Finding the Right Hedge Trimmers
For hedges and gardens that have become overgrown and out of control, hedge trimmers allow you neaten things up. This gardening tool uses fast moving blades to cleanly cut hedges, shrubs, and bushes.
What Are the Advantages of Powered Trimmers?
Mostly to replace old handheld trimmers, there are a number of advantages to using an electric or gas powered hedge trimmer, such as:
- Efficient Trimming: Often featuring dual sided blades, these tools only require you to guide them as their steel blade or blades rapidly move back and forth to trim the bush or shrubbery. With dual-sided hedge trimmers, you can also easily reverse direction in one fluid motion.
- Even Surfaces: Delivering professional-grade results, powered trimmers make it easier to produce uniform edges on hedges and bushes thanks to their blade length.
How Are Trimmers Powered?
Hedge trimming tools use different power sources to power their blades, namely electricity and gas. Each power source has its own trade-offs and include:
- Gas Powered Hedge Trimmer: Featuring a gas powered engine, gas hedge trimmers allow you to work freely and simply fuel up with gas when you need.
- Corded Electric Trimmer: Much like other power tools and appliances, electric hedge trimmers run off electricity and just require a power socket for them to get going. The presence of a cord does limit their range though.
- Battery Powered Trimmer: Rather than requiring a power socket close to where you want to trim, these cordless electric hedge trimmers run off a built-in lithium-ion battery providing you the freedom to work where you need to.
What Are Different Features of Trimmers to Look For?
While both electric and gas hedge trimmers are designed for the same purpose, there are features that make certain parts of trimming hedges and bushes easier, like:
- Dual-Action Blades: When efficiency and speed are priorities for cutting greenery, the two moving blades are better suited to the task than a single blade.
- Articulating Head: Hedges come in all different shapes and sizes so you're often cutting at different angles. An articulating head lets you change the angle of the blade relative to the handle, which means you can avoid awkward angles.
- Extended Length Trimmers: Featuring long reaching blades, extended length hedge trimmers are designed with a longer shaft for cutting hard to reach sections of tall hedges like pole trimmers do.