• Husqvarna’s 320iHD60 hedge trimmer offers tremendous cutting power and speed.
• During testing, I was impressed with its vibration dampening, quiet operation, and its smart tri-handle grip design.
• At $230, it’s one of the pricier battery-powered hedge trimmers out there, but worth it.

I was in the market for a hedge trimmer that would help me reclaim some of my spring and summer weekends, so the search was on for a powerful and easy-to-use option that didn’t feel like I was using heavy machinery.

When I evaluated Husqvarna’s 350i PowerAxe chainsaw and Leaf Blaster 350iB leaf blower last year, and was impressed with both, my expectations were naturally high for the brand’s hedge trimmer. Given that all three machines run on the same 36-volt platform, I anticipated the 320iHD60 hedge trimmer would shave chunks of time off my shrub trimming chore.

If you have a lot of shrubs and hedges in your yard like I do, then chances are you might be spending more time than you need to during spring and summer trimming them back. While electric hedge trimmers make the job go faster, they can only chew through foliage so quickly.

Now, after spending a full season using the Husqvarna 320iHD60 to bring the shrubs and hedges in my yard to heel, I can confirm that it does just that—and exceptionally well. Its high blade speed, long run time, and many cutting teeth put the 320iHD60 in a league of its own when it comes to electric trimmers.

This tool comes with two caveats: a steep price tag and a heavy weight (11 pounds). It is worth both the investment and physical demand for those with shrubs and lengths of hedges to tame.

Having tested other Husqvarna 36-volt tools, I had high expectations for the 320iHD60 hedge trimmer’s power output. It didn’t disappoint. Simply said, this trimmer slices through foliage like a hot knife through butter. While most hedge trimmers have little problem with thinner foliage, the 320iHD60 also bites through thicker stems with ease, a credit to its 36-volt motor and battery that produce 3,800 cuts per minute and a blade that sports a whopping 76 teeth.

The 320iHD60 also has wider than average blade spacing, so you can cut through stems up to an inch thick (most max out at 3/4 of an inch). This was helpful when trimming back five mature rose bushes in my front yard, a job that typically requires me to use a set of loppers.

The 320iHD60’s control panel has a power button, which is a welcome safety feature. The blades won’t run when you pull the trigger until you push the power button. There are two speed settings–a default setting that produces 2,800 strokes per minute (SPM) and a boost button that pushes the blade speed up to 3,800 SPM. I toggled between the two to maximize runtime occasionally engaging the boost function for tougher foliage. You’ll get a max of an hour at the default speed on a single charge. I'd imagine running it on boost the entire time would cut runtime in half. It's difficult to give a hard figure on runtime since it can vary significantly depending on whether you're cutting thinner stems or thicker foliage.

Not surprisingly, I didn’t experience any bogging down, even when pushing the 320iHD60 hard through an overgrown Loropetalum shrub by my front porch that was in desperate need of a trim after months of unchecked growth.

The Husqvarna is one of the few hedge trimmers I’ve tested with a reverse button which is located on the control panel. Engaging the button reverses the blade, releasing the teeth from whatever is jamming the blades. This feature was handy when I attempted to trim through a thorny branch on a rose bush that was a little too much for the 320iHD60 to handle.

Husqvarna’s cordless equipment is known for its vibration dampening, something I experienced when testing the Husqvarna PowerAxe 350i chainsaw and Leaf Blaster. That’s also the case with the 320iHD60. The trimmer transfers little if any vibration from blade and motor to the handle, making for a comfortable ride. Couple that with the fact that it produces just 67 decibels of noise, and it simply doesn’t feel like you're operating a powerful piece of yard equipment.

The 320iHD60 also benefits from its tri-handle grip design. This unique grip allows you to reposition your hand to change the angle of the blade to suit whether you’re cutting vertically, horizontally, or somewhere in between. It's a departure from the rotating handles I’ve seen on other hedge trimmers, and a design feature I prefer. Rather than going through the process of pushing a button to release a locking mechanism then twisting the handle, I simply moved my hand from one handle to the other to change angles. It’s a small difference, but something that is noticeable and saves time. And since the 320iHD60 uses a paddle- style trigger, it’s easy to control the blade while holding the trimmer from its various handles.

While I love the power that comes with the 36-volt system on the Husqvarna 320iHD60, there is a trade-off, and that is with weight. At just over 11 pounds when loaded with the battery, the 320iHD60 is heavy. While the trimmer is well balanced, I could still feel it in my upper body after an extended trimming job. It’s especially noticeable when reaching high to trim a tall hedge or while dropping low to shape around the bottom of large shrubs. If you’ve got a fair amount of trimming to do, you’re going to get a workout with the 320iHD60.

The Husqvarna 320iHD60 did exactly what I was hoping it would—cut the time it takes for me to complete one of the warm weather chores I loathe. And while its weight is an issue, its vibration dampening and well-designed tri-handle design make it one of the easier hedge trimmers to operate. That said, it’s also one of the priciest electric hedge trimmers out there at around $230.

If you’ve got a long row of hedges to trim or numerous shrubs in your yard, and you don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it, the 320iHD60 is worth the investment. For smaller hedge trimming jobs, it might be overkill and there are more affordable and lighter options out there for those with fewer shrubs to manage.

Buy the Husqvarna 320iHD60 hedge trimmer