The 5 Best Grass Whip And Weed Whip Tools

Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by Grow with Bovees

A weed whip, or grass whip, is great for keeping your weeds under control without having to fire up your trusty, powered weed wacker.

In fact, once you’ve used a manual weed cutter you may find yourself reaching for it instead of the gas powered trimmer more and more as they’re so much easier to use!

Also known by other common names such as a grass whip, sling blade, manual weed whacker, weed cutter, or swing blade plus a few others, these tools are a very efficient grass removal tool and just the thing to keep tall weeds and grass under control around the yard, on the farm, or even out on the forest trail.

No gas or electricity is needed!

Of course, there are a few different styles and brands of this gardening tool out there so here at Bovees we’ve found 5 of the best weed whips and reviewed each one.

Our goal is to help find the best grass whip that will work for you and answer any questions you may have, so let’s get started.

Weed Whips Reviewed In This Guide

Weed whips are hand tools that often resemble a golf club in shape and are used with a swinging motion to cut down grass and for clearing weeds. Some people even recommend them to help improve your golf swing!

Also often known as a grass whip, they are a very cost effective way of cutting more than just grass and you can purchase them from a home and garden store or online.

Here are the best grass whips and weed cutters we’ve picked for our review.

True Temper 2945000 Deluxe Weed Grass Cutter with Serrated Steel Blade

14-inch Serrated Double-Edged Blade

30-inch Hardwood Handle

40-inch Total Tool Length (approx)

2.6lbs Weight

Bully 12- Gauge Weed Cutter with Fiberglass Handle

14-inch Non-Serrated Double-Edged 12-Gauge Steel Blade (non-serrated)

30-inch Fiberglass Triple Walled Handle

45-inch Total Tool Length

3lbs Weight

True Temper 2942600 Grass Whip with Serrated Steel Blade

9-inch Serrated Double-Edge Blade

22-inch Hardwood Handle

41-inch Total Tool Length

1.4lbs Weight

AMES 2915300 Double Blade Weed Grass Cutter with Hardwood Handle, 30 Inch

14-inch Serrated Double-Edged Blade

30-inch Hardwood Handle

40-inch Total Tool Length (approx)

2.6lbs Weight

Brushing Cutlass-The Most Elite Grass Whip

8-inch Razor Sharp Non-Serrated Double-Edged Blade

32-inch Hickory Handle

36-inch Total Tool Length (approx)

1.5lbs Weight

Best Weed Whip List

Best Overall Weed Whip: True Temper 2945000 Deluxe Weed Grass Cutter with Serrated Steel Blade

The True Temper Deluxe is a great all-rounder when it comes to choosing a weed whip for your garden. True Temper as a brand has been around since 1808 and their motto is that only tools that proved “True” in balance and temper could bear their label!

With its 15-year warranty and respected brand name, you would expect this grass whip to deliver and it does just that.

It’s also made in the USA from quality materials including a hardwood handle and of course that tempered steel blade.

Great For All Grass and Weed Clearing Tasks

Ideal for clearing tall grass and weeds on forest paths, in overgrown ditches, on the farm, yard work, or just about anywhere around your home garden, this swing blade is the perfect blend of weight and size to get the best results wherever you are.

Weighing in at a fairly hefty 2.6lbs this makes it easy to get the swinging action going for cutting tall growth grass and weeds easily as well as the smaller stuff, although some people may find it a bit heavy to use for long periods of time.

Serrated Double-Edged Steel Sling Blade

With a cutting edge on both sides of the 14-inch blade, you get double the cutting motion for the same amount of effort! The serrated blade is sharp enough to cut through most weeds and once you get the hang of it, you will be clearing paths in no time.

You may find you need to sharpen the blade occasionally, but that is easily done with a small file.

Best Heavy Use Weed Whip Bully 12-Gauge Weed Cutter with Fiberglass Handle

Bully tools claim to be made to last a lifetime and that’s certainly the case for this robust manual weed cutter.

Suitable for most purposes, this weed and grass whip is great for the toughest of jobs thanks to its 12-gauge steel blade and super strong but lightweight handle.

Made entirely in the USA, it comes with a limited lifetime warranty that states if the tool fails during normal use, the manufacturer will rebuild or replace it free of charge!

12-Gauge Double Edge Steel Blade

Made from fabulous quality steel, the non-serrated, double-edged blade on the Bully will need sharpening, preferably with a grinding wheel, before the first use.

