First impressions are that this is a well made machine that will cut most hedges easily. Easy grip handles and multiple switch positions make for easy use on vertical and horizontal parts of hedge. Considering blade length and motor size this is a lightweight machine and I was able to spend an afternoon on a hot day cutting a large beech hedge with relative ease. Although the tooth gap is 34 mm I doubt that it would cut branches of that size in old wood but it managed to cut old woody branches of 22 to 25 mm. The machine comes with a 2 year warranty but with a price tag of £150 I would expect a much longer life than that - only time will tell. My only (small) complaint is the cable length of 10 metres; this is nowhere near enough and I always need an extension cable. I would have thought that for a hedge cutter at the top end of the range a 25 metre cable would be more appropriate but I suppose some people may need less.