Customer Reviews

Black & Decker NPT318 18-Volt Cordless Electric Pole Hedge Trimmer

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

That may seem like an odd title for a review on a Hedge trimmer but if you've read the review by "Frank" you'll understand. The NPT318 is an amazing machine.
I have the worst kind of hedges -tall 6-9feet, difficult to reach because of cramped space/sloping ground and encroaching citrus trees. The hedges are mainly bougainvillea which has awful thorns. The citrus have thorns too.It is hot and the hedges are overgrown because of record winter rains.In addition , I am not particularly strong. So, this is a good test situation.
Yes this machine is difficult to operate at full reach horizontaly, but the alternatives are worse. I have used a 2-cycle hedge trimmer - a viscious ,noisy ,stinky beast. It is heavier! I bought my Dad a 240volt (yes off the mains for use in U.K.) German pole hedge trimmer. It is more powerful but just as unwieldy .In addition you have the power cord to deal with.
I found the run time ideal - it still had plenty of charge after 45 minutes attacking the bougainvillea.By then I needed a rest anyway. I charged it during lunch and then attacked some more hedge. Some of this required me to use it at full stretch - I am 6ft with long arms +the pole -yes these are monster hedges. The machine worked perfectly. The alternative is wobbling on a step ladder ,juggling a power cord and trying to avoid the thorns. So far I've done all my hedges and the neighbor's without a scratch. It is far too hot to wear a shirt and using my old B&D with a power cord+ step ladder I would look like someone from a crucifiction scene in the movies by now. The combination of citrus and bougainvillea is bloody!
My suggestins to B&D to improve the NPT 318 are:
1.Increase the voltage from 18v to 24v. This will increase the run-time/decrease motor weight/increase power.
2.Make the battery and charger interchangeable with other B&D equipment.
3. Use lighter-weight metals(magnesium alloy?) for the blade and pole. The weight of the battery isn't a problem because of it's location on the handle.
4. Consider offering an extending pole like Remington use on their pole chain saws.
5. Design the NPT 318 so you can use it without the pole - like a conventional cordless hedge trimmer.
6. When Black & Decker have a prototype they can test it on my bougainvillea !:-)

When I needed a pole trimmer, the reviews in Amazon convinced me to give this one a try. First time out I used it for about 30 minutes (combined sustained operation). The battery held up admirably with no sign of losing power. It trimmed through everything up to about 1/3 of an inch without a problem. 1/2 an inch and above slowed it down and stalled it on several occasions. I bought this with the knowledge that this isn't a gas powered unit or heavy duty electric model with that kind of performance. My high trimming is mostly ligt duty and a good match for what this trimmer is capable of. It can be a little unwieldly but if you can operate a gas powered or heavy duty electric weed eater, this won't be a problem. I have other battery powered tools and usually get two to three years of light duty service before the battery stops holding a charge. I'd guess similar service from this. Replacement batteries are about 50 dollars. Note that you should store batteries inside or in an otherwise climate controlled environment (above +/- 60 degrees F). It's very quiet relative to another electric trimmer I own. In summation, if you need the reach of a pole trimmer for light duty and short duration trimming (+/- 20 minutes in my estimation), I can recommend this one.

After dropping $250 a year into having a landscaper trim my hemlocks (12 feet high-which is the only thing he does, I do all the rest anyway) I thought it made sense to buy my own hedge trimmer that was capable of long reaches. I spotted this unit for $129.00 in Lowes last year, but this year they don't have it. It turns out on Amazon it is cheaper anyway. My disspointment is the overall length. It is clearly marked on the box that the unit is 10 ft end to end, when in reality it is only about 6'5". I fiddled with it for 20 minutes figuring it must extend. I called B&D customer service and the nice girl on the phone explained "they didn't do a good job of describing the machine, it's 10 feet when you extend your arms". I gotta tell you - I'm 6'6" and even so there's no way my arms extend 3.5 feet.

