The best hedge trimmer for most yards is a cordless model with a 22 to 26 inch dual-action blade, like the EGO Power+ HT2601, rated for a cut capacity of up to 1.2 inches with the battery and charger included. Match blade length to the hedge rather than to the biggest number on the shelf.
Two specs do almost all the work on a hedge trimmer listing. Blade length sets how much hedge you clear per pass, and cutting capacity sets the thickest stem the blades will actually close on. Cordless suits most hedges now, so for most people the best hedge trimmer and the best battery hedge trimmer are the same tool. Everything else is comfort, and comfort decides whether you finish the row, which is why weight and handle position belong in the decision too. Below are six hedge trimmers for six real jobs, with the specs each maker publishes. This page is one stop on our fall yard cleanup tools checklist, which puts every fall job in order.
Best hedge trimmers at a glance
| Hedge trimmer | Best for | Why it wins | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
EGO Power+ HT2601, 26 inch (best overall) |
Long, established hedges cut once or twice a season | Up to 1.2 inch cut capacity, up to 60 minutes runtime, battery and charger included | amazon |
 WORX WG261, 20V, 22 inch |
The most trimmer per dollar | 22 inch dual-action blades, 2.0 Ah battery and charger, about $65 | amazon |
 CRAFTSMAN CMEHTS8022, 22 inch corded |
Neglected hedges with woody stems | 3/4 inch cut capacity plus a branch cutter rated to 1.5 inches, no battery to run down | amazon |
 Husqvarna 322HD60 gas, 24 inch |
Long hedge runs and all-day work | 24 inch dual-action blade that cuts in either direction, 11 pounds, 21.7cc engine | amazon |
 BLACK+DECKER LPHT120 pole trimmer |
Hedge tops and anything above your shoulders | Trimming height up to 11 feet at 7.7 pounds, 180 degree pivoting head | amazon |
 Greenworks 24V, 20 inch |
Boxwood, small shrubs, and detail shaping | 8.46 pounds, 1.1 inch cutting capacity, up to 65 minutes per charge | amazon |
What is the best hedge trimmer?
For most yards it is the EGO Power+ HT2601, a 26-inch cordless trimmer with dual-action steel blades, a cut capacity of up to 1.2 inches, and up to 60 minutes of runtime on the included 56V battery, for about $249. If that is more tool than your hedge needs, the WORX WG261 kit costs about $65.
What $249 buys is cut capacity, runtime, and a gearbox EGO lists as fully serviceable, and those matter on a hedge that has been growing for fifteen years. On a four-year privet or a run of boxwood, the $65 kit has enough blade and enough blade gap for the job, and the money is better spent on a second battery.
Hedge height is the spec nobody checks. If the top of your hedge is above your shoulders, a handheld trimmer struggles to get the top level, and a pole hedge trimmer replaces a ladder you should not be standing on with a blade in your hands.
Blade length, cutting capacity, and dual-action blades
Blade length is the easy one. An 18 to 20 inch blade is right for small shrubs and detail shaping, 22 inches is the all-around suburban choice, and 24 to 26 inches only pays off on a long, tall hedge where a shorter blade turns one pass into three. Longer blades also sit farther from your hands, so they demand more from your wrists on a vertical face.
Cutting capacity is the spec that decides whether the tool works at all. The trimmers here run from 7/16 of an inch on the pole model to 1.2 inches on the EGO, and the difference is the age of the hedge you can rescue. Not every listing publishes the number. WORX gives a 3/4 inch blade gap instead, which is the closest honest substitute, and where a listing gives neither, plan for a small figure rather than a large one.
Single-action blades move one cutting bar against a fixed bar, and dual-action blades move both against each other, which BLACK+DECKER lists as delivering less vibration than single-action blades. Every trimmer on this page uses dual-action blades, and at this point a single-action model on a shelf is a reason to keep walking.
1. EGO Power+ HT2601: best cordless hedge trimmer overall
Blade length and cut capacity decide whether a hedge trimmer is a tool or a toy, and this one is strong on both. The 26-inch dual-action steel blades carry a cut capacity of up to 1.2 inches, the widest published figure in this group, which means the woody stems inside an established hedge get cut instead of chewed.
