The Craftsman brand has been a mainstay in the tool and workshop marketplace for nearly 100 years since being established as an in-house brand for Sears. Though now owned by Black and Decker, it still holds a major place and produces a wide variety of quality and well-liked tools, including tools you may not have even realized exist. However, a brand as well-established as Craftsman doesn’t necessarily do everything well, and with so many other tool brands on the market now, there are certain tools where it’s fallen behind. One of those is with its hedge trimmers.
Among all the battery-powered hedge trimmers tested by Consumer Reports, only one Craftsman model was tested, the Craftsman V20 1.5 Ah 20-inch cordless hedge trimmer, and it ranked as the second-worst model of them all. Its runtime and charge time scores were fairly poor, and its noise and safety ratings were average. That last rating should raise an eyebrow. It was the only battery-powered hedge trimmer to receive a safety rating that low, and you probably want a large saw to be as safe to use as possible.
Beyond CR, you rarely ever see a Craftsman hedge trimmer ranked among the best on the market from various tool-centric publications, be it Pro Tool Reviews, The Spruce, or Bob Vila. Popular Mechanics recommends the Craftsman V20 18-inch electric pole hedge trimmer, but that’s it. So many other hedge trimmer brands receive much higher ratings and better reviews than Craftsman. Here, we’re going to look at five of those brands that get more widespread love from the tool community, giving you other options if you’re in need of a new hedge trimmer.
Craftsman has entirely shifted its hedge trimmer line to electric tools, either battery-powered or corded tools to plug into an outlet. Some people looking for a hedge trimmer want the option to choose between electric trimmers or those powered by gasoline. If that’s the case, Echo is a brand that has highly-rated options on both sides of the power
For those wanting a gas hedge trimmer, Bob Vila rates the Echo HC-2020 as the best option on the market. The publication gave it perfect 5 out of 5 ratings for its performance and durability, along with 4.5 and 4.7 ratings for its ease of use and value, respectively. It features a 21.2cc engine and a 20-inch reciprocating blade. Though it’s a gas model, it weighs just 10 pounds, making it a bit less of a burden to hold up for extended periods of time. At $399.99, it’s also the least-expensive gas-powered hedge trimmer Echo offers.
On the battery-powered side of things, Pro Tool Reviews couldn’t recommend the Echo 56V DHC-2800 highly enough, naming it the best hedge trimmer for professionals. This is part of Echo’s X-Series, which is a line of both electric and gas-powered landscaping tools designed with the best quality in mind for top performance. Even with its 28-inch blade, the DHC-2800 still only weighs 9.1 pounds, including the weight of the battery, and for pros, having something that light can make quite the difference on big jobs. It also comes with MaxOut technology, where it’s designed to provide maximum performance at all times. It is pricey, though. The Echo hedge trimmer itself costs $499.99, but add in a 2.5 Ah battery and charger, and you’re looking at $589.99.
Ego is one of the more recent additions to the electric tool marketplace, launched in the United States in 2012 as a brand owned by Chinese conglomerate Chervon. In just 14 years, it’s established itself as one of the go-tos for battery-powered landscaping and outdoor power equipment thanks to its Power Plus battery system, which allows you to use the same 56V battery on virtually every tool Ego produces.
Ego only makes four non-commercial-grade hedge trimmers, ranging from 24 to 26-inch blades, but within that small sample, there’s a lot of love to be found for them. It’s the Ego Power Plus 26-inch hedge trimmer that receives the most praise. The Spruce calls this the most powerful hedge trimmer, and Popular Mechanics has it as the best for dealing with thick branches and large hedges, thanks to its 3,400 SPM cutting ability. Pro Tool Reviews goes even further, calling the 26-inch trimmer to be the best overall for regular homeowners, appreciating the balance of power and weight with its carbon fiber rail that has a lifetime warranty. If that’s not enthusiastic enough, Bob Vila names this the best hedge trimmer on the market period.
Also, the Ego Power Plus 24-inch model tied for the best overall rating among battery-powered trimmers by Consumer Reports, acing its expert tests for trimming, runtime, charge time, and safety. According to Ego, this was the very first cordless hedge trimmer with a one-inch cut capacity. Being the first doesn’t mean you’re automatically one of the best, but based on those CR ratings and an overall 4.8 out of 5-star average from Lowe’s customers, it makes a strong case to be called that.
