Electric Power Tools For Gardening
Electric Hedge Trimmers, Shredders, Grass Trimmers, Chainsaws and Blowers
Tested and reviewed by Fred-in-the-shed
Updated 22nd June 2026
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Hedge Trimmer or Hedge Cutter? Is there a difference? Best Mains Powered Electric Hedge Trimmers
According to experts, (me), a Hedge Trimmer is a lighter weight, smaller bladed machine for removing soft growth from hedges. The Bosch EasyhedgeCut 45 is an example since it has a 45cm long blade and cuts up to 16mm thickness. A Hedge Cutter is a heavier duty, larger bladed and more powerful machine capable of removing the green growth AND can cut back into the older woodier material too. The Bosch Advanced Hedgecut 70 is an example since it has a 70cm long blade and cuts up to 34mm thickness. This is the tool at the right of the image and you can see it much bigger and heavier than all the others. Bosch AdvancedHedgeCut
70 (500 W, Blade Length: 70 cm, for Large Hedges, Tooth Opening: 34 mm If you use a low powered hedge trimmer to cut woody material it is won't last long as the blades will blunt and the motor or other components may burn out. Only the largest (36v and up) battery powered hedge trimmers are capable of cutting woody hedge material. A high powered mains electric hedge cutter can be better than a cheap petrol model, so you cant judge just on power because the size and quality of the blade is crucial. To add more complication some models have anti-lock clutches and anti-jam, sawing-action features. If you are buying a mains powered electric hedge trimmer then it is likely that you have a large hedge so go for one with plenty of power and a long blade if you have the strength to hold it. More important is the quality of the blade since this is a machine that is going to take a lot of stick! You can also protect your blades from sticky resin and sap by using a special Resin Solvent, For Hedge Trimmer Blades from German company Stihl. Try to avoid really cheap hedge trimmers, you will most likely be wasting your money as the blades will soon go blunt or the plastic cogs that drive the motor break and turn it into landfill.
Best Mains Electric Hedge Trimmers Smaller Bosch Hedge Trimmers - Suitable for Light Domestic Trimming
The AHS 50-16 had a powerful motor and 50cm length blade. It weighed 2.7kg and is easily used by smaller people.
Bosch
Easy Hedge Cutter, 450 mm Blade Length, 16 mm Tooth Opening The AHS 50-16 has been replaced with a slightly shorter model - link above. The 16mm blade width is designed for more well kept small hedges. If your hedges are thick or you let them overgrow then you will need a tool with a wider tooth spacing. The Bosch Universal Hedgecut 50 has a 50cm blade, 480w motor and 26mm tooth spacing (cutting diameter). It costs a bit more than its little brother but if you can afford it is the better deal. This is a real, no nonsense tool that has been in production for decades either by Bosch or before that, Qualcast. Qualcast is now Chinese owned and made (and best avoided) Bosch Universal Hedge Cutter, 500 mm Blade Length, 26 mm Tooth Opening
Best Mains Heavy Duty Electric Hedge Cutter
The Bosch Advanced Hedgecut 70 massacring my thick old Eleagnus. (This model was previously called the Bosch AHS 7000Pro and then the AHS 70-34) This model is the largest Bosch mains electric hedge cutter available. This machine is truly awesome and will outperform many petrol models. If you need to reduce the height of a mature hedge then this is the tool. You will need to be fairly strong as it is BIG! In fact you will need to be as strong as big Dave to use the Bosch Advanced Hedgecut 70.
It has a 700 watt motor, 70cm blade length with tooth spacing of 34mm to chop the thickest stems. Weight - 3.9kg, 12m of cable, laser cut diamond ground blades. Quick-stop blade-brake and high-torque (80Nm) slipping clutch for easy cutting. Blade tip protector for cutting along walls and paths. Bosch AdvancedHedgeCut
70 500 W, 70cm Blade Length for Large Hedges, Tooth Opening: 34 mm
Long Reach Hedge Trimmers
Bosch Long reach Chainsaw Type Pruner Long reach hedge trimmers are one tool that may be better off petrol powered
as the weight can be kept at the bottom end and not the top where it
soon becomes seriously tiring. The other issue with long reach tools is
that you cant see what you are cutting half the time and have to keep
stepping back to check. Also you are likely to leave dead trimmings on
your hedge and have to get up there anyway to clear them off properly. Professional gardeners tend not to use the long reach trimmer
so much and instead use special
Tripod Garden Ladders
If you want a cheap mains powered long reach hedge trimmer the
Terratek model has a reasonable spec for the price.
