Best hedge trimmers for beautiful gardens

Not sure where to start when picking a hedge trimmer for your garden? Read on for our no-fuss guide.

Dani Maher

4 min read

August 30, 2023 - 2:57PM

These are the best hedge trimmers on the market right now. Picture: Amazon Australia

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Hedge trimmers are one of many tools that can give anyone the power of the green thumb by making gardening far easier.

They’re a must-have for keeping your hedges and bushes looking picture perfect and preventing your home from looking like a scary, overgrown fortress.

Pop away the secateurs and save yourself some much-needed time and energy – these trimmers aren’t as scary as they look and they’re sure to become your new favourite tool, according to their many adoring fans.

BEST ELECTRIC HEDGE TRIMMER GUIDE

BLACK+DECKER 36V Powercommand Hedge Trimmer Kit, $349, Amazon Australia

BLACK+DECKER 36V Powercommand Hedge Trimmer Kit

This BLACK+DECKER Hedge Trimmer has a 550mm blade and 22mm blade gap suitable for larger hedges, and comes with a 36V slide pack rechargeable battery. The durable hardened steel dual action blade is up to tackling hefty twigs, and the handle is designed for maximum comfort and control.

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Bosch AHS 50-20 LI Cordless 18V Hedgecutter, $255, Amazon Australia

Bosch AHS 50-20 LI Cordless 18V Hedgecutter

Providing cordless mobility with maximum power, this Bosch hedge trimmer combines a 500mm blade with 20mm tooth openings to help you cut through twigs efficiently. The intelligent Bosch Syneon chip offers longer runtime, while quick-cut technology and an anti-blocking system helps you sweep through debris effortlessly. It comes with a battery and charger for your convenience.

“I’ve got 43m of privet hedge (grows REALLY fast) 1m wide and 1.2m high, so it’s a fair amount of hedge,” wrote one five-star reviewer. “I normally take two days to do the hedge but with this I did it in one hit because (a) it wasn’t so tiring and (b) no stupid cord to get in the way. The Bosch is incredibly easy to manipulate. The big surprise was the battery. I figured I’d have to charge it at least twice or maybe three times to get all the hedge done, but I only had to do it once – while I had a bit of lunch. While most battery trimmers are sold as a “skin” (no battery – that’s extra), the Bosch came with battery and charger which makes it really good value”.

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Makita DUH523Z 18V Li-Ion LXT 52cm Hedge Trimmer, $323.19, Amazon Australia

Makita DUH523Z 18V Li-Ion LXT 52cm Hedge Trimmer

With its 610mm blade, this Makita trimmer is up to the task of large hedges. It has a five-position rotating rear handle for comfort during vertical and angle trimming, and three speed options you can match to the job at hand. The powerful brushless motor makes things quicker, and the anti-vibration design helps with precision cutting. It doesn’t come with a battery, but any Makita 18V LXT battery will do the trick – we recommend this 6.0Ah one for increased runtime.

It has a 4.8-star average rating from over 800 five-star reviews, including this five-star entry: “First off, if you do any amount of hedge trimming work and were baulking at the price of this tool, the rotating handle alone makes it worth the price of admission. They made it simple to adjust, it will accommodate both right and left handed users, and after about 10 minutes of using it, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it, for all the contortions it saves you. Genius”.
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Greenworks 24-Inch 40V Cordless Hedge Trimmer, $506.59, Amazon Australia

Greenworks 24-Inch 40V Cordless Hedge Trimmer

This Greenworks tool has a 610mm dual action blade with an ergonomically-designed rotating rear handle.

It has a 4.5-star rating from over 1500 five-star reviews, with one five-star reviewer writing, “This hedge trimmer impressed me with its ability to cut through old, thick sticks and still do well on the fine green leaves. it took sometimes a few passes on the finer stuff to get precision, but its light weight and long reach 24” bar made it easy. I also enjoyed the handle/blade rotation ability (but only 90 degree increments) as I could cut with blade upside down above my head with handle grip on the side”.

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BEST PETROL HEDGE TRIMMER

Giantz Chainsaw Hedge Trimmer Tool, $399, Harvey Norman

Giantz Chainsaw Hedge Trimmer Tool

If you prefer a petrol-powered unit, this chainsaw hedge trimmer set has a powerful 40cc and four-stroke full crank engine. It comes with an extension pole, hedge trimmer, brush cutter, whipper snipper, chain, and safety set – so you’re fully equipped to tackle the entire garden. The quick connect couplings can be used to connect up to nine attachments and it’s easy to switch between.

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WHAT ARE THE THREE TYPES OF HEDGE TRIMMERS?

The three types of hedge trimmers are electric, cordless and gas-powered.

HOW DO I CHOOSE A HEDGE TRIMMER?

The best hedge trimmer for you depends on your hedge trimming needs. Here’s what to keep in mind before you hit “add to cart”:

• Blade length: A longer blade can make it easier to trim your hedges evenly, or to work efficiently over larger areas.

• Tooth spacing: Wider spacing between blade teeth means the trimmer is better suited to wider twigs and branches, although it’s worth noting that even a heavy-duty trimmer won’t be able to cut through thick branches.

• Power source: As mentioned, you can choose corded, cordless, or gas-powered trimmers. Gas generally offers the highest power, but if you’d prefer to go green and spend less on gas, corded and cordless offer an impressive amount of bite. Cordless gives you the greatest manoeuvrability.

• Power level: Higher-powered trimmers are better for efficiently pruning larger, tougher hedges and bigger gardens, so consider the size of yours and buy accordingly.

• Handle adjustability: Trimmers with handles that rotate can make the tool much more comfortable to wield at various angles. You can also get pole or telescopic trimmers that feature the blade at the end of an extendible pole, suitable for tall hedges.

CAN I USE A HEDGE TRIMMER TO CUT BRANCHES?

Hedge trimmers are primarily designed for lightweight twigs and leaves on bushes and hedges – so any twig larger than about 19mm in diameter is likely to be more than your trimmer can handle, and in this case, you’re better off with a pair of pruning shears or loppers.