When it comes to outdoor power equipment (OPE), who do you think of? You might not think of a power tool manufacturer being able to compete with the big boys who do this as their main category. However, Makita is one of the best power tool manufacturers in this cordless category. Is it because they make quality products? Is it because they have a large line? Or, is it because they have the battery that can rock this category? I am sure it’s a little bit of everything so let’s jump into the Makita cordless hedge trimmer review.
Makita Cordless Hedge Trimmer Review Overview
Let’s face it when it comes to OPE, gas sucks. However when it comes to hedging, gas really sucks because of the different angles you have to work with a hedger. The motors die, the motors sputter and they can underperform. However, when it comes to battery powered hedger, the problems go away. But with a battery does the power go away also?
All I can say is, no. The power is awesome with a cordless hedger, just as long as it’s a good quality company that is making the hedger.
Makita Cordless Hedge Trimmer Review Features
The Makita hedger (XHU07Z is built around a brushless motor that delivers speeds up to 4,400 spm. The hedger has three speeds 0-2,00 spm, 0-3,600 spm, and 0-4,440 spm. The hedger weighs 8.65 lbs. with a battery.
The hedger is powered by a single Makita 18V battery.
The battery is located on the back of the tool which does help with balancing out the long blade in the front.
The tool uses a D-handle with one of two safety features at the top and the variable speed trigger below.
The other safety feature is built into the front handle. You have to pull the handle together along with the first safety switch before you can engage the blades. In front of the handle is a guard that protects your hands from branches.
On top of the hedger is where you can set up the hedger. There is an on/off button which needs to be held down to turn it on. Once the hedger is on, you can use this button to adjust the speed from high to med to low. There is also a reverse button in case a branch gets caught in the blades and you need to free the hedger loose.
One of the coolest features of this tool is the adjustable head. If you are cutting vertical or downward or other angles, you can pivot the head so you don’t put yourself in an awkward position when using the hedger. This is probably my favorite feature of this hedger and one of those things when you wonder, why didn’t I think of that?
The hedger comes with a 24″ blade but you can easily change it to a 30″ blade if you need the reach.
On the bottom of the tool, there is a hole to hang it on the wall using a nail or screw.
While the sheath is my only real complaint, it does have a think plastic one to protect the blade when not in use.
Makita Cordless Hedge Trimmer Review Performance
So this was our playground where we had a chance to take the hedger and try it out on different size branches.
As you can see it easily cuts small branches. However, I was surprised that it could cut branches about the size of my pointer finger. Pretty impressive. Because when this is running at full speed, it’s quiet and there isn’t a ton of vibration, so the power is deceiving.
It’s hard to see how nicely this trimmed in the pictures, but trust me, it does a great job. Spring is here in Chicago so trees and shrubs are just starting to bloom. Once my front bushes get full, I will make some posts on our Instagram which will show this a little clearer in pictures.
Overall I like the performance. I love how the head turns so it’s much easier cutting in different angles. While I am a huge fan of this hedger, I just love cordless hedgers as it’s so nice to cut in any direction and not have to worry about the gas causing it to slow down or drown out.
I love how there are no vibrations to this hedger, it’s amazing how smooth the tool is during use. The tip guard is nice and big which is helpful for me since I have a brick house and do a lot of trimming around this area.
Besides the sheath, the one item I would like to see changed is the automatic shut off. I feel like they need to increase the time before the tool shuts itself off. The hedger will automatically shut itself down after one minute of no use. There were a couple of times I was moving some branches around and would go to pick up the hedger only to have it shut off. While it’s easy to turn on, I did find it frustrating. A 3 minute or 5 minutes shut off would be ideal.
Makita Cordless Hedge Trimmer Review Value
You can pick this up on Amazon for about $245 as a bare tool. While this is built like a champ, I would still like to see this price include a battery and charger. Again, I can’t complain too much because this is one of the best-performing hedgers we have tried in a long time.
Makita Cordless Hedge Trimmer Review Final Thought
Overall I am a huge fan of Makita OPE tools. I think they are well designed, perform like a champ and just great all around products for the outdoors. The Makita Hedge trimmer is no different. I love the power, the run time and the ability to move the head around to make work easier.