Terrakek
Pole Hedge Trimmer -Mains powered 500 W
Henrys Tripod Garden Ladders with built-in Platform by Henchman - 3.6m |
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Jaw Saws and Powered Loppers Safer Alternative to a Chainsaw
Black + Decker GK1000 Alligator Powered Lopper This unique tool from Black and Decker combines the features of a small chainsaw with the action of loppers. The result is a very effective pruning tool that is easy to use and most importantly very SAFE. The Alligator is light enough for me to use from my wheelchair and the clamping jaws and double safety switches make it much safer than any other powered pruning tool. The Black and Decker Alligator has a 550w motor and weighs 4KG. It will easily cut 4 inch branches. This tool is fun to use but you still need to take care with it to protect yourself and also make the tool last longer. My one got slightly abused and a small cog broke. Luckily Black & Decker spares are easily available and the parts were not too expensive. My old test model was green, the new model is orange in colour but has the same spec. There is also an 18v battery version which is superb and more convenient to use. BLACK+DECKER 18V Cordless Alligator Lopper with 2.0Ah Lithium Ion Battery Black + Decker Alligator Chain
Mains Powered Electric Chainsaws If you want to buy a corded electric chainsaw my recommendation is Bosch - They have a wide range, good performance and can be easily contacted for spares and repair. The range covers all requirements with no fancy gimmicks and all the features, including tool-less adjustment of the chain on the higher end models. Another good feature of the Bosch chainsaws is the longevity of the range which means that spares are also easy to obtain. The Bosch AKE 35 has the ideal spec for a mains powered chainsaw and has been a best seller for many years. For 2021 the Bosch AKE 35 has undergone a cosmetic makeover and is now know as the UniversalChain 35.
Bosch Chainsaw UniversalChain 35 (1800 W, Lightweight 4.2 kg, Chain Speed 12 m/s Use above links to find replacement chains for all Bosch and Black & Decker Chainsaws
See my page on cordless chainsaws
240v Mains Powered Garden Vacuums Best Garden Vacuums/Leaf Blowers
I have tested a lot of mains electric blower vacs that were great at blowing but poor at sucking. Petrol models have more power but have other issues so I don't review petrol machinery on Fredshed. This is because of the constant problems people have starting and maintaining the engines. Parts for the Chinese ones are often impossible to source. One important point that I would like to make ALL MAINS AND PETROL GARDEN VACUUMS ARE HEAVY TOOLS TO USE After several years of testing I have decided that I am not a big fan of garden vacs. Many are noisy, cover you in dust and are a pain to store. It is possible to suck up stones that trash the blade that is meant to shred the leaves. They also work better on blow than suck as wet leaves stick to the ground, this is why you rarely see a contractor using a hand held garden vacuum. Contractors use hand held blowers and blow material onto a sheet in a corner. This is more practical and blowers are very simple and reliable machines. I think that the electric garden vacuum can be described as a triumph of marketing over practicality. To obtain the necessary amount of suck some of them have 3000w motors -which makes for a seriously heavy tool at around 7KG. However if you are big and strong, like noisy machines and don't mind getting covered in dust Bosch offer 3 sizes of blower/vac. 1800 watts weight 4.7kg. 2300 watts weight 4.7kg. 3000 watts weight 6.5kg.
Bosch ALS 2500 Garden Vacuum - now replaced by 3 Versions of
the Universal Garden
Tidy
This is one of the lightest garden vacs and is also a bit of a
transformer as you can swap the tubes and bag around depending
if you want to blow or suck.
It is well balanced and effectively collects the leaves and shreds
them too.
As this type of machine is easily damaged by foreign objects or
getting jammed up Bosch have built in a safety cut out mechanism
that cuts the motor and saves you wrecking it. Whilst this is a
clever feature it is a bit too clever for some owners who don't
read the manual and believe the tool has failed when in fact it
has just cut out and will start again when it has cooled down.
