Best hedge trimmer 2022: Cordless, long reach and extendable cutters

0

If you have hedges bordering your property or garden then now’s the time of year when you’re probably looking at them, thinking they could really use a short back and sides. Thankfully, the days of perching precariously on top of a ladder armed with a pair of rusty shears are long gone and we have power tools to take the pain out of pruning.

The right machine for you will depend on two things: where the hedges are on your property and how much hedge you have. The further away they are from the house, the more you should be looking at a battery model to avoid the hassle of getting in a tangle with extension cords; if they’re closer, it’s likely a trimmer powered by the mains will do the job.

Either way, if you have a lot of hedge to contend with then you need a trimmer that’s good for continued use and is fitted with a long blade that will get more done in one sweep. The blade is important for efficient working, so we were after machines that had enough distance between the working teeth (manufacturers call this the blade gap) so that they didn’t jam or snag as we worked on hedges with varying branch thicknesses.

You also need a tool that’s well balanced and lightweight as hedge trimming puts you in an unorthodox working position and can be very tiring on the arms if you’re not working with a tool that has good ergonomics.

Whichever trimmer you decide upon, just make sure that before you start work, you check carefully for any nesting birds as it’s illegal to damage or destroy these nests, and you’ll have to delay the job until the nest is abandoned. No nests? Then let us guide you through the maze of trimmers to find the right one for you.

Read more:

How we tested

We were looking for machines which cut precisely and cleanly to promote new, healthy growth once you’ve finished the job, and don’t leave the hedge looking like it’s been hacked. To do this, we used the available machines to tackle an early spring domestic workload so that we could fully assess the capability of each machine.

The best hedge trimmers for 2022 are:

Bosch universal hedgeCut 18V-50

Best: Overall

Rating: 8/10

If you need to trim and shape medium sized hedges then this lightweight, battery-powered tool is extremely capable thanks to a high powered 50cm blade with 20mm tooth gaps. The tool’s ergonomic handles made it easy to operate on hedging at waist height, but we also found that we could upturn the machine so that we could more easily trim hedge tops above head height.

The Bosch also worked well at eye level when we needed to perform more precise cuts or some shaping. We got 80 minutes of operation from one charge which was monitored from a battery level indicator which is always in view so you can see how much time you have left to work with. Overall, we achieved really good results and the rubberised front grip minimised vibrations from the motor too which was a nice extra.

Cobra HT550E

Best: Electric for shaping

Rating: 7/10

This electric tool has a 55cm double-sided blade and 10m of cable to work with, so if you have hedges that are close to the house you can enjoy limitless cutting until the job’s done. You will also enjoy the excellent shaping that you can achieve, which is largely down to a combination of the light weight and the double-sided blade with 20mm of tooth spacing that means you can effortlessly alter cutting direction.

Ego power HT2410E

Best: For long, straight hedges

Rating: 7/10

With a sharper blade on one side the HT2410E is ideal if you have one continuous border hedge that you can just work your way down. Teeth running on only one side of the cutting bar means the manufacturer is able to extend the length of the blade without the whole machine becoming heavy and unwieldy, and that’s what Ego has achieved here.

The 61cm blade performed well and the 26mm blade gap made very short work of thicker branches up to around an inch thick. And even with the battery on board, the machine still only weighs 4.2kg and it’s well balanced. But if you’re worried about the weight it’s also worth remembering that the tool is compatible with Ego’s backpack harness kit for more even weight distribution.

Ego power PTX5100 pole hedge trimmer

Best: For high hedging

Rating: 9/10

As the name suggests, this is part of the telescopic pole system, which will get you within cutting distance of high hedges so you won’t have the hassle of constructing platforms or balancing on ladders. The system has two heads so you can switch between the PSX2500 pruning saw attachment and PTX5100 hedge trimmer attachment, and of course it was the latter that we were really interested in.

The extension reaches to four metres and the double-sided trimmer head has six adjustable angles. It can be a bit of a workout when operating at its limit, however the 51cm blade with 26mm of blade gap and excellent cutting speed is super-efficient, so it will make quick work of tidying up, including areas clogged with thicker branches. It also works really well when it’s brought back down to earth and you need to cut in a scything motion.

The variable speed control means that you can increase or decrease the blade speed when needed and this is all backed up by Ego’s battery system which is one of the best on the market.

Husqvarna 120iTK4-H

Best: For different height hedging

Rating: 8/10

This battery hedge trimmer has a 50cm double sided blade which deals well with thicker branches and cuts cleanly so we didn’t have to keep going over the same area. Some telescopic tools can get out of hand quite easily, but Husqvarna have done an excellent job keeping the tool nicely balanced, even when operating at the full extent of its reach.

