Here is a tip. Use a handheld or 'short hedger' for anything up to shoulder height. After that, use a platform ladder OR buy a 'long hedger'. For most situations a short trimmer will be enough, lighter and easier to do long hours with. The benefit of long hedgers is they cover more area per pass but are difficult in tight spacers. Ultimately, you will need both, but the short hedger will do 99% of situations with ease. Helps to keep a good pair of loppers and shears, often faster to tidy up with manual tools. Pro Tip: Old bed sheet or Tarp under the hedge to catch the green waste. Hedging is 30% hedging & 70% cleaning up so ground sheets make solo work a lot faster. Weigh down with other tools to avoid the wind. Battery tools are as good as the battery. I am sticking with my Shidaiwai gear until the electric gear is worth the outrageous cost. 95% plastic & ine electric motor does not equal $1000 plus price tags.
Hi, thank you very much for your feedback. Unfortunately I hate using a short hedger, I find them frustrating and a waste of time. I have a short hedger which I cut the blade in half for the tight space stuff but otherwise I do 99% of hedges with a pole hedger, from basketball topiary’s to 5m tall hedges. Totally agree with the shears and tarps, I use shade cloth as it is cheaper and if it gets wet it dries quicker. I love the ego multi tool and all my battery equipment, every time I use fuel machines, I am grateful for switch and never go back to fuel. I do agree that the mowers are not as powerful but everything is equal to better especially with a battery back pack. Thanks again Scotty
Great comment. I use plastic sheets to catch cuttings. Stuff just slides into bags, and no problem with getting wet. Using thicker plastic is better I find.
Thanks for your honest opinion about this telescopic hedger tool. I had the same feeling in the ego shop when holding it. As a gardener less wait is very important to me. The multi tool does a perfect job over the years I own it. Hopefully they will look more into something lightweight for the future..
Thanks for sharing your experience with this machine. My supplier was leaning me towards this machine due to it being commercial. If it wasn't for me to stumble across you channel i would of purchased it. After hearing good review's about the multi tool, i went and purchased the power multi tool kit with the 5.0AH battery. Cheers mate 🤙
Hi, I am so grateful you went the multi tool, I have tried using the telescopic on multiple properties and varying hedges and I would never buy it if I knew how much I would hate it. I have asked other gardeners and friends to try it and no one would buy it if they could. Thanks for the feedback 👍 Scotty
1 Green Thumb Gardening i have always used petrol hedgers, but I wanted to purchase my first battery-powered equipment. I have watched all your reviews on the commercial pole trimmer, and it looks a lot harder to use compared to your multi tool, which is more convenient and easier to use, and you get more attachments. Thanks to your videos, i made the correct decision for my purchase 🤙 Do you run an inverter to charge the batteries in the trailer or just have spare batteries. I would love to use the battery power whipper snipper for my commercials, but im limited on running time.
@@justin9162 I just have lots of Batteries, I buy most of the tools as sets with charger and battery, you can also upgrade from a 5amp kit to a 7.5, (should cost $100, depending on the dealer, I go to trade tools) but that gets heavy without a backpack. I have spare chargers and plug in at the customers, it was going to cost $3500 for a inverter that runs the ego charger due to the amp draw, lithium battery and install, i have 16 batteries, make sure you in-grave a purchase date on battery so if they play up get them fixed before the year warranty expires. Some batteries I have had 4 years and going strong and others 11 months.
Hi, unfortunately they don’t sell the shorter version in Australia. Well not that I have been able to find. I was hoping the telescopic hedger would be better then the multi tool, being able to change it length on the go, but it was so heavy I couldn’t use it on any hedges. Thanks for sharing your experience Scotty
I totally agree it's too heavy, the handle seems to be in a weird place and the blade angles feel awkward. At the same time I feel like this tool was made for very large hedges unlike the ones in the video. With the multi tool I feel like the vibrations are very strong but could be mine is just not working properly.
Hi Thanks for your feedback. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1IOtTy_wREc.html I have tried the telescopic hedger on a variety of big hedges up to 6m tall straight and the telescopic hedger is ridiculously heavy and you are unsafe on ladders and trestle and plank. Makes a great wall ornament. Thanks again Scotty
Thanks for letting me know. You will not be disappointed with the multi tool. I love it. And it has so many uses. The telescopic just sits in the shed.