The current model was upgraded in 2020 with
quieter motors and easier emptying and 3 versions of varying power
and weight. Use the link below if you want one of the 3 new models
Bosch Home and Garden UniversalGardenTidy
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Electric Lawn Rakers and Scarifiers Tested and reviewed by Fred-in-the-shed
My old Black & Decker GD200GB powered lawn raker (RIP) To keep your lawn well drained and cleared of "thatch" build up I recommend using a powered lawnraker. (also known as an electric scarifier). Doing this job by hand on anything other than small areas is for the super-fit, super-skint or totally insane! Sadly, like grass trimmers there are a lot of poorly designed and badly made lawn scarifiers available. Here are some of the better ones I have tried and tested for this website over the last 20 years. Cheapest Lawn Rakers My Black and Decker GD200GB served me for many years but had a very small box. It has been replaced by the GD300 with a larger 600w motor. Powered rakers use thin wire tines that are easily replaceable and cheap. These wire tines rake out moss and dead grass but wont aerate the lawn like more expensive scarifiers with the fixed knife type blades. For easy regular lawn maintenance I liked the Flymo 3400 but it has sadly been discontinued. A good thing to look for
when buying a scarifier is the availability of spare tines.
Tines may bend or break after a lot of use, especially if your lawn is too dry! More Powerful Lawn Scarifiers
Bosch UniversalRake
900 Operating width: 32 cm, The Bosch beat the Draper in my test in every way. If you have a large lawn you will need a more powerful
lawn aerator. The real low price 400w ones are not up to the job and will take
ages to cover the distance, or burn out under the strain. Bosch make a superb 900watt model, with metal tines, and a
50 litre box that holds the full amount. The size of the grass box is important as you will be
amazed how much moss and thatch is collected. TOP TIP - don't set blades too deep or use on hard dry lawns - this may
burn out your motor!
The latest
development is to go cordless which for rakers but this requires a seriously powerful
battery.
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Best Mains Electric Grass Trimmer?
Cordless grass trimmers tested and reviewed After testing most of the popular makes of electric trimmer I was not impressed and after getting caught up in the cable thought " cordless is the way to go" 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! Luckily Li-ion batteries have improved the performance of these cordless tools and they are now taking over from mains trimmers as they are easier to use. Click here for my page on cordless grass trimmers
If you want a 240v mains trimmer the Flymo Contour was the best I found
This Flymo contour has been around for years and has all the features you need. It has a powerful motor, good ergonomics and easy to obtain spools. A mains model is about £40 cheaper than cordless and overall more reliable.
Flymo Contour 500E Electric Grass Trimmer and Edger, 500 W, Cutting Width 25 cm
Electric Garden Shredders
Garden shredders are one of my favourite tools. I can get rid of tons of waste and produce weed suppressing mulch that will also put the nutrients back in my soil I have tested the following shredders AL-KO SP5000 Silent shredder, AL-KO Powerslider2500R , Atco 1800 Quiet shredder, Bosch AXT 180 Rapid Shredder, Bosch AXT200 Rapid Shredder, Bosch AXT2000 HP Silent Shredder, Bosch AXT2000 Rapid , Bosch AXT2200 Rapid Shredder ,Bosch AXT2200HP Quiet Shredder , Bosch AXT25D , Bosch AXT 23TC, Black & Decker GA 1600e , Draper 1800w and 2400W Shredders, JCB GSB 1800 , Makita DSH201 , Powerdevil shredder. Ryobi ESR2400. Flymo Pac-a-shred. Wolf Shredder, Viking GE250. Fredshed readers have also provided good feedback on Aldi 2500w, Ryobi RGS 1500 Shredder, MTD 115E shredder, Viking GE35L shredder, and Viking GE103. Click here for my page dedicated to BOSCH GARDEN SHREDDERS With links to Bosch Shredder parts and repair tips! |
DO ME A FAVOUR PLEASE!
I always wear goggles and gloves when testing garden
shredders as thorny branches can get whipped about in your hand or face. If you use a powered product like a shredder ,
grass trimmer or hedgetrimmer then please make sure you wear goggles. It's so easy to damage your eyesight , from a speck of blown dust to a flying thorn. I use the big Draper goggles and it it is sunny a pair of tinted wrap around glasses.
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