Domestic Hedge Trimmer/Cutter

[jimithejazz]

Good evening all,

 

Just moved house and now have approx 50m of hedge to tackle! About half of it is a mix of beach/holly and thorny stuff and the other half is more delicate. My first job is to lower the mixed hedge from around 10ft to 6ft then I'll be maintaining everything thereafter. So my next move is to get the right kit for the job! My budget is around £200. I've had a look through all the previous posts along similar lines and everything is pointing me to the Echo HC-1500 but I still have the Stihl HS45 in mind or possibly picking up second hand HS80 on ebay or similar. I rang one of the dealers who recommended the Echo HCR161 but for domestic use (and the £350 price tag) it seems a bit overkill to me.

 

Without further advice I'll prob go for the HC-1500 but I'm open to suggestions.

 

Cheers.

[Gus McWilliam]

Echo makes fantastic hedgetrimmers. Go for the echo mate.

[jimithejazz]

Cheers. I did borrow a fairly new HS45 from a mate at work, it was a bitch to start from cold and I did have a problem with the throttle sticking at one point also. Having said that it did do a good job of chewing through a largish privet.

[Old Mill Tree Care]

The Echo is a good hedge trimmer and has their 'triple cut' cutting system which helps with the thicker stuff.

Cheap tools will cost you more.

I'd also recommend running it on Aspen 2T from new. As well as the health and environmental benefits, it won't turn to syrup in the carburettor like 2 stroke will if left alone for months.

 

 

Sent with my iPhone from me, to you!

[jimithejazz]

Thanks Chaps. I'll go ahead and order the Echo in that case!

[hedgesparrow]

can i ask is your hedge thick or gappy if latter as you want to cut 4ft off why not lay it then have a thick hedge and its lower. then all you need to do is trim it in 3 years time. saves you having to buy a trimmer for now

[jimithejazz]

Cheers for the help here. I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to do a proper job of laying it and in any case I need it to remain thick to act as a privacy barrier. The hedge is probably 3-4 ft wide and about 10ft high. I've already cut it on the road-side (it was obscuring the view at a junction). My plan now is to reduce it's height to 6ft before cutting it on the inside next year. I read somewhere that doing it all at once (inside outside and top) might damage the hedge so I planned on doing it in stages.