We also size up safety, looking for features like a protective sheath for the cutting bar, blade brakes to stop cutting in an emergency, and designs that would prevent the tools from being a danger to children (for instance, interlocks, or cutting bars that keep small fingers away from the cutting path).

And while we focus our testing on corded and battery hedge trimmers, we use a single premium gasoline model for reference to make sure the battery tools pack the same punch and can hold their own against a gas tool. They start with small growth, about a quarter-inch in diameter, working all the way up to inch-thick pieces, noting how quickly and cleanly each tool works. Corded electric and battery options are also better for the environment.Īt our Yonkers, N.Y., headquarters, huge swaths of invasive bamboo shoots dominate much of our outdoor space, but that creates an opportunity for our testers to put hedge trimmers into use, testing for cutting capacity. But they’re likely overkill in most residential yards. Gas hedge trimmers: These powerful tools are often used by pros and on large properties.Most outdoor cords max out at around 100 feet. If the blade teeth are close together, they might not be able to handle more unruly hedges. You’ll need an outdoor outlet, though, and you’ll be limited by the length of your extension cord. Blade teeth: The teeth can be spaced 1/2- to 1-1/2-inches apart. Corded electric trimmers tend to be far cheaper than battery and gas models-some are only about $50-and can run indefinitely as long as they’re plugged in. Corded electric hedge trimmers: These trimmers are all you need for lighter trimming close to your house.attachment extension is powered by the M18 FUEL power head with QUIK-LOK and is compatible with the QUIK-LOK 10 in. “When measured without a load, some of the trimmers we tested were able to run nearly 2 hours on a single charge,” says Misha Kollontai, who is in charge of hedge trimmer testing at CR. The hedge trimmer attachment also features optimized gearing to manage the cordless M18 FUEL Power Head RPM output specifically for hedge trimming applications.

Our engineers found that battery models can deliver impressive performance.

Battery hedge trimmers: You might think they aren’t as powerful as gas or corded electric hedge trimmers, but that isn’t the case.

Here’s what you need to know about the different types of hedge trimmers: CR members can jump to our recommendations or our hedge trimmer ratings. Battery hedge trimmers dominate the market, so that’s where we focus the bulk of our testing. There are three types of hedge trimmers: battery-powered, corded electric, and gas.

Hedge trimmer attachment