Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

With spring in full swing in Florida, the hedges surrounding the shop have seemed like they’re growing in hyperdrive. Getting our hands on the Skil 40V line of OPE tools couldn’t have been more timely. In another month, we’d have hedges flirting with becoming full-blown eyesores. But, as it stands, the super convenient Skil 40V Hedge Trimmer helped us quickly beat back the spring growth.

The Skil 24-inch hedge trimmer features a brushless motor that produces 3,000 strokes per minute. It also has a 24″ dual-action blade that cuts in both directions. Finally, a 3/4″ cut capacity checks off the baseline cutting width we expect for any decent homeowner hedge trimmer. At 3/4″, you should even be able to tackle branches that have gotten a little out of control.

With maintained shrubbery, the Skil has no problem working quickly. We found that between the power and the length of the blades, we could tackle the tops or sides of most shrubbery in a single pass.

As we came upon shrubs that needed a bit more work, due to either a bit of overgrowth or just some thicker branches, we had to slow down a bit. The Skil 40V hedge trimmer is fully capable of getting through branches around the 1/2″ to 3/4″ mark, but you have to take a bit more time to let it work.

At 6 lbs bare tool weight, this hedge trimmer is one of the lightest we’ve come across—even lighter than the EGO 24″ brushless hedge trimmer. Attaching the kitted 2.5 Ah battery adds around 3 lbs, putting the working weight at a reasonable 9 lbs.

Weight becomes particularly important when you work at shoulder-height and above. Since the Skil 24-inch hedge trimmer stays so light, we found working with it to be a real joy. It’s extremely maneuverable, even when you need to approach hedges at an odd angle.

A soft-start motor is one of those features that might divide a room. On some saws, we find it critical. Personally, I don’t see the need for it with a hedge trimmer, and I think Skil could have left it out here.

With a two-stage safety trigger in place, the soft-start feature feels like a bit of overkill. We’re not running any risk of an unholy amount of torque wrenching the tool out of our hand, and it’s not going to take off without us. We’re certain others will love this feature.

One of the things that occurred when the cordless Skil tools were acquired by Chervon is they updated the battery platform. Chervon is the company behind the EGO Power+ line of OPE tools—they know a thing or two about outdoor power equipment and battery technology.

The new technology sees each cell of the battery wrapped with cooling material to keep the battery running for 25% longer with twice the lifespan.

We put the Skil 24″ hedge trimmer through its paces for around 30 minutes of pretty consistent trimming. We didn’t get through half of the battery before the job was finished.

In the event that you do exhaust the battery before the job is done, the PWRJump charger can get you back to a 30% charge in just 15 minutes.

The Skil 40V hedge trimmer will run you about $179 for the tool, 2.5 Ah PWRCore 40 battery, and PWRJump charger. For comparison’s sake, this is what we’re seeing from comparable hedge trimmer kits on the DIY landscape:

All Skil 40V outdoor power tools come with a 5-year warranty as well.

The Skil 24-inch hedge trimmer has the homeowner in mind, and to that end, it makes for a great option. It’s both light and agile. With its 24″ reach and brushless motor, you can trim a deeper hedge in a single pass without having to bend over too much. You’ll want to keep your hedges maintained as performance slowed a bit with a lot of overgrowth. But, with this tool being as convenient as it is, that won’t be too much of a problem.

When he doesn't have his hands on tools himself, Chris is often the man behind the camera lens making the rest of the team look good. In his free time, you might find Chris with his nose jammed in a book, or tearing out his remaining hair while watching Liverpool FC. He enjoys his faith, family, friends, and the Oxford comma.

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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros