The Black & Decker GTC800 Pole Hedgetrimmer comes into its own wherever you need a hedge trimmer that you can use to reach the tops of tall hedges or taller shrubs or tricky corners and hard to reach areas where it is not practical to use a step ladder or cutting platform.
The Black & Decker GTC800 Pole Hedgetrimmer
It has a five position cutting bar head which can pivot through 180 degrees enabling you to position the head to cut or shape the tops of your hedges whilst standing safely on the ground.
The double action blades are asymmetric and the fact that they move in opposite directions to each other means that there is much less vibration for you, the operator.
The great safety feature on this model is that the safety blade break operates in less than one second should an accident happen or the blades get snagged on thick twigs. With a length of 51 cms, the blades cut a fair amount of hedge in one sweep so they get through the job pretty quickly. However, you do need to bear in mind that with a blade tooth gap of 12 mm, this is the maximum thickness of twig you should be trying to cut through – perfectly adequate for normal cutting and trimming, but if you have thicker twigs, it would be well worth cutting them off first with a manual pole lopper.
The power comes from a robust 18 volt battery pack so no trailing cords to worry about. You will get a running time of around 50 minutes from one charge of this battery which should be more than enough for most jobs. However, if you need to use it for longer than this, I would recommend buying an additional battery as this is quick and easy to change and wheras the specification states that the Nicad battery takes only three hours to charge, this is pretty certain to be a misprint as I have read that Black and Decker have confirmed that this should, in fact, read eight hours so you would be stuck if you needed to complete a big job all in one day.
I also think you need to be fairly strong to operate the GTC 800 Pole Hedgetrimmer for any length of time. Although it is well balanced and has non-slip hand grips that make it feel very positive and secure in operation and the actual weight of the machine is quite low, operating at the end of the pole makes your shoulders ache a bit after a while! However, this is what one lady reviewer had to say:-
“Very safe to use as blades are well out of reach of body. ( First time I’ve used this kind of product as the electric one scared me and several times my husband has cut through the cable). Easy reach of taller shrubs – no ladders etc needed unless very overgrown. Much quicker than using hand shears, and it cuts much thicker branches. Bad Points, Rather cumbersome – very long handle for a woman to use, and heavy, the weight of the battery is at the bottom of the handle so a little bit out of balance.”
Reviews from men include:
“I used to get the stepladders and extension leads out before I even started. A one hour job has now turned in to a 10 minuter. My conifers behind a ditch were very risky to cut back before I got this.”
“Previous reviews were accurate and very helpful; this machine is great for the job intended. That is, it reaches the parts others don’t, and it complements the work done by heavier equipment. Buy with confidence, but be realistic about what it’s there to do. “
The Black & Decker GTC800 Pole Hedgetrimmer 18 Volts is supplied complete with a battery and charger and an instruction booklet. Black and Decker also provide a safety blade guard for transport and storage. Available from Amazon in the UK at a great price and with free delivery (same day dispatch for weekday orders before 2 pm).
