"Nowadays, cordless battery-powered trimmers can be just as effective and save you the hassle of heavy maintenance and dealing with fuel. "Gas hedge trimmers were once the go-to for professionals or anyone doing a lot of hedge trimming," says Harry Granville, founder of the Gardening Squad, a landscape design and garden maintenance company. Since there are so many hedge trimmers on the market, with gas-powered, corded electric, and cordless options, it can be tough knowing which ones to go for. Whether you're growing boxwoods as a low foundation hedge or larger shrubs as a screen for backyard privacy, there are plenty of tools available that make hedge trimming much easier. In addition, we assess handling, weight, and balance, and evaluate run time and charge time, along with noise at the ear of the operator.ĬR members can also explore our comprehensive hedge trimmer ratings of battery and corded models.Trimming your hedges is an essential part of maintaining a tidy-looking yard.
We also size up safety, looking for features like a protective sheath for the cutting bar, blade brakes to stop cutting in an emergency, and designs that would prevent the tools from being a danger to children (for instance, interlocks, or cutting bars that keep small fingers away from the cutting path). And while we focus our testing on corded and battery hedge trimmers, we use a single premium gasoline model for reference to make sure the battery tools pack the same punch and can hold their own against a gas tool. They start with small growth, about a quarter-inch in diameter, working all the way up to inch-thick pieces, noting how quickly and cleanly each tool works. Corded electric and battery options are also better for the environment.Īt our Yonkers, N.Y., headquarters, huge swaths of invasive bamboo shoots dominate much of our outdoor space, but that creates an opportunity for our testers to put hedge trimmers into use, testing for cutting capacity. But they’re likely overkill in most residential yards. Gas hedge trimmers: These powerful tools are often used by pros and on large properties.Most outdoor cords max out at around 100 feet. You’ll need an outdoor outlet, though, and you’ll be limited by the length of your extension cord. Corded electric trimmers tend to be far cheaper than battery and gas models-some are only about $50-and can run indefinitely as long as they’re plugged in.