I know this has been done before - my no name battery powered hedge trimmer has just died after probably 8 years of loyal service.
I need to replace it. It is currently the only battery powered tool I have, so thinking of using it as the first step into one of the battery powered universes going forward. Basic household use, though big garden for gardening tools.
Ryobi always seem to have deals. Should I go down their bright green route, and if so, 18V One batteries or 36V Max Power batteries. Or should I avoid Ryobi and go down another route?
Advice appreciated
We have a few Ryobi tools - hedge trimmer, drill, strimmer & lawn mower - and all have worked well.
For the larger tools the batteries (18V) don’t last long but having spares to swap means it’s not a problem.
I've had Ryobi petrol stuff, including pole saw, was ok while it lasted and it had a hard time here.
But, imho, Milwaukee kit is far better, but far, far spendier. Buying a Milwaukee drill and impact made me wondered why I'd fannyied about with cheap kit, including ryobi, before.
Cobra is based in your area, garden tools only though
Their petrol tools are okay, so might be worth a look
I took the plunge on one of these as I've a lot of tall Leylandii to keep under control. Sadly, it was a bit weedy for the job both in cutting power and battery life. I sent it back and bought an unpopular and heavy Husqy petrol jobbie that is more than man enough for the job. Conversely, we use a little battery Stihl hedge trimmer for facing which sounds like a toy but is A1. As a bonus, it's light enough for SWMBO which nicely gets me out of a lot of the regular bush trimming jobs (ahem)... I tend to stick to Stihl or Husqy for this sort of kit however it's powered.
The question really is what else you want to do with batteries. Makita are good allround, but they're imo not the best at the garden stuff. But because I have diy and garage tools too that balances out. Milwaukee are usually excellent but bloody expensive.
Gardening tools are genuinely a tough job, mains can still be a great option tbh- like, I go through 4 batteries to cut my lawn, nobody wants to buy a tool plus multiple batteries. Also, your battery handling is important, any tool that gets used rarely is really hard on batteries.
I have ryobi one plus battery stuff. It's ok. I bought a cheap extra battery on eBay.
Because I had batteries I bought a dewalt one- works very well (I’ve got plenty of makita batteries too but the hedge trimmer options seemed better for dewalt at the time - bought makita mower and strimmer though)- I use it to keep three sycamores in check - giving them a haircut at the end of every year so we can maintain our sea view. Trimming the sides then adjusting the head to 90deg to flatten off the tops. It’ll do all three trees, cutting through material up to an inch thick, on one 5amp/hr charge with plenty to spare
I bought an extra extension pole to give it more reach with the head at 90deg and that allows the trees to be trimmed at about 10-11ft
although i opted for the dewalt hedge trimmers I’d say makita have the better range more broadly for gardening stuff so if thats what you’d mostly use the batteries for maybe look at their stuff
Just in case anyone is wondering, the Worx pole saw is rubbish.
My dad's got a Ryobi pole hedge trimmer. Works well enough, but the ergonomics and weight distribution are terrible. However I adjusted it I couldn't get it comfortable for any length of time. YMMV of course 😊
Just in case anyone is wondering, the Worx pole saw is rubbish.
Damn, was hoping to possibly sneak a Hydroshot in.
Just in case anyone is wondering, the Worx pole saw is rubbish.
Damn, was hoping to possibly sneak a Hydroshot in.
I've got the Ryobi jet wash thingy. Ideal for bike cleaning but lacks a bit of oomf for anything else. Just about copes with car duties. Got the hedge trimmer too. Does the job but I've nothing to compare to. Still end up needing to go up the ladder as the extension is difficult to use in any decent manner.
Cobra sell a battery pressure washer too
I have Bosch stuff (Power4All) – drill, hedge trimmer, long-reach hedge trimmer, strimmer and blower. The blower is crap, but the rest is great – I got the drill some 20 years ago and the original two batteries have given up the ghost (although I just sold them on Ebay, along with the original charger for £22!!!). THe hedge trimmers are used for two pretty big hedges (both about 8ft high and around 15ft & 35ft long) and I have never had any problems.
