Stihl HLA 56 Cordless Hedge Trimmer - 135° Swivelling, Battery Operated, White

There were cheaper hedge trimmers available but this product is robust and does the job perfectly. Our garden looks significantly better

Easy to use, lighter than most 2 strokes.

Family very happy using this, but I find it a little heavy.

I have quite a lot of hedging to cut and have just finished the hedgecutting for the year, so here are some observations.The main problem is, of course, the weight. Unless you are strong and healthy, you are going to find this hedgecutter heavy. It's not just the overall weight, it's also because the motor is heavy and it's at the other end of the pole at the base of the cutting blades. To start with I could only cut the hedge for about 30 minutes, but this increased to over an hour with daily use.On the plus side, the battery lasts forever - my arms give up long before the battery runs out. I already had a battery for the excellent Stihl leaf blower and, in retrospect, I didn't need to go to the expense of buying another so I could swap when it runs out.

I’ve used this for more than two years on big laurel and Lillandia hedge. You need good shoulders. One battery is more than enough to do multiple hedges and still have 80% left. If you buy two batteries you have two to look after. The batteries are still amazing after two years. Blade cleaning of sap matters when you put them away for the season.

UPDATE - over a year and still no refund. Seller ignoring all messages. £280 lost.Many people told me how great Stihl equipment is and lots of professionals use it so you can imagine my utter disappointment when I followed all the instructions and nothing happened.Their quality control must be poor and not upto the "strong" name their products should be up to.I will buy a much cheaper Husqvarna! The chainsaw I have has been going for decades.AND to make matters even worse - the buyer has to pay for the return of broken, kit. Utter rip off.The Seller has continually evaded reimbursing me for the ken product and the return postage.BEWARE dealing with this seller as dubious in the extreme.

Sturdy piece of kit but that means it’s heavy on the arms which is a major draw back. I have equipment for the ak10 battery which is compatible which brings the weight down but affects the run time. So if you need a cardio workout it’s perfect..