– ONE+ 18V OPT1845 Cordless Pole Hedge Trimmer, 45cm Blade (Body Only)

I am keen Ryobi ONE+ cordless ONE+ battery fan, owning many Ryobi tools using third party batteries =- 4-5.5A. In the main the Ryobi garden tools are light to use (I am not keen on heavy petrol garden machines – I don’t have loads of upper body strength nor strong wrists nor keen on handling fuel nor inhaling the fumes n or fighting with tools that won’t start etc etc).. A challenge is to understand the different Ryobi battery hedge trimmers on offer - and how to choose... We have some 300 feet of hedges on our main track alone – and other areas too - as we live on what was a farm. I am in my late 50s so tools must be light and without cords too. Our requirement is beyond the average cut in most gardens. We cut at least twice a year depending on growth. BACKGROUND: In 2017 I bought a Ryobi OHT1850X cordless extended reach hedge trimmer – ONE system battery. At the time I bought this as a compromise which I thought would work. I didn’t feel that I needed a pole trimmer and felt a standard hedge trimmer wouldn’t have enough reach. I changed my view in 2019. See below. However after 2 and a half years heavyish use the 1850HX motor burnt out, lots of smoke. In fact it had smoked a couple of times shortly after purchase in 2017 when I realised the motor didn’t seem to cut out adequately when it jammed (inevitable) – ie reached a branch slightly too tough to cut etc. I stuck with it. From that point on I was very careful and tried hard not to jam it. Also, the grey handle in the middle came loose a couple of times during my use. I had to screw it back in. The 1850 HX never seemed very powerful . It also seemed unwieldy, overall a design too compromised although it gives you some extra reach, not huge amount in my view after much use. In retrospect before the motor finally burnt out I felt it never quite worked for me overall. However I felt the machine had given back reasonable value – it has done a lot of work - and given I am bought into Ryobi ONE anyway so I considered what to replace it with in the Ryobi ONE range. REASON FOR PURCHASE IN 2019: I needed a replacement and decided to buy two machines: a Ryobi pole hedge trimmer OPT1845 (ONE system battery again) AND a more standard hedge trimmer OHT1855R (ONE system battery again). That was the right decision. To me these seem much better designed machines to the 1850HX – less prone to jamming and I suspect the motors do/will more quickly cut out if jamming is a threat - ie that aspect of motor design may have improved – Ryobi don’t say that but that’s how it seems to me. Time will tell. Both machines seem superior in design and complement each other well. The 45cm Pole trimmer has lots of reach. I have used the extension pole (ie 2.9 metres reach) and this longest length is not easy to manoeuvre but with practice it is very usable for short periods. It is heavy and does strain your arms. Without the pole the reach is still good - and somewhat easier/lighter to use - but you need to set it up for the length you need, of course at the time. We have areas of height and width that require the longest reach. This device works well in my view. This 45cm pole trimmer doesn’t seem to have a smoky breakdown if it jams a moment. I think the design of that aspect is better than my old 1850HX Likewise the OHT1855R has same attribute – feels more able to just stop and not smoke (!) and the reach of 55cm is very good. This is a very light machine, ideal for me with lots of hedging etc. I haven’t used the rotating handle just yet. The ‘Hedgetrimmer Sweep’ feature is useful too. However the priority here has always been to just have trimmers that work / last etc – I am not after the very highest quality finish. The finish is good / very good and that is fine by us. Our replacement trimmers seem to have the capability of ‘sawing’ through thicker stems too. These tools will last a fair time on the larger 5 amp batteries (third party I use), say 30-45 minutes pretty much continuous use. That aspect is no problem if you have 2-3 batteries. I have 6, more than enough as I need a break too! I use a Ryobi self propelled petrol mower for now and await a good Ryobi battery equivalent. I think that could be a long wait. I need a genuinely strong and durable battery machine and think it will be many years before one will be on sale.

This is VERY heavy and not particularly well balanced, being top heavy. It's very powerful and cuts the hedge. However I think the hedge sweeper is only any use for light hedges such as privet, otherwise it gets stuck on awkward branches. The dual safety buttons are awkward to press so once on, I suggest you do as much as you can in one sweep. The length is fine, but it definitely not something to use up a ladder. I have a short Ryobi hedge trimmer as well and personally I think it's more useful. Having said all this, I'm very pleased with the Ryobi kit I have - mower, strimmer and the two hedge cutters and the battery is powerful and lasts well

I have a high hedge surrounding the rear of my property, with the addition of a few independent conifers. The rearmost hedge is a particular challenge as it is primarily mature holly, which is difficult to handle. Having watched professionals cutting a yew hedge at a National Trust property recently, I realised that this tool was the way to go. I am however getting old, with arthritis in my shoulders exacerbated by an old injury, and the tool is not so much heavy as unwieldy, especially with the extension piece fitted. The strap doesn't help much either, but it makes trimming the hedges and conifer tops a simple, if somewhat tiring, operation. Having read some other reviews prior to purchase I decided to forego the Ryobi battery option and purchased a pair of 3rd party batteries and charger for less money than a single Ryobi battery. Whether this will prove a sensible option, only time will tell, but there have been no problems so far. The batteries have each provided ample power for as much hedge cutting as I feel inclined to do, without running out of power. This is an excellent, well made product which I hope will provide many more years of garden maintenance.

