The best Black+Decker hedge trimmers, compared.
Top pick: Black+Decker GTC1845L20-QW Best value: Black+Decker BEHT201-GB – The same listing. The 36 V tool is about £83.49 before a pack and a charger, and the 18 V listing is about £125 without a stated amp-hour. Neither is a cheaper way to a working trimmer. Updated October 2026.
A hedge trimmer is a powered cutter for hedges, shrubs and brambles. In a UK garden you buy one to keep a domestic hedge in shape. It is not a petrol machine and it is not a pair of hand shears. A corded tool only reaches as far as an outdoor socket, an RCD and a lead you can keep behind you. A cordless tool only cuts if the pack is the right voltage and is either supplied or already owned. You recognise a suitable one by tooth gap against the stems you have, then by blade length. The cutting-width field on a listing often copies the blade length, so do not read that figure as the gap. An 18 V pack is not a 36 V pack. Use a UK plug and an RCD, and do not trim in the rain. The category is noise-marked, and there is no single decibel cap. Those checks, in order, are set out in the [hedge trimmer buying guide](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/black-and-decker-hedge-trimmer/sub/black-and-decker-hedge-trimmer-buying-guide).
A hedge trimmer is a powered cutter for hedges, shrubs and brambles. In a UK garden you buy one to keep a domestic hedge in shape. It is not a petrol machine and it is not a pair of hand shears.
12 products checked · 54 hrs invested · +18,600 readers
Swipe for more
1-2 of 3
Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Can you keep a lead behind you from an outdoor socket?
The GTC1845L20-QW is listed at £125 as an 18 V cordless trimmer with a 45 cm blade and an 18 mm pitch. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.6 from 3,980 reviews, the highest count in this folder, yet only one of the 50 saved review bodies is labelled United Kingdom. That UK review says the tool is light and easy to use, which is too little to treat 3,980 stars as British owners. The first bullet mentions a lithium battery, but amp-hours are not in the saved file, and the title on the amazon.co.uk URL is German. Item weight is 2.6 kg, and the cutting-width field repeats 45 cm, the blade length, rather than the 18 mm pitch. A double switch and 1,300 RPM are claimed on the listing. The page does not give you a UK-named kit or a stated amp-hour to check against a pack you already own. Skip it when you need those facts; the star average alone does not supply them.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already accept an 18 V listing whose UK review sample is a single saved body and whose amp-hours are not printed.
Less suitable: You want a UK-named kit, a stated amp-hour, or a review sample you can read as British owners.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this 18 V trimmer cordless, and is a battery listed?
The listing says battery powered and 18 volts. The first bullet mentions a lithium battery. Amp-hours are not in the saved listing. The saved price is £125.00.
What blade does the listing state?
45 cm long with an 18 mm pitch. Item weight is 2.6 kg. The cutting-width field says 45 cm, the same as the blade length. A double switch is claimed.
Are the 3,980 reviews labelled as UK reviews?
The amazon.co.uk line is 4.6 out of 5 from 3,980. In the saved file, one of the 50 review bodies is labelled United Kingdom. That review says the tool is light and easy to use.
The BEHT201-GB cuts a domestic hedge from the mains: a 45 cm blade, a 420 W motor and a 16 mm maximum cut, listed at £44.94 on amazon.co.uk. Across 1,331 reviews the line is 4.5, and all 50 saved review bodies are labelled United Kingdom, which is the only large UK sample in this set. Reviewers often praise how light it feels; Amazon prints 1.92 kg and the manual prints 1.91 kg. The same UK reviews keep returning to a lead or plug that comes out, and to cables the blade has cut. The manual states 230 V, 1,960 strokes a minute and a guaranteed sound power of 100 dB(A), while the Amazon listing prints 240 V. Stems over 16 mm are outside that manual, so a jam is a reason to stop rather than to push. It is the sensible buy for a short privet within reach of an outdoor socket and an RCD. It is a poor match for a hedge at the far end of the garden, or for anyone who will not keep a cable behind them.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have a short hedge near an outdoor socket and will use an RCD and keep the cable behind you.
Less suitable: The hedge is beyond a sensible lead, the stems are over 16 mm, or you do not want a cable in the cut.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the BEHT201-GB cordless?
No. The amazon.co.uk listing says corded electric, 240 volts and a 420 W motor. The price in the saved file is £44.94.
How thick a stem does the listing allow?
The bullets say a 16 mm maximum cut. The cutting-width field is also 16 mm. Blade length is 45 cm.
What do the saved UK reviews repeat?
All 50 saved review bodies are labelled United Kingdom. Praise centres on low weight. The repeated fault is a lead or plug that comes out, and cables cut by the blade. The listing average is 4.5 from 1,331 reviews.
The BCHTS36B-XJ is a 36 V hedge trimmer listed at £83.49 with a 55 cm blade, a 22 mm tooth gap and a saw tip claimed up to 35 mm. The battery is not in the box, so that price does not cut anything until you add a Black+Decker 36 V pack and a charger. Across 291 amazon.co.uk reviews the line is 4.1, and the 17 UK-labelled reviews in the saved sample centre on the missing pack. Those buyers also warn that the pack is not the same as their other Black+Decker cordless tools, which rules out an 18 V POWERCONNECT battery. Amazon lists the weight at 3.5 kg; the UK tool-only page says 3.2 kg. A 36 V 2.0 Ah pack, BL20362-XJ, was about £67.10 in one amazon.co.uk check and that listing still excludes the charger. The 90-minute run and charge claims belong to kit BCHTS3620L1-GB, not to this bare ASIN. It is worth buying only when a 36 V pack is already on your shelf and the hedge wants the longer blade.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own a Black+Decker 36 V battery and charger and want the 55 cm blade.
