Bosch AHS 6000 Pro T - Hedgecutter

Before buying this product I was using an old, tired, electric hedge cutter on my mother-in-laws leylandii hedge. You had to force it into the hedge and almost saw it off.

This one is like using a light sabre from Star Wars. Touch the blade against the hedge and it cuts - simple as that. It is almost a pleasure to cut the hedge now (well nearly).

I have a fairly new 26cc gas (petrol) powered hedge trimmer. It struggled with my hedges and trimming tasks. I saw this Bosch AHS 6000 Pro T in my local dealer. I had read good reviews of it and I was impressed with the 34 mm maximum blade opening as the narrow blade gap of my gas hedge trimmer seemed to be a big part of the problem. The dealer told me that for tough jobs petrol is more powerful and better. I choose to ignore that advice and I am very pleased I did.

It cuts much better and the blade doesn't stall on thick branches. It is also feels a lot lighter. Very importantly it is much safer. The moment you take either hand off the handle the motor is disengaged and a brake stops the blade instantly, while the motor itself takes a second or so to stop. Of course, the gas hedge trimmer has a centrifugal clutch, so the rotating mass of the motor must slow down very considerably before drive to the blade stops.

This machine has almost no vibration compared to the 2 stroke gas hedge trimmer. This is a major advantage. Vibration at 12,000rpm is not at all good for your hands and arms.

The motor is rated by the manufacturer at 700W and 746W=1HP. So the real o/p must be quite a bit less than 1HP, however it strongly out performs the claimed 1.2HP gas machine.

The only downside is dealing with the power cable. I shall have to invest in a rather large cable reel. It takes longer to deal with the cable than to add 2-cycle mix and start the gas trimmer, but overall, it is a much better user experience.

I can't comment on longevity, as this machine is still new. It appears well made.