Gardena SmallCut Li-23R Review

The Gardena SmallCut Li-23R is a light cordless grass trimmer with its battery built in. It cuts about 23 cm using Gardena’s RotorCut plastic blades rather than line, weighs 1.7 kg, and runs for up to 40 minutes per charge — a self-contained tool for keeping small-lawn edges neat.

What the listing confirms

The only Amazon.co.uk offer we found in October 2026 was an Italian-language listing from a third-party seller. It describes an integrated 18V 2.0 Ah lithium-ion battery with no memory effect, the RotorCut cutting system, a 22.3 cm cutting width, up to 40 minutes of runtime, spare blades stored under the handle, an additional handle and a weight of 1.7 kg, with a three-year Gardena warranty.

What it’s good at

Its light weight and extra handle make it easy to swing along borders, around trees and into corners a mower can’t reach. With the battery built in, there’s nothing to choose, buy or match: charge it and go. RotorCut blades avoid the fiddly business of winding and feeding line — you clip on a fresh blade when one wears.

Where it falls short

The integrated battery is the main catch: you can’t carry a spare to double your runtime, and when the battery eventually wears, it isn’t a simple swap. It also doesn’t share batteries with anything else in your shed. The 23 cm cut means more passes on anything beyond a small lawn, and plastic blades are for grass only — nettles, brambles and woody growth need a brush cutter (see brush cutter vs strimmer).

Who should buy it

Someone with a small lawn who wants a light trimmer and has no interest in a battery system. If you’d like removable, shareable batteries, Gardena’s own EasyTrim 25/18V P4A is the better long-term buy, and it’s easier to find in the UK.

Verdict

A light, simple, self-contained trimmer for small lawns — fine if you can find one, but a removable-battery trimmer is the more flexible choice today.