Thank you this is good stuff, you can’t think of all these factors when standing in the store just looking at them and you tend to think the more expensive one will be better good to know the multi tool is the way to go
Hey, I love the multi tool hedge trimmer. It is the only tool I use for hedging. From small topiary and low ground hedges to 5m tall hedges and everything between. I personally never use a hand held as I hate swapping tools. The other great thing about the multi tool is all the attachments to go with it. Thanks again and have a great day Multi tool vs hand held hedger ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WR3UtYKJZKI.html
Honestly, from what I have seen, in the EGO range, every standard tool is BETTER than the "professional" version. The 650 CFM blower is way better than the commercial backpack one too.
I totally agree, part of the reason I have not purchased many of the other commercial tool, ( I do enjoy the commercial blower so quiet) the backpack blower is just to big as well, I appreciate your feedback Scotty
I recently purchased the HTX 5300, lighter than the multi tool, 28mm instead of 25mm cut width, has 3 speed and a more powerful engine, I reckon you would love it Scott.
Hey mate, I use all Husky electric hedgers and really the extension is only good to hedges taller than is possible with regular pole hedger or hedges that are deeper on top than can be reached with a pole hedger. The reason for a lot of your concerns in the video is the location of the electric motor. Extension tools still use a shaft allowing a smaller more ergonomic head. I have the telescopic for large hedges and a custom cut down pole hedger for everything else (its good up to hedges about head height.
I think this is certainly a case of “right tool for the job”. I have Ego, short reach, multi tool and this multi tool extension shaft. An extension shaft hedge trimmer certainly isn’t designed for every day use on small, low down hedges. Also have no problems cutting tight hedges with the base sticking out. Just tilt the machine slightly. Cutting above your head, use a ladder so you don’t strain your body. Quite simple things really. I cut a really big hedge in a terraced garden last week with mine. It made the job a lot easier as we could reach high bits and bits behind other shrubs without constantly moving the ladder onto lower terraces.
Hi James. Thank you very much for the feedback. Even using the telescopic trimmer on tall hedges I found it heavy. A lot of places I can’t use a ladder. And for the time and hassle it’s not worth the effort. I have added a link to a tall hedge that I do. Thanks again Scotty ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1IOtTy_wREc.html
Hi mate great stuff, I think like others commented, personally i use the HE3 Husqy, which like you is best for small to medium hedges and shrubs - now I’m looking at a telescopic machine it would only ever be for the hedges that are 10ft+ I don’t believe they are designed as much for these smaller level shrubs and hedges. Great to hear your thoughts though, I too wish 1 tool would do it all👍🏼🌱
Hey Sam, thank you very much for for feedback. I don’t know if you have had a chance to watch my other videos. Unfortunately the EGO telescopic is useless on any hedge and once you start going above 6ft the weight of the motor at the end of the tool makes it so heavy you need to be built for Hulk. The Ego multi tool easily does 10- 15ft hedges. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1IOtTy_wREc.html Thanks heaps Scotty
I love mine . after a few weeks of use, using it as a long reach, it's fantastic. We used hand held cutters for close cutting and long reach for...long reach cutting! Lots of positions on the handle and head. Far better than stihl hla86. Built quality far superior to stihl which are going downhill big time. Bit more weight but it's a solid well made bit of kit. Motor is far more quiet and smooth than Stihls. Parts seem reasonable for Ego also. Pleased with run times on 2.5ah, to which I bought three to start. Two machines in one saves cost on a seperate pole pruner/long reach....ready for when the stihl pole runner packs up and can't justify repairing due to extortionate parts prices. Replacement motors for stihl, upwards of £180. Ego power head can get for £200. That's new blade, motor, housing the lot. But also 3 year warranty on tools and 2 on batteries. Spoke to several dealers in UK who say Ego warranty is very good, with three saying they bought in Ego as fed up of Stihl issues and poor attitude with warranties. Very impressed so far. Used stihl cordless since 2017 and nothing but problems and expense. This multitool is spot on in my opinion. The rubber grip twisting is the only downfall so far. Love the rotating head. Battery run times not as good as stihl on paper, but in reality the run time seems really good. I think they are underselling the run time, more realistic than stihl perhaps.
