The Cutting Edge (Bosch AHS 41 Accu Cordless)

Member Name: Thailui

Product:	Bosch AHS 41 Accu Cordless
Date:	05/12/08 (225 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No cables to worry about

Disadvantages: Charging the battery

At the front of our house there is a large hedge. Admittedly, not as large as it used to be as our neighbours removed part of it some years ago when they moved in. Our side remains as a barrier, effective at keeping out the noise and dust of traffic and useful nowadays as a receptacle in which passers by can deposit their rubbish! It is a very substantial hedge mainly constructed of elm and hawthorn but with more recent additions of ivy, holly and wild clematis (Old Man's Beard). It stands at about five feet high on the pavement side - six feet high garden side as the pavement is higher than the garden. It must be about twenty feet long - and has a depth of four to five feet as well! It houses several bird families every year as well as wasps and there is now a tunnel through the end for which I blamed the local foxes - until I found a badger in the garden recently!

Some years ago, I was delighted with a birthday gift of an electric hedge trimmer and later by a battery version. However, when I got around to cutting the hedge for the first time this year, I found that it was really hard going. The battery, although charged, didn't last for the full length of the hedge and I had to make a second trip to finish the job. Even when recharged it was still hard work and I began to feel that it would have to be replaced. I certainly didn't fancy the idea of resorting to the shears again - definitely too much like hard work! Of course, the whole idea was sidelined until the hedge began to look as though it hadn't been cut in years, which was when I decided to check out a couple of websites and see what was on offer.

One hedge cutter that I found on a couple of sites (Amazon and Argos) was the Bosch AHS 41 Accu - on both sites priced at £39.99 which was apparently a reduction on the usual price. We decided to order from Argos which meant that we could collect it from the nearest store the same day - and also pay with some vouchers that we had accumulated, which also seemed like a good idea!

This Bosch Hedge Cutter is the smaller of two similar models that they make, the only difference being a slightly shorter cutting length and a fraction lighter weight.

The first thing to do, of course, is to charge the battery. I found this battery smaller and lighter than the one on my previous hedge trimmer but even so the cutting time was substantially longer - averaging at 55 minutes instead of 30 on the old one. Charging time is approximately 3 - 4 hours.

I have to say that I was very impressed with the performance of this item. It was well balanced and easy to use and very much quieter than my old one. I found that it cut the hedge very easily - especially after the difficulty I had with the previous cutting efforts. The whole hedge was done in no time - as opposed to the two attempts I had to make for the previous cut. On an 'easier' hedge - privet for instance - the job would have been really simple. I had thought that the other hedge cutter was newer than it was and really felt that I shouldn't be replacing it at all. However, having looked up my other review, I found I had had it longer than I thought so replacing it wasn't as extravagant as I thought. I do feel it rather a shame that I don't have before and after photos for you to see!

All in all, I have to say that I am really thrilled with this purchase and would thoroughly recommend it. I hope this will have been of some use to you - and I thank you for reading it.

Summary: Easy to use cordless hedge trimmer