Germany
A system first, a tool second
Gardena appears on twenty-one of the forty-six shelves on this site, which is forty per cent more than the next name. That is not a judgement about quality; it is what happens when a manufacturer builds a system and then sells every part of it.
The click coupling is the clearest case. It is a proprietary shape, not a standard — the threaded end that screws onto a tap is standardised and the snap end is not — and once a garden has three of them, the fourth purchase is decided. The same logic runs through the combisystem handles, where a rake head, a scarifier head and a cultivator all take the same shaft, and through the battery platform that spans the powered range.
What that costs a reader is comparability. A Gardena part is frequently the only one on its shelf that fits a Gardena machine, and a comparison between it and an unrelated part is a comparison between two different propositions.
What it buys is that the figures are usually there. On the water shelves in particular, where half the listings state nothing at all, this is the manufacturer most likely to print a pressure alongside a coverage.
Manual, rotating brush system, removable bag, height adjustable
A motorless sweeper described by posture rather than by numbers: ergonomic handles, upright working and an adjustable sweeping height.
Best for: A large lawn in autumn, for somebody buying on the brand and the posture rather than on the numbers
33 cm, hardened steel, non-contact cut, non-stick cylinder
A hardened steel cylinder and bottom blade with a non-stick coating, folding handle, and non-contact cutting — the most expensive on a four-machine shelf.
Best for: A small, level lawn cut short and often, where the machine will sometimes meet damp grass
600 W, 3 000 l/h, 3.5 bar, stainless shaft, brass threads
An entry pump with a stainless shaft, brass thread connections, 3.5 bar and two G1" nipples supplied.
Best for: A first pump for hose and sprinkler use, where getting it connected matters as much as the figures
30 cm, 18 V shared platform, pack and charger included, 10.1 kg
The lightest machine in this family at a stated 10.1 kg, on a 30 cm single steel blade, with the pack and charger in the box.
Best for: A small or awkward lawn, and anyone for whom carrying the machine is part of the job
32 cm, 1200 W, 9.5 kg, 35–65 mm in 4 steps, 30 L, 300 m²
A 9.5 kg machine with a double-hardened blade, integrated lawn combs and a box designed to fill from the back forward.
Best for: A small to medium lawn kept at a normal height, where the finish matters more than the range of settings
Cordless, bare tool, blow and vac, adjustable speed, lined bag
A cordless blower vac on a shared battery alliance, supplied without pack or charger, with a double-lined moisture-resistant bag.
Best for: A shed that already holds packs on that shared platform, and a garden with damp leaves
3 independent schedules by weekday, dial-and-press, Water Now
Three independent schedules on a dial-and-press interface, with a Water Now button that does not disturb the programme.
Best for: One tap, three different watering needs — a lawn, a bed and pots on different days
The only shear here with a sole plate holding a constant cutting height — and the only right-handed one.
Best for: Edging a long straight boundary at an even height, right-handed
A V-shaped tip for splitting soil around a taproot, on a 14.5 cm working length with a hooked handle end.
Best for: Lifting dandelions and thistles out of a lawn whole, one at a time
A five-litre sprayer with a foot plate so it stays put while you pump, plus a shoulder strap and a sight strip.
Best for: Anybody who pumps a five-litre sprayer more than twice a season
A nitrile-palmed planting glove with a conductive index finger and thumb — the only pair here you can use a phone in.
Best for: Planting and soil work where a phone comes out of a pocket every few minutes
A 49-litre box that stands up on its own, folds flat for storage, and can be used as a scoop.
Best for: A cylinder mower in a shed with no room for a rigid box eleven months a year
Two connectors and a coupler, sized for both 13 mm and 15 mm hose, with soft grips for wet hands.
Best for: Joining two hoses into one long run, reliably, with hardware that matches the rest of the system
The only gun here with a dirt screen, a continuous lock and stated frost protection — and only five patterns.
Best for: A gun used every day, all season, that has to still work in its fifth year
A textile-sleeved hose that stores almost flat — the shortest here, and the dearest per metre.
Best for: A patio, a greenhouse or a front garden — short runs where flexibility matters more than reach
A metal-framed cart with a drip stop and a fold-out foot, taking up to 60 m of hose — which is not included.
Best for: Somebody who already owns a long hose and wants it wound and wheeled properly
The only sprinkler here whose three published figures check out against each other — 7 to 17 m by 13 m.
Best for: A rectangular lawn, where a circular pattern would leave dry corners
A soaker supplied with all its fittings and a hand valve — and with no flow rate or pressure published.
Best for: A bed or a row of plants, set up once and adjusted by hand at the valve
A 43 cm plastic head for a modular handle range — any handle in the range, and none outside it.
Best for: Somebody who already owns handles from this modular range
A galvanised tine head for a modular handle system — the cheapest item here, and the handle is extra.
Best for: Somebody who already owns handles from this modular range
A 40 cm drop spreader head with a levelling bar — the narrowest and most accurate pattern on this shelf.
Best for: Small lawns, and anywhere fertiliser must not land on a bed, a path or a pond
The live figure beside a product went and asked the shop for it the moment this page opened; any amount written into the text has not moved since the sentence was drafted, and it is the first of the two that counts.