Hey Mate. Just to clarify that you bought the commercial telescopic hedger. Totally agree with you about Stihl, both the petrol and battery tools have gone down hill. So grateful for ego. The stihl battery stuff is as weak as piss.
@@1greenthumbgardeningtwba Hi, yes the ptx5100 and ppx1000. I can see with what you are trying to do with it, it is to bullky and cumbersome. But fo us, just using it for those real wide hedges, the rest done with handheld cutter on steps/platform ladders, we think it is fantastic. Fingers crossed with will last longer than stihl, bur with the pro warranty this is peice of mind. Our 2nd hla86 didn't get to 6months and when stihl themselves repaired it, it just went over 6months before issues came back.
Hey mate. I definitely agree with what you said about Stihl. They only get support from their brand name. There quality has gone down hill. And so has the service. Every person I talk to in the trade knows not to take your equipment back to stihl for repairs or warranty as it’s still shit after. I got to use the HLA 65 on Thursday and found the speed setting strange, and kept wanting to reset to speed 1, then you need both hands to adjust the blade. I use my multi tool hedger for 99.5% of hedges from 30cm topiary to 5m tall hedges never have to swap tools and reduce using a ladder saving hassle and time.
Hi, I know this video has been up for some time but wanted to ask/share opinion. Thanks to your video when making a changeover to battery power garden tools as a homeowner was quite impressed on your use of the multi-tool hedge trimmer. As a result I purchased this trimmer and the back-pack to make it lighter just like you use. I am very please with the performance except with the back-pack which I find has a design flaw. Looking at your video again I see that your cord has indeed broken off which I guess is a result of the hedger set on the ground with the cable/dummy battery attachment on. For me I have to set on the ground to shift angles or direction and because of this refuse to use the back-pack when using the hedger attachment. Have you found a solution to this issue? Again, thanks for your videos as a viewer from Spain.
Hi, unfortunately the weight of the telescopic is too heavy on all hedges. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-A4cPeMOeV20.htmlsi=Mio107pzG4A0yl-k
You need hand held hedge trimmer and Elephant trunk 2. Change back pack long trimmer with no back pack. You have to look at the long term when it comes to depreciating your body. My advice.
Hi Zok, thanks for the feedback, I find the hand held hedge trimmers a waste of time, when you have a property with different size and shape hedges the pole hedger does it all with out having to constantly swap tools. The pole hedger it much easier on the body with little back strain. The problem is I bought the new ego telescopic hedger and it is twice the weight, awkward to use and does only tall straight hedges compared to the original pole hedger where I can do everything. Thanks again Scotty
@@1greenthumbgardeningtwba I understand now. You bought a new trimmer because it has a telescopic rod, but unfortunately it has a gas switch in the handle instead of being built into the rod where the switch is usually and so the trimmer is hard to turn. Are you sure that is twice the weight without battery? The handle is actually a big mistake, so I wouldn’t be surprised if trimmer is twice the weight. Which I doubt.
@@johnmcminn9455 hi John. I personally hate the hand held trimmer as I find them slow and cause to much back strain. I use the multi tool with the hedge trimmer attachment for 99.5% of my hedge work, from basket ball size topiary to 6m tall and everything in between. I was hoping the telescopic would give me that extra length and use ability but it was way too heavy and very limited in its function. Thanks Scotty
This is the same problem I had with the same ego hedge trimmer, I made the same mistake, it's far to heavy and to me feels out of balance, and i didn't like the lack of a proper lever to adjust the head...
@@1greenthumbgardeningtwba at the end of the day i had to take it back, and buy the same ego multi-tool system as you use. I personally think ego have designed the new one wrong has well, it definitely means a lever on the head, and it just feels too heavy and out of balance...
Lol I only use something this long for trimming ground cover type plants or hard to reach areas overhead, Never for the hedges shown in this video. Ive used the gas powered version for a long time and it’s a great tool, just not for small medium bushes/hedges.
