We all use hedges for different reasons like windbreaks or better look for the landscape. They need to be well maintained to fill their purpose correctly.
But hedges grow with time, and you need to trim them for them to look nice or be in shape for whatever purposes.
That’s where the Hedge Trimmer comes in. The Hedge Trimmer trims the part of the hedges that are not useful. It is an effective and comfortable tool for trimming shrubs or hedges in your lawn.
Hedge Trimmers play an important role in maintaining a useful and good-looking landscape. So you need to know about them to properly use them for your advantage.
In this article, we are going to tell you about Hedge Trimmers in-detail so you can understand how a Hedge trimmer works and what are the different types of it? Then you can see the comparison to determine which one is better for you.
How does a Hedge Trimmer Work?
Hedge Trimmer has a motor that controls the reciprocating blades. The blades move back and forth to cut the bush and hedge when they come in contact with them.
Before better understanding how hedge trimmer works, you need to know about its parts and what role they play in the hedge trimmer’s operation?
The hedge trimmer has a or two blades that move back and forth to cut bushes. A motor that can be powered by gas or electric cord or battery controls the blades.
There is a handle for the grip, and the handle switch is located on the handle. Switch lock is just behind the handle for safety reasons, and you have to push it to get the hedge trimmer started. There is a trigger switch located on the rear handle. You have to push the handle switch and trigger switch simultaneously to get the hedge trimmer started.
You push both buttons and glide the hedge trimmer around the hedges you want to trim, and the Trimmer does its work.
If you wish to buy a Hedge Trimmer, Check out our list of The Best Hedge Trimmer.
Types Of Hedge Trimmer
We can categorize the types of hedge trimmer in Blade types and Power source type. It will be simple and better to understand this way.
Types of blades in Hedge Trimmer
There are two types of blades on the hedge trimmer- Single-action blade and Double-action blade.
- Single-action Blade has a fixed cutting bar and a blade that moves back and forth. This Blade is light-weight and creates more vibration. This Blade is not very popular because of the less efficiency and vibration.
- Double-action Blades have two blades moving back and forth in the opposite direction. The movement of the blades cancels most of the vibrations, so it creates less vibration during trimming. This Blade is very efficient as it uses two blades for cutting. The extra Blade also adds weight to the hedge trimmer.
Also, read our article on how to use a Hedge Trimmer.
Types of Power Source on The Hedge Trimmer
There are three types of power sources you can use on a hedge trimmer.
Gas-powered Hedge Trimmer
The gas-powered Hedge trimmer uses an internal combustion engine. The engine can be two or four-stroke according to your needs. As you know, the two-stroke or two-cycle engine uses a mix of petrol and oil, and the four-stroke engine uses separate compartments for oil and fuel.
This Hedge trimmer creates a lot of power; that’s why it is suitable for trimming hard and rough bushes. It can trim thick hedges more efficiently and faster.
This type of hedge trimmer is heavy and hard to maneuver because of the weight of fuel and engine. This hedge trimmer is also expensive compared to other types of hedge trimmers.
This Trimmer is a heavy-duty hedge trimmer that is mostly used for more extensive lawns.
Electric Hedge Trimmer (Corded)
This Hedge Trimmer uses an electric cord for power. You can use an extension cord to move around the lawn. This Trimmer is less expensive and light-weight, so it is easy to carry it around and navigate in the right direction.
For the people who are just starting to trim their lawn’s hedges and don’t know much about the hedge trimmers, this is a better way to start.
Because it needs to stay connected to the power source, it is hard to move around the lawn properly. The cord can get in the way of trimming, and that will be dangerous. It also does not generate enough power to cut or trim hard hedges or bushes.
It is a light-weight tool for cutting hedges on a smaller lawn.
Battery-Powered Hedge Trimmers (Cordless)
This hedge trimmer is also a type of electric hedge trimmer, but instead of using an extension cord for the power, it uses a rechargeable battery. This hedge Trimmer is also light-weight and easy to control and maintain.
