Troy wrote:

Hello Troy

If the blades are still tight (ie, not floppy with a
noticable gap between them) then ten minutes with a good
file should bring them sharp again. With that much hedge
I'd be surprised if many of the cheaper electric
hedgecutters would last for very long.
T Slight gap - I think it's worn out - as you say they don't
T seem to last very long.

Ah. Could still probably be fixed, but whether it's worth it is a
different matter.

Bit pricier, but you can get backpack hedgecutters with
the engine and fuel tank mounted behind you and the cutter
on a light shaft. Not used one (though have the chainsaw
version) but it seems a sound idea.
T Good idea but not possible - it's shared with SWMBO :-)

Gotcha. My wife tried ours (small petrol) but soon resorts to
"helpless female" after five minutes, so anything you can do to ensure
yours is happy to use it has got to be good, or you'll end up like me
- having to do it all yourself.

Sometimes the agricultural retailers have a better selection of higher
quality cutters than the DIY sheds, as do some of the
garden/horticultural centres. Most of the DIY sheds seem to focus on
price and potential for markup rather than quality for a lot of their
power tools.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/