Choosing a grass cutting tool
Grass length first, then whether you are clearing an area or finishing a line. Those two decide almost everything.
Long grass and short grass are different jobs
Long grass is cut by slicing through a standing stem, which is what a scythe and a sickle do. Short grass has to be cut against something, because there is not enough stem to slice: that is why shears have two blades and a mower has a bed knife.
Using the wrong one is immediately obvious. A scythe in a lawn skims over the top of it. Shears in waist high grass jam on the second cut, because the cut material has nowhere to go.
- Over 200mm
- Scythe or sickle. Slicing a standing stem, and the cut grass falls clear of the blade.
- Under 100mm
- Shears or a hand mower. Two edges are needed because a short stem cannot be sliced through.
- Awkward and small
- One handed grass shears. Slower per square metre and the only thing that fits around a headstone or a rockery.
A scythe is a technique, not just a blade
A scythe cuts on a shallow slicing arc with the blade riding just above the ground, driven by turning the body rather than swinging the arms. Done properly it is close to effortless and quiet, and it clears rough grass genuinely faster than a strimmer.
Done wrong it is exhausting and it chops rather than cuts. The two things that matter are that the blade is razor sharp, peened rather than merely ground, and that the snath is set to your height so the blade lies flat on the ground on its own.
- Set the snath
- With the blade flat on the ground the upper grip should reach your hip. An ill-fitted snath makes the whole thing hard work.
- Turn, do not swing
- The power comes from rotating the torso. Swinging the arms tires you out and cuts worse.
- Peen, then hone
- An Austrian blade is thinned by peening on an anvil, then honed in the field. Grinding alone never gets it sharp enough.
- Cut with dew on
- Damp grass cuts far more easily than dry, which is why the traditional time to mow is early morning.
Edges are what make a lawn look cut
A lawn with a ragged edge looks unkempt however well the middle is mown, and a crisp edge makes an average lawn look cared for. It is the highest return per minute in the whole garden.
Two separate jobs are involved. An edging iron cuts a new vertical line through the turf, which is done once or twice a year. Edging shears then trim the overhanging grass along that line, which is done every few weeks.
- Cut the line once
- A half moon edging iron, against a plank for a straight run or a hose for a curve.
- Trim it often
- Long handled edging shears, held vertically. Quick, and it is what keeps the line looking new.
- Do not recut every time
- Cutting a fresh line each month moves the edge and the bed grows steadily wider.
Everything here depends on being sharp
Grass is soft and springy, which makes it unforgiving of a dull edge: a blunt blade pushes the stem over rather than cutting it, and the grass springs back up uncut. This is more true of grass than of almost any other material.
The good news is that all of these tools are sharpened with a simple stone or file and it takes a couple of minutes. A scythe is honed every few minutes of use, which sounds tedious and is actually the rhythm of the work.
- Hone in the field
- A scythe blade is honed every five to ten minutes with a stone carried in a water holster. That is normal, not a fault.
- Shears need both
- Sharpen the bevel and keep the pivot tight. A loose pivot lets the blades part and no sharpness will help.
- Brown tips mean blunt
- If cut grass browns at the tip within a day or two, it was torn rather than cut. Sharpen the blade.
- Clean off the sap
- Grass sap is corrosive and sticky. Wipe the blade and oil it, or it will pit and then drag.
When hand tools genuinely beat a machine
On a wet or steep bank where a mower cannot get traction. In a wildflower meadow where you want stems cut cleanly and left standing in a windrow. Around obstacles, headstones and planting where a strimmer would shred anything it touched.
Also anywhere noise matters. A hand tool works at six in the morning without waking anyone, which for a small lawn is often the whole argument.
- Wet and steep
- No traction problem, no fuel spilling on a slope, no wheel ruts in soft ground.
- Meadow and wildlife
- A scythe cuts cleanly and leaves a windrow, so seed drops and insects can move out of the cut area.
- Around obstacles
- A strimmer line strips bark and paint. Shears stop exactly where you stop them.
- Quiet
- No engine, no charge, nothing to start, and no reason not to work early or late.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you cut grass with hand tools instead of a mower?
- Yes, and for some situations hand tools are better. A scythe clears rough long grass faster than a strimmer, a hand cylinder mower gives a fine finish on a small lawn, and shears reach places no machine can. For a large area of ordinary lawn a powered mower is still quicker.
- What is the difference between a scythe and a sickle?
- A sickle is a short curved blade used one-handed, close to the ground, cutting a small area at a time. A scythe has a long blade on a two-handed shaft and cuts a wide swath standing upright. The sickle is for small patches, the scythe for clearing ground.
- Is a scythe faster than a strimmer?
- In long grass and in competent hands, yes, and noticeably so. A scythe cuts a swath about 1.5 metres wide with each stroke and leaves the grass in a neat row. It is also silent and needs no fuel. It is slower than a strimmer on short tough growth and around obstacles.
- How often does a scythe blade need sharpening?
- Honed with a stone every five to ten minutes of cutting, which is part of the working rhythm rather than a sign of a problem. Peened on an anvil to thin the edge every few hours of use. A properly sharp scythe takes very little effort, and a dull one is exhausting.
- What are grass shears used for?
- Trimming grass in places a mower cannot reach: around trees, along walls, beside steps and between planting. Long handled versions save bending for edge work, and one handed versions are for close detail. They cut rather than shred, so the tips do not brown.
- Do I need an edging iron and edging shears?
- They do different jobs. An edging iron cuts a new vertical line through turf, which you do once or twice a season. Edging shears trim the grass that grows out over that line, which you do every few weeks. Recutting the line every time makes the bed grow wider.
- Are hand push mowers any good?
- On a small, reasonably flat lawn, very. A cylinder mower scissors the grass between a rotating blade and a fixed bed knife, which is a cleaner cut than any rotary machine and leaves no browned tips. They struggle with long grass, twigs and uneven ground.
- When is the best time to cut grass by hand?
- Early morning while the dew is still on it. Damp grass is heavier and stands up better, so it cuts far more easily than dry grass, which folds away from the blade. This is why traditional mowing started at dawn, and it makes a real difference with a scythe.