I think based on the reviews this machine will still work OK - but buyer beware - it doesn't have the reach that is clearly labeled on the box.

I used to have a B&D 22 inch trimmer that was loud, heavy and I hated it. When it died I wanted a pole trimmer because I saw some pros using a gas model. But they are several hundred bucks. I don't like B&D and as a rule do not consider their products because I was told they use bushings and no bearings and I think are designed to throw away when they die. The negative reviews concerned me but I held my nose and ordered it anyway. I am happy to say that I love it. It is quiet, cuts well, works like it is supposed to, etc. The battery and motor are strong and I can handle my Eugenia hedge no problem with power to spare. It is 7 feet H, 6-7 feet wide and 75 feet long. I suspect I like it because I am 6-3 200 lbs and I have no problem swinging it around. I have 36 inch long arms and have to stretch them out to balance the middle of the stalk while sumultaneously holding down the pistol trigger. So if you are Big Foot go for it! ...If on the other hand you are slight and would have trouble handling a pick-axe for example...maybe hire someone else to do your hedge.

After shopping for over a year for a product like this and agonizing over the $4-600 price tag on a gas unit (couldn't find one to rent either!) I tripped across this on amazon. After reading all of the reviews and marveling at the $110 pricetag (and getting a mindblowing quote from a landscaper for a days worth of hedge trimming) I bought one. It arrived, I put it on the charger for the night and, like a kid at Christmas, I woke up the next morning, grabbed my easily assembled new toy (with a free storage case) and headed out to wreak some havoc on the shrubbery.

Long story short...in 30 minutes I had trimmed every darn shrub under 10 feet tall in sight without breaking out a ladder or working up more than a mild sweat. I still need to break out the ladder to do the top of the enormous burning bushes in my front yard (12 feet in diameter if they are an inch!), but I have no doubt I can handle it with this tool. In my opinion this thing is nothing short of a miracle worker.

Answers to the typical questions I have read on this trimmer:

Does it get heavy?
Yes...I am 6 feet tall and 200+ lbs and it gets heavy after ten minutes or so of constant trimming. So does every other trimmer I own. I suggest you switch hands and keep on trimming. It is not that heavy or awkward that I couldn't left hand it, then switch again later.

Does it have trouble cutting through thick branches?
Yes, but it is a hedge trimmer for crying out loud. If you need to cut a 3/4" plus branch you are using the wrong tool, in my opinion. Grab your loppers. Now that you have this tool you'll cut your hedges more often and more effectively so long term you won't have as many thick branches to deal with.

Limited battery life?
Mine was good for about 30 minutes of trimming. Doesn't sound great, but keep in mind that you can trim so quickly and effectively with this tool that I literally ran out of hedges in 30 minutes and I trimmed over a dozen hedges EASY. What did I do with the rest of the 30 minutes? I pivoted the head to 45 degrees and used it to trim weeds and tall grass. That alone is worth buying this trimmer for. We have hundreds of tiger lillies. I can't wait to turn three hours of cutting them all back into 20 minutes of running around with my new trimmer!

Complain? If you can complain about this trimmer at $110 you can complain about the quality of a free lunch! I might buy a second just to have a spare. I am taking it to NH to show my friends this weekend.

One handy tool for the wide hedge. I was able to trim up to 8 feet across the top of a 6 foot privacy hedge. It,s lightweight, unlike a gas trimmer, and the absense of a cord make this a perfect tool for my situation. Branches up to a half inch were easily handled. The only drawback is 1/2 hour cutting time per battery with a 12 hour recharge time. Fortunatly, I also have 3 other B&D garden tools which use the same battery & the 2 hours total cutting time was just enough to finish the job.

