Customer Reviews
Pole Hedge trimmer 
2008-04-26
Tnis trimmer performed about as I expected. The battery did not run out of power in the 45 minutes I used it, so that was a plus. I was using it to trim under brush especially oriental bloodroot which is a tough vine with stickers on it. I have wild azaelas mixed in with the weeds and the trimmer worked well at getting close to the good bushes without cutting them. It works to about 3-4 feet into the brush, beyond that it gets too heavy (I am fairly strong, my wife could not trim more than a few minutes). All in all, it did what I wanted. I have used it about 45 minutes at a time (twice). I wear out before the battery.
Great design- But take it easy! 2008-04-18
This is my second go-round with this product. I tried it a year ago, and it died the first time I used it! Home Depot took it back, and does not sell it any more (best as I can tell). Why did I buy another one? Because I can't find anything else like it that's cordless like this one is. So far , the new unit has worked like a charm. The secret is...take it slow and easy, using short bursts, and STOP at the least bit of jamming or resistance. Since it has less horsepower than a corded unit, you have to use it differently. I went a bit crazy the first time, trimming everything in sight with continuous cutting and very few breaks. This time I used shorter bursts of trimming and made sure to limit it to branches less than 1/4". Don't freak out if you get a jam up..JUST STOP, clear, and let it cooldown for about 15 to 20 seconds, and you should be good to go. I got about 1 hour of use with the first charge. I also got my very tall hedges trimmed nicely (FINALLY), and I didn't have to worry about slicing through a cord! Hopefully, this new unit will continue to function as well as it did the first time, because the overall design is excellent.
Excellent Yard Tool 
2008-03-31
I have 15-18 feet Juniper bushes/trees. I could have paid the Yard dudes $300 a season to prune. Instead I braved it and went with the previous reviews re: B/D. I'm telling you, if I was a Pole Hedge-Trimmer, I would try to sleep with this thing. It was awesome and flawless. The tool is powerful and the battery lasted a full hour. It is sort of heavy if you are holding it parallel to the ground, but this is rare manuever, and the adjustable/angle is really nice. I disagree with some of the reviewers re: the shorter-than-advertised-span. I could reach areas 10 ft. away with my arm span (I'm 6'4"). I love not messing with electrical cords. If you have 18 ft. Junipers, you will still need a 6 ft. ladder to reach some of the areas, but it's really no big deal. 5 stars all the way!
HOT LITTLE HEDGE TRIMMER 2008-03-29
SUPER ITEM--ABOUT TIME B&D CAME OUT WITH USABLE TOOL TO DO HARD TO REACH HEDGES. LIGHT WEIGHT--POWERFUL
Hedge Trimmer-Duty Only 
2008-03-02
I was both surprised and disappointed by this product:
Surprised: Battery lasted plenty long (it only comes with 1 battery) to do periodic trimming of my modest yard. Considering it's rather bulky and heavy, I think the battery would outlast my arms. The adjustable angle is quite handy and easy to adjust as is assembly/disassembly.
Disappointed: It claims up to 7/16" branches. This a joke. 1/4" is max, and if two branches enter the blades, it will jam. When reaching up high, it's awkward to unjam. With larger branches, it tends to maul rather than cut. Because you need to support the shaft, the usable length/reach is really only a very disappointing few feet longer than a normal trimmer. Not much pole benefit.
For well under $100, I am satisfied. For $100 or more, this is not worth it. You're mostly paying for the battery convenience. Black and Decker products have proven to me to be "light, household grade tools" and then die after 6 months to 2 years of use.
Vesatile trimmer 2008-07-13
Yes it is a hedge trimmer on a pole and works well as such. I used it to trim the bottom of my weeping willow along with some shrubs. Its best use may be as a weed whacker when you have weeds that are tall and too tough for a string trimmer to handle well. Just set it at the more comfortable angle, hold it down and cut off the weeds.
Excellent garden tool 2008-06-26
I used it to trim the tops of ~120' of honeysuckle bushes and ~40' of yews. Clean, quick cutting. The battery showed no sign of running low at that point. Since the head pivots, I did the following trick: Tilted it at right angles to the pole and walked along the front of the honeysuckle, pole verticle, cutting a "guide" level, then trimmed each bush in turn from a ladder, trimmer straight out, to that level. The entire job, including clean-up, took less than 1 hour. The tool paid for itself with that one use, compared to paying someone to do the work, and took less than 1/2 the time with my corded, 22" Hedgehog, that requires 3-4 ladder set-ups per bush. Carrying case a nice touch.
A few "downsides" to just watch for. As stated by B&D, this is a light-duty trimmer, handling branches up to about 3/8". That worked for my application, but beyond that this trimmer won't be of much help. It is a bit heavy holding out at full length with the end away from your body, but not too bad. Only one battery, but a claimed 50 minute run time. And while it appears to be a fixed 6' long when assembled, the box says 10' tip-to-tip.
Very easy to use! 2008-06-19
Even though this is a little heavy it is very easy to use. It save me a lot of time bringing out the cord and a ladder. I would highly recommend this product.
DOES THE JOB! 2008-06-13
This is a heavy hedge trimmer, especially since I have to lift it above my head often to shape a 7 foot hedge that sits on a hill. UGH...But this machine does make my job easier, and that's what counts. I do not miss a long cord, but the battery is heavy, which is what makes it harder to operate. Once I became accustomed to its length and weight, it all became much easier to operate. But you will need upper body strength for tall jobs. I like this product very much and highly recommend it.
one word...HEAVY! 
2008-05-11
I purchased this because my arms would burn from holding my regular electric trimmer above my head, well this helps with the reach but it weighs at least 3 times as much as the electric version. Wish this one was electric at least that would eliminate the battery weight. It's also a little awkward to handle because of the weight and balance but it does reach where my normal one doesn't. I use my normal trimmer to do 90% of the work and then pull this out for those hard to reach places.
So just be ready for the extra weight, I was rather shocked and it I would have seen this in a store I probably would not have got it for that reason.