The Ryobi One extending hedge trimmer is a really handy tool. The extendable reach makes it easy to tackle tall hedges without needing a ladder, and the blade cuts through branches cleanly. It’s lighter than I expected for its size, and the battery life is decent. The only downside is that after a while it can feel a bit heavy when fully extended, so it’s better suited to shorter bursts of trimming rather than long sessions. Still, for the convenience and performance, it’s a great addition to my myriad of Ryobi One tools

Haven't actually used it yet on a main hedge but it does well on topping off the buddleia. A little bit top heavy in prolonged use so I may get the large body harness and the extension poles are rather flexible being mainly fibre glass. Looking forward to getting on with my daughter's large overgrown hedge to really put it through it's paces, here's hoping all goes well

Coming from someone who uses several professional hedge cutters for work purposes, this is rather tricky to use and overall a mixed bag. However, considering the price it's pretty decent for home use (which is what I purchased it for), but here are some things I think are worth knowing: - I arrogantly ignored the other reviews about weight before purchasing, thinking the comments were coming from those who don't use hedge cutters often, but no this thing is rather heavy. The issue is that it's top heavy with the trigger controls at the far opposite end. Imagine you have a long pole with a tiny grip and a lump of metal at the far end, that's what its like to try and wield this. It's especially bad when you use the extension pole to extend it over 2 metres. - The harness doesn't really do much to support the weight and I ended up taking it off at times - Considering the price, you get an alright bit of kit here which is decently well made in terms of the quality and performance. It cuts fine, has a nice sweeper attachment which helps remove cuttings if you're doing the top of a hedge. I used a 5.0Ah battery for about 45 minutes and only lost one bar of charge. The noise levels are low at 95dB but still wore ear protection as it's over 85. Would also recommend a face shield or some kind of goggles at the very least, I had a piece of hedge shoot towards my eye the first time I used it and luckily I had a shield on but I could see the mark it left... - Two issues I have with the design is that the trigger and grip are at the very bottom of the device and the adjustable angles aren't great for cutting the sides of a hedge. I'm used to holding the grip further up as it gives you far more control and makes the weight distribution a lot better. The grip and trigger can also be uncomfortable to use on the hands, you have to awkwardly slide the safety switch up and then grip the trigger rather tightly as there's a lot of resistance in the trigger itself. This is especially difficult when tilting the device on its side to cut along the side of a hedge. I get that its a safety feature so that it doesn't turn on easily but yeah, it wares the user out quickly and cramps up your hand. The adjustable head works well for the tops of hedges, but typically when you're cutting the side you want to angle it slightly away from the hedge so that you never accidentally point inwards and gouge chunks out - this isn't possible with the Ryobi as the only adjustable point for pointing away from the hedge is almost a 45 degree angle which is too much. - The reach is very good, I did most of the garden without the extension, and then the tops of some tall hedges with the extension. It gives a lot of reach but it's very hard to control at that height and considerably more heavy as you're putting the heaviest part even further away from where you're holding onto. My review may put people off but for the price I'd say it isn't an awful piece of equipment. For me it came down to the fact that I already had their charger and battery, so it made sense to get this instead of another brand. After the first 20 minutes I got the hang of the weight and how to control it, and after that it felt a bit better to use. It's great for casual use, and I'd even think about using it if starting out self-employed, but for longer use periods, bigger projects, or well established self-employed gardeners this isn't an obvious choice. You'd need to pay 4-8 times the amount for excellent kit, so that's worth weighing up.

As with the other reviewers, I bought this to cut a large hedge about 2m high, 2m thick, and 30m long. I have the smaller hand-held Ryobi hedge trimmer and thought this would be a nice upgrade, as my hedge is now too large for it. This does the job of cutting hedges. It's pretty powerful. I had no cutting issues, and with a 5.0a/h battery, it lasted well over an hour, so there are no issues with battery life or performance. The main problems are weight and ergonomics. It's heavy even without the extension pole attached, and with it attached, it becomes almost unmanageable. Cutting vertically is fine. A bit heavy but gets the job done. Cutting horizontally, though, is another story. As it's so top-heavy, the pivot point is so far up the pole you, if you can manage to lift it up you can hardly pull the trigger and manoeuvrability is very unspecific. Overall you get what you pay for, and for £122, it's fine. If I only have to use this once a year, it's worth it. If you're on the skinny/weak side (or possibly a female, sorry but my wife couldn't manage it), you might want to consider otherwise. I used this for wellbover an hour, and I'm sore all over my back, shoulders, etc. It really gives you a workout.

It works well a bit heavy for a 70 yr old