I have a high hedge surrounding the rear of my property, with the addition of a few independent conifers. The rearmost hedge is a particular challenge as it is primarily mature holly, which is difficult to handle. Having watched professionals cutting a yew hedge at a National Trust property recently, I realised that this tool was the way to go.
I am however getting old, with arthritis in my shoulders exacerbated by an old injury, and the tool is not so much heavy as unwieldy, especially with the extension piece fitted. The strap doesn’t help much either, but it makes trimming the hedges and conifer tops a simple, if somewhat tiring, operation.
Having read some other reviews prior to purchase I decided to forego the Ryobi battery option and purchased a pair of 3rd party batteries and charger for less money than a single Ryobi battery. Whether this will prove a sensible option, only time will tell, but there have been no problems so far. The batteries have each provided ample power for as much hedge cutting as I feel inclined to do, without running out of power.
This is an excellent, well made product which I hope will provide many more years of garden maintenance.

GOOD:
# It was cheaper on Amazon than direct from Ryobi!
# It has a long extension pole.
# It’s well made.
# Sweep function works well.
# Cutting blade has a number of angles.

POOR:
# This is extremely heavy when using the extension pole.
# Due to the weight it is difficult to manage when cutting (you need bulging biceps!)
# Difficult to store when finished as there is no bag and extension pole is separate (I used plastic ties to strap the pole to the main tool).

BATTERY LIFE:
# This obviously depends on the size of battery being used. I used a 5amp which lasted over 30 minutes and allow me to finish the job without swapping or recharging.

CUTTING THE TOP OF THE HEDGE:
Don’t know how he does it on the tv advert but I couldn’t see where I was cutting so still had to climb a ladder to do it.
All that said it does do the job

This has impressive reach when extension tube is fitted. It feels very strong and robust but it is also quite heavy. Some users could struggle with this at full reach.

There is no telescopic quick length adjustment – you need to manually unscrew and remove the extension tube. This means there are two fixed lengths only.

It cuts well and you can angle the head.

It works with the Ryobi batteries I already have for my leaf blower, drill and tyre inflator so I did not need to buy more or a new charger.

It also has a 3 year warranty on registration.

Overall happy to recommend.

Fantastic although it’s a bit heavy and cumbersome if using extension pole.
But does an excellent job.
Really good quality blade