Hedge trimmers are large gardening tools that generally come with thick handles and long blades. As its name suggests, they’re used to trim hedges, along with bushes, shrubs, and other similar plants. Back in the day, most hedge trimmers were manual or gas-powered, but now there are more modern variants, such as electric or battery-powered.
Acting like a thinner chainsaw that you use to sculpt or hack away at the plants in your garden, hedge trimmers are a great way to keep your hedges and bushes in line when you want something with a little more power and speed than a pair of garden shears. They come in varying budgets and features, so there’s bound to be something that suits your tastes and needs.
There are tons of hedge trimmers on the market – both good and bad – and finding the right one for you can be a frustrating experience. We’ve put together this list to make the selection process easier for you and to give you a bit of insight into what to look for when shopping for hedge trimmers in Australia.
How We Researched The Hedge Trimmers
To build this list, we took long looks at some of the leading hedge trimmers on the most popular e-commerce sites like eBay and Amazon, taking into consideration the different features and highlights of the products, as well as the user reviews that customers left behind after buying them.
We didn’t limit our picks to just those sites, however, as we made sure to check in on local gardening websites to see which hedge trimmers were recommended and selling well. Of course, that ended up leaving us with way too many items for our list, so we talked it amongst ourselves and continued to whittle down the entries until we were left with the top 7.
It doesn’t matter which of the entries you choose, all of the hedge trimmers you’ll see here are a cut above most of the competition and they won’t disappoint in terms of quality and effectiveness. Without further ado, here are the best hedge trimmers to pick up if you live in Australia.
The Best Hedge Trimmers Available to Buy Today in Australia
1. Bosch Cordless Hedge Trimmer
Why we like it:
- Powerful cutting ability
- Lightweight
- Battery works with other Bosch products
What customers say:
“Overall, a very good buy and I am really pleased with this trimmer. I already have two 4.0 amp hr batteries from my Bosch lawn mower, so use these rather than the suggested 2.0 amp hour ones. I run out of charge long before the batteries do! So I think the 2.0s would be absolutely fine. The slower stroke rate of the trimmer takes a few minutes to get used to, but it works!” – John
Bosch has become a household name for gardening tools throughout the years, offering up quality lawn mowers, whipper snippers, hedge trimmers, and more. Their Bosch Cordless Hedge Trimmer is a fantastic tool that features a powerful motor and an effective anti-blocking system that prevents the trimmer from getting jammed by tougher hedges. It does this by reversing the blade when a jam is detected, freeing it up for further trimming.
It’s a lightweight machine that only weighs 3.6kg, so carrying it around your yard shouldn’t be any trouble even for people with smaller frames. It’s battery-powered to boot, meaning you won’t have to deal with pesky wires and being tethered to an outlet while you’re tending to your plants. Plus, the battery was designed to work with other Bosch tools, so you get yourself a nice ecosystem going if you pick up other products from the brand and it’s quiet enough that your neighbours will hardly notice it.
Battery-powered hedge trimmers are usually weaker than their gas or electric counterparts, so you can’t expect your Bosch Cordless Hedge Trimmer to cut down thicker plants. But if you’re after an overall top-tier battery hedge trimmer that synergizes well with other Bosch products, then this one can’t be beat.
2. beyond by BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Hedge Trimmer Kit
“I am very impressed with this product. Excellent power to weight ratio. The two power levels are an excellent feature and the turbo mode helps you cut through tick grass (and weeds) with ease. I have a reasonably large garden and use it mostly for trimming edges and get the job done quickly with a single battery charge. Very happy and recommend it.” – Carl Black+Decker is another well-known name in the gardening tools industry, popular for crafting premium products with high durability. Their is a battery-powered machine that’s delightfully quiet but doesn’t skimp on power at all. It boasts an excellent Power Drive feature that kicks the motor into overdrive to get the job done twice as fast. This is particularly useful since battery-based hedge trimmers are known for not being as powerful as gas or electric ones, so this feature sort of makes up for that by being extra quick instead. It’s easy to use and incurs minimal vibration. That and the fact that it’s relatively lightweight makes the easy to handle for long periods of time. If a quick trim is what you’re looking for, then this machine might be the perfect match for you. “This trimmer is great, a real workhorse. Lightweight and very easy to handle, yet cuts through brush up to 1/2″ diameter easily. I’ve used it multiple times almost non-stop for 2 hrs with the 4 Ah battery, and it still had a charge left every time. I’ve included before and after photos of extensive clearing of stubborn thorny weeds/brush — it made quick work of it.” – Rider 
Why we like it:
What customers say:
3. Greenworks 24-Inch 40V Cordless Hedge Trimmer
Why we like it:
What customers say:
The Greenworks 24-Inch 40V Cordless Hedge Trimmer certainly has a catchy appearance, with its lime-green handle and motor with black highlights and its orange blade. Speaking of blades, this hedge trimmer’s one is particularly long, making it easier to trim shrubs from further away or to get to those taller, harder-to-reach plants.
