reason, you can go for a lawn trimmer if you’re on a tight budget.

The user

Brush cutters need a substantial amount of strength and accuracy. So, who will be using the tool frequently? If the yard work is for a young man, you should go for a lawn trimmer since it is more user-friendly.

If you are not sure who will be using it, the safest option is to choose the lawn trimmer. On the other hand, if the person who will use it is strong and experienced, you can pick the brush cutter.

Brush Cutter FAQs

When Is the Best Time to Remove Brush?

The best time to get rid of all your unwanted brush is winter when some of it has died back. But anytime will be fine.

What Tools Do I Need to Clear Brush?

Along with a good brush cutter, it will be worth getting a chainsaw for any trees that may need cutting down and a pair of tree loppers.

How Can I Keep Brush From Growing Back?

If you have a persistent problem with invasive tough plants, you may have to resort to using a chemical spray. Products with Triclopyr will be needed such as Vitax SBK brushwood killer.

Final Thoughts

If you have a large garden or outdoor space that’s often a pain to manage, you should consider investing in a brush cutter.

Brush cutters are versatile garden tools capable of tearing through the thickest of brambles and vegetation that simple lawnmowers or strimmers can’t handle.

As each model has its own unique features, make sure that you’re getting the best brush cutter for your specific needs.

Mary

Mary shares a passion for gardening with her husband John, though she is more focused on growing veg on their allotment at St. Margaret’s Allotments, Durham. Mary also works in the lawn care industry and manages the lawns for the Durham University campus.