Less suitable: You need a working kit for £83.49, or you only have an 18 V POWERCONNECT pack.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the BCHTS36B-XJ come with a battery?
No. The listing says the battery is not included and the included components are the 36 V hedge trimmer only. The saved price is £83.49.
What cutting size does the listing state?
Bullets say a 55 cm blade, a 22 mm gap, and a saw tip for branches up to 35 mm. The cutting-width field says 55 cm, the same figure as the blade length.
Do UK reviews say any Black+Decker battery will fit?
The listing says the 36 V platform. In the 17 UK-labelled reviews in the saved sample, buyers warn that the pack is not the same as their other Black+Decker cordless tools. The listing average is 4.1 from 291 reviews.
Three amazon.co.uk listings were scored on 22 October 2026. This is not a lab test, and scores published for other models are not applied here. Stars are the rating divided by 5, times 70, rounded. Review volume is log10 of the review count, times 10, rounded, and capped at 30. Those two caps are the weights, and they sum to 100. Shelf price, a battery in the box, tooth gap and how many saved reviews are labelled United Kingdom decide the awards. They are not a second penalty inside the number. The top pick and the best value are the same listing, so no second row carries an award.
Stars
70%The amazon.co.uk rating divided by 5, times 70, rounded. The cap is 70. A thin UK sample does not change this arithmetic. It can withhold the award when the saved review bodies are almost all outside the United Kingdom.
Review volume
30%log10 of the amazon.co.uk review count, times 10, rounded, and capped at 30. The cap is the weight. A lead that UK reviews say falls out, a bare tool sold without a pack, and a star line whose saved bodies are almost all outside the United Kingdom were discussed and not folded into the number.
Choose power reach first, then tooth gap, then blade length, then whether the battery is actually in the box. A corded tool stops at the lead. A cordless tool stops if the pack is the wrong voltage or is not supplied.
A hedge trimmer in this comparison is a domestic cutter for hedges, shrubs and brambles. It is not a petrol machine and it is not a hand shear. You are choosing how far the tool can reach, the tooth gap against the stems you have, and whether a battery is in the box. Power reach comes first. A corded tool only works as far as an outdoor socket, an RCD and a lead you can keep behind you. A cordless tool only works if the pack is the right voltage and is supplied or already owned.
About £83.49 does not include a battery or a charger. A 36 V 2.0 Ah pack was about £67.10 in one amazon.co.uk check, and that listing still excludes the charger. The 90-minute run and charge claims belong to kit BCHTS3620L1-GB, not to the bare ASIN.
On the cordless listings the cutting-width field copies the blade length. 55 cm is not a 55 cm gap, and 45 cm is not the 18 mm pitch. Match the stated gap or pitch to the stems, and stop if the blade jams.
The 18 V listing is 4.6 from 3,980 reviews. One of 50 saved review bodies is labelled United Kingdom. That is not a UK sample. Amp-hours are not printed, and the title on the amazon.co.uk URL is German.
A corded tool only works as far as an outdoor socket, an RCD and a lead you can keep behind you. A cordless tool only works if the pack is the right voltage and is supplied or already owned. Price the working kit, not the bare headline. The 36 V listing at about £83.49 does not include a battery or a charger, so that price does not cut anything until both are added. A 36 V 2.0 Ah pack was about £67.10 in one check and still excluded the charger.
Match the gap to the stems before you compare blade length. In this set that is 16 mm and 45 cm on the corded tool, an 18 mm pitch and 45 cm on the 18 V listing, and a 22 mm gap with a 55 cm blade on the 36 V listing. A longer blade covers more hedge in one pass. It does not cut a thicker stem. The amazon cutting-width field copies blade length on the cordless listings, so do not read 55 cm as the gap. A saw tip claimed up to 35 mm is on the 36 V listing, not on every model.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You have a short hedge within a lead of an outdoor socket, and you will use an RCD and keep the cable behind you. The BEHT201-GB is corded, with a 45 cm blade and a stated 16 mm cut, at about £44.94. The line is 4.5 from 1,331 reviews, and all 50 saved review bodies are labelled United Kingdom.
You already own a Black+Decker 36 V battery and charger and you want the 55 cm blade. The BCHTS36B-XJ is about £83.49 with a 22 mm gap and a saw tip claimed up to 35 mm. The battery is not in the box. An 18 V pack does not fit.
You already accept an 18 V listing whose UK review sample is a single saved body and whose amp-hours are not printed. The GTC1845L20-QW is about £125, with 4.6 from 3,980 reviews. One of 50 saved review bodies is labelled United Kingdom. The title on the amazon.co.uk URL is German.
The top pick and the best value in this set are the same listing: the Black+Decker BEHT201-GB at about £44.94. It scores 93, with 4.5 from 1,331 reviews, and all 50 saved review bodies are labelled United Kingdom. It is corded, so the price is a working tool. The 36 V listing is about £83.49 before a pack and a charger. The 18 V listing is about £125 without a stated amp-hour, and its star line is not a UK sample. Neither is a cheaper way to a working trimmer. None of these scores is a lab test.
Black+Decker BEHT201-GB
The same listing. The 36 V tool is about £83.49 before a pack and a charger, and the 18 V listing is about £125 without a stated amp-hour. Neither is a cheaper way to a working trimmer.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these three listings were scored on 22 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk (tag pcuk26-21). If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are taken from those listings. We did not run a lab test.
