Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
Replies
Depends on your business model , useage and budget . I went to look at Stihl but a dealer told me Stiga would meet my needs , maybe so but Stihl is imprinted on my brain but Domestic Stihl does for me because i am a low user these days .
I have other domestic brands which do a superb job within their limits but domestic stihl i find is superior in some areas but not all as one other brand runs rings around it in terms of battery investment and versatility and leaves the same finish plus its Four years old and cost £99.00 complete with battery and charger .
If i was looking to buy the pro stuff i personally would be looking at which brand offers a model with the longest reach because its inevitable a pro user will at some stage will require a very long reach , price and battery investment wouldn't matter to me i would want the right tool for the job .
No good investing in a brand which is not innovative enough to offer model choices just yet so it would be the point to narrow it down for me as to specific brands but your priorities may be different .
Does he tell you ego are better because he doesn't do the Stihl stuff? For the sake of a few quid, I'd go for the Stihl... they're more expensive for a reason and it's not just the name.
went to saltex last week and saw stihl and husky were not showing this year so gave chance to see other makes.
ego & milwaukee & makita were main brands being shown. thought ego were a bit naff - feel, finish and heavier than I feel they should have been.
milwaukee looked like cheap plastic red copies, leaving just makita on a small stand showing any quality gear.
trouble is support & spares don't seem good for them ?
Ego have an innovative battery design but when attached to a hedge trimmer even their smallest pack is a bit bulky. I have one of their strimmers several years old now and their better blowers are ace, but was underwhelmed by the performance of their hedge trimmers compared to the Stihl battery range, there are youtube videos worth looking at by people testing them independently, well worth a look
I chose brand based on all the tools I might buy in future in order to have as few different brands of battery as possible as the cost of batteries is a significant portion
I know I've said it before but I'm a big fan of the makita kit. I've got a couple of their 18v hedge cutters. I only do regular hedge cuts, not really big reductions, I'm not sure they would cope with that. Although makita do now have a 40v range. It's well worth considering.
I've got a double sided and single sided machine. Done two seasons now and going strong. I also use aftermarket batteries to keep the cost down and had no problems with them.
I've just recently had a demo on a few bits of kit - if you get in touch with makita you can arrange for a rep to come out to you with the kit you are interested in.
Thanks, I'd not really considered Makita, something else to think about.
Ive had the Husq 520iHD60 Trimmer and the 520iHT4 Pole Trimmer for over a year now. I use the standard trimmer a couple of times a week minimum and the blades have stayed sharp and no problems at all. The pole trimmer is a godsend and tough enough to take on 2-3 year overgrowth on conifer hedges. Battery life is brilliant. I've got the Bli200 and 300 series batteries and the 200 has lasted all day.
Hope this helps
Thanks, I quite like husky stuff and I have a local husky dealer, i have their petrol long handle hedge cutter and chainsaw, just never heard any reviews as a lot of people seem to have gone Stihl. The husky gear seems to be a bit more expensive than Stihl.
I personally have Stihl battery gear but I did speak to the gardeners at hardwood house who were trimming the yew and they have the husky battery gear that they let me have a play with, they did feel nice to use but I thought they were a bit heavier than the Stihl ones I have, but they loved them and said they had no issues with them.