hedge trimmers

[John Saxton]

Has anyone got a preference for motored hedge trimmers whether petrol/electric.

My old electric one died the other day and have decided to replace it with a GMC electric one for $39.95 from Bunnies.

There is also a GMC battery model available for around $89.00 with 2 18v batteries but I'm still not convinced that batteries are the way to go.

I dont have that much in the way of hedges ,but enough to warrant spending $$$ on a replacement.
The old one cost $124.00 and selection was very limited.

Now theres a variable range of electric ones available not to mention the petrol variety of which I felt I could'nt justify the expense being $250 and plus over different makes.

I guess it's another case of having the tools for the job that has driven
demand for the variety.

Cheers:)

[echnidna]

I've got the 18v cordless gmc and it works ok.
Its a couple of years old and always works.
I needed cordless one as the layout of our gardens are not easily accessible for an extension lead, otherwise I would have got a 240v one.
Don't have enough need to justify the expense of a petrol one

[Sturdee]

My old electric one died the other day and have decided to replace it with a GMC electric one for $39.95 from Bunnies.



I have that one John, and it is good enough for my needs. The thing about the electric ones, like the GMC, is that for it to work you have the press in and both switches and keep them pressed in and it has a brake when one of the switches is released.


Mighty handy when standing on top of the small fence and reaching for that top bit and a section of the fence collapses underneath you. :eek: With a petrol one you have to try and dodge the machine whilst falling.:mad:


Peter.

[rick_rine]

I have two hedge trimmers . One electric and one petrol . The electric is really good for a large 80 year old hedge I trim that takes 3-4 days to do . I will try to post a picture . It is good because it is light , minimal vibration and very quiet which are all important factors if you have a big job like this . The petrol one is really good for quick jobs as you dont have to take the time to unroll the extension cord etc .
Personally ,and I do a lot of hedge cutting , electric is my preference .

Regards
Rick

[Ashore]

John I Have an electric one ( Ryobi) for the same reasons as Sturdee
like it to stop when I let go, Havent found a branch that fits in the guides that it won't cut..........so far


Rgds

[bennylaird]

I have a cheapie electric but was watching a gardern show.

They reckon it's best to stay with hand shears as the oily residue on the powered blades kills off the plants due to the oil getting onto the cut leaves etc.

I have never seen any evidence of this happening but I have not been very liberal with lubricant.

Anyone had probs with this?

[Markw]

for it to work you have the press in and both switches and keep them pressed in

Peter.

I sometimes think that the need to have both switches depressed will cause the fall in the first place!!! Remember when using a ladder you should always have 3 points of contact - 1 hand & 2 feet or 2 hands and 1 foot (hard to use trimmer between toes :D ) or use a ladder belt etc etc.

In the end I by passed one switch with a nylon tie so that the trimmer could be used in one hand on a ladder - dangerous but so is falling off the ladder:rolleyes:

[John Saxton]

The GMC battery one is quite light to heft compared with the lecky one and the petrol one of course was fairly hefty.

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bennylaird I have a cheapie electric but was watching a gardern show.

They reckon it's best to stay with hand shears as the oily residue on the powered blades kills off the plants due to the oil getting onto the cut leaves etc.

I have never seen any evidence of this happening but I have not been very liberal with lubricant.

Anyone had probs with this?



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THE above post by Benny probably has some relevance to plant damage but how would vegetable oil cater instead of mineral oil?

Gave mine a run today ...pleased 'Er Indoors no end ...finally trimmed the back hedge.Works well did coat the blades with oil but wiped most of the excess off before running it.

Cheers:)

[MikeK]

SWMBO got her sister this one (model HSA18) for a pressie:

http://www.mogatec.com.au/cordlesshedgetrimmer.php

Cost was about $150 (from memory). Sister likes it a lot.

Regards,
Mike.

[bennylaird]

My biggest problem is waiting for the new headge to get big enough to trim.
Should I be shaping it while small or waiting till it gets to the final height?

Checked out all the plants trimmed last time with an oily set of blades and can see no sigh of damage. Maybe one for Mythbusters?

[Bin J]

I have an electric one - and contrary to what one may think, I have never cut the cord with the trimmer :D (yet!:eek: )


They reckon it's best to stay with hand shears as the oily residue on the powered blades kills off the plants due to the oil getting onto the cut leaves etc.

