Consumer Reports Considers These Two Hedge Trimmers The Best You Can Buy

Cordless yard equipment is quickly becoming the norm in many households as battery technology becomes cheaper and more efficient, making it more practical to use it over more cumbersome gas-powered or corded electric tools. Two of the biggest names when it comes to battery-powered lawn equipment are Ego and Greenworks, so it's no surprise that both companies top the list of the best hedge trimmers you can buy according to Consumer Reports.

The nonprofit organization rates tools like hedge trimmers by combining data from owner surveys with its own expert lab testing, which is why it's built a strong reputation for its reviews. Of the several hedge trimmers it ranks, including corded and battery-powered models, Ego and Greenworks are tied with the exact same top score. Other brands, like Ryobi and Stihl, also fare well in the ratings and earn recommendations from Consumer Reports, but there is a distinct gap between these and the Ego and Greenworks models when it came to overall scores.

Based on these findings, you're probably not going to have major issues with either hedge trimmer, and your choice may come down to which brand you already have in your tool shed, since each has a proprietary system of interchangeable batteries and chargers. However, it's still fair to compare Ego and Greenworks cordless tools directly, and even Consumer Reports' findings suggest that, despite the exact same score, one hedge trimmer is a little better than the other.

The Greenworks 60V 26-inch Cordless Battery Hedge Trimmer (model HT60L211, though Consumer Reports refers to it by its SKU, 2212002) has an MSRP of $229, including a 2Ah battery and charger. The tool can run up to 45 minutes per charge and takes another 50 minutes to recharge, which should be enough time for many residential properties. It can provide up to 3,200 strokes per minute and weighs around 11.5 pounds.

The tool scores so well overall in Consumer Reports rankings because it has very high marks when it comes to run and charge time, as well as performance and safety features, which includes a safety trigger switch. Overall, it also receives high marks from professional publications like Pro Tool Reviews, which praises its "design tweaks" and says that it has the power and "performance to tackle tongue hedge trimming than many of its competitors."

Similarly, users also give Greenworks' tool high scores. On Amazon, over 2,100 customers rate it an average 4.4 stars, highlighting its quality and ease of use among the aforementioned strong points. It's not a perfect trimmer, though; Consumer Reports faults the tool for being heavy and knocks points off for its handling. It also finds the operational noise of the trimmer could use improvement.

These slight flaws are partly why Ego's hedge trimmer has a slight edge over Greenworks, despite both having the same high scores from Consumer Reports. It has a higher score in handling, likely due to it being over a pound lighter, which makes the tool easier to maneuver for extended periods of time. The Ego Power+ 24-inch Cordless Hedge Trimmer (model HT2411) also has a slightly shorter bar than Greenworks, but the company calls it the industry's first cordless trimmer with a 1-inch cut capacity.

Available for $239, it includes a 2.5Ah battery and charger and is similarly priced to Greenworks' tool. It delivers up to 3,000 strokes per minute, which is slightly less than its competitor, though that doesn't seem to matter to reviewers, whether professional or not. Lowe's customers, for example, rate the tool exceptionally highly; over 8,300 of them have scored Ego's trimmer an excellent 4.8-star average user score.

Many of these positive reviews note its well-balanced design and easy handling, proving that its lighter weight is indeed an asset. You'll find similarly high praise from Amazon shoppers. Even Consumer Reports admits that "this model had no discernible flaws in its performance" during its testing. The weakest link in CR's review was its operational noise. The trimmer runs a bit loudly for a battery-powered lawn tool, but its score in this category is the same as what Greenworks earned, so the flaw doesn't hurt the tool when comparing the two head-to-head.