If you don't do it that often, they work. I have the smallest craftsman for touch up, you be surprise how nice it works. Get one with changable batteries so you can finish the whole thing without running out. For maintenance, it is not too bad. Using gas trimmer and only use it once every few months will not last. Get the highest voltage you can find. I know Craftsman has a 24V, if you can get higher, get higher. I don't know whether they have commercial ones, get the best.

I have had a B&D 18v hedge trimmer for about a year. It was for a special purpose trimming job and it came with a circular saw and cutoff saw as some sort of bonus - do not remember the deal. The two batteries last just a short time and I usually have to recharge them just before using them. If I do not, a single battery may not do the job.

Thanks for the insights guys.

After doing a little web surfing on the issue, I think I may try to add two Black and Decker cordless tools so that I have 2 batteries to use for each job.

The other one I am thinking about is the cordless blower/hard surface "broom". I'm not expecting alot of power from that one (I have a gas powered blower for bigger jobs), just a blower I can grab, stick the battery in and blow off patios and sidewalks with (leaves and grass cuttings mostly).

So... does anyone have any experience with the B & D cordless "broom" blower?

I looked at Consumer Report, it only show B&D 18V. Check out the latest to see they have 24V. Else, check Craftsman for 24V. I have seen 24V Craftsman in OSH. It is very important to get the highest voltage for the extra power. I don't think brand is important at all( I looked at those before, none have good blades period!!), mainly the voltage.

Well, I surfed Sears' web site and didn't see any 24 volt ones. Maybe they sell them somewhere else?

I saw it in OSH just yesterday. It is a non changable battery though. Don't tell me my eyes are going!!!

Anyway, you get the drift, higher the voltage, the better it is. The reason is because connecting wires, switch contacts, motor winding and motor brush all have slight resistance. When the motor draw current, voltage drop across any resistance. Let say you have a 12V unit. The resistance drop 3V, you really get 9V of cutting power. You lost 25% of power. But if you have 24V battery, it drop 3V, you still have 21V, you only lost 1/8 of power which is 12.5%. You lost only half. That is half the reason. The other half because "power=current X voltage". If voltage double, current cut to half to get the same power, less current cause less voltage drop in all the resistance, this further help.

So find the highest voltage, brands don't matter.

I went on the web to check, I refuse to think I am seeing things!!!!
Here is what I found on ebay which is what I saw in OSH, the yellow color Craftsman.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CRAFTSMAN-24-VOLT-18-CORDLESS-24V-HEDGE-TRIMMER-74802_W0QQitemZ150312217239QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item150312217239&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Paste in the whole long thing!!!

I found a 24V blower

http://www.amazon.com/TurboGarden-Featherweight-Cordless-Rechargeable-Blower/dp/B001L9MSRM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1229249616&sr=1-10

Thanks for the imput guys. I wound up buying both Black and Decker cordless models. At least I'll have two batteries. I didn't find any 24 volt models locally and went with what was available.

I'll try to drop by with an update once I get to use them.

Thanks again.

Give us an update. I don't have any experience with cordless lawn tools except my small 6V Craftsman hedge trimmer for very small touch up.

A little bit late, but hope this helps. I am the owner of a B&D 18V trimmer, also had the 18v cordless sweeper. Bought these about 3 years ago, when they were shipping with 2 batteries each (had 4 total).

The single biggest problem is the battery - the NiCads develop memory problem over time and start to hold less and less charge and now I am looking for a gas powered trimmer - as the batteries are about $35 each. If someone knows of a way to keep the NiCads from this memory problem let me know. If someone knows of a way to recover older batteries with the memory problem, please pass that knowledge on.

How did they work? The string trimmer did work very well for me (I used it strictly for trimming close to the fence), and also edging. However, the edges have to be well maintained (no huge overgrowths, other wise it will struggle). I did not use this for "weedwhacking", I usually pull weeds out by hand. The cordless broom is just that - a broom, it shouldn't be classified as a blower.

I started out with the intention of being a totally green homeowner, I had the following equipment:

a) A push reel mower - I used this for about a year and gave up. Mowing wet grass, somewhat tall grass (I had to mow at least twice a week during summer), it was pure murder. Now, I have a Toro recycler.

b) A cordless broom (B&D 18v) - Had to pony up to a corded Toro electric blower, the broom just didn't cut it by itself.

c) A cordless string trimmer (B&D 18v) - I am in the process of looking for a replacement. Though I could use the batteries from the blower as well, all the batteries have aged and are not holding charge well.

d) Craftsman electric edger - Though the B&D cordless is supposed to edge (and it does), it is good enough for light edging only.

A burglary - To top it off, I had my garage, broken into, late last year and thieves made off with the cordless blower (with one battery still in it), the Toro electric blower, the Toro mower, and a Karcher 3KPSI pressure washer. I replaced the Toros (with the same models) and still in the lookout for a new pressure washer. It was in the course of my research into a new string trimmer that I ran into this post and thought I would contribute. For the average home owner the cordless trimmer is a good concept, but the batteries are consumables, and you should factor that into the ownership cost.

My apologies - I just now saw that the original post was about a "hedge trimmer". My experience is with a "string trimmer". I DO NOT have the cordless hedge trimmer - only an electric B&D.

But IMHO, all cordless will run into this batter memory issue. So hopefully my experience is useful.

The battery do get old. One problem is people do not drain the battery all the way before recharging. This is bad for the battery. I have a Ryobi set that comes with a flash light that use the battery, I occasionally put the battery, leave the light on until it is totally drained before recharging it again. This will help to erase the memory. If the battery is too far gone, it won't help either. You can try use until the trimmer quit, let it sit, try again, it will still turn a little. Keep doing this until it does not even turn after sitting for a while. If you have a lock on the trigger, just keep it on and leave it over night. Then recharge it again. Use until it drain, do the same thing. If there is any life left, you should see some improvement. If not, that's it.

This apply to all NiCad battery. Draining is the only way to erase the memory.

If you want a gas trimmer and want to have low emmission. Get the Husqvarna 324Lx. It has a Honda 4 cycle engine. Quiet and save gas and good for enviroment. I don't like the Honda brand trimmer. I have one. They use cable drive and no attachments.

Robin/Makita/Dolmar have a 4 cycle 25cc trimmer, it has a very good engine.

I can't recommend Stihl 4MIx and Shindaiwa C4 type of 4 cycles because there are enough complains on them. They are the kind that use 50:1 mix instead of separate oil as the two I memtioned above. Oil in gas cause deposit on valves which can cause serious damage.