Best 30" hedge cutters?

[Cain]

Stihl HS 87t runs a 30” And 40”. Can and advise to add scoop. Hs 87r if you’re doing reductions heavy cutting. 30” only though. Would buy both and you won’t need to replace them for year’s guarantee it. 

[Trailoftears]

Would concur that IF you have the money the stihl hs 87's are probably the best on the market at this point in time.Formerly the kawasaki single-sided 30" were superior- lighter,better balanced-however,kawi have left the market tragically.If you can only afford one,go with the stihl r version.Kept sharp its good enough to fine-trim conifers+knock 6" inches off the side/top of a privet.They are not without their flaws tho-the tip protector which could save you buying a new set of blades,drags horribly when the nose is buried in a hedge.the front handle being integrated into the handle isnt situated far enough up the blade.Also,underneath the machine,2 screws protrude up q.high which is a pain-cut down the plastic slightly and seat them lower.Dont EVEN think about a deflector/sweeper-it will make the top work heavier+fatigue you-should the hedgetop be visible-just use a hand-held blower to clear.

[Stere]

Not used thoose two models but since  switching to 100% battery now for hegde cutting much prefer them.

 

I think if investing in new tools for hedge cutting that  battery is as good as the best petrol now?

 

This is latest  makita 40v battery tool looks like the eqivalent to the stihl petrol would be nice to here any reviews of it comparing them .....head to head?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much more impressed by my battery trimmer than the  battery chainsaws with regards to being light  and the battery run times being alot longer than the chainsaws and not seemly being underpowered with regards to power to weight ratios.

 

 

Think  hegde trimmers inherently suit batteries.

 

I also have a makita battery strimmer rated 1kw but 2x18v 5ah batteries only lasts 15mins

 

One 18v 5ah battery will last near 1 hour cutting hedges on the makita trimmer  must be a fairly low KW motor but doesn't feel underpowered

 

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Stere

[pleasant]

Worth noting that ALL current Stihl cordless hedge trimmers are classified by them as exactly that- trimmers. Not hedge cutters. Max recommended cutting diameter is only 10mm, so not recommended for cutting back woody overgrown hedges to get back into shape- just new growth or particularly thin green material.

 

Doesn't matter is it's the top of the range back pack battery ones or the noddy domestic ones- still only a trimmer.

Edited November 23, 2022 by pleasant

[Stere]

Max branch dia  is listed as 23.5mm on that 40v makita i think

 

Anyway the 18v does yr old blackthorn & pyracantha (dense woods)  no problems which is enough for me

 

Makita - Product Details - DUH602 18V LXT Brushless 600mm Hedge Trimmer

WWW.MAKITA.CO.NZ

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Makita Power Tools. The preferred brand of power tool to the trade

 

 

Two year growth plus blackthorns etc  needs loppers/chainsaw etc

Edited November 23, 2022 by Stere

[Trailoftears]

Thinking about it, when you're taking say,9" off the top of a woody hedge with some stems up to 1cm,your cutting hundreds of woody stems per metre-even more as they collapse in front of the blade-its a helluva ask really and needs an extremely robust clutch onboard I imagine.

[Trailoftears]

On the subject of stihl hedgetrimmers, I've had a new set of blades for my hl 94 waiting to be fitted (for quite some time),decided to face the music and do it today.Thankfully, I've dismantled it before,so at least had some vague idea of the horrors that lurk within-concealed washers,internal bushes/spacers-inc 3 in the gearbox.Bought 8 new bushes-should have got 11 given the gearbox ones,luckily they had virtually no wear,so were re-used on the blade length.Its really not a job to be undertaken lightly/when you're in a hurry.By the time I'd cleaned everything up,cleared out the best I could the tired looking gearbox grease and reassembled everything,it was a solid 2 hour job.I was on the point of doing the same for my hs87 r,but thankfully found the whole blade set as a unit,so much easier-gearbox base off, 2 hex bolts off,new blade set affixed-job done.No wonder stihl dealers are costly,these are unpleasant,time-consuming jobs!At least with the hs87 r you can sharpen with the blades in situ given the generous tooth spacing.I'm sitting down feeling rather virtuous now-albeit somewhat greasy!

[pleasant]

4 hours ago, Trailoftears said:

On the subject of stihl hedgetrimmers, I've had a new set of blades for my hl 94 waiting to be fitted (for quite some time),decided to face the music and do it today.Thankfully, I've dismantled it before,so at least had some vague idea of the horrors that lurk within-concealed washers,internal bushes/spacers-inc 3 in the gearbox.Bought 8 new bushes-should have got 11 given the gearbox ones,luckily they had virtually no wear,so were re-used on the blade length.Its really not a job to be undertaken lightly/when you're in a hurry.By the time I'd cleaned everything up,cleared out the best I could the tired looking gearbox grease and reassembled everything,it was a solid 2 hour job.I was on the point of doing the same for my hs87 r,but thankfully found the whole blade set as a unit,so much easier-gearbox base off, 2 hex bolts off,new blade set affixed-job done.No wonder stihl dealers are costly,these are unpleasant,time-consuming jobs!At least with the hs87 r you can sharpen with the blades in situ given the generous tooth spacing.I'm sitting down feeling rather virtuous now-albeit somewhat greasy!

Yup, and when you quote for doing that type of job, numpties think we should charge £30 labour!

[Trailoftears]

39 minutes ago, pleasant said:

Yup, and when you quote for doing that type of job, numpties think we should charge £30 labour!

I didnt add half an hour for degreasing the table+a swift mop of the k.floor before the power that be returned home either! 😳