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I use a Sthil HSA 26 in conjunction with a good pair of shears. Was a bit dubious re the Sthil, but have been very pleased with it. Really good for box, light summer shrub growth and very good for trimming back lavender once flowering has gone over. On a safety issue, a stout glove needs to be worn on 'the other hand!"
Out of interest, please can I ask which attachment you use for box Colin?
The longer one, still needs finishing with sharp shears sometimes.
My one concern was that I might need to go over a lot of it with shears anyway
I keep looking at these... how long does the battery last? I note your comment re gloves... did they bite you?!?
I have tried a couple of these cordless hand held shears on box the bosch wasn't really suitable as it lacked power and another make a supermarkets own brand also ran too slow which put me off but the stihl might be worth a try .
A garden i do is full of established small leaved topiary Buxus , cotoneaster , berberis ,lonicera euonymous and juniper each with a large ball and some curved and flat surface areas so its possible to use a cordless hedge trimmer with a new long blade and leave a nice finish . most gets kept on top of during the growing season , some its fortnightly but the box is always done on or around derby day , long blade cordless hedge trimmer works every time to maintain the shape then i fine tune with shears which is my preffered method on smaller box balls but these are large and would take me all day the customer likes them spot on .and they are the dominant feature straight out of the main french windows and up to now the feedback has being very positive for the last Five years .
Trimmer of choice for me was worx but they seem to have discontinued the model i used I am always on the lookout to refine this job but i am a couple of weeks late with trimming the box due to wet weather and i am prepared to invest in a recommended machine .
I use it for cutting back grasses in winter, which I find it excellent for. I can see an accident happening very easily with them to be honest. A good thick glove is a must
Adam, I have the older model (hsa 25) if you wanted to borrow it and test out.
I have found the battery lasts for ages I think mainly due to the lack of power produced on the blades. Its advertised as 110 minutes run time, only once has it stopped mid job. It’s a useful tool to have in the van though more often I have used the grass attachment for whizzing around small boulders or edges when a trimmer is too much, more than I use the hedge trimmer attachment. The power on my model is fine for cutting growth off quickly but always seem to need to get a better final shape and edges with the power of a decent pair of shears. Someone recommended it for grasses and lavenders etc which I would say was probably what I use it for more than box
Hmm....I think I maybe going to get myself a new toy.....😊
I have never found a powered hedge trimmer that can beat hand shears on curved topiary shapes unless they are large, i.e. a ball over 1.5 m diameter or shapes with similar curves.
I have quite a lot of cloud pruning to do, with random shapes and curves changing within the form. Shears have always given the best finish and done the job at a decent speed. I have quite a quick snip snip snip rate and keep the shears moving across the surface with constant changes of angle which can't be replicated in a machine. The blades must be sharp, clean, set correctly and well oiled. I find this sort of work gives me more job satisfaction than anything else.
sorry this doesn't answer your question, but that is my experience.
good luck with your quest. Peter
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