hedge trimmers

[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/viewarticle...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