Hedge Trimmer Shopping

[D45]

My 15 year old electric (corded) Black and Decker hedge trimmer finally gave up in the fall and I need to shop for a new trimmer

Corded or cordless?

Corded, super cheap.......around $35-$60 new

Cordless......around $170 new, bare tool

If I go cordless, it would have to be the Milwaukee trimmer. I already have a few 5.0 batteries and the charger.

The cordless trimmer is much more expensive and I have also read that the trimmer runs best on a 9.0 battery (which is over $120)

Go corded and save a ton or have the convenience of cordless and pay more?

 

[Hollywood D]

How often will you use it? Once or twice a year, I would go corded. Every month, might be worth the extra money for cordless and less hassle.

 

[nbpt100]

It depends how much you use it and how you use it.

You can pick up a decent used chorded on CL for $25 or even less. Something to think about.

 

[D45]

Frequency of use is a great point

Maybe 3 times a year, tops.......Spring to trim all the old growth out and fall to cut it all back

 

[justsam]

Let me start by admitting to being a Milwaukee fan boy, so bias is possible.

Regardless of manufacturer the performance of any given cordless tool has nothing to do with the rated Amp/Hour capacity of the battery, in your case the 5.0 mentioned. It has everything to do with run time however assuming fully charged batteries to begin with.

I have the Milwaukee hedge trimmer and love it. It seems very well built even by Milwaukee standards, which does make it a little heavier weight wise. There are just too many variables in terms of run times but I find if I exhaust a 5.0 battery, I am ready to take a break, but then again, I'm old! I do have other 18 volt tools and other batteries including a 9.0. So if I am up to it, I just swap batteries.

Previous to the Milwaukee, I had a highly rated cordless trimmer. It was OK, but just did not have the power the Milwaukee does. For me a corded trimmer is too much of a pain in light of how cordless tools have evolved.

Wait for a bare tool sale, and go for it!

 

[randyandrewsberg]

If I could reach everything with one extension cord: I would do corded. I've got the Milwaukee cordless and it is a joy to use, but that's is compared to my old gas unit, most of the advantages are present in a corded unit. And extra $150 saved can be put into something you care more about. That being said, they are having closeout prices on the cordless trimmer right now since the multi head version is just hitting the market.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

 

[redidbull]

I was looking at this one last year. I will wait for it to come down in price first. Missed it for $99 at the end of the season. Jim
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-40-Volt-Max-24-in-Dual-Cordless-Electric-Hedge-Trimmer-1-Battery-Included/1000180461

 

[TommyK]

Regardless of manufacturer the performance of any given cordless tool has nothing to do with the rated Amp/Hour capacity of the battery, in your case the 5.0 mentioned. It has everything to do with run time however assuming fully charged batteries to begin with.

Actually from what I have been reading on this forum specifically regarding the Milwaukee Fuel line high demand tools, the amp hour rating of the battery does effect the tool performance.

 

[JerryC]

I have a Ryobi 40v hedge trimmer. I actually bought it because the included battery and charger covered the cost of the whole kit when it was on sale. This gave me a spare battery and charger for my string trimmer.
Turns out that it's pretty good trimmer. I used it and loaned it out to friends that immediately went and bought one for themselves.
I really like Ryobi 40v brushless string trimmer too, but... I will say that if you have a large yard spend the extra money and get the Ego 56v tools. The batteries run longer and they recharge much faster.

We've always had dogs, no corded tools for us. I doesn't matter how carefully you look, the dog turd you missed cleaning up will get the extension cord dragged through it

 

[SweetD]

Just another opinion, I have the Ryobi 18v cordless hedge trimmer. I use the 4amp battery in it to trim several bushes/hedges in our yard about 2-3 times/yr. Total time per session is about an hour at most of run time. Have not had a problem with the battery dying in that time and the cutters blow away the crappy 25 yo B&D corded trimmer I had prior.

 

[Grant F]

I used a corded one before, but my newer yard is larger with alot more to manage. Maybe I am an idiot but I cut the extension cord almost every year on that thing. I didn't want a gas powered one. I got a Ryobi cordless - I think it is 18volt and came with battery and charger for $130-150. It has a big cutter maybe 24 inch. Has worked well for me. Occassionally when I get into the base of a huge ornamental grass in the fall, it will cut out - i think this is a safety to not damage the tool. But back up and it keeps going fine. Never had this happen on normal shrub trimming. I admit, I am not normally a Ryobi kind of guy but this has served its purpose well. Battery life has been very good.
I have only charged it once or twice a year. Plus the batteries interchange with a ton of other tools should I need something else that I wont use a lot. My main cordless tools are ridgid and dewalt.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

One word-

Stihl!

 

[justsam]

Actually from what I have been reading on this forum specifically regarding the Milwaukee Fuel line high demand tools, the amp hour rating of the battery does effect the tool performance.

Thanks for the heads up, I will look for that information.

Clearly there is no such thing as a perfect battery, and all of them regardless of chemistry have internal resistance. I can certainly see that in general a high capacity battery will have more cells in parallel, and therefore a lower internal resistance, and deliver slightly more voltage under a fixed load. I guess I am surprised this small amount could be detected, but perhaps the Fuel series devices can draw enough current that this indeed becomes noticed.

 

[wirt]

I went gas powered after years of corded and then a couple years of battery powered, I will NEVER go back. Just my .02

 

[nbpt100]

Since you are only using it 3x a year. IF you are not annoyed by the chord, chorded seems like the practical way to go. Unless you want a battery tool to use as catalyst to buy other tools that will work with that battery?

 

[nbpt100]

I went gas powered after years of corded and then a couple years of battery powered, I will NEVER go back. Just my .02

Nice, It can make a lot of sense depending on your use.
The gas will have more power to cut through thick growth.
Do you feel you can do your chores faster with the gas vs. your old chorded?

How heavy is your gas powered trimmer? Thanks.

 

[Slednut]

I have over 200 arborvitae that make up the hedges around my house. Most are around 12 feet tall and up to 6 feet wide. The last few years I used these but I'm buying a Stihl HL 94 C-E this spring.

 

[ScottsGT]

How's your back? The Milwaukee is well built to last a lifetime. But its like swinging a broad sword around. I absolutely love mine, but I know my limitations and do a little less these days. Might knock out 1 or 2 big shrubs a day now (that are really overgrown) vs. the entire yard like I would have in my younger days.

 

[engineer2]

I used to hate trimming evergreens and bushes every month or so. Solved it by getting rid of them and selling my hedge trimmer.

 

[nbpt100]

Sled nut, I like your home made extension.

 

[GrayFlattop]

If you are already invested in the Milwaukee system, I'd go cordless unless you plan of trimming for hours on end. I've got Milwaukee, Makita, Bosch and Cordless along with a few Hitachi and Festool, so I'm personally not hung up on staying within a single system. That said I bought a Ryobi 18V cordless hedge trimmer long before Milwaukee offered one and I love it. As SweetD mentioned above, it's more than decent if the scope of work is limited. I too think it cuts better than my retired Black & Decker corded which was a step down from my retired Craftsman corded.

I've got six big evergreens that I'll trim once or twice a year and they were just far enough from the closest outdoor outlet that a 50' extension cord was not long enough. And my 100' cords are all 12 gauge, so that's too heavy so I previously ended up plugging a 25' into the 50' and all I can say is it was a huge pain in the a$$.

If I ever go to replace it, I might consider Makita or Milwaukee if they are equal weight or lighter. I've pretty-much given any Ryobi power tools away to friends, they generally aren't my preference, but the Ryobi yard blower works ok for limited use and their 18V emergency lighting is very good and very cheap.

So define how often and for how long you will use it and that should inform your decision.
Finally, go to a bricks and mortar store and pick them up - see what you think of the weight with at least a 4AH battery in them.

 

[Jazz1]

Wife bought herself a corded. She prefers it over the manual clippers although she only has 100’ of hedge
$20 end of season sale, it’s orange,

 

[zak77]

I have cordless and love them. I had corded ones, then went to gas but they required constant monkeying and fiddling to get it to run right and for the few hedges i need to trim, i spent more time working on the trimmers than trimming. So i got the Kobalt Trimmers and they've handled everything i've thrown at them and then some. They will cut through everything the gas Stihl did and they're lighter. I think i charged the battery last spring, used them twice in the summer and the battery never died. I vote cordless no matter what brand as long as you dont have an insane amount of trimming to do.

 

[HoZr]

I know you said Milwaukee....

Bought the Black and Decker 40v cordless on Amazon last year and I love it. Lasts a LONG time and is great for bigger properties. No more "cutting the cord"! Costs the same as a corded cutter.

 

[wirt]

Nice, It can make a lot of sense depending on your use.
The gas will have more power to cut through thick growth.
Do you feel you can do your chores faster with the gas vs. your old chorded?

How heavy is your gas powered trimmer? Thanks.

The difference is night and day, I get things done at least twice as fast and my trimmer is surprisingly light. The freedom of no cord and the big jump in power make it worth every penny.

Mines an Echo not sure of the exact model though.

 

[D45]

I am such a cheap skate........I already have 6 dozen extension cords, lol

Maybe a replacement $40 corded trimmer would be a better decision, especially for how many times I will use it

 

[jimreed2160]

I have a wooded lot with lots of trash underbrush. The slingblade was wearing me out so I got a cordless Kobalt hedge trimmer on a long pole. It works just like a hand held sicklebar mower and cuts brush up to 1/2 -1" depending on how soft the stems are. The battery lasts longer than I do during a session. I love this dang thing. Its just the stuff if you have tall hedges.

