With many thanks to Stihl for supplying the equipment in this post in exchange for a fair and balanced review
#gifted
Summer rain ushered in that last big growth spurt of the year, and the soaking unleashed did its job. The garden is looking decidedly Septemberish, especially around the margins, hedges reaching into the spaces all around. And who can blame them? Each hedge is essentially a line of small trees that wants to grow upwards and out, which is fine with us till the hedge reaches the height and breadth we wanted when we planted it, at which point we’d much rather it stopped or, better still, began to grow inwards, becoming ever more dense. No one seems to have communicated this to the hedge, unless of course they have and the hedge, unmoved by our preferences, carries on growing out and up just as before. We call on Mother Nature to referee, and she declares there is a workable compromise that should keep hedge and gardener happy, though both party will need to put in a little work. In this scenario, the gardener removes the terminal bud from every shoot of each plant in the hedge, sending a hormonal signal coursing through branch and stem and triggering dormant side shoots to burst into life, which is why regularly trimming your hedges will encourage the kind of closely-packed, luxuriant growth we want at the borders of our gardens.
Such sturdy scaffolding provides an ideal location for wild birds to nest, making a thorough appraisal of the hedge a very necessary precursor to any cutting activity, though by September it’s highly likely that infant birds will have fledged. In the UK, deliberate damage or destruction of a wild bird nest is an offence against the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 – with or without legislation, careless or wanton disturbance would be an offence against nature and decency, and it only takes a minute to check. I check, give myself the all clear, and choose my tools. Not for me today the comforting clack clack of my favourite hand shears – there’s just too much hedge to cut in the time, and too far to reach over to the other side. But since mothballing the petrol machines, the experience of using powered hedge cutters has become easier on both ears and body, and the latest generation of battery tools allows me to cut with all the manoeuvrability of an electric hedge trimmer without the inconvenience of having to negotiate a mains cable.
Like all gardeners and anyone who works with their hands, I am particular about my tools. They don’t have to be expensive or fancy, but they need to work well and be dependable. I’ve used Stihl tools since my days volunteering with the National Trust, they were among my first investments when starting my own gardening business and now, opening up the shed, there is the same comfort and confidence in catching sight of their orange and white livery as there is in the bright red handles of my secateurs. Today I’m putting two machines through their paces, the HSA 86 and the telescopic long-reach hedge trimmer HLA 85.
HSA 86
First impressions
This is a very reassuring piece of kit – while not heavy, it feels solid and well made, each of the many sections sporting the Stihl livery colours of black, white or orange fitting together without a hint of the kind of gap or creak that betrays lesser marques. The onboard AP battery prevents it from sharing the sleek lines of the top of the range HSA 94R (reviewed here), but it’s that very feature that’s got me excited about this machine. The moulded plastic scabbard fits snuggly over the blades (but not too snugly to make it a faff to remove or replace) and everything inspires confidence and thoughtful design, right down to the hole in the lower section of the handle which allows the tool to be safely hung up in the workshop or shed for storage.
The Stihl HSA 86 cordless hedge trimmer
Weight
Without battery, 45cm blade 3.0kg, 62cm blade 3.3kg.
Ergonomics & build quality
Every control falls under the hands without you having to think about it, incorporating no less than four safety features to prevent accidental operation of the blades, to the extent that I’ve had to put the machine down, step back and take a good long look at it to remind myself just how many switches I’m engaging when it's in use. There’s the chunky orange switch lever that your thumb automatically activates when gripping the large loop handle at the front behind the blade, the trigger lockout engaged by the palm of your hand on the rear handle, and the trigger you squeeze with the fingers when you're ready to cut – a variable control which allows you to dictate the speed of the blades. All of this is pretty instinctive in operation to anyone who’s operated a hedge trimmer before, and will become so in moments for someone taking the machine up for the first time. The only switch you consciously throw is the retaining latch, which finds itself right under the thumb on the rear handle.
The loop handle is generous, making manoeuvring the machine from horizontal to vertical and everything in between as comfortable as could be expected without the rotating rear handle of the professional level machines aimed at operators likely to be cutting hedges for hours at a time. Holding the machine on its side to cut the vertical face of a hedge is perfectly workable with perhaps only a slight initial awkwardness in the hand on the rear handle as the grip adjusts for the trigger and lockout switches, but the position soon becomes second nature.
Construction, as already mentioned, appears flawless, and all the switchgear operates with that precision and positive feedback that provides reassurance. The chunky battery slots home into its seat with a satisfying click, a squeeze of finger and thumb all that’s needed to liberate it once more by means of the dual dual orange pinch levers common across the AP system. Everything does what it should, in the way that it should, and gives the impression that it will continue to do so for years to come.
Blade and gearing
This review machine has the 45cm blades, a model with 62cm blades is also available. The tooth spacing is a generous 33mm giving a cutting capacity of a hefty 26mm, though I’d not want to use it for long on stems of that thickness.
Noise and vibrations
The machine is rated at 96dB. In practice, if you’re used to a petrol machine as I was, the relief to both ears and body is hard to overstate.
Run & charging time
The HSA 86 will work with all batteries in the AP range
For e.g. AP 200 will give up to 144 minutes run time. I’ve found the AL-500 Hi-speed charger will take the AP 200 from empty to full charge in around 20 minutes.
Cost (RRP)
Tool only (45cm blade) £235
Promotional set with 2 x AP 200 batteries and AL 300 Quick Charger £515
Overall
This is the hedge trimmer that comes out to work with me most often – for me it’s a perfectly balanced machine offering an ideal combination of manoeuvrability and convenience to the extent that, in practice, I can completely forget about the machine and get on with the job. What it might lack in terms of top end refinement and sheer power – when compared to the HSA 94R, I miss a bit of power at the blades and the rotating rear handle – it makes up for with the onboard battery which frees me up from having a cord running to a power cell on my back or belt. The 45m blade length is a perfect fit for most jobs, while the longer 62cm blade offers a seriously capable solution for the larger garden.
Overhead view of the Stihl HSA 86 cordless hedge trimmer with the AP 300S battery
HLA 85
First impressions
I’m used to tackling high hedges with my Stihl petrol kombi-system and long-reach trimmer (HL-KM 145) – compared to which, the HLA 85 is fantastically light, to the extent that it feels as though the engine’s missing. It’s hard to believe this is all there is to the machine.
Weight
4.4kg without battery
The Stihl HLA 85 telescopic long-reach hedge trimmer from the AP range of cordless tools
Ergonomics & build quality
As with the HSA 86, all the controls to operate the machine are exactly where they need to be – in this case a similar arrangement of trigger lockout and trigger on the handle, with a retaining latch under the thumb. There is no loop handle or switch lever to depress, the forward hand steadying the pole by holding the long black grip forming its lower half. A shoulder strap or full harness is connected to the carrying ring at the base of the pole, and this is essential to balance the machine in use – it’s a relief not to have a heavy petrol engine at the base, but this renders the balance slightly top heavy – nothing too taxing but, due to the lever principle, something of a core workout if you’re not to tax shoulders or back.
In addition to the power controls and the pinch levers on either side of the battery bay at the base of the machine, there are the latches for the pole – a quick-release retaining latch that allows the shaft to be extended to a maximum length of 3.3 metres, and a spring-loaded sleeve which, when pulled down, allows the head and cutter bar to be swung into the various angles that make this trimmer such a versatile piece of kit. These mechanical levers work with the same confidence inspiring precision as their electric counterparts, and the extending shaft slides smoothly within its outer sleeve.
The business end of Stihl’s HLA 85 telescopic long-reach hedge trimmer, showing the quick release clamp for the extendable shaft and the mutli-position cutting head
Handle and battery compartment (empty) of Stihl’s HLA 85
Blade and gearing
The blade length is 500mm, with the same 33mm tooth spacing as the HSA 86. However, it seems the gearing is on a lower ratio as the head of the HLA 85 will happily munch through quite thick stems for as long as the battery lasts, making this trimmer particularly useful for overgrown hedges.
Noise and vibrations
96dB again – negligible motor noise, and what cutting noise there is at the blades is thankfully far away from your ears due to the nature of the machine. Vibrations appear minimal.
Run & charging time
The HLA 85 will work with all batteries in the AP range
For e.g. AP 200 will give up to 144 minutes run time. I’ve found the AL-500 Hi-speed charger will take the AP 200 from empty to full charge in around 20 minutes.
Cost (RRP)
Tool only £400
Promotional set with 2 x AP 200 batteries and AL 300 Quick Charger £680
Overall
This is a fantastic piece of kit which complements any of the regular machines in Stihl’s hedge trimmer range, particularly those using the AP system. I will often use it in conjunction with the HSA 86, quickly swapping one battery between two machines, not only for its greater reach, but also for its ability to handle thicker stems with ease. It’s not going to replace a tractor with a flail when it comes to a single annual cut on a sturdy hedgerow, but it’s just about the next best thing – and what’s more, it’ll fit in the shed.
Have you tried any cordless battery powered garden tools yet? I’d love to hear your experiences, so do let me know either on Twitter, or in the comments below.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.
