We have various hedges that I usually fail to cut very regularly. Mainly because they’re a bit of a pain and I need to balance some ladders precariously to do them! A couple of years ago, I had a gamble on a random brand long reach hedge trimmer, it was about £120, and 20v. It didn’t reach long enough and it didn’t cut anything worth speaking of in our garden and was a bit of a waste of cash.
So, I’ve been on the hunt for a better long reach hedge trimmer for a while. I wanted cordless electric as I’m quite convinced by this as the future for garden power tools. Enter the Stiga MT500e – Cordless garden multi tool. This is a long reach hedge trimmer and polesaw as a package. You can also just buy the hedge trimmer which may suit also, but this package isn’t a lot more money and the saw is handy to have as an additional option.
It has a 48v battery with a 46cm dual action laser-cut hedge trimmer blade and 25cm pruner cutting bar. More than ample for trimming and pruning.
Straightaway I could see this was a much more substantial item than my previous attempt. At its unextended length it was already more sturdy and had a longer reach than my useless version at full extension! I must admit I was a little concerned about the weight, as both accessories had the motor towards the end. But with sensible adjusting of the shoulder strap, much of the weight could be held easily, without straining.
The hedge trimmer (and the pole saw) have a very substantial reach when needed. You certainly wouldn’t want to spend all day at the maximum, but for really tall and tricky locations, it’s great to be able to push it that bit further, especially if it avoids the need to mess around on ladders. We have one laurel hedge in particular that is tricky. It’s set above a raised border, and for various reasons I won’t go into (*cough* tricky neighbours) we don’t access the other side for pruning. I admit that I still balanced precariously on a ladder for the furthest reaches of the top.
Whilst it’s great that it can extend that far, it’s reassuring that most of the time it doesn’t need to, and you can cut most sensible hedges well within its capacity. There’s none of the dramatic revving you might need with a petrol version, you just quietly chop your way along your hedge. No petrol mixing or power cords to get in the way. The head adjusts to various angles to suit your hedge. It just generally feels like a more relaxed way to maintain things.
The polesaw was great for pruning branches on a few trees, but also thicker sections of hedging.
The two attachments are easily connected/disconnected by turning the large yellow screw to secure. The one next to it allows the shaft (snigger) to extend to whatever length you need.
In summary, I’m really pleased to add this long reach hedge trimmer to my gardening tools. I found it really easy to use and will save me putting a leaky petrol can in the car again!
Our video review of the STIGA MT500e – Cordless Garden Multitool.
We were sent the STIGA MT500e – Cordless Garden Multitool for Review. As always, all opinions are my own.
