Buyers Guide to Hedge Trimmers

Regular trimming of your hedge is an essential part of a summer maintenance to ensure healthy growth, dense habit and a tidy appearance. The following guide relates to both petrol hedgetrimmers and electric hedgetrimmers.

The choice of hedgetrimmer can depend on a number of factors such as type of hedge, thickness and size.

Electric Hedge Trimmers

Electric hedge trimmers are the most common type of hedge cutter for small, domestic areas. Mostly double-sided, and varying in length from 16" to 28", electric hedge trimmers are versatile and much lighter to use than the heavier petrol hedge trimmers.We offer ranges from Gtech, Bosch, Gardena and Stihl and range in motor sizes from 400 to 650 watts. Some of the models offered by these manufacturers are more suitable for heavier duty work, an example being the Stihl HSE81. For more difficult to reach areas, Gardena manufacture a long reach electric hedge trimmer with a retractable telescopic shaft. A more heavy duty long reach hedge trimmer would be the Stihl HLE71 which, like its petrol equivalent has an adjustable cutter head. New to the market a couple of years ago was the award-winning Garden Groom which collects the hedge cuttings as you work.It is now available in two sizes - Midi and Pro. Also worth considering are the cordless hedge cutters from GTech.  Battery technology is improving all the time and you won’t have to worry about cutting through the cable!

Petrol Hedge Trimmers

Petrol hedge trimmers offer more power and flexibility than electric hedge trimmers. There are two different types of cutter blades available - double-sided blades (often more popular on electric hedge trimmers) and single-sided blades which are lighter and more suited to longer periods of work. For the small to medium domestic application consider the smaller Stihl and Hitachi machines. Examples of these are the HS45 and the HCH50EA. For those difficult to reach areas we offer petrol long reach hedge trimmers, also from Stihl and Hitachi, the most popular being the Stihl HL100. The cutter bar gearhead on this model can be adjusted to different angles, thus allowing these hedge trimmers to be prepared for different jobs and optimally adjusted to the user's height. All petrol hedge trimmers offered by us are powered by 2-stroke engines which offer a higher power-to-weight ratio than 4-stroke engines and can be tilted to any angle.

Combi Systems

If you have a lot of work to do in the garden, you should consider the flexibility offered by a Combi or Multi System. The basic principle is that you buy a power unit and the attachment(s) to suit your needs. These can vary from a brush cutter, hedgetrimmer, pruner, edger, strimmer or soil cultivator. Although the initial purchase might be a little more expensive, the benefits will come as you add more attachments. In the Stihl range different power units are available and, as always, we are on the end of a telephone to help you – 01285 760799

Three final important notes:

1. Safety at all times  - most products are now supplied with goggles as standard but we strongly advise you to wear a visor ( clear or mesh) and ear protectors.
2. If you are cutting hedges which exude a lot of sap, such as leylandii, make sure you clean the blades thoroughly after use, as the sap can stick the blades together and cause problems for later use. We can supply resin solvent for this purpose.
3. Stihl have a robust internet policy as regards shipping goods by carrier, and these can only be supplied at a distance if you use the equipment in a professional capacity or you are a returning customer of Classiclawns Ltd.  You are, of course, also welcome to collect your purchase from us and we will instruct you as to its use.