Recommend me a long reach hedge strimmer thing

For doing the tops of my mum’s hedges.

I don’t know the proper name, but you know what I mean.

Corded is fine.

Thanks in advance ?

Pole saw? I’ve got a Black & Decker one. Not good at “loose” hedges, but great for trees or dense hedges like leylandii (probably spelled that wrong).

Pick one where the motor that drives the cutters is at the end you hold rather than the cutting end.
Wielding a weight on the end of a long pole quickly becomes tiresome.

If you can justify the spends the battery powered ones are better balanced and less tiring to use than ice models. Also worth looking at hiring one if it’s only occasional use.

This gets good reviews.

http://Ryobi ONE+ 18V OPT1845 Cordless Pole Hedge Trimmer, 45cm Blade (Body Only), Green, Black https://amzn.eu/d/0XGnCIn

Looking for electric and corded, it is for loose hedges (laurel)  btw

Cheers

Are you just trimming back or lopping? The recommendation of what you need will depend on what you are trying to achieve. Laurel is a bitch. Also, do you need long reach, or would a longer-bladed normal trimmer do the job as they are easier to use.

I’ve got a Ryobi corded one – quite hefty but will get through branches about an inch thick.

I bought a Stihl one about twelve years ago,  not cheap but used and abused ever since and still going

I have an Ego pole trimmer/ polesaw kit for laurel/mixed species hedge and similar. Heavy but balanced apart from reaching into the middle/top of a deep hedge. I was going to go for just a massive regular trimmer but i haven’t got the reach or strength for the top of a deep hedge. Pole trimmer is much easier.

I got one from Lidl. It’s shit, but it gets used for an hour or two a year.

If it’s long-reach for height then I prefer to get on a ladder with a conventional trimmer. IME for anything more than a light trim it’s difficult to maintain a line if you can’t see.

For the very occasional long-reach depth job I’ve got an Aldi/Lidl corded electric

I have loads of tall hedges to contend with. My advice would be to buy the best normal trimmer you can afford.  I have a Kawasaki powered thing from Lawnflite (I think) and it is amazing. Hedges are about 3 m high in places so ladders (stabilised) are a must.

I bought a Ryobi multi tool years ago, it lasted three or four years and then properly died. However, it turns out that with a very small modification the tools can fit onto a Stihl motor unit. You can often find Stihl units s/h.

With all the above I can just about keep on top of my hedges.

Laurel goes a bit ugly when you cut with a trimmer – the large leaves get cut and die back. We have one and I try to use loppers to keep on top of the height. Takes a while but it does look better in the end. Obviously this is going to depend on how big the hedge is

One advantage of laurel is that it only needs 2 cuts a year. One early August just after all the birds have gone and then one sometime in September to keep it looking good until the following year. The first cut is a monster one though, a huge amount off the top and sides. Yeah some leaves die, but it recovers quickly.

I’ve got the Ryobi one plus battery job. (I’ve also got the pole pruning chainsaw which I had first and that’s why I got the hedge trimmer to match). It’s good but these things are really quite stressful to use for your shoulders and back so if you have any doubts on that score, ladder and normal trimmer might be a better option.

Pick one where the motor that drives the cutters is at the end you hold rather than the cutting end.
Wielding a weight on the end of a long pole quickly becomes tiresome.

This. I am sure one of the reasons why I am currently recovering from a back problem was using one with all the weight at the top, lifting and twisting.

Thanks for all the responses.

I think I need to carry out a site inspection when down south and consider a normal trimmer if feasible.

Another Ryobi One user here. Got a tall (9/10 ft maybe) down one side of our garden (60/70ft long) and theres all kinds of stuff at the bottom of the hedge that’d make putting ladders in a right PITA (raised borders, gravel path, a tree, a huge japanese maple and an astroturf football pitch :D). For a quick trim/tidy I can do the whole lot – front and top, in about 20 minutes with the Ryobi. Having the motor at the end of the pole is a bit of a faff but its easy enough to rest it on top of the hedge for a few seconds before cracking on. The fronts I can do by taking one section out which makes it a bit less unwieldy.

Unless the hedges are very thin (<50cm) don’t bother with a pole trimmer. If the hedges are anything like most garden hedges you’ll be up a ladder/platform at some point – if you’re trying to do the whole top.

Rechargeable battery trimmers are by far the best solution I’ve found. Light enough to wield without arms aching within a few minutes. The battery life is pretty OK on the ones I’ve got (B&Q job I think) – we’ve got about 80m of mature hedges around our garden, so efficiency and ease is a priority.

Also worth looking at hiring one if it’s only occasional use.

And also this.

@chakaping

I’ve got a corded version of this https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttt831hdc-18v-1-x-5-0ah-li-ion-txp-cordless-2-in-1-hedge-trimmer-pole-saw/783pt

It’s a few years old. Been used once. It’s heavy when using if for any length of time. It’s taking up space in my garage.

I think I need to carry out a site inspection when down south and consider a normal trimmer if feasible.

I’m in Dorset if that’s anywhere near you – you can have it for a small donation to charity.