The Garden Groom Pro electric hedge trimmer offers a tempting alternative to standard hedge trimmers. The Pro uses a 11.4-inch-diameter cutting head to trim greenery, and it cleans up after itself.

The Garden Groom Pro's 500-watt electric motor powers its concealed blade. That blade cuts up to 0.6-inch-diameter branches, shreds them and collects the debris. After shredding and reducing the waste to 10:1, it is deposited into the collection unit or alternately into the volume collection bag.

First, we really liked the safety of the Garden Groom Pro hedge trimmer-shredder as compared to other hedge trimmers. The blade of the Groom Max is concealed so your chances of getting cut by the blade are eliminated. Even though most other hedge trimmers have tooth extensions to promote safety, it is still possible to cut a hand or leg while using those units. Next, we found that the Pro performs as advertised; it neatly cuts hedge and bush branches up to about 1/2-inch. Because of its round cutting head, you can cut in any direction. And at 7.7 pounds, the Pro is not too heavy. Finally, we loved not having to clean up all the clippings after we finished cutting. The Pro had collected most of the mess. We just emptied the resulting mulch around other plants and flowers. But we did find one drawback for some applications. Because the Pro uses a 11.4-inch-diameter cutting head in a relatively compact body, it works best on shallower and shorter hedges and bushes, unless you work from a ladder.

If you really don't like to rake up after you trim your hedges, take a look at the Garden Groom Pro. The Pro does a clean job of cutting and mulching branches up to about a 1/2-inch diameter.


Pros: Mulches and collects debris, safe to use
Cons: Limited reach, limited to 100-foot extension cord