You can maintain a hedge beautifully with surprisingly few tools — if they're the right ones. This is the working shortlist for 2026, built around what professional crews reach for. (We don't sell any of this and earn nothing from it; it's simply what works.)
Battery hedge trimmers — the category that won
Gas is over for residential hedging: modern battery trimmers cut just as well with none of the noise, fumes, or starting ritual. For homeowner use, the strong picks are the EGO Power+ 26" (huge cut capacity, forgiving), Stihl's HSA battery line (the crew favorite for balance and blade quality), and Makita's 40V XGT trimmers if you're already in their battery ecosystem. Buy whichever matches batteries you own; all three cut a residential hedge without breaking a sweat.
For tall hedges
A pole hedge trimmer with an articulating head — Stihl and EGO both make excellent ones — turns a 10-foot face and top into a from-the-ground job. Past 12 feet, stop: tall-hedge work from ladders is how homeowners get hurt, and it's exactly what a professional crew is for.
Hand tools that matter
One pair of quality bypass shears (Okatsune 231 is the cult classic; ARS and Berger equally respected) for the detail passes power tools can't make. Felco or Corona bypass pruners for individual branches. A string line and two stakes — the humblest tool on this list and the difference between straight and almost-straight.
Or skip the garage entirely
The easiest way to keep a hedge razor-straight is to have it installed right in the first place — spaced correctly, drip at every trunk, the species matched to your light and water. We're supply and install, so the hard part is done before you ever pick up a trimmer. Run your footage through the quiz for an exact price.
Put it to work
Draw your hedge line on a satellite view of your property and get one fixed installation price in about two minutes.
Get your exact price