PRODUCT REVIEWS: BATTERY POWERED TOOLS (JULY 24)

Battery run power tools are increasing in the garden market and these days are really excellent machines and worth looking at as an alternative to petrol driven power tools

BEST BUY

COBRA CORDLESS TRIMMER GT3024V

This Cobra cordless trimmer is powered with a single 24V 2.5Ah Li-ion battery. The trimmer has a cutting width of 30cm and a 90 degree tilting cutter head which allows for you to trim along the edge of lawns. An integral wheel makes this task even easier. The length of the shaft can easily be altered and it has an Eco setting of 7000rpm but you can turbo boost it to 8400rpm.

The battery is charged in about two hours and the run time of the trimmer is approximately 30 minutes.

COBRA
www.cobragarden.co.uk
TEL: 0115 964 5915
PRODUCT CODE: GT3024V
PRICE: £89.99 (Includes battery and charger)

KG VERDICT
This is a great trimmer. I also use a large heavy petrol strimmer but to be honest I would prefer to use this tool for most of the trimming needs around the plot and leave the heavy, noisy and smelly petrol trimmer in the shed.  This Cobra trimmer really packs a punch and cuts through vegetation really well, even thicker dock stems and nettles. It is so light to handle and the adjustable head and shaft is really useful. If you have a lot of very thick tall grass with brambles and tough material then you might need something more powerful like a brushcutter but for edging lawns, cutting some areas of longer soft weeds, or patches of longer grass that the mower can’t cope with then this is a brilliant tool.

RYOBI 18V ONE+ SECATEURS

Battery powered secateurs are fairly new tools on the market and this one from Ryobi uses a 2.0Ah battery which gives up to 2000 cuts on a single charge. It will cut through softwood branches up to 25mm and 20mm for hardwood and with a 2.5 second cycle time for fast pruning. To turn the tool on or off you hold the trigger for four seconds and then you position the blades around a stem and push the trigger again and the blades will shut. The weight of the tool is 1.25kg including battery.

The battery is charged in about 80 minutes, and we did use the tool for about an hour roughly and it still had good power but we did not count number of cuts.

RYOBI
www. uk.ryobitools.eu
PRODUCT CODE: RY18SCA-0
PRICE: £129.99 (Includes battery and charger)

KG VERDICT
The cut on these is incredible it slices through stems sharply and cleanly so easily with no effort at all. If you struggle using secateurs then these are for you. These are perfect if you have problems with mobility in your hands such as arthritis or if you have a lot of secateur work to do and find it tiring. Although they weigh more than secateurs the tool is so well balanced you really don’t notice this. Using this tool is slightly slower maybe than using ordinary secateurs. If cutting a mass of small stems there is a slight delay in the pressing the trigger and blades shutting so it might take fractionally longer. If you were pruning an apple tree and deciding which branch to cut this wouldn’t be a noticeable issue at all. You can also buy replacement blades for these
secateurs.

BOSCH EASYCHAIN 18V-15-7

The Bosch Easychain is a cordless pruning saw that will cut through thicker branches (up to 50mm) with ease. The 2.5Ah battery gives a powerful high speed pruning performance and can cut up to 13cm in diameter. It is a compact size with a 15cm chain bar length and is well balanced so easy to hold. The battery will allow up to about 160 cuts on one charge. This tool is part of the Bosch Power for All 18V range of tools so the battery is interchangebale in other tools in the range making it a useful addition to your garden tool set.

The chain is easily adjustable using a wheel at the top of the tool and a locking handle on the side and it comes with some starter oil to keep the tool in good working order. A guard above the chain is an added safety measure.

The weight including battery is 1.7kg.

BOSCH
www.bosch.co.uk
TEL: 0344 892 0115
PRODUCT CODE: Easychain 18V-15-7
PRICE: £140 (Including battery and charger)

KG VERDICT
This is a powerful little saw and cuts through thicker branches that you wouldn’t possibly attempt with loppers or secateurs. If you have lots of pruning jobs in the garden especially fruit tree pruning this is a must-have tool. There have been many times over the years when I have come across a branch that is just too thick for loppers and the only alternative would have been a pruning saw which is hard work to use especially if you don’t have strong hands and arms. This little tool just slices through these thicker branches like a knife through butter.  It is a great bit of kit to add to your garden tool range.

GREENWORKS 48V 41cm CORDLESS LAWNMOWER

This 48V push lawnmower has a 41cm cutting width and a robust plastic 41cm deck. There is a button on the side of the mower that you depress and lift or lower the whole deck to give a cutting height of 25-70mm. The mower comes with a large 55L collection bag and also a mulching plug so you can take the collection bag off, insert the plug and allow the clippings to be left on the lawn which can have some benefits of feeding and mulching the lawn.

GREENWORKS
www. greenworkstools.co.uk
TEL: Order online
PRODUCT CODE: GD24X2LM41
PRICE: £289.99 (Includes 2 x 2Ah batteries and twin charger) There is an option to buy 2 x 4Ah batteries instead giving a longer running time)

KG VERDICT
My version of this mower has two 2Ah batteries which means this lawnmower will run for about 30 minutes so it just about does what I want to cut. I have grass areas I keep low and I cut pathways through an area of longer grass so it is difficult to calculate the exact size but a medium to large sized lawn (tennis court size roughly). If you have a very large lawn then you may want the version with 4Ah batteries. You could always buy extra batteries which is an option if you wanted a longer running time. The batteries do charge up quickly so that is useful.

My lawn area is also bumpy as I have a lot of moles but this mower copes really well. I put it on the highest setting as the grass if often quite long when I cut it.

STIGA ESSENTIAL 20V BATTERY HEDGE TRIMMER

This is a powerful and precise cordless hedge trimmer that has a powerful epower 20V 2Ah battery. It was developed by Stiga and provides 40 minutes of non-stop cutting on a single charge. The hardened steel blade (70cm) with 18mm spaced teeth cuts through brushes and branches with ease and with no cord to worry about it makes this a brilliant tool to tackle hedges nowhere near a power source so no need for a heavy, petrol hedge trimmer. It has a soft grip 180 degree rotating handle and a rear trigger and double switch operation making it safer. It also has a five year warranty.

STIGA
www.stiga.com/uk
TEL: Order online
PRODUCT CODE: HT 100e
PRICE: £119 (Includes battery and charger)

KG VERDICT
This is an efficient and powerful hedgetrimmer which will cope with most garden hedge situations. The blades are sharp and cut cleanly and precisely. I like the tip protection which I found useful when I was cutting the lower areas of a hedge and the tip touched the ground but it protected the blades. This hedgetrimmer is reasonably light too which is a definite bonus and so much better than heavy petrol trimmers and those with cords attached.