SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer review: safe and satisfied when using this hedge trimmer

When I bought my home last year, I was met with a beautiful green yard full of mature trees. The only problem was that my entire side fence was hidden by a swath of 10-foot-thick brush, shrubs, trees, and thorny vines.  

My father helped me remove about three quarters of the brush, however, we decided to leave a section to act as a barrier between my neighbor and me, where a portion of fence did not exist. If left unchecked, the brush gets wild with branches and vines extending out into my main yard. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing part of my yard, and even less so when it’s not trimmed back. 

I wasn't fortunate enough to own one of the best hedge trimmers, so I always had to wait for my dad to visit and bring his. In the meantime, the brush would worsen, and as someone who is very particular about managing their yard, I did not like this. As you can imagine, I was ecstatic when I got the opportunity to review the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer. Now, I could maintain the section of brush in my yard at my leisure.

I hoped that the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer wouldn’t be too hard to use because I’d never used a hedge trimmer before. It didn’t take long to discover that the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer was exactly what I needed.  

SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer: key specifications

• Blade type: Dual-edge
• Blade length: 22 inches
• Cutting capacity: 0.55 inches
• Power source: 20V 2.0Ah rechargeable battery
• Weight: 4.74 lbs
• Dimensions: 36.02 x 8.35 x 3.27 inches

Ordering and setting up the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer

The SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer is available to order online only through Amazon. It comes in at under $130 which is very affordable for a cordless hedge trimmer.

It arrives in a compact box. Once I opened the box, I realized that the hedge trimmer was basically assembled. The only thing I had to do was screw in the protection guard and the front handle. This took less than five minutes to do.

I put the battery on the charger and plugged it into the wall. I assumed that the battery wouldn’t be charged, since the instructions didn’t notate that it was. However, about half an hour later, I checked the battery and realized that it had been fully charged this whole time. I could start cutting immediately.

What is the Snapfresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer like to use?

As I said, I had never used a hedge trimmer before, so I was glad to discover that the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer was beyond easy to use. After consulting the instructions (and my dad lent me some tips over the phone), I took the trimmer outside and headed straight for the brush.

• Looking for tips on how to trim a hedge? Our guide has plenty to give you a helping hand.

I took off the storage sheath from the blade and inserted the battery onto the undercarriage of the machine. Then I gripped the on/off button under the handle and the front switch at the same time. The machine revved to life. The SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer has a dual-action blade which means I can cut the twigs and brush using either side of the blade. Not all hedge trimmers have dual-action blades (which seems crazy to me) so this is something I greatly appreciated about this hedge trimmer. Although I’m right-handed, I have read that dual-action blades are especially helpful to left-handed people.

I noticed two things quickly when I first used this product: the hedge trimmer was pretty light, and it wasn’t that loud. As someone who wants to be a good neighbor, noise pollution is something I’m always conscious about and this hedge trimmer does a decent job. However, I was more thankful that the hedge trimmer weighs less than five pounds. After mowing and edging half an acre yard, I’m glad I can pick up this lightweight hedge trimmer and get to work on the brush without a lot of effort. The brush in my yard is nearly 15 feet tall in some spots, so I do have to trim above my head. Of course, I’m unable to reach the top parts without a ladder, but I’m able to get pretty high up there by merely standing on the ground and lifting the lightweight hedge trimmer above my head. It’s definitely the lightest yard tool that I own.

With a cutting capacity of 0.55 inches, the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer attacked the different types of plants that make up the brush. I was nervous about using the hedge trimmer on the vines because I feared they might get caught on the blades, but I was glad that the hedge trimmer cut through them effortlessly. It was even able to cut through a few branches that were over 0.55 inches but less than an inch. I didn’t do this often because I want to protect the blade, but I did want to mention it, nevertheless.

I’ve used the hedge trimmer twice for about 15 minutes each and the battery has not yet died. This is a little odd (but great!) to me because according to SnapFresh, a 2.0Ah battery only has a 15-minute charge. If you look through the reviews on Amazon, it seems that I’m not alone in this experience. A lot of other people exclaim about the battery life, with some notating that it lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. I think SnapFresh is being safe with their 15-minute estimation, but in my experience, and the experience of many others, it lasts much longer.

That said, charging the battery can take up to 60 minutes, so if you have a lot of hedges, it might not be a bad idea to buy a second battery, charge it, and keep it on hand when the first battery runs out.

• You can find the best fast growing hedges for maintaining privacy in our guide.

Safety features of the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer

Not all hedge trimmers are equipped with safety features, which can be dangerous. One of my favorite aspects of the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer is that it doesn’t just have one safety feature but three!

When the hedge trimmer arrives at your doorstep, the blade is sheathed in a plastic protection cover. You can remove it by squeezing the sides together and then pulling it off. Don’t throw this away! Once you’re done trimming your hedges, place this back on the blade to protect the blade from damage and rusting and from anyone (like children) who might accidentally cut themselves on the blade when not in use.

