On Thursday, 18 March 2021 at 09:09:15 UTC, polygonum_on_google wrote:
I'm hoping to find an alternative to a crappy strimmer I currently have available.

Many years ago, I tried a grossly under-powered but cheap grass shear device - like a mini-headge cutter. It worked but was incredibly slow and had dreadful battery life.

The target usage is the edges of the lawn. Where the mower simply doesn't manage.

I looked around and found far fewer than I expected. One apparently decent device was this Makita:

Model DUM604 is 160mm a cordless grass shear powered by LXT 18V Li-ion battery.

https://makitauk.com/product/dum604zx

Some criticisms of the Makita made me hesitant. Like weight. Cost of long handle. Indeed, cost of the device itself! (I don't have any higher power rechargeable batteries - still use an old Bosch from NiMH days. So would have to factor in cost of batter and charger.)

Any suggestions?

Just to follow up:

I decided to bite and get the DUM604 - which arrived yesterday and has been used.

It does exactly what I need it to. As quite a lot of my grass abuts a wall, a strimmer is not ideal. And a mower simply doesn't cut close enough. It managed quite thick, thatch-like grass that has built-up for many months without difficulty. Managed under some shrubs. Yes, it could be tiring bending down to use it for long periods but it isn't too bad in terms of weight.

Will now be putting in for the second battery (current Makita offer). And one or two other Makita 18V tools now I have entered their ecosystem.