The Bosch AHS 50-20 LI is a fantastic hedge cutter that has some massive benefits over its corded rivals. When you look at the cutters capabilities and look at the price there is a fairly sizeable difference between the corded models and the cordless hedge trimmers. The extra money you spend will save you hours of time and make hedge trimming hassle free.
The Bosch AHS 50-20 LI Cordless Review
As well as the massive benefits from being cordless this model has some other great features that make it an all round great hedge trimmer. Built to deal with some wide hedges and cut through some of the bigger branches you will find in older hedges you will be amazed at what it can tackle. It is surprisingly light weight considering you are carrying around the battery as well, on top of the hedge trimmer itself.
Features
There are a lot of features to talk about on this model so let’s have a look if they are appropriate for what you are looking for.
The Blade
At 50 cm long the blade is capable of dealing with some medium depth hedges, there are models with longer blades on the market but this is long enough to get through some pretty thick growth. The tooth spacing is 20 mm allowing it to glide though some tough growth and small branches. Anything too thick for the standard blades can be dealt with using the sawing function.
Sawing Function
This a really handy feature that is not available on a lot of the cheaper models. It allows you to chop though branches up to 25mm thick. The saw is located at the front of the blade. If you hit a branch that is proving pretty hard to get through, just cut it with the front of the blade and you are away.
Again, this is a huge time saver, especially if you are cutting back old hedges. If you are on a step ladder and you have to stop and get down to get a saw or set of loppers every time you hit a large branch it is going to take a long time to get through a large hedge.
Cordless Power Supply
I have hedges all around my property and a garden that is one hundred feet long. This is by no means massive but with my old corded hedge trimmer I could spend as much time setting up and moving the extension lead as I would trimming the hedge.
With my cordless model it has significantly reduced the number of hours to keep the garden under control. It really is a huge benefit. It gives you a lot of the flexibility of the petrol models without all of the noise.
18 Volt Battery Pack
The battery that is supplied with this model is an 18 volt 2.5 ah Bosch battery. Run time on this will very much depend on how hard the cutter is working.
If you have a lot of hedges it may be worth investing in a second battery. Keep one charging while you are using the other. A spare battery will cost around £40, this is an additional cost you need to think about when comparing this to another model (such as a corded alternative where you don’t need batteries).
The Motor
The electric motor provides plenty of power to chop through some pretty tough branches and old hedge growth.
Anti-Blocking System
This helps stop the cutter getting stuck on tough areas of the hedge. If the blades hit a branch that can’t be cut through it changes the direction of the blades. Quite often I have had to battle to release the cutter from the middle of an old bit of growth which is time consuming and hard work.
Weight
Weighing in at around 2.5 kilograms it is surprisingly light considering that you are carrying the battery and the blades are not particularly small. Compared to some of the cheaper corded models this is lighter with more cutting capability. The AHS 45-16 is the same weight and has nowhere near the capability of this model.
Warranty
Bosch provide a 2 year manufacturers warranty on this model. This is backed by great Bosch customer service and service centres, one of the big benefits of having a warranty from a very large brand.
What The Customers Say
There are a lot of very happy customers out there that have saved a huge amount of time using cordless hedge trimmers. Moving away from the traditional corded models with all of their pitfalls. Have a look below at some of the comments from many happy Bosch AH 50-20 LI Cordless owners.
Don’t have to use secateurs anymore!
The sawing function has helped many people speed up the cutting process by limiting the use of secateurs, cutters and saws. Stopping and putting the cutter down can take take a lot of time especially if you are on a ladder, making this a big time saver.
Short Battery Life
There are a number of customers that would have liked a longer battery life. The issue with this is that bigger batteries weigh more. This problem is easily solved by buying a second battery. Many Bosch cordless tools all use the same batteries so it may well be worth sticking with Bosch for all of your cordless tools and build up a battery collection.
Conclusion
To give an overview of the Bosch AHS 50-20 LI Cordless hedge trimmer, it is a great all round package that addresses many problems with traditional hedge cutters. It is a real time saver compared to a corded model which in busy times can be a real asset. The design is brilliant which keeps it lightweight but with many great functions. Even though it is light it still has a fairly long blade.
In terms of price it is more expensive than standard electric models but still a lot cheaper than the well known petrol brands. It would be wise to factor in an extra battery if you have large hedges.
We highly recommend the Bosch AHS 50-20, it will make your life a lot easier when it comes to keeping the garden tidy.