I've just bought the Ryobi pole hedge trimmer.
Pretty decent really for the price - it was about £67 during Prime Day.
It's pretty hefty and a bit ungainly. I guess that's the compromise for something that is pretty long and flexible.
I've given it hard duty over the weekend on lots of low and high hedges and general overgrowth. Pretty impressed so far.
It struggles a bit with thicker stuff, but for what it's designed for then it's fine for the price.
I have lots of other Ryobi stuff and a few batteries. The 4ah one lasted ages for me.
(ideally i'd pair with a very lightweight trimmer for box hedges and low down stuff, but can't justify at the moment. Maybe next time there's a deal on).
I'm sure there are more powerful things, but for the price it's pretty much spot on.
I'm now in the Bosch "Power for all" - drills, sander, extending lopper (which is great), mini chainsaw (fabulous) reciprocating saw etc etc.
All depends upon what system you may want to sign up to.
just the usual note that the tools don't care what battery is attached - it's just two terminals for an 18v(ish) power source. If you search for say, "Ryobi to Makita battery converter" you can buy adaptors to let you use one manufacturers battery on another tool. (I use my Makita batteries on my Worx jet wash).
only issue is that they add a bit of bulk
For garden stuff I have Titan from Screwfix. Not because it's amazing as such, but the lawnmower was a bit cheaper than others when I was looking; and they later had deals on barebones (no battery) strimmer, hedge trimmers etc. It's all perfectly fine, a bit plasticky but works well enough for what I need.
For power tools I've DeWalt, which is good for drills n that, but don't seem to have as much for garden tools
Because I had batteries I bought a dewalt one- works very well (I’ve got plenty of makita batteries too but the hedge trimmer options seemed better for dewalt at the time - bought makita mower and strimmer though)- I use it to keep three sycamores in check - giving them a haircut at the end of every year so we can maintain our sea view. Trimming the sides then adjusting the head to 90deg to flatten off the tops. It’ll do all three trees, cutting through material up to an inch thick, on one 5amp/hr charge with plenty to spare
So it should come as no surprise, you get what you pay for. This sounds exactly what my Husky petrol pole trimmer does but battery powered. My foray into electricity was with a cheapo and consequently crap. I'm happy with petrol but it is heavy. I don't have much upper body strength being a typical weedy cyclist and limit cutting to a couple of hours per day until it's done.
I'm in the Worx battery land - the powershot is obvs great, the strimmer & hedge trimmer also good.
Just had an issue with the strimmer after about 18months & they have replaced it, no questions asked & included a new battery.
I think once you get into a companies eco system the swappable batteries are great.
Ryobi always seem to have deals. Should I go down their bright green route, and if so, 18V One batteries or 36V Max Power batteries. Or should I avoid Ryobi and go down another route?
36v. Ryobi stuff is fine in my experience but 18v is not really grunty enough for garden stuff.
I've just changed all mine for 40v and it's so much better. I'm using Greenworks as they do a really compact mower but Ryobi will be the same I'm sure.
I suspect the main issue with (powered) pole pruners is that they are big and heavy and hard work regardless of who makes them. Having even a small chainsaw at the end of a long pole is never going to be easy.
I have an extra extension pole section (cos I also bought the pole hedge trimmer) and with that added it's quite a workout. But it's a lot better than trying to rig up ladders, at least for me.
I suspect the main issue with (powered) pole pruners is that they are big and heavy and hard work regardless of who makes them.
less a problem of being heavy as sort of being too light. Having a heavy motor at the bottom would help the pole want to stay upright but with just a battery at the bottom you’re fighting the weight at the top more as all of the weight is above where you’re holding it
Thanks for the pointers - due to battery power, cutting power and the local Tool Station having one in stock with £40 off, I'm joining the world of De Walt
Expensive to start with but I have been collecting EGO stuff. Really good quality.
I'm blue Bosch for everything DIY due to the power4all drill I tried first being crap.
Got 6 4ah battery
But I have a Makita pole trimmer and a Makita 18v strimmer
I just use an adaptor from Makita to bosch and works well.
