Mountfield 2424 hedge trimmer.

Thoughts for anyone considering buying them after using them to trim a 30' x 16' x 8' leylandii hedge.

General thoughts

It's VERY heavy. I know its a relative measurement but I was unable to hold it one handed, which cuts down the reach considerably.
The anti-vibration really helped and made them very comfortable to use.
The 3 position handle is pathetic, cheap, nasty and flimsy, I fully expect it will be the first thing to snap.
The blade transport guard is a joke, the plastic is similar to that of a cell tray insert.
The handle release button is very close to the off switch which is not funny 20ft up a ladder.
The choke lever is also easily caught when cutting, stalling the engine.
The exhaust is directed out of the front over the blade - which is nice having melted the fleece I was wearing previously.

Starting / Stopping
The pull cord seems to be a an odd angle to the unit, making holding it and pulling the cord difficult, but on the floor or a bench it's easy.
No problems with cold or warm starts and I wasn't standing pulling the cord endless times.

Cutting vertically
Very simple and easy, position the handle and allow the weight of the machine to cut, just had to climb up the ladder. Had no problems cutting cleanly into 2 year old growth.

Cutting horizontally
The weight means it really needs to be at chest height your below and held with both hands.
No problems with annual growth but on dense areas of matted or twisted material the cutters tended to bounce out or chew rather than cut. Cutting capacity was certainly no where near the 25mm stated unless it was 1 branch clear of anything else.

It's easier to use and more controllable than my expandit attachment and the cut is cleaner although the lack of reach was very limiting requiring twice the ladder work.  The cutting capacity was very disappointing, my main reason for buying was to cut dense (not thick) material quickly and cleanly and they were no better than my 350w electric trimmers at it. Ended up cutting out the thin stuff then using loppers.

hi wouldnt it be easier to cut the leylandi down by 20 feet no more long ladders needed  jezza

16' high not 30' - Length x height x width    They're the height of the bedroom windows for a reason, even I wouldn't let them got to 30'. 

hi if you are getting a new replacement hedgeutter check the label to make sure its brand new not a refurbished one, a mate of mine sent his away for the rear handle to be fixed  the serial number on the replacement did not match the ones on the machine sent for repair when we asked  the dealer about it he said it was cheaper to take a repaired one off the shelf than repair the handle under warranty   jezza