EGO rates it at up to 60 minutes on the included 56V 2.5 Ah battery, and a brushless motor drives the blades at up to 3,400 strokes per minute. The rail is carbon fiber, the gearbox is listed as fully serviceable for blade sharpening, and the handle rotates through five positions across 180 degrees, which is what you want when the cut is a vertical face at shoulder height. About $249 with the battery and charger on amazon.
Where it loses: it is the most expensive cordless option here by a wide margin, and 26 inches of blade is more trimmer than a row of boxwood will ever need.
2. WORX WG261: best value cordless hedge trimmer
For about $65 this arrives as a complete kit: a 22-inch dual-action blade, a 2.0 Ah 20V battery, and a charger. The same pack runs WORX PowerShare tools across 20V, 40V, and 80V, so the battery is not stranded in one tool the day you buy a blower.
WORX publishes a 3/4 inch blade gap rather than a cut capacity, and that gap is the working ceiling on stem thickness. The D-grip handle lets you hold the tool from any angle, high for a hedge top or low for undergrowth. Twenty-two inches is the length most homeowners should buy, long enough for flat tops and even sides and short enough to steer around a corner without scalping it. Find it on amazon.
Where it loses: the listing publishes no runtime figure, and one 2.0 Ah pack is a short session on a long hedge.
3. CRAFTSMAN CMEHTS8022: best corded hedge trimmer
Corded trimmers solve the problem batteries create, which is stopping. Plug this one in and it runs as long as the job does, and on a hedge you cut twice a year that is worth more than portability.
The 3.8-amp motor swings 22-inch dual-action blades with a 3/4 inch cut capacity, and the feature that earns it the slot is the POWERSAW branch cutter, rated for branches up to 1.5 inches thick. On a hedge that has gone two seasons without a trim, that rating is the difference between finishing the row and going back to the shed for loppers. A full bale handle carries it. About $64 on amazon.
Where it loses: you spend the whole job managing an extension cord behind you, and the hedge has to be within reach of an outlet.
4. Husqvarna 322HD60: best gas hedge trimmer for big hedges
Gas is for hedge runs measured in yards rather than feet. The 322HD60 pairs a 21.7cc two-cycle engine with a 24-inch stainless steel dual-action blade that cuts in either direction, so a long face gets trimmed on the backswing as well as the forward pass.
Husqvarna publishes 11 pounds for it, light for a gas trimmer, and the rear handle adjusts so you can keep the tool level while the blade works a hedge top or a side. The company describes the gearbox as built for demanding residential or part-time professional use, which is the honest position for this trimmer: not a landscape crew's machine, and well past what one suburban hedge needs. About $449 on amazon.
Where it loses: it cuts twigs and shrubs up to only 4/5 of an inch, less than the cordless EGO, so the money buys blade length and engine rather than cutting capacity.
5. BLACK+DECKER LPHT120: best long-reach hedge trimmer
Hedge tops are the part nobody plans for. This pole trimmer adjusts from 6.5 feet and extends for a trimming height of up to 11 feet at a published 7.7 pounds, so the top of a privacy hedge stops being a ladder job.
The 18-inch dual-action blade cuts hedges, shrubs, and bushes up to 7/16 of an inch thick, and the head pivots through 180 degrees across five positions, which is how you level a hedge top while standing beside the hedge rather than under it. The pole sections are interlocking fiberglass, and the 20V MAX battery and charger are included. About $137 on amazon.
Where it loses: 7/16 of an inch is the smallest cut capacity here, so this is a maintenance tool for a hedge already in shape, not a rescue tool for an overgrown one.
6. Greenworks 24V 20 inch: best hedge trimmer for small hedges
Small hedges reward a small tool. At a published 8.46 pounds with a 20-inch blade, this Greenworks is the one you can hold at arm's length over a boxwood ball without your forearms complaining halfway along the bed.
The specs read better than the price suggests: a brushless motor at 4,000 strokes per minute, 20-inch dual-action steel blades with a 1.1 inch cutting capacity, and up to 65 minutes of trimming on the included 2.0 Ah battery, which recharges in 110 minutes on the 30-watt charger. A two-step safety design keeps the blades from starting by accident, and the 24V pack fits more than 200 Greenworks 24V tools. About $90 on amazon.
