The one thing you will very soon realise about hedge trimmers is that they are not all designed in the same way. There are three basic types you can buy, and depending on which one you choose the prices can vary a lot. The three types are as follows – cordless trimmers, corded mains trimmers and a petrol hedge trimmer. This third one doesn’t need a power cord since it is powered by petrol, but of course you have to consider the extra maintenance that is sometimes required because it uses petrol.
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There are plenty of tools and pieces of equipment you can use to help keep your garden looking good. And if you have some hedges you will know that they can take a lot of work to keep them in shape and looking good.
Luckily we have hedge trimmers to help us keep them in check. But if you have taken a look at the range that is on sale you will see that there are lots of them. It can seem quite involved when all you need to do is cut a hedge!
That’s why we have created this introduction so you will know more what to expect if you are thinking of buying your first hedge trimmer.
Where do you start?
The first thing you need to do is to see what hedges you have. That might sound a bit daft – after all, all hedges are the same aren’t they?
Actually they aren’t. There are lots of different types and some have tougher and thicker branches than others. If you buy the cheapest hedge trimmer you can find and your hedge happens to be a nice thick one, you might find you have trouble cutting through it at all.
So think about your needs first of all, before you even start looking at the different hedge trimmers that are for sale. Another point you need to think about is how many hedges you have to cut. For example you might have hedges right round your garden that all need cutting very regularly. That is obviously a very different situation to be in – with very different needs – than having a single small hedge that only needs trimming once in a while.
So with that in mind, let’s see what kind of hedge trimmers you can expect to see for sale.
Electric hedge trimmers
These are arguably the most widely known form of hedge trimmer on the market today. Most gardeners – if they have the need to buy a hedge trimmer – will go for an electric one.
The idea is simple – it comes with a lead and a plug attached and you plug it in to an extension lead and off you go. The one thing you need to be careful of, of course, is not to cut through the lead. You can always buy an emergency cut out to make sure that if you did the power would automatically go off. This is a simple way to make using a hedge trimmer even safer.
Petrol hedge trimmers
These are operated by using petrol. They have a fuel cap and a small tank, and you fill it with petrol according to the instructions and then start up the engine.
The benefit of using these is clear to see. Because they use petrol to get going, you don’t need any power cords. That means you don’t have to find an extension lead when you need to go out and trim the hedge, and you can walk easily through from the front garden to the back garden if you need to cut hedges in both. That is a lot easier than trailing leads through the house and having to switch plugs along the way!
Petrol hedge trimmers will of course be a lot more expensive than electric ones. But there are a lot of different brands available – as you will see from our section on brands – so you can find cheaper models that are still operated using petrol.
Cordless hedge trimmers
As the name would suggest, these do not have a power cord attached to them. As such they provide you with the same level of convenience that you would get from a petrol operated model.
The big advantage they have is that they are a lot cheaper than a petrol model, while usually being pricier than a plain electric one. They work by plugging into a charging unit of some kind, and once they are fully charged you can go and use them in the garden for as long as the charge lasts. This is usually several hours but different models will of course vary.
Extendable hedge trimmers
Do you have tall hedges that run right along the perimeter of your garden? It is very difficult and time consuming to use a stepladder to try and reach the top of the hedge with a traditional trimmer. And apart from that, it isn’t exactly safe either. The temptation will always be there to overstretch and then you will end up running the risk of having a fall.
That is why extendable hedge trimmers were invented. They make light work of trimming the top of a hard to reach hedge. They are much longer than a traditional trimmer of any kind, and they also usually bend to a right angle. This enables you to stand next to a hedge, hold up the hedge trimmer and run it along the top of a hedge to cut it quickly and easily.
Different sizes
You will also notice that different hedge trimmers have different blades on them. The length of the blade can vary, as can the distance between the teeth on the blade itself. The idea is that different blades and teeth are better at cutting through different types of hedge.
In conclusion
If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point, don’t worry. You will find all the information you need to help you buy the ideal hedge trimmer for you elsewhere on this website. We have created a buying guide to help you too, so that should make life easier!
Just make sure that you think about what you want to use your trimmer for before you buy it. How many hedges do you have? Will they be easier to cut with a telescopic trimmer or would an ordinary one suffice?
Once you have all those questions answered, you will find the job of finding the perfect hedge trimmer for you much easier to complete successfully. Good luck!