The telescopic pole was easy to operate so you can quickly move from one cutting height to another and the articulated cutting deck means you can choose seven different angles to trim at. The overall cutting performance was excellent and the battery (which comes as a kit with the trimmer and charger) gave us 50 minutes of working time and would be ample for even a larger garden’s worth of trimming.

We also liked the auto shutdown feature that turns off the machine when it hasn’t been in use and saves battery drain. When the job’s done you can split the tool down for easier storage or transportation too.

G Tech HT50

Best: Lightweight tool

Rating: 8/10

Gtech have done an excellent job of keeping the weight down on this battery powered machine, which tips the scales at just 2.94kg with the battery on board. The battery also adds to the ergonomics of the tool, counter balancing the 18V motor that sits at the cutting end of the machine. The 55cm blade, with an ample blade gap of 25mm, is adjustable through 135-degrees and it effectively tackled column shaped shrubs that were planted together to create a border.The 144cm pole length means you can extend the tool for hedge tops and we managed to get just over an hour of working time from the battery.

Stihl HSA 86

Best: For thicker hedges

Rating: 9/10

When the going gets tough this powerful, double-sided trimmer with a large 62cm blade and 33mm between the sharp teeth, is the perfect tool. It gets to grips with hedges that contain thick stems in the growth easily and cuts back old cypress hedges that have grown thick branches too. Cuts were clean and we didn’t suffer any stoppages or jams while working, and the blade tip protector ensured that we didn’t have to worry about damaging the blades when cutting close to garden walls.

The tool was easy to use, manoeuvrable and we managed to get well over two hours of operation using the recommended battery, although this did depend on how tricky the cutting became.

Flymo easicut 460

Best: For smaller gardens

Rating: 7/10

Here’s a compact, double-sided trimmer with a 45cm blade and 19mm blade gap that’s more than capable of keeping smaller hedges in order. Mains powered with 10m of cable, what it might lack in blade length it certainly makes up for in overall power, and we found the tool produced impressive results thanks to smooth and efficient cutting with no snags.

A nice balance between blade and housing makes the machine easy to move in the classic arc shape, up and down the side of a hedge, and there’s a nice soft grip handle to make for comfortable operation.

Karcher HGE 18-50

Best: Value

Rating: 8/10

Karcher have added another 5cm to the blade length of its already efficient cordless double-sided trimmer. You now get to work with 50cm of cutting length and 22mm of blade gap, which means that the tool can cope well with small to medium sized growth. It’s also very lightweight to use, with a swivelling handle that helps you find the most ergonomic working position, especially when trimming hedge tops and shaping. It has good blade speed for tougher areas and we managed to get around an hour of work out of the battery that’s supplied in the trimmer package.

Stihl HLA66

Best: For cutting power

Rating: 8/10

This long-reach cutter, with a double-sided 50cm blade, was able to tackle high hedges that were a metre wide at the top, thanks to an easily adjustable head. So we think you’ll have no problem beheading any border while keeping your feet firmly on the ground. And the machine has plenty of power to cut through unseen thicker branches that would snag lesser machines too.

It’s well designed and balanced with a loop handle on the shaft for easy operation, and is backed up by Stihl’s tried and tested battery range. This means it will produce over two hours of working time with the recommended battery, so you can wander far from home without having to worry about running out of juice.

Hedge trimmers FAQs

What size hedge trimmer do I need?

Ultimately it depends on the size of your garden and the hedges you intend to be trimming. If you have a bigger garden job to tackle, then you’ll be best suited to double-sided cutters which allow you to trim in a sweeping, back and forth motion for a speedier process.

Whereas single-sided machines tend to have longer blades so can cut through more material in a single sweep and work more efficiently for smaller tasks.

What is the difference between a hedge trimmer and a hedge cutter?

Both are used in a similar fashion to maintain a well-looked after garden, but trimmers are typically used for tidying up and shaping shrubs, branches, and bushes.

Hedge cutters, on the other hand, are designed for more heavy-duty work, which involves breaking down thicker bushed and bigger branches.

Can a hedge trimmer cut through branches?

In a word, yes, but typically they are limited to medium-sized branches, rather than bigger tree branches. If you plan to try and manage branch growth, then look for larger teeth on a trimmer as this will help it avoid getting snagged in the undergrowth.

The verdict: Hedge trimmers

Suitable for gardens both big and small and for hedging of all heights the Bosch universal HedgeCut 18V-50 is a real all-rounder that offers excellent value for money and is more than capable of dealing with swathes of overgrown hedge as well as more detailed and delicate shaping.

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on furniture and other homeware buys, try the links below:

For more products to spruce up your outdoor space read our round-up of the best patio heaters to suit any garden or outdoor space

source site-22

Leave a Reply