It comes with a battery that will last around 50 mins on average, which is relatively impressive when compared to some of its rivals, and it has an anti-jamming feature that prevents trimmings from getting all tangled up in the machine. Ease of use is another of this device’s highlight characteristics, given how comfortable its grip is and how simple it is to start and handle.
The Greenworks 24-Inch 40V Cordless Hedge Trimmer is an excellent pick if you’re looking for a straightforward hedge trimmer that’s easy to handle and does its job effectively. It’s also a bit cheaper than some of the others on this list, which is always a plus.
4. EGO Power+ HT2400 24-Inch 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Hedge Trimmer
Why we like it:
- Excellent cutting power and speed
- Long battery life
- Great safety features
What customers say:
“All I can say after using this twice is wow, it is really amazing. Have used it for an hour at a time and my body wore out before the battery. It cuts really well and has low noise. Did not even use my ear muffs. I got rid of a large amount of blackberry bushes that were over 10 feet tall. Used to take me several days with my wheeled string trimmer. This took me 2 hours.” – Michael Williams
There’s a lot to love about EGO Power+ HT2400 24-Inch 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Hedge Trimmer. Its powerful motor can cut nice and clean down to three-quarters of an inch and it works impressively quickly so you can have your hedges trimmed in no time.
The 56V battery has enough juice in the tank to power the machine for a good hour, which should be more than enough time to get through a decent-sized yard. You should be lugging around a 6-pound hedge trimmer for more than an hour anyway. It also has some fantastic safety options, including a finger guard to keep your digits safe and an electric braking system that immediately stops the blades the moment you release the trigger.
The EGO Power+ HT2400 24-Inch 56-Volt Lithium-ion Cordless Hedge Trimmer may be a bit pricier than some of the other entries on this list and the safety switch may take some time to get accustomed to, but this remains a fabulous machine for people looking for extra safety and lengthy battery life without skimping on power.
5. Toro 51490 Corded 22-Inch Hedge Trimmer
Why we like it:
- Easy to manoeuvre
- Packs a punch for its size
- Cuts quick and clean
What customers say:
“Fantastic trimmer at a great price. No complaints at all. Makes yard clean up and maintenance a breeze and it cut through ever bush and shrub in my yard easily without hesitation. Hopefully it lasts and holds up over the long term.” – Mike
Unlike the previous entries on this list, the Toro 51490 Corded 22-Inch Hedge Trimmer is a corded hedge trimmer that requires an outlet to run. That may sound like a disadvantage, but that actually means that you get more power out of the machine and you’ll never have to stop to charge it.
This hedge trimmer is a relatively small machine, making it most suited for more modest yards, though its compact size makes it easier to carry around and use the tool. Despite its stature, it actually boasts as much power as a lot of bigger corded hedge trimmers, and it can effortlessly cut through plants of up to medium-thickness.
The cord lock feature is kind of finicky and having to keep your finger on a button to keep the machine operating is a bit of a hassle, but the Toro 51490 Corded 22-Inch Hedge Trimmer is still easily one of the best corded hedge trimmers on the market.
6. CRAFTSMAN Hedge Trimmer with POWERSAW
Why we like it:
- Lightweight build
- Comfortable handles
- Powerful motor
What customers say:
“ I have a large yard with a lot of bushes and small trees and I’ve been able to use this trimmer to cut everything from vines, and twigs to smaller tree branches with this trimmer. You just plug it in, press down the on button and squeeze the handle to start the blades. If you need a break, you just relax your fist and blades will stop.” – Heather D
The CRAFTSMAN Hedge Trimmer with POWERSAW is another corded hedge trimmer whose highlight feature is is its lightweight design and delightfully comfortable grips and balance. It’s built in a way that even people who are small in stature would have no trouble lugging it around and using it for long periods.
It’s not lacking in the power department either, as it’s able to make clean cuts to even thicker shrubs without any trouble and its blades stay sharp for a very long time. Furthermore, it’s relatively quiet considering its power and you won’t have to worry about constant noise while you’re cleaving through the plants in your garden.
