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Keep Your Garden Trimmed With the Best Billhooks
Last updated: Apr 29, 2024Whether you have a front-facing flower garden or a backyard vegetable lawn, gardens can accentuate the landscape of your property. If they aren’t properly maintained, untamed growth of shrubs and saplings will only make your lawn appear awful—and not to mention, put your precious vegetables in jeopardy.
Keeping your garden nicely trimmed and your vegetables nourished requires appropriate tools. Although chainsaws and hedge trimmers make the trimming part substantially easier, they can prove overkill when you only have one or two flowerbeds to look after.
Despite being an ancient horticulture tool, the hatchet-blade hybrid design makes billhooks effective and popular even today. If you are looking for something that will clear your flower beds and chop thick bushes, then you can rest assured you can end your search here.
To help you out, we’ve curated a list of the highest-rated billhooks of 2024!
Show contentsHere Is the Great Billhook of 2024- Z & G Billhook Sickle - Best Overall
- Zenport K310 Billhook - Most Sturdy
- Fiskars Billhook - Also Consider
- KEYI Steel Grass Sickle - Budget-Friendly
A Buyer's Guide to the Top of the Line BillhookA Buyer's Guide to the Top of the Line Billhook
Unlike your average trowel, garden fork, or clippers billhooks rank somewhere at the bottom of the buying list. It’s not every day you consider clearing unwanted clutter from your garden or harvesting your backyard vegetables, especially if you are a beginner in the field. And being an ancient agricultural tool, it’s hardly referred to when you have far better electrical versions.
On the flipside, billhooks are more effective than you might think.
Why Do You Need a Billhook?
From helping you get rid of weedy grass to cutting protruding shots and veins, the extensive range of applications makes billhooks a gardening tool in recent times. The curved design is considered a hybrid between ax, knife, and sickle.
Modern billhooks can help cut slightly thicker stems such as grapevines and extrusive tree shoots. This makes billhooks perfect for those who want to do light gardening maintenance.
Billhook v. Machete: Know the Difference
The term billhook is often used alongside machete since both are used for the same clearing and cutting purpose. However, there are many differences when it comes to their shapes and the way they operate.
Billhooks, as the name suggests, have a curved blade design that can clear out shrubs, saplings, and woody bushes without putting in much effort. While the blade is sharp enough to sever the outgrown weeds, the hooked end allows you to pull the cutouts to the side.
Machetes, on the other hand, have a straight blade that’s better suited for cutting and severing thicker stems that are no match for sickle-like billhooks. The unique design makes it an effective survival tool in harsh environments.
There are plenty of hybrid versions available in the market. Being the best of two, they can help clear bushes, trim grass, felling small trees, and even chop firewood.
Billhook Design Patterns
Billhooks feature a wide range of designs, including but not limited to:
Devon billhook
Apart from the unconventional beveled edge with a blunt tip, this style of billhook offers a notch at bottom of the blade. The blunt tip at the edge of the curve is used to dig around the vegetation for a softer soil bed. Adding to this, the round incision at the bottom allows convenient mounting.
Knighton billhook
Instead of offering a hook at the bottom, the Knighton billhook pattern has a straight blade with a rounded backend, making it a closer depiction of a machete.
Yorkshire billhook
Yorkshire billhooks feature dual beveled edges with an extended handle attached to the bottom, making them bigger and heavier than their counterparts. In addition to the basic grass trim and harvest, these billhooks are most effective in clearing away thicker branches and wood logs.
Double-edged billhook
Although it features a dual-edged blade, the sides of this billhook are slightly different from each other. While one side has a curved hook, the other side has a straight cutting edge— making it fit for extensive trimming and cutting tasks.
Billhooks have remained a popular trimming and chopping tool throughout the edges. Despite the technological advancements, billhook machetes are still a convenient and effective gardening tool. Whether you are looking for your first billhook or looking to replace your worn-out garden helper, this article has four high-quality and reliable tools you can trust.
Here Is the Great Billhook of 2024
1Z & G Billhook Sickle
– Best OverallAlthough it’s not prioritized in the list of basic gardening tools, this billhook sickle by Z & G deserves to be included in your toolset if you are thinking of growing a backyard garden. Featuring a medieval curved sickle design, the blade is built out of heavy-duty carbon steel, making it resistant to rust.
