Customer Reviews

American Gardener RH24 24-Volt ReadyHedger Cordless Hedge Trimmer

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Based on my positive experience with the Yardstick 24V Trimmer, I decided to give another American Gardener product a try.

Right out of the box you can tell this hedge trimmer is serious. The 18" cutter is stainless steel and almost razor sharp. Balancing the large cutter blade are two 12V (wired together for 24V) sealed lead-acid batteries inside the housing. The balance (center-of-gravity) of this tool is nearly perfect. Gripping the rear handle with one hand, and the front handle, with the other causes you to naturally hold the trimmer level to the ground--nice! And considering it has two batteries, it is surprisingly lightweight.

After an initial overnight charge, and some light machine oil on the cutting blades, I was ready to tackle two large bushes and four medium sized bushes that were much past due for a "haircut."

Even with a full charge, I noticed the hedger was quiet and low on vibration. I would say it's three times quieter than an equivalent 120VAC powered tool. It's so quiet you can talk in a normal voice to another person while using it.

But does quiet mean wimpy? Not in my experience. A pass over the top of one bush made the branches fall like dominoes. I could tell the motor was working hard, but it never slowed or bogged down.

An hour later and all six bushes looked great! The weight balance is so good I almost forgot this beast was at the end of my arm. The motor was just starting to slow down and I had been using the hedger almost continuously. So the one-hour run time seems right on. Others may experience even greater run time, if they trim their shrubs regularly. On mine, the trimmer had to cut back some serious growth. To recharge the battery after one hour's run took about 24 hours. Not a problem for this tool's occasional use.

Other features of note: Motor runs cool and doesn't blow air in every direction like a 120VAC powered hedger. Motor has a circuit breaker so if you stall the blade, this trips instead of damaging the motor. Push the red button to reset and you're good to go. Thick plastic housing and rubbery blade shield appear very durable. LED light on charger changes from red to green to let you know the battery is fully charged.

Another home run for American Gardener!! The stainless steel blade sets it apart from other consumer level hedgers and the battery/motor performance is excellent. A pleasure to use!

I received the American Gardener ready hedger today. I charged it up and took it outside for a try. I live in New England and it's January but I had to see if it worked. The hedger feels great and cut through one of my PJM bushes like it was butter. I own a black and decker electric hedge trimmer it does a good job but the hassle of dragging out the long extension cord is just awful not to mention the countless times I have had to replug the extension cord into the hedge trimmer because it kept falling out due to excessive vibrating. Uhhh it was enough to drive me crazy. This unit is going to be so convenient I won't feel as though I have to trim all of my shrubs and bushes in one day. I can do them at my leisure. A bush here a bush there....

In case you are wondering the hedger comes with a 2 year warranty.

I purchased this for the convenience of not having to lug a cord around. I am more than satisfied. It is powerful enough to do all my trimming. I can't comment on battery life, since it hasn't run down on me. I have spent two hours trimming with it (not running 100%, but running as often as a trimmer would while while trimming bushes), and the battery held up just fine.

This unit is OK. THe first unit I received was smashed to pieces inside the box. The box showed some slight damage up around the blade, but inside the pacakage the blade was fine but the plastic head and guard were broken to pieces. A second unit arrived and it was in better shape. Although there sounds like there is a plastic piece broken off inside the unit. Overall I would say the unit is not very durable. The plastic handle and head seem like they would be prone to breaking. After reading the reviews, I was a little disappointed in the solidness. The unit operates fairly well though. I used it on some shrubs that were overgrown and it did a decent job. It doesn't slice through the job effortlessly though. It is a light unit so its easy to handle. Over all I think its an OK unit, probably one of the better in its class. I was personally just disappointed as I thought it would be a stand-out and it is not.

I have not used this product, but own the 18 volt version. I bought it at Menards about 2 years ago. The motor has burned out, and I cannot even find a website to order a part. Consider this a disposable item!