Depending on the amount of hedging around your home, it's advisable to invest in a power hedge trimmer to make this chore less time consuming. The best advantage will be the way your hedges look once you get past the slight learning curve of the handy power tool. Less manual labour means you can devote more of your focus to the way the hedge looks, rather than how sore your hands or shoulders are from using manual tools.
Advice when choosing hedge trimmer blade length
In most cases; the longer the trimming blade is, the faster you will be done with your tedious task. Selecting the blade length depends on the size of the bush and the number of hedges on your property.
Here are a few rules that will help when choosing the blade length of a hedge trimmer:
These are only guidelines; you may feel more comfortable with one particular blade length.
Advice when choosing hedge trimmer blade width
A measure of the blade's width will give you an idea of the maximum diameter range that the trimmer can make a quality cut with. For example: A 20mm wide blade will easily handle a 20mm diameter branch thickness with ease.
If you are considering a smaller width to save money; consider the consequences of getting a powered trimmer stuck in a knotty branch and having the trimmer kick back on you. That extra width ensures the hedge trimmer blade is less likely to get stuck in the branch if you hit an obstruction. No doubt some poor bloke had to learn this lesson the hard way.
Hedge trimmers can be powered in one of three ways:
Advantages of using mains electricity
Disadvantages of using mains electricity
Advantages of using rechargeable battery power
Disadvantages of using rechargeable battery power
Advantages of using a petrol hedge trimmer
Disadvantages of using a petrol hedge trimmer
Hedge clippings collector
You might consider getting a collector attachment for the clippings to save time picking up debris when you have finished your trim. Loose clippings will rot and look unattractive.
Double position trimmers
A double position trimmer has a unique adjustable handle with a pivot point built in. This will allow you to bend the trimmer to different angles to get crisp looking cuts on the top, or other hard to reach areas of your hedge.
Safety guard
Be sure you have a safety/hand guard on your trimmer. This will prevent dangerous debris from flying out of the trimmer and hitting you or a passerby.
References: Homebase