The trigger guard could have been built a little better and the power saw at the end of the blade is more of a gimmick than anything else, but that doesn’t stop the CRAFTSMAN Hedge Trimmer with POWERSAW from being a great corded hedge trimmer that excels in comfort.
7. LiTHELi 20V Cordless 20-Inch Battery Powered Hedge Trimmer
Why we like it:
- Attractive design
- Light and easy to handle
- Top-notch build quality
What customers say:
“Trimmed bushes and small trees up to a half inch. Only tested for about 10 minutes before the mosquitoes got too bad. Cut quick. Extremely sharp. Works fast. I am pleased with Litheli and like the warranty. It is light, easy to handle, and did I mention, comes sharp. Well balanced with the battery.” – Dennis
The LiTHELi 20V Cordless 20-Inch Battery Powered Hedge Trimmer sports a striking design with a catchy colourway that’s perfect for people who put a high premium on aesthetics. It features a sturdy build that’s sure to last and it only weighs a little over 5 pounds so carrying it around is effortless.
It has a dual safety lock feature for added security, where you’d need to push in both locks and press the trigger to get it running. You’ll get 40 minutes of trimming time on a full charge which is pretty decent and it has a multi-position grip for added comfort and functionality.
The safety lock is actually kind of annoying to disengage and the machine would have benefitted from some extra power. Nonetheless, the LiTHELi 20V Cordless 20-Inch Battery Powered Hedge Trimmer is a solid choice for a cordless hedge trimmer, especially if you care a lot about looks and comfort.
Hedge Trimmer: Buying Guide
There are so many factors to consider when buying a hedge trimmer, like the way it’s powered, the thickness and number of your plants, safety features, and more. But once you find the right one for you, you’ll make quick work of an otherwise extremely tedious chore and you can have a comfortable time while doing it.
To help you make an informed choice that you’ll appreciate for years to come, we’ve put together a quick buying guide filled with some vital information you ought to know when shopping around for hedge trimmers. Keeping these things in mind when you’re browsing the web or shopping at your local store:
Type Of Hedge Trimmer
Hedge trimmers primarily come in three different types – gas, electric, and battery-operated. Each of them come with their individual strengths and weaknesses.
- Gas: Gas-powered hedge trimmers are often the most powerful of the bunch, offering heavy-duty builds meant for thicker hedges and shrubs. The downside is that they tend to be quite noisy and give off a fairly strong smell of petrol when in use.
- Electric: Corded trimmers don’t have the same level of power as their gas counterparts, but they’re still plenty powerful for yards that have plants with a medium thickness. They also require less maintenance and aren’t as noisy. Problem is, they need to be constantly plugged in, so your range of motion is significantly limited.
- Battery: Battery-powered hedge trimmers give you the most freedom on account of their cordless nature and lightweight builds. They’re great for smaller plants that aren’t too thick. However, they’re usually the weakest kind of trimmers and need to be charged after pretty much every use.
Power
Depending on how thick your shrubs and hedges are, you may need to purchase a more powerful hedge trimmer. It’s important to check the voltage or horsepower of the machine beforehand, so you have a better idea as to whether or not it’ll be capable of handling the plants in your yard. Get a trimmer with too low a power rating, and it may get jammed frequently or even break down far before its time.
Weight
Weight should play a huge role in your decision. After all, you’ll be carrying around that hedge trimmer between 30 minutes to an hour at a time, so you’ll want to invest in one that suits your build. Newbies will probably want to stick with one that’s a bit on the lighter side so it’s easier to manoeuvre.
Safety Features
Hedge trimmers are powerful tools and they can be very dangerous in the hands of people who shouldn’t be using them, such as kids and the elderly. That’s what makes safety features so important. A lot of trimmer models have catchy and cool-looking designs, so you’ll want one that’s extra safe if you have children at home.
Noise
Some hedge trimmer models can be quite noisy, so it’s worth checking reviews beforehand before making a purchase. Some areas might have laws against too much noise or perhaps you just want to be considerate of your neighbours or other residents of the household. Either way, you’ll want to keep the noise levels of a trimmer in mind.
Maintenance
If you want your hedge trimmer to last long, you’ll need to follow the recommended maintenance procedures. The thing is, those maintenance procedures differ depending on the power type of the trimmer. Gas ones generally need more maintenance than others, while electric and battery-powered ones usually require a lot less upkeep.
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