The 14-inch blade length makes it an ideal size for clipping extended branches, clearing out weedy grass, and harvesting your vegetation. The comfortable hand grip lets you get the job done before your grip starts getting lousy. Keep it in your gardening toolbox or take it with you on an outdoor trip into the wilderness, the choice is yours.
Pros- Carbon steel construction promotes maximum durability
- A comfortable hand grip makes it easy to use
- Serrated curved blade for quicker cutting
Cons- Does not come with a cover
2Zenport K310 Billhook
– Most SturdySometimes you need a billhook that’s capable of managing tasks beyond clearing out the weedy grass and unwanted saplings. Built with high-grade carbon steel, the Zenport K310 offers versatility when it comes to clipping tough vines and shoots. The razor-sharp blade does not come with a sheath, so you might need to be extra cautious while using it.
The stout and sharp machete blade are coupled with an extended nine-inch aluminum handle and rubber grip, allowing you to give your maximum using both hands. While the curved blade extends its usage in horticulture, the hooked sickle can fulfill your survival needs as well. Adding to its functionality, you can also clip it to your backpack when planning a trip to the wilderness.
Pros- High-grade steel construction promotes sturdiness
- The razor-sharp blade cuts thick stems
Cons- Does not have a scabbard
3Fiskars Billhook
– Also ConsiderFiskars is one of the leading tools manufacturing companies operating from the US. With popularity expanding beyond the borders, if you are looking for a beginner’s billhook to keep your garden tidy and rightly maintained, then perhaps the 10-inch steel blade is just the equipment you need to begin with.
The heavy-duty steel blade features a rust-resistant coating and lowers friction, allowing you to make precise cuts with higher force. Not to mention, the lightweight fiber comp handle offers a better grip for quicker swings. Despite the curved sickle design, the Fiskars billhook also comes with a sheath to ensure you don’t have trouble while storing or carrying it.
Pros- A hardened steel blade maximizes cutting power
- The lightweight design promotes precision
- Comes with a protective sheath
Cons- Small size may prove inefficient
4KEYI Steel Grass Sickle
– Budget-FriendlyLet’s go back in time with the KEYI steel grass sickle with an elongated hardwood handle. While the curved blade is sharp and durable, it is cheaply priced and ideal for your gardening toolkit purchase. The farmer safety sickle champions the charts with a minimalist design that extends its usage to animal husbandry as well.
The traditional long handle ensures multi-purpose use, from edging lawns to clearing branches that are no match for standard knives. On the downside, this billhook’s blade does not have a long enough shank—limiting you from exerting your full force while clipping shoot extensions.
As a result, this KEYI sickle is best suited for homegrown lawns and vegetations.
Pros- A sharp blade promotes better cutting
- The lightweight design promotes comfort
Cons- Softwood may break under high pressure
People Also Asked
Q: Are billhooks and brush axes different?A: The terms billhook and bush ax are often correlated. As a beginner, you might not notice between the two. Bush axes have a serrated curved blade attached to a long wooden handle just like a normal ax. On the other hand, billhooks have shorter hand grips.
Q: Are billhooks suitable for those with mobility issues?A: Due to the bending and kneeling these tools require, they aren’t the best for those who suffer from arthritis.
Q: Why do you need a billhook?A: Billhooks offer a wide range of uses when it comes to gardening. Being a combination of machete and bush ax, billhooks are efficient in clipping and cutting offshoots, weeds, and unwanted saplings.
Q: Can you use a billhook to chop wood?A: The billhook is specifically designed for light work such as trimming grass and clipping shrubs and saplings. However, there are models with heavy-duty blades that may help you chop thin wood pieces.
Q: How can I tell if my billhook needs replacement?A: Generally speaking, you’ll know your billhook needs replacement if it shows signs of general wear and tear. Other signs include excessive rusting that doesn’t go away after treatment, as well as chipped edges that interfere with its operation.
The Garden Gate Review Team is a group of writers, editors, and gardeners, dedicated towards writing trustworthy product reviews that'll help you choose the best products for a beautiful garden and backyard. Garden Gate is reader-supported: When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Artificial Intelligence (large language models) may have been used in the research and creation of the content. Please reach out to aimperiapt@gmail.com with any questions regarding product testing or specific articles.