Best Heavy Duty Electric Hedge Trimmer

Probably the most impressive mains electric hedge trimmer I have tested is the Makita UH4850 from Japan.

This well made professional quality machine has precision ground  48cm blades and a 500w motor that cuts even thick stems with ease.

It is priced well above the Bosch and Black&Decker but if you do a lot of hedge trimming then it may be worth the money. This machine is built to last and has been designed so you can easily change the motor brushes. Makita models have a long market life and spares are available for many years.

Built to last -

Designed to perform

Most retailers and websites want to sell you the Grass Trimmer - but can't be bothered to sell the line and spools you will need to continue using it.

After testing most of the popular makes of electric trimmer I was very disappointed. Many were either uncomfortable to use or had ridiculously complicated nylon line dispensers that were very hard to replace.

I know of at least 2 people who became so frustrated that they smashed their trimmers  against a wall and threw them away!

Another annoying thing about electric grass trimmers is the cable - that's why I much prefer the battery powered cordless grass trimmers.

The new cordless trimmers from Wolf and Bosch have a wheel that supports the weight of the machine and the handles and shafts are adjustable in every way to make the tools easier to use.

The Wolf Trimmer featured here is the Wolf GT845. it is mains powered and uses a twin line spool called a GTF8.

The cordless version of this grass trimmer is one of the most expensive but has the best battery.

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Black and Decker GL690 Grass Trimmer

The most powerful electric trimmer available is the Black & Decker GL690 Strimmer,  which has a 630w motor. As with other higher spec machines it has full adjustment and can be used to trim the top or sides of your lawn.

An interesting feature with the GL690 is that is has two different and interchangeable cutting cassette systems. One conventional spool of nylon and then a "heavy duty" clip in blade like a big nylon cats whisker.

DID YOU NOW?

The word "Strimmer" belongs to Black and Decker. If you call any other make of grass trimmer a "strimmer" you could be sued!

Black & Decker Trimmer Spares

Black and Decker trimmers use 3 types of nylon cutting systems. Manual for the older and low spec models and reflex for later models.

The large machines like the GL680 GL685 and GL690 use the Reflex plus system which has the option of the heavy duty "cats whisker" type blade.

I quite like the cats whisker blades as they are easier to fit. Personally I hate nylon trimmer spools as I have wasted many hours trying to fit or fix them. I have also wasted many hours gazing at a rack of plastic in B&Q wondering which one to buy!

Alternative to Nylon Grass Trimmers

Personally I don't like electric trimmers that cut with Nylon cord. I find that the cord is likely to become brittle over time and break, fail to self feed and can be hard to replace or find replacement cord.

For small jobs I prefer an electric version of the sheep shear that has  metal blades and is battery powered.

This type of tool has been around a long time and is well tested. The Wolf tools version is the most versatile as it can be fitted to a telescopic handle and have wheels attached.

Turn your Wolf grass trimmer into a hedge shear!

With a few simple clicks you can  remove the grass shear blades and replace them with a small hedge trimming blade!

The Wolf cordless shrubber attachment

They also work better on blow than suck as wet leaves stick to the ground. Contractors do use blowers and blow material onto a sheet in a corner. This is more practical and dedicated blowers are very simple and reliable machines.

I declare the electric garden shredder vac to be a triumph of marketing over practicality. However if you really want one I can recommend the one below as the best of the bunch I tried

This machine is no -where near as powerful as the petrol machines that it imitates. It may be useful for small jobs of 10- 15 minute duration, drying your car or Afghan Hound.

 Cordless Blower from Black and Decker

As part of the 18v range of cordless garden tools Black and Decker have introduced this battery powered leaf blower.

I am not a fan of the garden vacs but I do prefer the blowers as they are simple to use and do not cover you in dust and dirt as the debris is drawn into the bag.

This one is fine small garden use and is ideal for blowing the leaves off your decking or patio and into a corner of the garden for collection. It is also great for blowing the leaves and dirt out of my garage when I can't be bothered to use a broom!

Electric Garden Shredders

Garden shredders are one of my favourite tools. Gone are the days of smoky bonfires, neighbours complaining of smelly washing, dusty cars and burned down homes. I now longer disguise my car as a mobile forest and spend hours in a queue waiting to see the waste of an entire city. Instead I sit happily beside a shiny machine feeding in branches and receiving bags of woodchip mulch that I USED TO PAY ££££,S FOR. Shredders are lovely, the equipment  industry knows this and in Europe has flooded the market with domestic shredders. Many unfortunately are rubbish.

Even worse the manufacturers don't seem to be interested in the American market and the best machines from German Manufactures like Bosch, Al-Ko and Stihl/Viking are not available in the USA.

This is mostly due to the different voltage and so far only a few garden shredders like the Mc Culluoch opposite are available. McCullogh is a part of the Swedish based manufacturer Electrolux

Not the best shredder in the world but probably the best electric domestic shredder available in the USA. It is a bit of a devil to assemble and annoying to take apart for cleaning. However if you use is carefully and enough it is probably worth buying.