Greenworks
Most tool companies keep their hedge trimmers confined to one or two battery systems. That’s not the case with Greenworks, which opens things up dramatically. Whether you want a hedge trimmer that uses a 24 V, 40 V, 60 V, 80 V, and even an 82 V battery, the company has at least one trimmer available for that voltage. This way you have a wide variety of weights and applications to choose from to best fit your specific trimming needs.
The real standout of the offerings is the Greenworks Pro 60V 26-inch hedge trimmer. With its long blade, a cut capacity of 3,200 SPM, and a runtime of about 45 minutes on a single charge, you can expect a good deal of power and performance from this. Popular Mechanics commends it as a great value selection for those with tall and dense hedges. The trimmer retails for $229, and that includes a 2.0 Ah battery and charger, which would be a good value pick even if the performance was merely good. Consumer Reports is even more effusive, as this model ties as the best overall battery-powered hedge trimmer on the market. It gets top marks for trimming, safety, runtime, and charge time.
For more professional use, Pro Tool Reviews recommends the Greenworks Commercial 82V Optimus Hedge Trimmer. This is a no-joke trimmer that can handle 5,000 SPM and power equivalent to a 27cc engine. PTR does mention it can be on the heavier side, but if you’re using it for commercial landscaping, it’s got enough power and runtime to handle whatever you throw at it.
Ryobi
Ryobi has become an increasingly popular tool brand for both DIY homeowner tools and bigger outdoor power equipment alike. The company has 18V ONE+ and 40V battery systems that both encompass a tremendous amount of products that make it appealing to transform your entire tool supply into Ryobis. That can also include hedge trimmers, and Ryobi has well-liked models to accommodate whichever battery system you prefer.
On the heavier duty side, there are the Ryobi 40V hedge trimmers. You can either get a 24-inch or a 26-inch blade model, and you’re getting recommendations for both from different sources. The Spruce is a big fan of the 24-inch model, calling it the hedge trimmer with the best features. The one it highlights most is HedgeSweep, which allows you to easily remove the cut material away from your hedge just by moving your blade. That way, you never have to actually stop cutting to clean up. Consumer Reports has the 26-inch model tied for second place among battery-powered hedge trimmers, with its only significant demerit being its runtime. That being said, Ryobi has updated this with a newer 40V HP version, and it gets over 45 minutes on a single charge, whereas the older model only got up to 35 minutes.
If you already have a robust Ryobi 18V ONE+ tool collection, then the best option for you is the Ryobi 18V ONE+ HP 24-inch hedge trimmer. It spotlights its light weight of just 6.6 pounds and quiet operation. PM does state it could have trouble with larger jobs, but that’s why some Ryobi 40V tools are better to use in certain circumstances than 18V ONE+ models
Stihl
The Stihl brand may be more synonymous with chainsaws, as its founder invented the first chainsaw with an electric motor back in the 1920s, but it also has a great number of hedge trimmers it produces as well, including both battery-powered and gas-powered models. It’s the company’s battery-powered trimmers though that get the high ratings, which is a good comparison point considering the all-electric line from Craftsman.
For the professionals or serious home landscapers out there, Pro Tool Reviews highly recommends the Stihl HSA 140 T hedge trimmer. This uses a 36V battery and features a 24-inch blade. It has a stroke rate that ranges between 3,900 to 5,000 SPM, depending on what you need for cutting, yet there’s a surprisingly low amount of vibration. The trimmer comes in a kit with an AP 300 S battery and AL 301 charger, and with a full charge, you can expect to get a whopping 150 to 235 minutes of use on a single charge. PTR does say that it can be heavy to hold, and you’ll be paying a good bit of money for it, as that kit costs $1,089.99.
Typically, hedge trimmers conjure images of hefty tools with long blades, but there are also small models for more detailed work that you only need one hand to use. For the best mini hedge trimmer, Bob Vila recommends the Stihl HSA 26. This comes with a changeable cutting attachments for both trimming and shaping. For a $189.99, you’ll also get an 11V AS 2 battery and AL 1 charger, which has a runtime up to 110 minutes. It’s a speciality hedge trimmer, but Stihl delivers for that niche.