No extension cord connection means more extended reach. You can use it on a more massive lawn for effective cutting because it is easy to move around.
This Hedge Trimmer also has some downsides like it can not trim too thick hedges because it does not create enough power for that. It also needs recharging after every 1-2 hours of use.
The battery also needs replacing from time to time.
Which Hedge Trimmer is Better?
All types of hedge trimmers have different use depending on their capabilities, power, and performance. Gas-powered and electric hedge trimmers are very different and are used in different situations based on the needs of your lawn.
To see which one is better, let’s compare them on some points.
Performance
The gas-powered hedge trimmer creates enough power to cut both soft and hard hedges. It is more efficient and reliable when using it on a larger lawn where thick hedges exist. You can use it for hours until it runs out of fuel.
Electric Hedge Trimmer can cut soft and thin hedges easily and comfortably. It is not so great when cutting the thick bushes and shrubs.
The battery-powered hedge trimmer’s quality of the cut depends on the quality of the battery. If you want to use it to trim hard and thick shrubs, you need a high-quality battery with enough power.
Cost
Hedge trimmer with a gas engine is quite pricy, and the maintenance cost is also more than the electric hedge trimmers. The power that comes with the gas engine needs some extra bucks to work properly.
Both types of electric Hedge Trimmers cost less, and the maintenance cost is also very low.
So if you have a small lawn that doesn’t have any thick shrubs and it doesn’t need extra power to trim, you should stick with the electric type for now.
Durability
The Gas-powered hedge trimmers are made of heavy and strong materials so that the Trimmer can take the power of the engine. It can cut thick shrubs easily without taking any damages or causing damage to the blades. But several parts in the gas-powered Trimmer can turn to be defective over time
This hedge trimmer is more likely to stick for a long time if you give proper care and maintenance.
The materials used in making the electric hedge trimmer and the Battery-powered hedge trimmers are not very strong and heavy. They are light-weight and can take damage from cutting hard shrubs or any obstacles on the way.
If you want them to stick around for a while, then these Hedge trimmers are not an ideal choice for cutting hard hedges.
Mobility
Because the gas-powered engines are very heavy, they are ideal for trimming shrubs in a larger lawn, but you can use them if you want because they don’t need any connection to a power source.
Electric Corded Hedge Trimmer is also not good for mobility because they have a cord connected to it all the time, and it is hard to move around with that. Also, the wire decreases the reach of the Hedge trimmer, and it can get in the way of trimming.
Battery-powered hedge trimmer is light-weight, and it doesn’t need any power connection, which makes it a better choice for mobility. You can use it is more significant areas for effective trimming.
Maintenance
Electric Hedge trimmers are easy and cost-friendly to maintain. You only need to clean it from time to time, which is very easy. Lubricate and clean the blades to take proper care of the hedge trimmer.
In Battery-powered Hedge Trimmers, the battery needs replacing after some time, which is very easy to do, and it is not very pricy. You can clean the parts without any professional knowledge.
Gas-powered Hedge trimmers require more careful and costly maintenance. The fuel compartment, air filter, and the carburetor need cleaning that takes a lot of hard work and time. You may need to buy cleaners to clean the carburetor properly.
Impact on the Environment
The gas-powered hedge trimmers use petrol, which leaves emissions that are not friendly to the environment. It also creates loud noises, which can affect the operator’s hearing ability if you use it for a while.
Both types of electric hedge trimmers are very environment-friendly. They don’t leave any emissions and don’t create noises. So they are beneficial for neighborhoods where loud noises can cause problems.
To Conclude
Hedge Trimmer is one of the essential tools in gardening. You can shape your lawn more beautifully with the help of a hedge trimmer, easily and comfortably.
The hedge trimmer’s effectiveness depends on how and where you use it. So you need to have proper knowledge about your landscape to choose the correct hedge trimmer.
Now that you know how different types of hedge trimmers work, it won’t be that hard to buy the right one.
Let me know if this article helped you better understand the Hedge Trimmer.