Hedge trimmer cables

[Biggsy]

Are they deliberately soft so that the cable instantly slices in two if you accidentally blade it?  With a tougher cable, would there be much danger of partially cutting it before realising bare wires are exposed?

[PrettyBoyTim]

You theory sounds plausible, but you may need a garden 3-pin 1A Connector.

Just make sure the socket with the pins is connected at the trimmer end of the cable, not the mains end! 

It worked very well on our trimmer after the nextdoor neighbour had a little accident with it when she borrowed it...

[Biggsy]

It's easy to replace the whole cable on this particular trimmer, so no connector is needed.  There's a neat little panel that opens easily.  It's as if the manufacturer knows that people will cut the cable!

[Little Jim]

I think that they use the "soft" cable to make them more flexible and so less likely to get caught on branches and other obstructions.  They could use a thicker outer sheath, but I think that the blades would cut it just as easily or they could use an armoured cable, but the would be very stiff and difficult to use.  At least with the soft, flexible cable the blades tend to cut straight through and sever the whole thing, where as a thicker cable might just get damaged with a small cut which is not so obvious and could be more dangerous.  Which ever it is it just shows how important it is to use a circuit breaker.

[Biggsy]

Good point about flexibility, thanks.

The mains supply has circuit breakers built in (in place of the old fuse box) - that do seem to work well - but do you think it's worth having a seperate plug-in circuit breaker as well?

[Kim]

The mains supply has circuit breakers built in (in place of the old fuse box) - that do seem to work well - but do you think it's worth having a seperate plug-in circuit breaker as well?

Residual Current Devices (RCDs) detect small amounts of earth leakage and stop you getting electrocuted.

Miniture Circuit Breakers (MCBs) are a resettable (and often faster-acting) equivalent of old-fashioned fuses - they primarily stop overloaded circuits causing fires.

If you're not sure which you've got (a modern consumer unit will have one RCD feeding MCBs for each circuit, but you can get MCBs to retrofit in place of rewirable fuses), get a plug-in RCD.  TBH, they're so cheap you might as well get one anyway, for the belt & braces approach.

[Wombat]

Rechargeable hedge trimmer.....

[Biggsy]

Thanks Kim.

No thanks, Wombat

[The Mechanic]

Petrol driven hedge trimmer

[Wombat]

Thanks Kim.

No thanks, Wombat

I was sceptical, but was very surprised to note it was clearly MORE powerful than the mains one it replaced, and lasted plenty long enough for our moderate amount of barbed wire (AKA hawthorn hedge).  If you have a very long hedge, its clearly no good, but for average amounts, very handy indeed, and quick to deploy, without all that farting about with cables (and mending them).  A surprisingly successful purchase (well, it surprised me, anyway!)

[Biggsy]

Actually I would consider a rechargeable type if buying a new trimmer, but I don't really need a new one.  A plug-in RCD should be quite cheap and can be used for other things as well.

[Kim]

If petrol's available, then I suggest simply setting fire to the hedge 

[Thor]

My Dad swears my uncle returned a borrowed hedge trimmer to him with the cable cut in two places.  How he managed this is not known.

[clarion]

I suspect lawnmowing.