The protection guard is a small black shield at the top of the dual-action blade. It’s designed to protect your hand from materials that blow back when trimming and prevents your hand from slipping forward onto the blade when cutting. Now, when I was trimming the brush in my yard, much of which is above my head, I found that the protection guard can only protect so much, so I did have to wear long sleeves and sunglasses to fully protect myself. That said, I’m glad it’s in place because I wouldn’t want my hand to slip forward and get cut on the blade.

The last and most significant safety feature is the two-handed safety switch. The SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer can only be used with two hands. There are two buttons that the user must grip at the same time: the on/off button that sits under the handle and the front handle safety switch. If your hand slips from one of those buttons, the hedge trimmer turns off automatically. If you only grip one switch, the hedge trimmer won’t turn on. By requiring users to press both buttons at the same time, SnapFresh has made an incredibly safe-to-use product. It also prevents accidents from happening, like if a child tries to pick up the hedge trimmer and only presses one button because they don’t understand the concept of the two-button safety design.

In my research of hedge trimmers, I found that a lot of hedge trimmers lack these safety features, which honestly surprised me. Take it from me, it’s better to have yard equipment with safety features.

How does the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer compare to similar models?

I have not tested any other hedge trimmers, so it’s a little difficult to compare the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmers to other models, but I can offer you some insight based on research (as well as a great beginner's view).

SnapFresh is a power tool brand for budget-minded buyers, and although it doesn’t have the name recognition of budget brands like Sun Joe or Ryobi, I think it soon will. Before I get into that, let’s take a look at other budget hedge trimmer buys.

Ryobi has a 22-inch 18-volt cordless hedge trimmer for sale on Amazon. At first glance, this hedge trimmer appears to be cheaper, but you’ll quickly discover that it does not come with a battery. With the purchase of a battery, it’s about the same price as the SnapFresh hedge trimmer, but you’ll just have to go to the trouble of buying a Ryobi battery that fits. Pros for the Ryobi hedge trimmer include having a larger cutting capacity (3/4 of an inch) and a rotating rear handle which allows for different angles of trimming. The drawbacks? It doesn’t have the two-handle safety switch feature like the SnapFresh Hedge Trimmer.

Sun Joe has a pole hedge trimmer on Amazon, which isn’t really comparable to the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer because it’s an entirely different design. PowerSmart, however, does have a budget hedge trimmer that costs less than $90, includes a battery, and has a double safety switch, but the blade is only 16 inches and the battery is 1.5Ah, meaning it won’t last as long as the SnapFresh battery.

BLACK + DECKER, on the other hand, has a 22-inch cordless hedge trimmer for sale on Amazon, which allows you to choose whether or not to buy it with a battery (or a battery that has more power). It costs about the same as the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer, though it does have a 3/4 of an inch cutting capacity. Like the Ryobi, it lacks the dual switch safety feature.

Should you buy the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer? 

At the moment, the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer has a 4.4-star rating on Amazon with 231 reviews. I wholly agree with this rating. SnapFresh doesn’t yet have the name recognition as some other brands, which is why it only has 231 reviews, but in my experience with using the product, I see no reason why that won’t change over the next few years.

The SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer is definitely worth the buy, especially for those who want something that’s lightweight and easy-to-use. It has a cutting capacity and dual-action blade length that’s average among hedge trimmers, and yet, it works like a pro. What makes this product shine are the multiple safety features – and when working with sharp tools like this, safety is vitally important.

• Need other tools to keep your yard looking neat? We've rounded up the best lawn mowers in our buying guide.

About this review and our reviewer

Alex Temblador is a Dallas-based award-winning author and freelance writer that has covered home, design, architecture, and art in publications like Real Homes, Gardeningetc, Home & Gardens, Dwell, Architectural Digest, Artsy, Neighborhoods.com, and Culture Trip, among many others. She recently bought her first home, a green Sears & Roebuck house that's over 100 years old, sits on half an acre of land and features a stunning wraparound porch, original hardwood floors, pocket doors, and a butler pantry. Alex loves to test products for Gardeningetc, Real Homes, and Homes & Gardens buying guides and reviews which has helped to expand the richness of her first-time homeowner life. The Mixed Latinx writer can usually be found working or relaxing in her outdoor spaces. 

As with all our reviews, the SnapFresh Cordless Hedge Trimmer was tested first-hand in Alex’s backyard, using it just as you would so you know exactly what you are buying. The products are given to us free of charge and we test them for as long as possible before sending them back to the brand unless we are able to keep it as we are with this trimmer. This means that we can continue to use the product which gives us the opportunity to return to our reviews for updating, so you can keep up-to-date with how it's fared over a period of time.