How do you choose a hedge trimmer?

With a cordless hedge trimmer, you can trim your hedges cordlessly. This means you won't be limited by cables and extension cords. You can also easily reach the hedges in the back of the garden where there's no socket. Many cordless hedge trimmers are part of a battery platform. This means that you can use the battery for other (garden) tools of the same brand and voltage as well. Do you want to trim for a longer time continuously? Choose an extra battery, so you'll always have a spare battery at hand.

Electric hedge trimmers are always connected to the socket with an extension cord for power. As a result, you can trim continuously. Make sure you don't accidentally cut through a cord. Electric hedge trimmers are also lighter compared to cordless hedge trimmers. Thanks to this, you can trim for a longer time back to back without tiring your arms.

You can use a regular hedge trimmer for most hedges, like a laurel, yew, or privet. The blade has a length between 45 and 85cm. This makes regular hedge trimmers less suitable for small hedges that you want to shape, like a buxus or lavender. With a long blade, you can't control your movements as well while trimming.

Do you want to shape small hedges? You can use a handheld hedge trimmer. These trimmers have a blade of up to 20cm. This gives you more control while trimming and allows you to use the handheld hedge trimmer in different angles. Thanks to this, you can easily shape your buxus or lavender.

With a telescopic hedge trimmer, you can easily reach the top of tall hedges. That's nice, because this means you won't need a ladder. You can extend the hedge trimmer up to 3 or 4m. You can also adjust the angle of the telescopic hedge trimmer. That way, you can cut the top of the hedge straight.

Hedge trimmers with a short blade have a blade length of up to 45cm. You can't trim many branches in one go with these hedge trimmers. As a result, it'll take you longer to trim large, wide hedges. Hedge trimmers with a short blade are useful for smaller hedges. You'll have more control over the hedge trimmer, so you won't accidentally trim the hedge the wrong way.

You can use hedge trimmers with a medium-sized blade for most trimming jobs. The blade is between 45 and 60cm. This is enough for most fully-grown hedges. Compared to shorter blades, you'll have slightly less control over your trimming movements. As a result, it's less easy to trim smaller hedges with medium-sized hedge trimmers.

Do you have a tall, fully-grown hedge that's wider or deeper than 60cm? You should use a hedge trimmer with a long blade. In that case, the blade will be longer than 60cm. This allows you to trim large pieces of the hedge in one go and you'll be done quickly. You'll also get a straighter result compared to with a small blade, because you don't have to cover the same spot as often. Keep in mind that a longer blade is often heavy to hold if you want to use it for a longer time back to back.