Looking to invest in a new trimmer and I’m thoroughly fed up with dragging a cable around. Any suggestions for a petrol or rechargeable? Which is best for infrequent domestic use?
Ta!

Got a battery job from argos … (was really really bored on a sunday and wanted to do the hedge there and then, hence why argos , only place that was open)

Doesn’t last that long, but charges quickly … I do half the hedge, put it back on charge have a clean up and have a cup of tea then finish the second half off.

It’s not exactly light,(though I’ve never held a petrol)…. so not sure battery is really that good…. but then there are probably better battery ones than the 35 quid special I bought in haste

Cable is the lightest if you don’t have muscles like a gorilla.

Have you tried taking your cable trimmer apart and sharpening the cutter with an angle grinder? It transforms the effectiveness and speed.

I went petrol, bought too big and find it too heavy after 20 minutes or so and have to take a break while forearms stop burning. Before I realised it was best to take a break I ended up in A&E after ‘trimming’ my arm quite seriously..

I got a Bosch battery one from Screwfix and the battery seems to last quite well over several sessions but then I don’t live in Hampton Court.

I found the cable got lighter once you trimmed it in a big shower of sparks and puff of smoke.

How some of you are still alive i’ve no idea (has gone through a few cables with a circular saw 😳 myself)

If you have to ask, you want to get a petrol one.
Only cos petrol stuff is better.

I got a Bosch AHS 48Li cutter & it’s really very good providing you aren’t trying to trim a really heavy hedge. Battery life is very impressive and being Lithium ion holds it’s charge well when not being used. got mine from homebase on one of their special discount weekends. The battery also fits their drills which can be a bonus if you possess one. plenty powerful enough for normal hedge/shrub trimming, even managed to cut a notch out of my aluminium greenhouse with it–oops!

http://www.gtech.co.uk/garden-tools/ht04-hedge-trimmer-branch-cutter.html

I’m sure others are available. I originally bought it for trail clearance, but I use it in preference to my fixed blade corded trimmer these days. It’s perfectly good at a fair bit of leylandii ravaging, but it’s clearly only built with domestic use in mind.

Just put up with the cable. Much the lightest and easiest to handle option. Especially if you need to use a ladder, you can get far better reach (cos you can do it one-handed no probs) making the job a lot quicker.

That GTech looks handy. I’m going to have several hedges and trees to get into shape in the next garden. £100 seems like a reasonable investment

The question no one’s asked; how much hedge? If only a few metres, battery or chord if you can stand it. If more, petrol. I have the ubiquitous 24“ Stihl which has been fantastic. I service it (sharpen and set blades, clean and set plug, grease blade drive thingumybob and clean air filter) every couple of years and it’s both powerful and reliable.

I also have a KAAZ 18″ machine for another garden with a Kwacker injun. It’s noticeably less powerful but again very reriable being Jap.

If you have lots of height/area/thickness, you may be betterer off with a pole thingumy (trimmer not gardener…).

I’d buy the Stihl again no questions asked.

I have a long-reach battery one (Qualcast I think) that I use to run across the top of the hedge. It’s about a 25ft long length at the longest side and it just about lasts for that, however as it runs out of juice the bigger twigs can jam it up a bit.

I then finish off the sides and general tidying with a corded electric – much easier on the arms and cuts much quicker.

I don’t think I would go for another battery one to replace the corded one if it ever blows up (it’s nigh-on 20 years old and still going strong (again, that one *is* a Qualcast).

I’m pleased to say that I’ve never chopped the cable, but I’ve been close a couple of times. I reckon I’d trim more often if I didn’t have to faff so much with extension cables, and having recently switched to the freedom of a petrol mower I’d really like to ditch another cable.
I expected the rechargeables to get a big thumbs down, but they haven’t, hmmm.
Thanks for all the replies chaps.

For an average garden hedge I would go electric no real downsides with them, battery is good but not when you forget to charge it or the battery dies completely and you can no longer get one.

Petrol is best for large hedges especially for thick branches but they are not without issues, cheap ones will do the job but overheat easily, they are heavier which can be a challenge if up a ladder, but they will go through just about anything and are quicker.

I’ve got the bigger Bosch li ion one. Had it for about 5 or so years and it’s been faultless. Very light and easy to use. I’ve never run the battery out cutting about 25m of hedge, top and both sides then pruning various bushes.
Will be planting about 150m of hedging this winter so am watching this thread with interest

Why do people have hedges?

Why do people have hedges?

great for biodiversity, excellent for wildlife; stop people yet still give small animals free reign. Nice to look at. We even get a bit of fruit from ours. Having to trim it once a year is a small price to pay.

The other thing to think about with petrol, esp cheap petrol ones, is noise. If you live close to neighbours they will quickly get fed up of the particularly grating sound of a cheap 2-stroke hedge trimmer.

I am sure neighbours in any residential setting would be quite used to the sound of mowers etc too so I don’t believe any normal person would be upset (unless you were trimming your bush in your underwear at 10pm on a school night)…

Why do people have hedges?

I’d much rather a hedge and having to cut it once a year, rather than staring at a fence and have the mind-numbing chore of having to put wood preserve on it every few years