Where it loses: 20 inches of blade and one 2.0 Ah battery are sized for shrubs and shaping, so a long, tall, established hedge asks for more tool than this is.
How to choose a hedge trimmer
Five decisions cover almost everything.
- Size the blade to the hedge. Eighteen to 20 inches for shrubs and shaping, 22 inches for a normal suburban hedge, 24 to 26 inches only for long established runs.
- Treat a missing cut capacity as a small number. Published figures here range from 7/16 of an inch to 1.2 inches, and a listing that skips the spec is not the place to gamble on woody stems.
- Insist on dual-action blades. Both bars move against each other, and BLACK+DECKER lists less vibration than single-action blades as the payoff. Every trimmer here uses them.
- Weigh it, then imagine an hour of it. The pole trimmer publishes 7.7 pounds, the Greenworks 8.46, and the gas Husqvarna 11, and a trimmer held at chest height for a long row is heavier than the number suggests.
- Check the handle and the safety switch. A rotating or pivoting handle keeps your wrists straight on vertical cuts, and a two-step or two-hand switch is what stops the blades from starting while a hand is near them.
Then dress for it. Hedge trimmers throw cut stems back at you, so safety glasses and gloves are not optional, and long sleeves save your forearms on a holly or a barberry. Work the sides first from the bottom up, cut the top last so you can see the line, and taper the hedge slightly narrower at the top so light reaches the bottom growth. A powered trimmer leaves a rougher cut than hand shears, so many gardeners rough the faces in with the trimmer and finish the corners and the top edge with hand shears. When the season ends, our guide to winterizing the garden covers what to cut and what to leave standing.
Frequently asked questions
What blade length hedge trimmer do I need?
Match it to the hedge. An 18 to 20 inch blade suits boxwood, small shrubs, and detail shaping. Twenty-two inches is the all-around choice for a suburban hedge. Twenty-four to 26 inches earns its length only on long, tall, established runs, where a shorter blade turns one pass into three.
Is a cordless or corded hedge trimmer better?
Cordless for most people. Battery trimmers go anywhere, finish a suburban hedge on one charge, and the cheapest kits now cost about what a corded model does. Corded still wins on runtime, since it never stops, as long as you accept an extension cord trailing behind you all afternoon.
How thick can a hedge trimmer cut?
Published cut capacity runs from 7/16 of an inch on the pole trimmer here to 1.2 inches on the strongest cordless model, and some listings give a blade gap instead. Anything thicker than the published figure needs loppers or a pruning saw, not a harder push on the trimmer.
When should you trim hedges?
Most formal hedges want two cuts, one in early summer after the first flush of growth hardens and one in late summer, with fast growers like privet asking for a third. Hedges that flower on old wood get cut once, right after they bloom. Avoid hard cutting in late fall, and check for active bird nests before you start.
Hedge trimmer or hedge shears?
A powered trimmer is faster on volume, and hand shears are more precise on shape. Use the trimmer for long runs and flat faces, and reach for shears on topiary, tight corners, and single shrubs where a clean edge matters more than speed. Our guide to hedge shears covers the picks.
The bottom line
Buy the EGO Power+ HT2601 if your hedges are long, tall, and old enough to have woody stems inside them. Buy the WORX WG261 if you want a complete cordless kit for about $65, the CRAFTSMAN corded model if a neglected hedge needs its branch cutter, the BLACK+DECKER pole trimmer if the tops are the problem, and the Greenworks 24V if the job is boxwood and shaping. For the branches above the hedge line, see our guides to the best pole saws and the best pruning shears.
Disclosure: some links in this guide are affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Spear Head Spade earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you, and it never changes our honest, use-based recommendations.
For context on who is recommending this gear: Spear Head Spade is a family business in New Jersey, and we make the Spear Head Spade digging tools, with over 600,000 sold. When a branch is past what the trimmer will close on, our guide to the best loppers is the next stop. When a new hedge is going in rather than coming down, the trench is the job, and the 58 inch long handle spade is what we would dig it with.
