Consumer ratings: Black & Decker NPT318

Ratings

Category: Lawn & Patio
Brand: Black & Decker
Model: NPT318
Availability: Product availability may differ by country. In Stock (USA)
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Black & Decker NPT318 Consumers Report

Black & Decker NPT318 Review by M. Miller (VA)

I bought the NPT318 a week ago and I put it to the test this past weekend. The back of my parents yard is lined with Arborvitae 8-10' high and 4-5' wide. The cost of getting landscapers to trim them run $1500- $2000. It's a 2 day job. The last time I trimmed them I used an exta long electric hedge trimmer and a ladder. This year I used the B&D Pole Hedge Trimmer. Now the comments about the weight. The time I minded the weight a little was the second straight day I used it. Standing on the ground got most, but not all of the branches. On a few of the Arborvitae, I had to get on a ladder and extend across to get the tops. It seemed heavy at the time because I used the trimmer for at least 6 hr. straight the day before. But I liked the trimmer overall. It made it pretty darn easy to prune the sides and most of the top. There are a few suggestions made by others I read that I would suggest also for B&D.
1. Increase the voltage. The hedge trimmer did stop when it got to the heavy branches
2. Have the motor on the bottom with just the blade on the top.

Also I bought the B&D quick charger which came in handy. Having 2 batteries comes in handy. I had 3 batteries and worked the whole day keeping 2 batteries charging while using the other. I am glad I purchased it and I feel it was well worth the money.

UPDATE: I recently went outside to trim some bushes. When I was in the process of trimming, the hedge trimmer just all of a sudden stopped working. I looked over the trimmer and nothing was in the blades. I called Black and Decker customer service. They told me to take it to the local B&D service place in my area. I took it there and they said it looked like a burned out motor. They promply replaced it with a new one in the box. That is great service. Thanks Black&Decker.

Black & Decker NPT318 Review by M. S. Davenport

That may seem like an odd title for a review on a Hedge trimmer but if you've read the review by "Frank" you'll understand. The NPT318 is an amazing machine.
I have the worst kind of hedges -tall 6-9feet, difficult to reach because of cramped space/sloping ground and encroaching citrus trees. The hedges are mainly bougainvillea which has awful thorns. The citrus have thorns too.It is hot and the hedges are overgrown because of record winter rains.In addition , I am not particularly strong. So, this is a good test situation.
Yes this machine is difficult to operate at full reach horizontaly, but the alternatives are worse. I have used a 2-cycle hedge trimmer - a viscious ,noisy ,stinky beast. It is heavier! I bought my Dad a 240volt (yes off the mains for use in U.K.) German pole hedge trimmer. It is more powerful but just as unwieldy .In addition you have the power cord to deal with.
I found the run time ideal - it still had plenty of charge after 45 minutes attacking the bougainvillea.By then I needed a rest anyway. I charged it during lunch and then attacked some more hedge. Some of this required me to use it at full stretch - I am 6ft with long arms +the pole -yes these are monster hedges. The machine worked perfectly. The alternative is wobbling on a step ladder ,juggling a power cord and trying to avoid the thorns. So far I've done all my hedges and the neighbor's without a scratch. It is far too hot to wear a shirt and using my old B&D with a power cord+ step ladder I would look like someone from a crucifiction scene in the movies by now. The combination of citrus and bougainvillea is bloody!
My suggestins to B&D to improve the NPT 318 are:
1.Increase the voltage from 18v to 24v. This will increase the run-time/decrease motor weight/increase power.
2.Make the battery and charger interchangeable with other B&D equipment.
3. Use lighter-weight metals(magnesium alloy?) for the blade and pole. The weight of the battery isn't a problem because of it's location on the handle.
4. Consider offering an extending pole like Remington use on their pole chain saws.
5. Design the NPT 318 so you can use it without the pole - like a conventional cordless hedge trimmer.
6. When Black & Decker have a prototype they can test it on my bougainvillea !:-)

Black & Decker NPT318 Review by Robert E. Malone (Northborough, MA)

After shopping for over a year for a product like this and agonizing over the $4-600 price tag on a gas unit (couldn't find one to rent either!) I tripped across this on amazon. After reading all of the reviews and marveling at the $110 pricetag (and getting a mindblowing quote from a landscaper for a days worth of hedge trimming) I bought one. It arrived, I put it on the charger for the night and, like a kid at Christmas, I woke up the next morning, grabbed my easily assembled new toy (with a free storage case) and headed out to wreak some havoc on the shrubbery.

Long story short...in 30 minutes I had trimmed every darn shrub under 10 feet tall in sight without breaking out a ladder or working up more than a mild sweat. I still need to break out the ladder to do the top of the enormous burning bushes in my front yard (12 feet in diameter if they are an inch!), but I have no doubt I can handle it with this tool. In my opinion this thing is nothing short of a miracle worker.

Answers to the typical questions I have read on this trimmer:

Does it get heavy?
Yes...I am 6 feet tall and 200+ lbs and it gets heavy after ten minutes or so of constant trimming. So does every other trimmer I own. I suggest you switch hands and keep on trimming. It is not that heavy or awkward that I couldn't left hand it, then switch again later.

Does it have trouble cutting through thick branches?
Yes, but it is a hedge trimmer for crying out loud. If you need to cut a 3/4" plus branch you are using the wrong tool, in my opinion. Grab your loppers. Now that you have this tool you'll cut your hedges more often and more effectively so long term you won't have as many thick branches to deal with.

Limited battery life?
Mine was good for about 30 minutes of trimming. Doesn't sound great, but keep in mind that you can trim so quickly and effectively with this tool that I literally ran out of hedges in 30 minutes and I trimmed over a dozen hedges EASY. What did I do with the rest of the 30 minutes? I pivoted the head to 45 degrees and used it to trim weeds and tall grass. That alone is worth buying this trimmer for. We have hundreds of tiger lillies. I can't wait to turn three hours of cutting them all back into 20 minutes of running around with my new trimmer!

Complain? If you can complain about this trimmer at $110 you can complain about the quality of a free lunch! I might buy a second just to have a spare. I am taking it to NH to show my friends this weekend.

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