Stihl advertis that the Stihl HLA 86 trimmer cane handle up to 26mm branches. But it looked as if you had to use a polesaw on holly less thick than that. What do you find is the max size that the Stihl HLA 86 can handle?

This is fantastic mate, thank you!

Looks like a good tool. I think I will borrow one at my dealer and try out the weight before I buy it to avoid surprises.

The tip guard is more than annoying and mines back in the shop for repair after a couple of months 😡

Mines a year old , it's on its 3rd motor, 2nd Bowden cable and now back in for a new head casing, I do cut a lot of hedges but this machine is very poor , my recently purchased HSA 100 is back in for repair at the moment, my FSA 90 strimmer is only homeowner quality and power, but my MSA 161t chainsaw is really good as is my old HLA85 which I recently rebuilt the head, which is just as well as I've invested about a £1000 in batteries so we can cut all day 😎

I have a long reach hedgecutter attachment for my Husqvarna 535LK combi . I never cut the tops of hedges from the ground , as you can't see the finish. Great for cutting wide hedges from a ladder though! Bought my first battery powered equipment a couple of weeks ago, and I'm not impressed!

Great review! Many thanks for posting.

Crossbow Herbicide(2,4-D)can be used to control Horsetail. Glyphosate(Round Up) does nothing to Horsetail

Horsetail is unphased by any kind of herbicide, it comes back stronger than ever. But it sure loves to thrive in acidic soils. Regularly applying limestone into the soil can reduce its growth significantly. Starving it from sunlight with a black tarp for a year is quite effective too.

trouble is horsetail grows up to 7ft deep, even if you manage to kill it off, parts of the root can survive, like bindweed its a horrible invasive weed to get rid of, to be honest the only effective way to get rid of mares tail is to either excavate, which is really expensive, or constant applications of any glyphosate based weed killer

Morning Jon. Does the blade fold down at all to make it slightly shorter?

Excellent description / video Jon. And great job in that lovely garden. It is a “semi-pro” quality machine, but probably best suited for lighter hedge cutting work, as opposed to the “gnarly” tougher stuff. The new ECHO dhc-2800r is generally better I think, being less “plasticky” in construction and with a far better twisty handle set-up. But it’s pricey!

How does it handle cutting anything up to an inch+ , does it work in the rain, and what's the price of this setup?

been gardening for 30 yrs.people want the job done for cheap as possible.if you were to mow large lawn,straighent edges and weed round and charge £30 quid they currently die of heart failure. Oh would it be so expensive. north west.

Minimum wage shouldn't come into it as gardeners have overheads just as do plumbers, electricians, mechanics etc. But the average homeowner need not pay a gardener with City and Guilds certificates for someone just to do a regular mow, weed a bed or trim a few shrubs. Of course, landscaping, tree surgery or garden design all come at a greater cost where nobody would even think of mentioning the minimum wage. Everyone should at least have a minimum charge. Say someone mows and edges for client A at £40 an hour and client B has a smaller lawn which takes 15 minutes, It shouldn't mean that client B should only expect to pay £10. A reason some charge at an agreed price for the job, whether being a lawn, hedge or total garden blitz etc.

I don't use a crm, but do use a lot of google tools, calendar ect, google sheets for a detailed accounts, just block numbers of customers black listed, for invoices and another form of accounting I use a free version of zoho books, all are accessible from my phone, as for tracking profits, my spread sheet will cross reference prom previous years, also calculate the years tax and NI so I can put bits of cash aside so I have it ready.

Totally on board with you ethos and approach as it comes across. Subscribed few days ago and enjoyed everything so far. Can relate to most of what you have posted.Thank you.

I recently visited your KZbin channel and I was impressed by authentic appeal. your content is very good and your video quality is awesome. such videos are in great demand. but you need some update however, I could not help but notice server Al areas that require attention, such as seo rank tag and tag volume which seem incomplete. appeal that there are several other issue as well. I'm, a seasoned freelancer with over 3 years of experience specializing in KZbin promotion & video SEO. I'm confident that I can assist you in optimizing your KZbin videos to improve their visibility and overall experience. your response for KZbin video SEO and optimize for help you. thank you mehndi Hassan

low maintenance is just a sales tactic, if done properly it can really be a low maintenance garden, but you still have to maintain it to keep weeds at bay. removing stone and replacing membrane really would be the only option.

