View Single Post
  #7   Report Post  
Old 24-08-2013, 04:42 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Jeff Layman[_2_] Jeff Layman[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,166
Default Battery-powered hedge trimmers

On 24/08/2013 12:27, Spider wrote:
I am on the verge of acquiring a hedge trimmer, and would be grateful
for advice and comments from other users. It will be used for two small
Euonymous hedges (about 40ft long in total), and a large yew
specimen-cum-topiary. It needs to be cable-free and, since I don't
fancy working with a petrol-powered machine, that means battery-powered.

For those who don't already know, I am a lady spider, so I would need to
avoid the heaviest machines, but I don't want a flimsy 'toy' model,
either. Having looked at one or two online, the gripping handles look
huge for a lady's hand, so that might be an issue.

Advice from anyone would be appreciated, but I am keen to hear from
other ladies on their opinions re bulky handles. Safety is also a
concern and I know some models have two brakes rather than one. How
much is this necessary/essential? How easy are they to use?

Lastly, although I intend to buy two batteries, comments on length of
charge and charging time would be helpful. Also, does charge and
charging time deteriorate over time?

Cost isn't an enormous issue, but I come from Yorkshire so I don't want
to throw money away ;~).

Thank you for your time.


Well, you could always visit a few garden centres and "sheds" (B&Q,
Homebase, etc) and try a few for weight and size, just remembering that
after half an hour's use they will all be at least twice as big and
heavy as the one you started with!

Read as many online reviews as you have time for, noting the comments
and whether or not they make sense and are of any use (positive ones
such as "nice colour", and negative ones such as "I couldn't plug in the
charger because my wall socket was faulty" should be ignored in their
entirety, of course). You might also find info there about how long they
actually lasted in use, not just the manufacturer's figures .

--

Jeff