The final word and the bottom line....................August 24, 2010 Kevin Knill(So cal USA) Firstly I want to say that I have previously owned and used the Black and Decker trimmer that was the predecessor of this trimmer. So my review is based on how this model performs based on what it actually replaced.
Using this trimmer on the same bushes and the exact same hedges, it struggled, it took longer and it did not cut as well. Due to this the whole procedure of cutting became more tiring and laborious. The previous model was "corded" and worked very well indeed, but due to their infinite wisdom Black and Decker discontinued this model and replaced it with a cordless version. A few things may have saved this model from being a lemon. Also if you are going to re-invent a perfectly good working model, at the very, very least give it the same features that made the predecessor good...but they didn't !!
If you are going to make a cordless version at least give it a 24 volt battery not a 18 volt one. And make it last longer otherwise you are forced to invest another $45 in a back up battery so you can get the same job done as the cordless version was able to do.
The previous version has a telescopic feature that enabled you to shorten it from the 10 feet max to around 7 feet. This meant that you were not constantly waving a 10 foot pole around which is very tiring.
The previous version enabled you to "lock" the power on. This enabled you to use both hands to maneuver the trimmer and made it less tiring on your arms and "trigger" finger.
With the extra time it takes because it is under powered, plus the fact that it is always at max 10 feet in length, plus the fact that you have to constantly be holding the trigger "on" it makes it a very, very long and tiring afternoon.
Bottom line, unless you really want a cordless trimmer and you are only going to use it on very light projects, save your money and buy a gas powered trimmer, you'll be glad you did. And again to all those people that keep on saying in their reviews that if this does not do the job you want it to then you are using the "wrong" item. I base my review on the fact that I am using this trimmer on the exact same bushes and hedges as my previous Black and Decker trimmer.
Good for tall tree, but not for bushesAugust 19, 2010 Jason Mayor It is not long enough to trim the top of the hedge when pivoted at 60 degrees.
2 months useAugust 16, 2010 Bill I am in my 70s and fairly fit, have a large garden. This hedger weighs about 8 or 9 pounds not too bad at all. but hangs out about 4-5 feet. I cut hedges of various types, privot, juniper etc. The hedger is long and therefore the weight is out about 4 feet, it helps to latch the switch on freeing up your grip. I generally cut for 30-40 minutes and take a break. The adjustable cutter angle is helpful but at 45 degrees throws off the balance somewhat. I am happy with this hedger, battery life is good, way beyond my 45 minutes of work and charging is no problem. I recommend this hedger if you are able to hold 8 pounds out 4 feet or so physically, otherwise get a norml lenght hedger and use a ladder or taller hedges..
Big disappointmentAugust 4, 2010 Beth I was so excited to get this. My hedges are about 10' high and 10' wide. I only need to trim them once or twice a year at the most so it didn't make since to spend the money on a comercial one. Then it came. It is heavy and flimsy. It did reach the center of the hedges that I could not reach with my regular hedge trimmers but, after about five minutes it started to smoke and smell and shut off. I let it cool down and tried it again and the same thing happened. I sent it back and am waiting for my refund.
Pleased, but could be betterAugust 3, 2010 J. Mahon 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought the Black and Decker NPT318 Cordless Pole Hedge Trimmer based on the reviews on Amazon. And I was pleasantly surprised. I have lots of tall bushes, so I needed an extended reach trimmer. My previous trimmer was the Remington Axcess trimmer with telescoping, tilting handle, AC powered. I finally stripped out the metal gear box trying to cut too large of branches, so time for a new one. Though I worked the Remington VERY hard for 3 years, I liked it, and it held up well (except for the plastic tilt release lever breaking off the first week), the Amazon reviews about it's plastic parts breaking were so bad that I thought maybe I got lucky and had received one of the few good ones. So I decided to look for a different trimmer.
First, I liked the fact that the B&D NPT318 was battery powered .... no more cords to cut and trip over! The battery life was excellent considering how hard this tool works (about an hour of start & stop trimming). And it does cut branches under 3/8" very well. The Remington cut up to 3/4", so the B&D is a compromise in this regard. It is light enough to give you good vertical reach without tiring you out. I even used it one-handed for some tall straight up stuff. But reaching out horizontally is a workout for the shoulder muscles! And the overall tool balance is not as nice as the Remington since the B&D pole does not telescope. This problem is compounded by the fact that the trigger switch cannot be locked in the "ON" position, so you must constantly hold the switch end of the tool, rather than locking the switch "ON" and grabbing the tool farther up the handle where it would be balanced. The B&D is easy to use if you are about 3 -4 feet from the bush, but it is difficult to use close in because you have to keep one hand way back behind you on the trigger. And, depending on your landscaping, or if you're on a ladder (yeah, I know but I don't own a cherry picker!), sometimes you just can't get far enough away from the bush. A telescoping handle would solve this problem! The easy-to-tilt power head helped somewhat in this situation. The motor end of the tool is light weight, so tilting the head does not cause balance problems. Lubricating the blades every hour or so with 30 weight motor oil reduces blade friction, extending the battery life and keeps the blades sharp. You'll also want an extra battery or two. The NPT318 comes with the standard 'cheapy' dumb charger that takes up to 9 hours to recharge a battery. I bought and recommend the B&D model BDFC240 smart charger ($30) which charges up 9.6V - 24V B&D batteries in under 2 hours.
Note to the B&D engineers: go with a 24V battery and increase the cut size to 5/8 or 3/4". Telescoping pole! "ON" lock for the trigger!
SUMMARY:
Pros:
-Battery powered
-Good run-time per battery
-Fairly light weight
-Good vertical reach up to 9 - 10'
-180 degree tilt head; easy to tilt
-Good balance when using vertically
-Cuts up to 3/8" very well
Cons:
-Gets heavy and tiring when reaching out horizontally
-No "ON" lock on switch; have to always hold it "ON"
-Difficult to use close in due to fixed pole length
-Pole does not telescope
-Only cuts up to 3/8" --- really!