I bought the NPT318 a week ago and I put it to the test this past weekend. The back of my parents yard is lined with Arborvitae 8-10' high and 4-5' wide. The cost of getting landscapers to trim them run $1500- $2000. It's a 2 day job. The last time I trimmed them I used an exta long electric hedge trimmer and a ladder. This year I used the B&D Pole Hedge Trimmer. Now the comments about the weight. The time I minded the weight a little was the second straight day I used it. Standing on the ground got most, but not all of the branches. On a few of the Arborvitae, I had to get on a ladder and extend across to get the tops. It seemed heavy at the time because I used the trimmer for at least 6 hr. straight the day before. But I liked the trimmer overall. It made it pretty darn easy to prune the sides and most of the top. There are a few suggestions made by others I read that I would suggest also for B&D.
1. Increase the voltage. The hedge trimmer did stop when it got to the heavy branches
2. Have the motor on the bottom with just the blade on the top.

Also I bought the B&D quick charger which came in handy. Having 2 batteries comes in handy. I had 3 batteries and worked the whole day keeping 2 batteries charging while using the other. I am glad I purchased it and I feel it was well worth the money.

UPDATE: I recently went outside to trim some bushes. When I was in the process of trimming, the hedge trimmer just all of a sudden stopped working. I looked over the trimmer and nothing was in the blades. I called Black and Decker customer service. They told me to take it to the local B&D service place in my area. I took it there and they said it looked like a burned out motor. They promply replaced it with a new one in the box. That is great service. Thanks Black&Decker.

You'll need to have good upper body strength to use this trimmer. It's only 8 pounds, but it's not as light as it seems.

The pole can't be removed. If you need to trim hedges that aren't 10 feet high, you still have to stand 10 feet away from the bush. It's hard to be accurate when you're swinging an 8 pound trimmer at the end of a 6' pole. The pivoting head is worthless because you can't really be accurate when you're holding your arms above your head (to hold the trigger in) and move the blade near your feet.

I'm 5'11" and I found this trimmer to be completely unmanageable. I'm returning it to the brick-and-mortar store I bought it from yesterday.

Oh, the last strike against it is that you can't plug it in when the battery runs out. Trim for an hour, and the battery is dead (after a full charge). This might not be a problem for you because your arms can't take an hour.

Imagine the old torture trick of having to hold a dictionary in your hand with your arms extended. Now imagine that dictionary shaking/vibrating. Now imagine your arm being 6' long. That's what this trimmer is.

Picture holding a fishing rod and reel at the tip of the pole instead of by the reel.
I have all the cordless hand garden tools B&D makes. My wife is the one that normally trims the high ball bushes with her Regular B&D Cordless Hedge trimmer. Saw this in my gold box and decided I would make it easier on her by not having to move a ladder around. Well no soap. All the weight is distributed at the top and it makes it hard to handle. It is especially heavy when you set the cutter at an angle. When cutting a round bush you have to be even more precise. You can't be as precise with this.
I have the cordless chain saw with an extra extension and it's lighter weight and easier to use than this. Well, I wish I could send it back, but I'll just keep it for the stupid NICAD battery of which I will eventually replace on my other tools.
Advice is to wear your battery down until the tool will no longer run at all, or you'll lose longevity and have to buy a battery quicker. That's where B&D makes their money. We cordless tool people are suckers. There are some manufacturers using NIMH batteries with there cordless tools. A NIMH battery can be charged before being completely ran down. A NICAD battery needs to be completely depleted.

I had read other reviews complaining of the weight and cheap construction concerns. I'm not a body builder, but I didn't find it that hard to hold or use. Regarding the cheap construction concern - I was pleasantly surpised with how easily it cut through branches 3/8" to 1/2" in diameter. In that regard, it performed very well - better than my old electric corded trimmer. Also, the battery life surprised me - it lasted for more than an hour of near continuous trimming. Overall, I'm very satisified with this product as well of the other 18V cordless B&D products that I've purchased (Firestorm drill, trimmer, & broom vac) - which by the way all share the same rechargable batteries which is wonderful.