Hyundai 20V 410mm Cordless Long Reach Pole Hedge Trimmer Review

While the box that this hedge trimmer comes in isn’t particularly attention-grabbing, open it up and you’re greeted by the sleek blue colour that’s synonymous with the Hyundai brand. There isn’t much assembly required – simply click the body together, slot in the battery, attach the shoulder strap, and it’s ready to go! 

This convenience carries through to the hedge trimmer’s overall design too. It feels streamlined and lightweight, and I very much appreciate its all-in-one nature, meaning that there isn’t a separate extension pole to add in. Instead, the telescopic pole extends with a quick twist and pull, giving you 2.6m of reach.

At 41cm, the cutting blade of this hedge trimmer is a little shorter than the others that I use, but not so much so that it would make a noticeable difference. In terms of the teeth – no complaints there! The 16mm tooth gap means that you’ll be able to slice your way through larger branches, with the laser-cut steel making light work of this. 

Interestingly, the tip of the blade is covered by a steel cap. In the past, I’ve used chainsaws that have had this feature and I haven’t been a fan. However, in the case of this hedge trimmer, it’s an appreciated extra as it allows you to work near to the ground without having to worry about damaging the blade.

Although this machine may lack a little length, the fact that the cutting head can click into 11 different angles helps to make up for this by adding to the machine’s versatility. It means that you can really customise your cut when moving between tops and sides. All you need to do is push a button and move the head to your chosen position – it couldn’t be any easier to adjust.

Like most hedge trimmers of this calibre, this machine comes with a shoulder strap. Sadly, this almost feels like an afterthought. The strap is quite narrow and flimsy and, although it does help with balance and leverage, it doesn’t feel very high-quality. 

With this hedge trimmer being so light yet long, I had high hopes for its performance. Some of the hedges that were waiting for a trim are usually difficult to manoeuvre around, over, and under, and I was hoping that this machine would make life easier.

For the most part, it did. It’s far lighter than the other hedge trimmers that I use, meaning that you could use it for hours without ending up with a sore shoulder (whether or not the battery would allow for this is another issue that we’ll touch upon soon!). 

Even when fully extended, it doesn’t feel cumbersome and its length enabled me to trim the tops of hedges that I usually use a ladder to reach. Like with all long-reach hedge trimmers, the weight does shift when this machine is fully extended and a D-handle would have definitely been a nice touch. However, the battery, which sits near the base, balances this out, and the shoulder strap helps too.

Thanks to its length, the slightly shorter blade isn’t an issue. The teeth are incredibly sharp too and managed to chop through whatever I fed them. I did need to spend a bit of extra time on areas with thicker branches but this hedge trimmer still left behind a clean finish.

My favourite part about using this machine? The steel tip protector – a feature that I don’t usually like. However, it made it so much easier to tackle the underside of the laurel hedge that I was working with. Since it is mulched with gravel, I usually have to work extremely slowly and carefully to make sure that the tip of the blade doesn’t come into contact with any stones. The tip protector helped to speed things up significantly.

Power is one area where, in my opinion, this hedge trimmer is a bit of a let down. It lacks speed and vigour, which, to be fair, isn’t really an issue when working on thin and sparse sections of hedge. However, once you get to the thicker, denser areas, it would benefit from having some extra ‘oomph’ behind it! It still always manages to get the job done but takes longer than necessary to do so at certain points.

This hedge trimmer came with a 20V 2.0aH battery, which is compatible with the full Hyundai Garden Machinery range. With LED indicator lights, it’s easy to see how much life is in the battery. It takes just over an hour to charge, after which you’ll be able to enjoy about half an hour of trimming time. For the size of the battery, this is about average but, for me, it was an issue. Some of the hedges that I work with require a good few hours of trimming – you’d need at least three of these batteries, along with two chargers, to be able to work continuously on a large hedge, and that’s assuming you have the means nearby to charge them.

With that said, larger batteries are available too. A 4aH would hopefully give you almost double the trimming time, although this would come at an extra cost and still may not be enough for some.

When it comes to noise levels, this hedge trimmer is surprisingly quiet. Don’t get me wrong – you should still wear ear defenders but, at 91dB, it’s not as noisy as many of the other hedge trimmers on the market.

With most of the hedges I worked on being in rural areas, disturbing neighbours wasn’t an issue. However, the leylandii hedge that I trimmed with this machine was on a residential street and after chatting with the neighbour once I was done, I was informed that the noise was minimal and barely noticeable.

Safety is always important when working with power tools, and this machine has everything that it could need, starting with the sturdy plastic cover that encloses the blade when it’s not in use. Not only will this keep your fingers safe when the trimmer is tucked away in your shed but it will also protect the blade itself.

There’s also a safety switch to press before you can pull the trigger to get the machine going, meaning that you wouldn’t be able to accidentally set it off. The cut-out switch near the handle, which connects to the mechanical brake, is a great backup feature that enables you to immediately stop the blade should you ever need to.

Although this hedge trimmer is lacking in a couple of areas, it’s a great machine for what it costs. Sure, it may not have quite as much power as I would have liked but, for the price, it’s pretty good value! 

The grey area is the battery. Unless you only have a very small hedge, I’d recommend going with a larger battery, or buying a spare. This, however, bumps the overall cost up by quite a bit. On the other hand, if you already own a battery that’s compatible with this machine, then, once again, it’s great value.

When it comes down to it, if you have a very large hedge that’s going to require a few hours of trimming, this probably isn’t the machine for you – it just isn’t heavy-duty enough for those types of tasks.

However, if your hedges are on the smaller side and only need a light trim, the Hyundai 20V 410mm Cordless Long Reach Pole Hedge Trimmer will get the job done easily. The lightness, manoeuvrability, and long reach of this machine make it ideal for quick trims and regular maintenance, and its budget-friendly price tag is a big bonus too!