MAKITA DUH502RT 18v Brushless 50cm Hedge Trimmer with 1x5ah Battery

The first thing to think about is the power source you prefer. If you’re a landscaper or other professional, you may want the power of a petrol-powered tool. However, thanks to ever-improving battery technology, the newest cordless electric Hedge Trimmers offer a viable alternative. They’re also a good choice for home users, especially those with larger gardens; is there anything more frustrating than plugging in your Hedge Trimmer, only to find the power cord is too short to reach the vegetation you’re looking to cut?

It's also worth thinking about the hedges themselves, especially in terms of how thick they are, their maturity and the type of plants growing within them. This can be important because Hedge Trimmer blades are made up of a series of evenly spaced teeth, and the space between these indicates the size of branch and stem the trimmer can comfortably cut. Mature hedges and those made up of woody plants like privet or holly can have thicker stems, so the blade on your tool of choice needs to be able to cope with that.

This means that blade length is an important consideration when choosing a Hedge Trimmer. Longer blades are designed for use on those thicker stems, while a shorter blade might be a good match for home users with smaller gardens and younger foliage. The ToolStore UK range of Hedge Trimmers includes tools with blade lengths from 25 cm right up to 75 cm.

Brushed motors use carbon brushes to transfer power from the fixed part of the motor to the rotor. This creates a reliable and relatively inexpensive motor, but brushed motors d require regular maintenance, in order to either clean the brushes or replace them as they wear out. A brushless motor, by contrast, uses a magnet mounted on the rotor to generate the power and electrical switching to perform the function carried out by the brushes. The additional complexity of the motor’s working means that brushless motors are usually more expensive than brushed.

However, eliminating the brushes also eliminates internal friction and maintenance, meaning that brushless motors offer both increased power and a longer working life. Brushless motors also generate less heat and noise and so, on balance, are considered superior to brushed motors.