I just use that aerosol spray oil (canola) to lubricate the cutters - is that bad :o :o ?


My biggest problem is waiting for the new headge to get big enough to trim.
Should I be shaping it while small or waiting till it gets to the final height?

I would definately start shaping it while small - if you constantly trim the top off, it encourages growth to spread outways, giving you a nice thick hedge instead of a trunk at the bottom and bushy at the top.

Have a look at this link about English Box Hedges: http://svc006.wic002tp.server-web.com/engbox.html

[bennylaird]

Thanks Bin

By the way is she getting dizzy with all that head spinning??????

[la Huerta]

i used to do care for lawns and gardens for a living, the first hedge trimmer was a ryobi, it did the job, and then we got a 'tanaka' (i think that's how you spell it), it was a dream machine, left the ryobi for dead, since then there are heaps of good machines around, but if you want your hedge to look the best in the hood in little time as possible, then go for a powerfull petrol model, tanaka is just one that i used and never had a problem with...

[bsrlee]

My late father & I have both found that corded electric hedge trimmers are EXCELLENT for trimming power cords, specially when they get tangled in the bushes.

For the morbidly curious - lung cancer/emphysema from smoking got him.

[John Saxton]

My old one an Electrolux model, (and you thought electrolux was confined to Vacuum Ceaners) bought almost 10 years ago was servicable in that I got that time out of it...gave it a serious workout last week on a Diosma fragrant hedge we have around the outside of the pool fence.

Gave up the ghost ...use by date expired !! whatever It was light to use and served me well ..if I get at least half that time outta the GMC then I'll be more than happy.

Cheers:)

[la Huerta]

cheapo tools are great for home use folks, a mate of mine buys heaps of cheapo tools , but he only uses them here and there, they last him for years...i got a GMC waterblaster, had it for years , only use it once every few months, goes great...

[chromis]

I have a cheapie electric but was watching a gardern show.

They reckon it's best to stay with hand shears as the oily residue on the powered blades kills off the plants due to the oil getting onto the cut leaves etc.

I have never seen any evidence of this happening but I have not been very liberal with lubricant.

Anyone had probs with this?

I used a petrol trimmer for years at work and never had any problem with it damaging the foliage of a variety of plants. Damaged my knee though when I dropped the bloody thing on it.

[MurrayD99]

I have a cheapie electric but was watching a gardern show.

They reckon it's best to stay with hand shears as the oily residue on the powered blades kills off the plants due to the oil getting onto the cut leaves etc.

I have never seen any evidence of this happening but I have not been very liberal with lubricant.

Anyone had probs with this?

I have a Metabo - does a good job and can handle a jam without damaging itself. I recommend using the synthetic chainsaw bar lubricant on the hedge trimmers - it doesn't cause any damage and it is supposed to be bio-degradable... Had a B&D briefly - died on a fat branch. For the high hedges I rent a Stihl or Echo on the end of an aluminium pole. These are great, but expensive to buy.

[Greg Q]

bump

[Theremin]

I did some research, including reading this Choice article http://www.choice.com.au/viewarticleasonepage.aspx?id=103387&catId=100447&tid=100008&p=1 and ended up buying an AL-KO electric hedge trimmer about 18 months ago. Cost about $150 from Bunnings (it is a "discontinued" line, but some stores still stock them). I have a couple of medium size hedges and it has been fantastic.

[Farm boy]

i picked up a homelite 17cc trimer from bunnings it was a discontinued line reduced from $380 to $150
if you want an electric trimmer check bunnings there clearing there old stock out with a single earth plugs they have to be of the shelf by april 1st this year
greg

[Jon]

I have hand shears at home but used my Father in Law's electric GMC trimmer last week.
I found that on the more "woody" sections of a Lilly Pilly in particular I found the trimmer tended to push the bush aside for a little bit before starting to cut which meant I was not getting clean cuts or a smooth looking finish to the bush.

I ended up going back to the dark side and used by secaturs and shears to get nice straight edges and tops. Maybe a more pricey trimmer would have performed better but for the price v effort comparison the dark side wins. Also mistakes happen more slowly by hand.

Jon