Found this to be very much lacking substance and unrelatable

The need for assembly is governed by the size of the packaging. As Stihl's longest polesaw, fully assembled it would be over 3m - or about 10 feet - long which wouldn't fit in many vehicles and certainly wouldn't transport to retailers very well. Stihl's assembly video for the polesaw (kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5zOipylZr54fLM) suggests it would take 12 minutes to complete the assembly and is describes by them as "easy". The fact you say it took "several hours" to do it simply highlights your utter mechanical incompetence.

Green bin the waste..!!

The machine is easy to handle and the blade reversal feature saves time unblocking blades when cutting thicker materials. Pitfalls of this machine include: Annoying safety grip on handle near blades; Annoying safety switch near trigger; and annoying tip of the blade that catches when cutting (I've removed the tip protector as it made the catching while cutting even worse than it is without). STIHL SAY this is a professional unit, but it's design indicates that in reality this designation is a lie. As a professional, I DO NOT need safety switches and I DO NOT need the end of my blade giving un-nessecary tension during a delicate cut. I'd also like to see a cover over the battery compartment to further waterproof the machine.

It works very well. 10:34

I've had the older 86 version for a few years. Very good. Doesn't have the turning handle. I use the AP200 batteries as they're light and get over 2hrs run time. I save the AP500 for my strimmer!

Ok you answered my question: "a bit heavy". Initially you expected it to "weigh a ton" so it seems you weren't too bothered by the weight but then you're a young dude. Stihl says the device weighs 6.8 kg (skin only). I can always go into a Stihl shop and see for myself how heavy it is. I'm 67 and had a Victa 82v pole pruner that I found so heavy I had some difficulty using it - even with the harness so...once bitten twice shy! Good luck.

My next purchase will probably be a Stihl extendo hedge cutter. I heard a rumor they'll have a model with higher blade speed and more oomph soon so I'll hold out for next year. Can't wait to get rid of the stench and noise.

I agree 100%. Weed barrier is the bane of my existence.

Hi Jon been in Horticulture for nearly 30 yrs ,employed at a local stately Home and for the last 10yrs working for my self. I have professional qualifications and the necessary pa1 and pa6 pesticide license. I have been thinking about using my pesticide license more to my benefit for financial reasons and easier on my body . But as you say following all guidance correctly, rather than pull the knapsack out of my van and earn a quick £20.00 extra. But selling this service totally separate to my current work and customer's. Like the said area cordoned off, Warning signs up,full PPE on. But as well as conventional herbicide also organic ones ,for people with pets and children plus stem injection for invasive weeds . I can guarantee that most people running a gardening buissiness dont hold the license and wont get it and are not bothered if it is against the law . A local advertising slot or feature in local paper may be necessary though. Dont plan to do this full time initially but much easier than gardening,which i love but planning ahead .

Awesome bro...

Nice work. Decent machines too!

Agreed. I learnt a lot on my PA1 and pa6 course this year. You've reminded me i need a better face mask! Thanks

Excellent. I would add Sea Spurge, Hairy Bitter Cress and certainly Willow-herb to the line up! All these seem to have become far more prevalent in the last few years. Of course the long rooted field weeds- Dock, Thistle etc are a pain also!

Smart . I have a lot of the pro Stihl battery kit. Very good

Good video John. All very good points. You really get what you pay for!

Marestail/horsetail and bindweed are such a nightmare, because they can grow up to 5 meters deep or more, and the rhizomes spread further, as pro gardeners its always good to know about different weeds, as then we can discover better ways to control them, nice vid...good channel find😀

I’ve got the same telescopic hedge trimmer. You certainly don’t need to do any gym or weight training when using this regularly! I’ve been looking at getting a long pruner but concerned that they’re too long to fit in my van

Just found your channel welcome to the community mate Will watch some more of your videos today just subscribed

Welcome to you tube. Enjoyed your video.👍🏻

Find out more about how to reduce weeds in your garden over at www.basjoo.co.uk/low-maintenance

Jon great info delighted to see you over in my channel amigo🙏 Best of luck on your growth✌️

If you would like gardening advice and design principles from a professional Gardener, click the like and subscribe to receive regular updates from me and the team at Basjoo.

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If you would like more gardening advice and design principles from a professional Gardener, click the like and subscribe to receive regular updates from me and the team at Basjoo.

If you would like more gardening advice and design principles from a professional Gardener, click the like and subscribe to receive regular updates from me and the team at Basjoo.