I never use a small hedger, it is a waste of my time, energy and doesn’t do half a good a of job. There is no property where I would only use a smaller hedge trimmer. I constantly go from small medium and large hedges, so to carry around two tools doesn’t make sense. I was trying to show the versatility of the old multi tool compared to the new version which is only good on tall straight hedges where the multi tool can be used from a basketball to a 4m high round ball and every thing in between.
Help! this is so helpful, but I want to buy the commercial for the chainsaw portion? SOO,, my question is, how does the multi tool chainsaw compared to the commercial chainsaw?? If anyone has any help answers please ? thank you. Great video. ! And great work and camera work too
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WR3UtYKJZKI.html, Hi, I wanted to show people that the telescopic hedger is much more limited to the multi tool, For myself I would only use the regular hedger for 1% of my hedging, I use the multi tool from 30cm topiaries to 5m tall and 2.5m wide. I was hoping the telescopic would let me go between sizes quicker but not the case. Thanks for your reply 🙂
ok so this has a drive shaft and the motor is in the handle ...hey man what do you think of the Sun Joe with the motor at the blade, seems like a nose diver to me !
@@johnmcminn9455 hey John. Yes I have found with all telescopic hedge trimmers. Doesn’t matter what brand the motor in the head makes it very heavy especially when you have it fully extended to do 4+ metre high or 2.5m wide. If ever you are in the shop fully extend one and just pretend you are doing a hedge for a minute, then think I have to do this for another hour. That will make your decision. I have tried stihl, ryobi, ozitto and of course ego
Thanks mate i’m interested ego gear I got the blower the multitool 18 inch chainsaw two 5amp batteries and two 2.5amp batteries And the whippersnapper with the carbon fibre shaft my next one will be the mower love all the gear so far
Hey. I absolutely love the multi tool. I had my first one four years which had thousands of hours and I am not gentle on my tools before a gearbox busted. attachments I use it with include hedge trimmer, whipper snipper, bristle brush, rotors hoe and chainsaw, I definitely recommend.
I absolutely love the line trimmer, I have changed the head to a speed feed head as commercially it is too expensive to keep changing the head caps through EGP. Plus I love the ease of use of the speed feed. I run 2.4mm line.
Is it worth spending more on the ph1420 multi head unit or is the ph1400 good enough? The 1400 is being sold with the edger for $20 less than the 1420 by itself.
Hey Mate. I have not tried the PH1420. It is the newer version. I have bought another two of the PH1400 as they have been half price, one with the 5amp and fast charger and the other had a 2.5amp slow charger and a trimmer attached I have been told that the PH1420 has more power and a better trigger set up. Personally I have flogged my original Ph1400 for 4 years before I had to replace the gear box, then the motor died, so I have replaced it. I love the Ph1400 it has done an amazing job and I am very happy with it. I super glue the safety switch on the PH1400 for better comfort and ease of use. If you are commercial it may be worth going the PH1420. The biggest advantage is the water proofing on the Ph1420. But I don't work in the rain. Hopefully this helps Thanks Scotty
If you are going to buy a back up battery do your self a favour and buy a backpack kit it seams expensive but once you take the weight off the tool. You can go all day.
Hi, I use the ego multi tool ( PH1420) with the hedge trimmer attachment. I am using the same one I bought 4 years ago. I don’t use anything else to do hedges. The telescopic hedger sits collecting dust. I’m
@@1greenthumbgardeningtwba When it is a design error "everyone" has the same exact problem and it is usually several thousands of people. For example Nissan CVT transmissions are design flaws in most all Nissan vehicles. But operator error (or human error) is broadly defined as the cause of an unintended consequence due to a bad decision, distraction, voluntary deviation from the procedure and so on, or failure to use said safety equipment to protect ones body from harm, and more factors that will lead to improper use of said equipment.
Hi, I definitely would not use the stihl hla 86. It is the same as the ego with the motor in the head. The problem with the telescopic hedges are they are only designed for straight up and down hedges. In all the brands of hedge trimmers I have use the ego is still the best. If you don’t want to use a backpack the ego Multi tool with hedge trimmer attachment with a 2.5amp will give you great weight ratio, ease of use and you can reach up to 4m without a extension pole or 5.5m with extension pole. 6m if really keen with two extension poles.
