Is there a substantial difference between Aldi/Lidl hedge trimmers and those made by Bosch and, next up in price-quality I suppose, Viking/ Stihl ?
I have had a Lidl for three years and each year end up doing the job with hand shears. It seems powerful enough, the blades are self-sharpening(?), it is not too heavy but it just seems to push the leaves and twigs away instead of cutting them.
Before I invest in a better one I would like to know that it really is better at cutting. (I am less concerned about other qualities, like long-lasting.)
I've had a Bosch trimmer for a number of years, and that is quiet and cuts fine without any fuss. Prior to that I had a B&D machine - which cut ok until the sliding bits in its gearbox broke up and became deranged - but it was always pretty noisy, even when new.
That's because it's a hedge trimmer (of sorts) and not a hedge cutter. I have an assortment of hedges of different species and have had a B&D hedge trimmer for I suppose 10 years or more. It has done the intended job but suffers from the same problems that you describe. It was taking me well over an hour to trim one particular section.
I recently bought a Tanaka petrol hedge cutter. It does a proper job and cuts rather than mangles this particular hedge. Last time it took me around 15-20 mins to cut neatly the same expanse of hedge.
Therefore it will have paid for itself in a very few months. I am not expecting to need to buy anything else for many years.
I bought one of the Aldi ones a couple of years ago, and it's done all that I have asked of it with no problems - but I only have a small leylandi hedge (kept to 4' high) but as tough as old boots to close-crop on the top of it.
We have 100m + of mixed hedging (lonicera nitida, escallonia, berberis, pyracantha, hawthorn, conifers and around 20 large mature shrubs that are best kept under control by annual trimming. I started with a B&D when we moved to the property and fairly quickly realised that it was not up to the job.
A gardener who looks after some local properties explained that the B&Ds and Flymos were not really much use for anything more than could be just as easily cut with decent hand shears and recommended petrol kit from either Stihl or Husqvarna or if I insisted on electric power, Viking.
I bought a Viking 600 conventional trimmer and it made a vast difference to the time taken and the effort involved, then 2 years ago I got a Viking HEL700 long reach trimmer which is a bit heavy to use until you get used to using the harness strap, but again noticeably much faster than the conventional trimmer and indispensable for reaching areas that would otherwise need a ladder. While the Vikings will cut much thicker growth than the B&D or ordinary hand shears (the 600 more so than the
700) I still think that it is sensible to first walk the line of the hedges with a good (Bahco in my case) lopper and take out any branches that look as though they are likely to cause a problem.
The HEL700 is now sold as the Stihl HLE71.
Viking/Stihl kit is relatively expensive but I managed to get a better price than was available anywhere online by negotiating face to face with our local Stihl dealer.
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