 

[Mattbcnv]

You would be surprised as to how much more you would use the cordless one, it’s just easier ….

keeping a well trimmed bush is the secret to happiness…

LOL

mattbcnv

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

D45, I have the Milwaukee cordless and use it mostly with my 6.0 batteries. It works fine. Yeah, it's kinda heavy especially with the 3 ft long extension I have to use on my very tall ficus trees grown as hedges around the perimeter of my suburban bak yard. They're so tall I recently bought a collapsible scaffold to do it but it'll save me the $400 I was quoted to have a pro do them.

I used corded hedge trimmers for years in the old house. On a couple occasions I cut the cord accidentally! DOH! It is SO much less hassle to use the cordless and since the Milwaukee QuikLok system is useable for other stuff I use it with the edger and with the weed whacker. It gets used constantly around my house. Buy once/cry once!

 

[4xdog]

I have a DeWalt 20V battery hedge trimmer for regular but not extensive use around the house. It's perfect, and made sense as I was already part of the DeWalt ecosystem.

I too used to cut a cord every few years with corded hedge trimmers in years past. Cordless/battery is even more convenient than I expected.

 

[WinMod21]

I was about to pull the trigger on the Milwaukee M18 hedge trimmer, but then noticed that there's no trigger lock !:~\
For the last 30~40 years, the first thing I've always done after pulling the trigger on our corded Black&Decker hedge trimmers is lock the trigger, which enables trimming with the hand more relaxed and for one-handed trimming while stretching one arm out &c.
So that negative is a total non-starter for me. =(
Even though I do have quite the prolific record of cord-cutting rambunctiousness.
Notwithstanding it has no doubt enabled me to be the Master Cord Repairman that I am today !

Do all brands of hedge trimmers no longer have trigger locks?
If so, then I'd rather stick with our old B&D corded hedge trimmer, as I just have to have a trigger lock.

And whilst reading protoolreview dot com > 'Best Cordless Hedge Trimmers' .... I noticed they don't rate/spec whether any of the hedgers have trigger locks or not.

 

[nadogail]

So you cut the cord, once is forgivable, cut it twice and you should feel ashamed.

 

[RPH]

I have a Ryobi 40v hedge trimmer. I actually bought it because the included battery and charger covered the cost of the whole kit when it was on sale. This gave me a spare battery and charger for my string trimmer.
Turns out that it's pretty good trimmer. I used it and loaned it out to friends that immediately went and bought one for themselves.
I really like Ryobi 40v brushless string trimmer too, but... I will say that if you have a large yard spend the extra money and get the Ego 56v tools. The batteries run longer and they recharge much faster.

We've always had dogs, no corded tools for us. I doesn't matter how carefully you look, the dog turd you missed cleaning up will get the extension cord dragged through it

I have two of the Roybi cordless hedge trimmers. Each lasted one year, then dead. I do have the blower that uses the batteries so no waste there.
Ego 56vdc unit replaced them. Time will tell but I have about 100’ of hedge to trim.

 

[WinMod21]

So you cut the cord, once is forgivable, cut it twice and you should feel ashamed.

I used to feel ashamed. Then after my wife started calling me 'Sparky' on a regular basis.... I just accepted it as inevitable. ;-) Though actually haven't severed one now for a couple years. =)

Thinking now that I'll only get a cordless hedge trimmer if I can find one with a trigger lock. Don't wanna have to velcro strap the trigger.

 

[gahrajmahal]

I had a corded black and decker that worked great. I would give the portable generator a workout and drag it around the yard using an extension cord. That is until I left the trimmer in the back of the truck with the fall trimming of the decorative grasses. It was tossed out at the Brush drop off place. So, what to do? Like the op I am cheap too! So I checked CPO refurbished and bought another black and decker but cordless. It was less than $100 with battery and charger. So far it has been reliable and good for a two hour session. Don’t miss the cord.

 

[smackey05]

I personally have the Milwaukee trimmer and really like it. It's never failed me.

 

[cpttuna]

I have not seen this mentioned. i had a corded one that I took in to have the blades sharpened and was told it was not possible. I then pitched it and bought another. DUH?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[Renegade1LI]

A cordless trimmer just makes it soooo much easier, I have a dewalt but get whatever battery platform you have, money well spent!

 

[metlmunchr]

I bought a cordless 18v Ryobi about 3 years ago after my 45 yr old corded Craftsman started blowing flames out of the motor housing vents. Use it to trim a dozen boxwoods about 4ft diameter plus ivy on 3 lamp posts. Takes 45-50 minutes and makes the job far more pleasant than spending most of an hour watching and dodging a cord. Would buy again without a second thought, and FWIW, I'm not one of those "I want all cordless tools" type people.

 

[WinMod21]

I have not seen this mentioned. i had a corded one that I took in to have the blades sharpened and was told it was not possible. I then pitched it and bought another. DUH?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

They're easy to sharpen; on our corded B&D I just use one of our chainsaw flat files.