Once you’ve done that though, it’s an amazing sling blade that will cut through most weeds, grass, and overgrown vegetation no matter how thick the stems are.

High Strength Fiberglass Handle

The 30-inch handle on the Bully Weed Wacker is made from lightweight but strong fiberglass with a polyester veil coating to stop it from splintering.

It also has a rubber grip to make it more comfortable and reduce hand fatigue during prolonged use.

Bully Grass Whip Dimensions

As this is the pick of our whips for heavier use, it’s no surprise that it comes in as the heaviest at nearly 3 pounds in weight.

It’s longer than most with an overall length of around 45 inches and the blade is perfectly suited to the tool at 14 inches long.

Best Lightweight Weed Whip: True Temper 2942600 Grass Whip with Serrated Steel Blade

Our pick for a lightweight tool is the True Temper Grass Whip which weighs just 1.4lbs.

This weed cutter is the classic golf club style whip design and so has a shorter wooden handle and no steel braces to hold the blade in place.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a strong tool but it is better suited to just clearing weeds and grass and not thicker or woody-stemmed plants that the previous two swing blades can cope with.

Being light does mean that it’s easier to use and may be one of the best grass whips for most people.

This True Temper whip is actually made in China but is still backed by the trusted manufacturer against defects.

Serrated Double-Edged Blade

The 9-inch blade is serrated and will stay sharp through normal usage, although you may occasionally need to give it a quick go-over with a file now and again to keep it that way.

22-inch Hardwood Handle

A shorter handle made from quality hardwood features on this gardening tool and the shorter length helps keep the weight down.

The rest of the handle is a very strong steel rod that leads down to the blade fixing.

The wooden handle also has a hole drilled through it at the top for storage or a wrist lanyard.

True Temper 2942600 Weed Whip Dimensions

The total length of this cutter comes in at a very usable 41 inches, which is just right for many people.

With the tough and effective 9 inch blade and a weight of just 1.4lbs, we think this is a great buy if you just need a lightweight grass whip.

All measurements are approximate.

Best Budget Weed Whip: AMES 2915300 Double Blade Weed Grass Cutter with Hardwood Handle, 30 Inch

The Ames Double Blade Weed Grass Cutter with hardwood handle is a fantastic quality grass whip despite its much lower price tag (at the time of writing).

Established in 1774, the Ames brand is very well known and respected so you can be sure you’re getting a tool of good build quality, plus they offer a 15-year warranty against defects for your peace of mind.

This budget model has a lot in common with our best overall buy in terms of looks and how it handles. It’s also assembled in the USA.

14 inch Serrated Blade

As with all our best buys, the Ames has a double-edged blade so that you get the benefit of a cutting action on both sides of your swing.

The serrated steel blade edges mean that it stays sharp and is very effective at cutting through large sections of weeds, tall grass, and areas of bush. Occasional edge sharpening may be required to keep it at its best though.

Durable Hardwood Handle

The 30 inch long handle on the Ames Weed Cutter is just the right length for most people and connects to the blade with two tempered steel braces that are double-bolted for extra strength.

It also has a hole drilled through to hang the manual wacker up for storage.

Ames Grass Cutter Dimensions

That 30-inch handle and steel braces mean the manual weed whacker has an overall length of approximately 40 inches, which is about right for most people.

The serrated cutter is around 14 inches long and overall the tool weighs in at about 2.6lbs.

Best Quality Weed Whip: Brushing Cutlass – The Best Grass Whip

This handcrafted grass cutter is a superb quality manual weed cutter and can be customized with your own engraved name etc. to make it your own.

Yes it is expensive (around 5 times the price of our best overall whip) but the craftsmanship of this weed cutter means it’s very much worth it if you can afford the higher price.

Made to order by TheBrushingCutlassCo in the USA using the finest materials, this weed whacker has a lifetime guarantee and the manufacturer will replace it if it fails during normal use.

Normal use with this manual sling blade means pretty much anything you can throw at it from a weed clearing perspective. It can handle thick overgrown weeds, briar, and brush with ease.

Razor Sharp Blade

The 8 inch, non-serrated, double-edged steel blade on the Cutlass comes pre-sharpened so you will not need to do any work on it before you start using it, making it one of the best grass whips for heavy use.

It’s made of high carbon steel for extra strength and is painted green by the makers to prevent corrosion.

You may find you need to do a little work to keep the blade sharp over its life, but it’s well worth the effort and potential additional cost.

