After a bad experience with a petrol driven rotavator a good few years ago
I've rather avoided petrol driven garden machinery. The result is that I
have a battery driven lawnmower that I'm happy with and a battery driven
strimmer which has had 2 batteries in 2 years so I'm considering
alternatives for that.

In considering what to buy I've come across these multi tools that use a
petrol power unit to which you can typically attach a strimmer/brush cutter,
hedge cutter and pole pruner. At first glance they seem to be a good idea
but when you pick one up the weight (4-5 kg and more) makes me wonder. In
strimmer mode you can take some of the weight by using a harness but trying
to cut the top of a wide hedge seems less attractive.

My garden is not tiny but we're not talking acres. I've got 7 raised beds
of various sizes (biggest is about 6x12 feet (2 of those) and a shed around
which the grass grows in places the mower doesn't reach; a scrubby area
behind the shed with a number of water butts where the grass needs to be
kept at bay and, again the mower won't go. Then there are various bits of
edging around beds, the outside of the boundary wall and, facing the road a
hedge which is bit 6ft high inside but outside the road is lower so I need
to reach up 6ft or more to get to the bottom of the hedge. Said hedge is
also sufficiently wide that I need ultra long handle tools to reach the fare
side from the inside and only then by leaning into the hedge. There are
also trees that need pruning where I currently use a Wolf long handle and
either a saw or heavy duty secateurs attachments to do the job.

So, outwardly the multi tool seems to provide me with tools that allow me to
prune some of the larger branches when I need to, trim the outside and top
of the hedge and strim all the places the mower wont reach. But I'm not
convinced.

Comments/suggestions?

"Graham Harrison" wrote in message
...
After a bad experience with a petrol driven rotavator a good few years ago
I've rather avoided petrol driven garden machinery. The result is that I
have a battery driven lawnmower that I'm happy with and a battery driven
strimmer which has had 2 batteries in 2 years so I'm considering
alternatives for that.

In considering what to buy I've come across these multi tools that use a
petrol power unit to which you can typically attach a strimmer/brush
cutter, hedge cutter and pole pruner.

I have one and use it a lot, the only attachment I have yet to try is the
brush cutting blade. The other three, Strimmer, Pole saw, and Hedge cutter
have all seen a lot of use and I would loath to manage without them now.

Mike