Vonhaus G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer Review

Reviewed by Jo Tebbs

Whether you’re a green fingered gardener who loves to the spend the day pottering around, digging, pruning and keeping their garden hedgerows in immaculate condition, or someone who owns an over grown and hard to reach bush which is in need of some general annual maintenance and TLC, then VONHAUS may just have the ideal solution for you… the VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer.

When I was given the opportunity to review the VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer I was more than willing to take on the challenge. I have never before attempted to cut a hedge with a proper hedge trimmer (I’ve only ever used secateurs previously) so this was going to be a slightly daunting and certainly new experience for me. A few of the hedges in my garden are now too tall and I can’t even reach the top when climbing up a ladder, so the time has come to either pay someone to do the job, or tackle it using an extending pole based hedge trimmer myself.

It can cost a small fortune employing the professional services of a gardener every year to tackle hedges and keep them ‘in-check’ making them look neat and tidy. The VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer enables you to save money in the long term (there’s obviously an initial financial cost in purchasing the item but then it’s yours to keep once you’ve bought it) and carry out this type of garden maintenance yourself. I felt compelled to attempt to do it myself… how hard could this really be?

There are countless hedge cutting tools available on the market and they can be purchased in so many different places including shops, hardware stores, DIY outlets and online. The VONHAUS website (https://www.vonhaus.com) has a number of different hedge trimming models available at various prices so you are sure to find one that suits your needs and budget.

When the VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer arrived and I opened the box, I was pleased to see a clear, concise and relatively straightforward set of instructions to follow. Except for the handle which I struggled to attach (I needed another pair of hands for this), the equipment was quick to ‘put together’ taking me about 5 minutes on my first attempt.

For me, there are a few key specific factors that made the VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer an optimal product for my hedge trimming needs.

To begin with, it is cordless! Therefore, I won’t be distracted, wrestling with a wire rather than concentrating on cutting off the desired branches (and not my fingers – the blades are sharp!). I also won’t be able to accidentally cut through the electric wire itself on a corded model, which I feel is a distinct possibility especially as this is my first hedge trimming rodeo!

It uses a 20V Max Lithium-Ion battery, meaning that you can recharge the device at home as and when you require to use it. According to the instructions, a full charge takes about 1 hour and provides about 50 minutes of use. Personally, I didn’t need to use it for that long, so I never fully drained the battery to see if it lasted for the stated length of time.

Secondly, being somewhat vertically challenged (I am the grand height of 5ft 2”), it’s hard to reach the top of some hedges and bushes without the use of a ladder. This in itself poses risks with balancing whilst using tools, and also an element of danger with potential falls. The VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer has an extension pole that attaches to the hedge trimmer and provides nearly 2.5 metres in length (including the blade length). I could therefore keep my feet on solid ground whilst safely operating the trimmer when cutting the top of my hedge and when reaching the awkward places around the sides of the hedge. This was key for me because I felt far more confident trying to attempt this work when the danger and risk factors were eliminated or at least substantially reduced.

On the note of safety, the attached blades come with a plastic protective cover for storage. There is a shoulder strap to help assist you with controlling the machine whilst it’s in use, and it also has a 2-stage safety set of buttons to prevent accidental use! It was easy to operate and maintain the pressure applied, whilst using the machine. You slide the button up with your thumb whilst gripping the trigger on the handle. Without out this special safety feature, I would hate for my (or anybody else’s) child to be touching something (which they shouldn’t!) and have a nasty accident – so this feature is a vitally important factor for me!!

The head of the trimmer can change direction by simply altering the head angle. On the side of the main blade head, is a big orange button which you press in to manually adjust the tilt. Almost like a protractor, the angle degree is noted around the button. Once the angle choice is selected, by releasing the button, it locks into place and the head angle is set. You always need to stop and turn the trimmer off before changing the angle. By being able to change the direction of the cut rather than having to alter your grip or change body position when using the machine, it makes the work much easier.

There is a large rubber handle part way up the extension pole, which you can place one hand on in order to help control and manoeuvre the trimmer when using it. There are 2 further orange ‘flick’ levers which allow for the extension pole to slide open and closed. You can then opt to alter the length of the extension pole.

I would presume that many of these machines are quite heavy, especially when you’re using them for a prolonged period and when the pole is at full extension length. The VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer weighs just under 4kg so I found that for the short length of time that I needed to use it, I didn’t strain myself or find it too heavy/ hard work. However, I can imagine that if you had a very large amount of hedge to cut or wish to use it full the full battery life, you may need to stop and rest multiple times during the process.

It would certainly be worth purchasing a decent pair of safety googles when using this machine because there is a large amount of debris that falls from the hedge when you are working especially when it’s above your head.

Although it was noisy to use (totally expected this) I didn’t feel the need to wear ear defenders and don’t think it would be necessary even on prolonged use (the full 50 mins of battery life). I was also actually quite pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t much vibration felt from the rotation of the blades through the handles when operating it.

Overall, I found the VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer an effective and not too physically exhausting, way of trimming my overgrown and disheveled hedge. With a bit more practice, I’m sure the aesthetic ‘after’ appearance may look a little more appealing and I might even try to start ‘shaping’ the shrubs in the garden with it too. I found that the dual blades swiftly cut through twigs and leaves and even tackled branches of over 1cm in size with ease. I believe it is capable of cutting up to a branch thickness of 15mm.

Father’s Day is not too far away and if you’re anything like the people in my family, we always prefer gifts that are practical and useful! I know my Dad loves any gadget or tool that makes light work of an otherwise laborious and tedious task. This would certainly make for a great present whether it be Father’s Day, someone’s Birthday, Christmas or even as a ‘just because’! You could also just buy one for yourself to assist with your gardening needs.

Rating: I would rate this product 4.5/5

The RRP for this item is £139.99 currently on sale for £119.99 (editor’s note – at the time of putting the review online)

You can buy the VONHAUS G-series Cordless Pole Trimmer from the VONHAUS website here.