Ikra Flexotrim ATHS-2440 24V Lithium Ion Cordless Long Reach Hedge Trimmer

Cuts well, easy to operate. Great for reaching difficult places. It may be a little heavy for prolonged use.

I have a problematic front hedge to maintain and on the basis of existing reviews this item seemed provide a good solution. The telescopic section gives you a long reach - I estimate it gives me up to 10 feet when used with the shoulder harness. However I found the telescopic section difficult to adjust - it really needs to be tightened up securely if the cutting head is not come off when the blade gets snagged. Consequently I have just tightened it up at a useful length and left it at that. The unit can also easily disengage from the harness when moving the unit from horizontal to vertical or vice versa and after 10-15 minutes of use the weight of the unit can cause some fatigue and a few minutes break - spent clearing up cuttings - is called for. However compared to some petrol-powered units it is considerably cheaper and I can get 1hr cutting time from one charge on the battery at the high-speed setting. I rate this as a good overall buy.

Works OK and cuts well. However, it is heavy and unwieldy making it difficult to use effectively. Once you get away from using it vertically when held at the bottom it is impossible to control and crashes to the ground. Maybe I am just not strong enough!!

Hopelessly heavy!

I never had a hedge trimmer (I lacked a hedge to trim), so I am not exactly sure what to expect here, but I am not too impressed with this specimen. The machine looks capable of doing what it promises (trim hedges, extend to unimaginable heights etc). It is quite heavy, even after a 5' test my arms hurt (but maybe that's just me) and its plastic bits seem fairly cheap. The big problem is the battery. I read and followed the instructions and it did not do what it is supposed to do. The charger is meant to flash green when charging. Mine does so for 5' and then goes dark (which is not supposed to happen). When I tried it, the trimmer did not work at all, the second time it worked for 10 seconds, after a 3rd attempt at a charge, it worked for 5'. I run out of hedge after 5 min, so I will post an update once I find something else to trim, but I don't have much faith in the battery lasting for long. Now, on the actual trimming thing, this worked so long as it (or the hedge) lasted. I would advise to wait for a few more reviews to come up before you decide to buy this product.

Purchased to replace a Flymo Sabrecut which died after two years of modest usage (mechanical failure). I have only used this product for three hours on two separate occasions, however product seems well engineered and cuts well. This product is exactly as expected from the supplier’s description. The reach can be described as long, the quality seems good, the tool is heavy, charging easy, battery life no issues, and above all it functions very well to date. Be warned the cutting edges are sharp! Using the Sabrecut as a bench mark this tool is a significant advance. I am satisfied with this purchase todate.

Apart from my trusty Makita drill, I'm not normally a fan of cordless products but this one has won me over.The battery pack is small, light and recharges remarkably rapidly. Yet this little Sanyo battery seems to keep on going, making a second battery unnecessary. Being Lithium Ion you can top it up whenever is convenient to you, rather than letting it drain it fully to avoid the Ni-Cad memory effect.The articulation of the head is simple and positive, allowing you to vary the head angle and, thus, how far back you stand whilst still getting a flat top to the hedge. Press the large hinge button to release the head and take it to a new position. I have, frankly, abused this and it has cut through long-established yew, wisteria, holly and viburnum. In the short time that I have had it, it has produced enough prunings to fill up the car 5 times, including reducing my tough old hedge by over a foot in height.It is quiet enough to use of an evening and, being battery rather than mains, can even be used after a shower of rain.Main tips:Keep to the Fast Cut setting (it is quite easy to accidentally catch the little rocker switch and go to Half Speed)Always let the cutters get up to speed before putting them into workWhilst the harness has no real value when using the machine vertically, as soon as you use it horizontally it becomes a godsend.Unlike the Black& Decker Cordless pole pruner (Think: chainsaw on a stick) which has to be coaxed to cut through anything -and has a habit of releasing its battery pack- this Cordless is every bit as powerful as a Mains version.

Does what says. It trims and is flexible. Guess that there has been a compromise between power and weight as it is light enough to use for a couple of hours but is slightly lacking in cutting power. That said, I have now used it to cut two hedges (not on the same day) so battery life is impressive. I would recommend it. Only reasons for a four star score (rather than 5) is that the length adjustment is tricky. Once set leave it. The charger has a continental 2-pin which means that you have to use a shaver adapter. No problem if you have one already. The only other issue was the packaging when delivered. Amazed that I got all the parts as the box was open at both ends. Overall its a good buy.