This video relates to the weight of the Stihl Hla 86, ego telescopic, ryobi, ozito and huskvana hedge trimmers I have use or looked at. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZK-JdzEadrM.htmlsi=eSZnbUaatueAWsRv
I've never seen someone hold a machine up in the air like you do and why are you using a pole cutter on a little hedge you should be using a hand held smaller hedge cutter
Hey Alex, in 5 years I have used a small hedger about 2%. I really never use a small hedger it wastes my time switching tools and I can do a basketball size hedge in half the time of a small hedger while saving my back the pain of bending. All I have ever used is a pole hedger so much quicker and easier, I would be happy to do a video of many hedge sizes done with a pole hedger, I appreciate your feedback Thanks Scotty
I read your other message, I appreciate your 20 years experience, I only have 6, as I have a lot of tall hedges I wanted to get away from using a ladder but the new ego hedger was just to heavy and once purchased you can’t return in Australia, I just wanted some feedback to see what other’s thoughts, Thank you very much for your time. Scotty
To be honest I haven't looked at the new model, we get everything last over here in the UK. I'm very interested in the Z6 zero turn as my petrol version has done nearly 2k hours that's if it ever gets here. I'm thinking of getting a solar charger in van for the batteries any thoughts 🖖
I went to get solar put on my work truck, it was going to cost $3600, the guy said because they are 56v batteries they have a lot of up draw which puts strain on the battery which means the battery from the solar needed to be lithium and not a standard car battery, apparently a car battery would give 350-500 cycles compared to lithium of 1500. A bit confusing. To set up duel batter was going to cost $2200 with lithium , what I ended up doing was spending $2000 ( mower, blower, backpack all in kits) on tools and get a free 10amp battery via redemption which gave me 4 batteries ( 2x 7.5,1x10, and 1 x 5amp) Www.Trade tools.com.au I have solar on my house which cost $7000 which was better then spending $3000 to charge batteries, I have the charging station set up to come on half hour after sunrise so they charge off solar. Thanks
Hi. As far as I am aware of it only comes with the hedger and chainsaw attachments. It is way too heavy for anything else. I have not used the extension version since I bought it. It just sits in the shed. The multi tool is just so much more versatile lighter and easier to use with stacks of attachments.
Hi. I personally would go the HTA2000. The HTA2000s is 20cm shorter pole and I find it not as useful. I can do from basketball ball size topiary to 4.5m high hedges with the HTA2000. In Australia they don’t have the shorter model so I made my own by cutting down the shaft and pole. I thought I would use it more but strangely the weight doesn’t make much difference and I am always looking for the extra length. Hopefully this helps. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mzNh9pTe2ok.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-76eTyW5lqW4.html Thanks for your question Thanks Scotty
have you been trimming long???--- i just use a short ryobi or similar trimmer for those small short hedges, you down need a great long hedger like that for short hedges
Hey Mate, I have been hedging for 8 years, never use a hand held hedge trimmer, waste of my time switching tools, it would take too long to carry two hedge trimmer’s around, I can do from basket ball high hedge to 4m tall and 2.5m wide and every thing in between all with the long hedge trimmer, I don’t do a single property where all the hedges are under 1.5m tall every property varies, one tool does it all. You should give it a go and see how much extra cash you will earn by the time you save, Thanks Scotty
Hi, this is the HTA 2000, I have not heard of the short version of the HTA. I absolutely love the multi tool with hedge trimmer attachment as it is so light and easy to use.
The owners of this property seem a bit compulsive about manicured hedges. I hope they appreciate all of your hard work. Perhaps someday they will warm to more natural, organic shapes.
Hi Christina, yes the owners loved our work, the property has now been sold and its now very natural, quite sad. Not too sure how to answer more natural, organic shapes, i am all for shrubs looking like shrubs, but to have a beautiful manicured property natural doesn’t fit. Thanks 😊
@@1greenthumbgardeningtwba cool i didnt mean to be rude mate 👍 i get what you mean i dont doubt your experience im a gardener too...i have stihl battery hedge cutters small medium and long i like them i was wondering about ego tools as they are cheaper ..but going by your experience i made a good decision didnt buy one ?