We had a 70 ft. beech hedge at our previous house and the old man attacked it with an electric hedge trimmer several times a year. The people on the other side went at it with shears, but there was no difference in the finished result. I think it's important to chop back vertical shoots quite regularly, otherwise the leaders get rather thick and are hard to cut back. Whatever, it's infinitely preferable to privet and looks great when brown in the winter.