32 inch Hickory Handle

The superb hickory handle is sanded, scorched, stamped, and customized before being treated with linseed oil to help preserve it.

Every handle is unique and so no one will own a Brushing Cutlass weed whip exactly the same as yours!

It also comes fitted with a ‘Re-Grip’ rubberized grip to make it much easier to keep hold of the handle and reduce fatigue.

Cutlass Weed Whip Dimensions

With a 32 inch long handle, the overall length of the weed cutter comes in at around 36 inches which can vary by 1 or 2 inches depending on the piece of wood being used for the handle.

The blade is shorter than some others at just 8 inches, but some find that is plenty long enough, especially as it’s so sharp!

Weight-wise, this grass whip comes in at just 1.5lbs which makes it one of our lighter products. That means it handles very well and is suitable for use by most people especially for cutting grass.

Weed Whip Buying Guide

What is a Weed Whip?

A weed whip (or grass whip, sling blade, manual weed cutter, etc.) is a handheld weed clearing tool that has been designed to use in a swinging motion (very much like a golf club).

Many tools of this type are shaped like an elongated golf club with an angled, double-edged blade at the end of a handle.

They do not require gas or batteries as they are entirely manual, so grass whips can go where string trimmers can’t and are surprisingly effective at removing weeds!

How Does a Weed Whip Work?

As you walk along you swing the tool in a pendulum-type motion in front of you.

As the double-edged serrated steel blades have a cutting edge on both sides it means that they will cut through the weed, grass, etc. each time it swings across, making them very efficient.

Types of Weed Whips

Golf Club Style Weed Whips

This type of weed whip is often called a grass whip as well and is shaped like a long golf club.

These usually have a shorter wooden part of the handle with the remainder of the shaft made up of a steel rod with the blade joined at one end only.

That means this type of whip design is fairly lightweight and easy to use one-handed.

Rake Style Weed Whips

Another type of whip looks a little like a short rake with a head that’s at an angle and is usually called a weed cutter.

They tend to have a longer handle than the golf club style and have a longer blade that is attached centrally via two metal braces.

The blade is set at an angle so that it’s easier to get it parallel to the ground as you swing it in front of you in a similar action to the other style.

You will need to use two hands for this type of whip though as they tend to be heavier tools.

Features to Look for In a Weed Whip

Strong and Durable Handle

One of the most important parts of a sling blade is the handle.

It should have strength but equally, be comfortable to hold with a strong grip, and long enough that you can skim across just above ground level without bending over.

The handle must also be durable enough that it doesn’t bend easily as keeping a straight shaft and cutting edge is a key to a long life without the additional cost of repair.

Robust and Effective Sharp Blade

The other crucial feature is of course the blade style itself.

This can either have a serrated edge or a straight edge and which one you choose is personal preference, although many will go for double-edged serrated steel blades.

The straight-edged blade is easier to sharpen but the serrated cutting edge can be more effective when clearing vegetation.

Common Questions About Weed Whips

Will a Grass Whip Really Help Improve My Golf Swing?

Some golfers say it really does help their game so it’s definitely worth a try if you’re getting one anyway!

Even if you’re not a golfer, using one of these is great exercise and can really loosen up your shoulders.

What Length of Grass or Weeds Can I Cut?

The answer to this is that you can hack your way through pretty much any height of grass and weeds with a grass whip, but the taller it is the more power you will need to put into your swing.

We usually advise people that around 1 foot tall is the highest you will probably want to tackle.

What Can I Use A Manual Weed Cutter For?

You can cut most types of vegetation with a weed whip, including overgrown weeds, ivy, clover patches, tall grass, and more. It’s great for clearing patches a lawn mower or even the very best battery powered weed eater can’t get to.

Enjoy Your New Weed Whip

That concludes our roundup of the 5 best weed whip tools we think are available today.

We love this handheld tool and however you refer to them – grass whip, swing blade, manual weed cutter, sling blade, manual weed wacker, grass hooks, kaiser blade etc., they are powerful tools for clearing overgrown grass and weeds.

They make excellent lawn tools as well to help keep things looking neat and tidy so get with that swinging cutting process and start clearing your yard today!

Resources:

Ames site for the True Temper brand : https://us.ames.com/brands-and-products/our-brands/true-temper/

Wikipedia link (redirects to the string trimmer page): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weed_whip

Study.com link for hickory wood : https://study.com/academy/lesson/hickory-wood-characteristics-uses.html