I was recently asked if I wanted to trial the Ryobi 18v Cordless Hedge Trimmer, I have to be transparent and say that I have not paid for this product. I have not been paid to write this review and my words and opinions are my own. No one has approved or edited this post other than myself.
This is an impressive piece of kit. I have to say that it cuts really well and with a lot of power. There is nothing half-hearted about how it tackled my hedges. This hedge-trimmer is from Ryobi's 'One plus' range. It is called One plus as you buy one product with a battery and a charger and they have over 100 other tools that use the same battery. So you do not have to buy lots of different batteries and (this was the bit that impressed me the most) it is retro-compatible. This means if you bought one of their tools some years ago, the new 18v battery will fit it. This is really good as they are not making your old tools redundant by removing the ability to keep them going. In a throw-away world where we are trying to throw away less this has to be a good thing.
This is a not very good before and after shot. You can hopefully see I have made a significant curve into the top of the hedge. This is an old hedge and some of the branches are getting on for 2/3 cm in diameter and the hedgetrimmer cut through it well.
The front hedge is now more trimmed and at the lowest level it has been at for some years. It is a mixed hedge and a favourite for birds to nest in, so I am not too precious in how it looks generally. I do like to have some daylight to the front of the house though so I try and keep it at a reasonable height. It does mean though that I cannot keep trimming it all year. When it gets to late August and I know the birds have fledged it can be quite a task to bring it back into shape, but this hedge trimmer managed it with ease.
The hedge trimmer is not heavy and I did not struggle to use it. The handle rotates which means you can angle it to be most comfortable depending on what you are trimming. It has a three year warranty and is not too noisy. Not having to struggle with an electric cord is a joy, it means I can move around easily and there are no concerns of cutting through the cable. I cannot accurately say how long the battery lasted as it depends completely on how hard the task it is being used for: so the battery will last longer if light trimming, but if having to work harder at cutting then that will use more energy. What I can say is that I have only managed to completely run out the battery once whilst working with it.
I was lucky enough to be invited to go along to a Ryobi workshop day, where they demonstrated a variety of their garden range. I ogled the hedgetrimmer on a stick, or as they call it, a Pole Hedge Trimmer.
They also have cordless loppers and a Pole Pruner that also very much caught my eye.
It was a really interesting day, they talked to us a lot about batteries and whilst this might seem on the face of it not the most interesting of subjects, they are rightly proud of their battery technology. I shall probably not reflect what we were told accurately, but the tools use lithium battery packs that are batteries made to the best specification for Ryobi tools. They then have a 'battery management system' that ensures that all the batteries are managed individually. This gives 100% of cell power all of the time. This means they discharge and recharge effectively and do not create excess heat. If a battery heats up it is losing energy through the heat. The Ryobi batteries are 25% cooler so are 25% more efficient.
Ryobi make a much bigger range than just garden equipment and I have to admit I am currently eyeing up a cordless drill from their range I am considering buying. I have the battery and charger already so I only need to buy the body, so my costs are reduced already. Win win.
Ryobi tools can be purchased at a variety of major retailers and online stores.