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Makita cordless hedge trimmer buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You searched amazon.co.uk for a Makita hedge trimmer and most of the rows are other brands that claim an 18 V slide pack. The STEEIRO at about £49.99 and the Makita DUH523RF at about £199.41 answer different questions, and the star line does not say whether a battery is in the box. This Makita cordless hedge trimmer buying guide sets the order: brand field, the pack you already own, bar length, tooth gap, then whether you can reach the top from the ground. The seven shelf prices are on the [Makita cordless hedge trimmer comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/makita-cordless-hedge-trimmer). Peter F. read the listings on 22 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You searched amazon.co.uk for a Makita hedge trimmer and most of the rows are other brands that claim an 18 V slide pack.

Our top picks

Makita Makita DUH523RF

Best overall

Makita Makita DUH523RF
9.4/10about £199.41
View offer
KIESBOHR KIESBOHR CSL502

Best value

KIESBOHR KIESBOHR CSL502
9.2/10about £74.99
View offer
OHAISFELA OHAISFELA 58 cm

Alternative

OHAISFELA OHAISFELA 58 cm
9.2/10about £68.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Genuine Makita or only the battery
  2. 2.Bar length and the cutting-width cell
  3. 3.Tooth gap and thick wood
  4. 4.When the hedge is taller than you

Genuine Makita or only the battery

The brand field is Makita on one row only, the DUH523RF. OHAISFELA, KIESBOHR, STEEIRO and Roadtime are other makers that claim a fit on Makita 18 V packs. Six of the seven listings are bare. A body price buys a working afternoon only when a charged BL pack is already in the shed. KIESBOHR states a limit the others often leave off the page. The CSL502 and the CSL401 both say they are not for G-series packs. STEEIRO, both OHAISFELA rows and the Roadtime do not print that line, so a G-series pack on those bodies is a guess. Makita's DUH523 manual says to use its packs only in products Makita specifies, and it warns that other cartridges may cause injury or fire. The carton argument is on the bare tool or kit page.

Bar length and the cutting-width cell

Which? says a bar of about 45–60 cm suits most people on a garden hedge. Every handheld here sits in that band: STEEIRO 50 cm, CSL502 51 cm, OHAISFELA and Roadtime 52 cm, the Makita at 520 mm, and the longer OHAISFELA at 58 cm. On a long side boundary the 58 cm bar covers more each time you walk the length, which is the case for paying about £68.99 rather than about £49.99 when the battery is already yours. Amazon's cutting-width cell is easy to misread. On the 52 cm OHAISFELA the table prints 0.6 inches beside a 52 cm blade. The 15 mm claim is in the bullets, not in that width cell. Take the bar from the title. Makita's UK sheet states 2,700 strokes per minute for the DUH523, the manual states 1,350, and the Amazon cell follows the manual. An OHAISFELA speed cell of 22,000 RPM is a different count.
Makita Makita DUH523RF

Testsieger

Makita Makita DUH523RF
9.4/10about £199.41
View offer

Tooth gap and thick wood

The printed gap claims are STEEIRO 20 mm, CSL502 16 mm, the 52 cm OHAISFELA 15 mm, Roadtime 16 mm and the 58 cm OHAISFELA 17 mm. The DUH523RF listing does not state a tooth gap. Makita's UK sheet for the DUH523 states a 15 mm opening and 26 mm tooth spacing, and that sheet is a different document from the Amazon row. Which? points you to loppers once stems are past about 1 cm. A 16 mm bullet describes an annual trim of soft growth, not a hedge full of pencil-thick wood. One CSL502 reviewer oils the blades and stops at about 10 mm on a 4 Ah Makita pack. That is one person's limit, not a figure you can paste onto every body. Who each listing suits is on the best Makita cordless hedge trimmer page.

When the hedge is taller than you

A longer handheld does not remove the ladder if the top is above your head. The only pole in this table is the KIESBOHR CSL401 at about £94.99, with a 41 cm head and a stated length up to 262 cm. UK reviews call it heavy when fully extended, and they say the cutter stays on the shaft, so you cannot park the pole and use the head as a short trimmer. Makita's DUN poles are dealer models, and they are not rows in this comparison. The tall hedges page keeps the CSL401 reach and those DUN lengths in separate sentences. A privet you can finish with both feet on the path does not need a pole.

Common questions

Is a listing for Makita 18V a Makita hedge trimmer?
The brand field says Makita only on the DUH523RF. OHAISFELA, KIESBOHR, STEEIRO and Roadtime use the Makita name for the battery they claim to accept. A click-fit reported by a reviewer is evidence that a pack ran in that tool. It is not a line from Makita specifying that body.
I already own BL1850B packs. What do I decide next?
Match the hedge, then the bar. A short privet can take a 50–52 cm bare body if a third-party tool is acceptable. A long face is the reason to look at the 58 cm OHAISFELA, whose reviews are shared with the 52 cm listing. If the top is out of reach, the CSL401 is the pole in this table. Open the DUH523RF when the tool itself has to be Makita.
Is 50 cm different from 58 cm on a garden hedge?
On a short hedge, the difference is small. Which? treats about 45–60 cm as the usual garden range, and both lengths sit inside it. On a long boundary the 58 cm OHAISFELA covers more of the face per pass, at about £68.99 against about £49.99 for the STEEIRO, and you still supply the battery either way.
What does 16 mm tooth spacing change?
It is the seller's figure for the stem that enters the teeth, separate from the length of the bar. The CSL502 states 16 mm tooth spacing. Which? suggests loppers once growth is past about 1 cm, and one CSL502 reviewer stops around 10 mm. Thicker wood on a neglected hedge needs loppers or a contractor.
Will an 18 V body cut a neglected woody hedge?
The reviews in this set describe a lighter job: box, small bushes and thinner branches on the compatible handhelds, and small hedges, hawthorn and privet on the DUH523RF. Plan on loppers above about 1 cm. Call someone in for a hard reduction, or if the cut would go into brown wood on a conifer.
Why does cutting width say 0.6 inches on a 52 cm tool?
On the 52 cm OHAISFELA the specification table prints 0.6 inches as cutting width beside a 52 cm blade. The 15 mm figure is in the bullets, not in that width cell. Use the title for the bar. Do not fold the 0.6 inch cell and the 15 mm bullet into one number.

Related pages

Makita cordless hedge trimmer comparison

Best Makita cordless hedge trimmer

Makita hedge trimmer bare tool or kit

Pole hedge trimmer for Makita 18V battery

How to trim a hedge with a cordless hedge trimmer

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings saved with this set. Page updated 23 October 2026.

  1. Makita UK: DUH523 product sheet (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  2. Makita DUH523 instruction manual (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  3. Makita UK: DUN500W pole hedge trimmer (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  4. RHS: how to trim a hedge (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  5. GOV.UK: hedgerow management rules (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  6. RSPB: birds' nests and nestboxes (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  7. GOV.UK: outdoor noise regulations 2001 (retrieved 23.10.2026)
  8. Which?: how to buy the best hedge trimmer (retrieved 23.10.2026)