On 25/08/2013 14:35, David Hill wrote:
On 25/08/2013 13:26, Spider wrote:
On 24/08/2013 20:56, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Sat, 24 Aug 2013 12:52:37 +0100, Mike wrote:

Spider my next door neighbour has a battery pack one I think, that is a
battery which is in a pouch around her waist.

That is quite a good tip, a lot of the weight of a battery trimmer
will be in the batteries. The less weight you have on your arms and
having to wave about the better. Nice wide padded belt snug on your
hips will carry a lot more weight than you like on your arms. There
will of course be a cable from the pack to the cutter...




Thank you, Dave. Yes, I'm going to look into that type. I will Google
and see what the cable looks like.



TBH I'm not sure what the problem with the cable could be if you
route it well. Assuming cutter trigger handle in right hand, back to
front under right arm pit, round back of neck, front to back under
left arm pit then to a loop shoved under your belt in the middle of
yoru back. Slack enough not to restrict any movement and it'll follow
your arm well and leaving being behind you, out of the cutters way.




TAs you say, it oughtn't to be a problem if common sense is applied, but
people have accidents just the same.

Having used a push mower for years and finding it so much easier than
getting the mower out .. getting the cable out .. opening a window from
inside .. running outside to plug the cable in .. moving both around the
garden as I work, then reversing the process at the end of the job, I
find I am so much happier just carrying the very light mower out and
working straight away without any restriction (apart from not mowing
another stripe down my cat's back!), that I am loathe to invite another
outdoor cable to my menagerie of tools.

To come to the point, I will certainly look into a pocketed battery if a
reasonable sized one is available. Atm, I'm looking at 36V or so.

Which have a good set of reviews of hedge trimmers if you are a member,
for domestic cordless The Black & Decker GTC1850L is part of new range
of cordless trimmers. It boasts the same basic design as Black &
Decker's corded trimmers, but actually weighs less at only 2.8kg, even
with the compact lithium-ion battery fitted.
But The blade sheath is a bit tricky to refit for carrying and storing.

The lithium battery takes nearly eight hours to recharge, so make sure
the 20-minute or so cutting time is sufficient for your hedges. In our
experience, you should be able to trim 70sq m of hedge in that time.

Is there anything else I should know?
If you need a second battery this will set you back another £52.

Almost all of their best buys are corded.



Alas, I'm not a member of Which? However, I've read a few reviews on
line, although not Black & Decker yet. There is a Bosch I've got half
an eye on. It's relatively expensive even without the second battery,
which I would like. However, RG thinks I may not need a second battery
if the first holds a long enough useable charge.

Before I decide, I shall Google the portable battery types to see what's
available. Again, RG thinks these may not be man enough for the work
I'll be doing (I spent part of today showing him the plant material I'll
be attacking), but there may be something we've not seen yet.

The only other (so far unanswered) query I wanted to resolve is the
matter of bulky handles for smaller ladies hands. It may be I'll just
have to visit a local 'shed' and heft one or two. Not that RG intends
to buy locally; he'll probably use Amazon or another reliable cheapish
online site that will deliver the next day.

Oh. Just thought of another question. In your experience, do power
trimmers 'kick' alarmingly when they meet a tough bit of branch they
don't like? I'm not otherwise too worried about using one, but that
sort of fright just might make me unusually girly.

You needn't hurry to answer that. It's way past my bedtime and I
haven't fed the cats yet :~(. Will have a look here in the morning.

Thanks for all your help.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay