Husqvarna Hedge Master 320iHD60 review: a cordless hedge trimmer on a mission to master hedges
If you’ve got a yard full of hedges, or even some particularly stubborn ones, the Husqvarna Hedge Master 320iHD60 Hedge Trimmer (320i) is made for you.
Don’t let the fact that it’s battery powered fool you; this thing will cut anything and everything you can throw at it. I trimmed my own hedges, including some fairly large branches, as well as my neighbor’s and my parent’s hedges (as a one-time courtesy) and nothing slowed the 320i down.
The 360i is part of Husqvarna’s MAX battery series of tools, which also includes their new Combi Switch multi-tool, as they branch out into the competing space of best hedge trimmers. The idea is to use the same battery system to power a whole range of outdoor tools and in this case, the 360i comes with the company’s Bli22 battery and charger. The long cutting length means it can get to even the most hard-to-reach places, and the three-position handle makes for easy angle cutting so you’re not breaking your wrists trying to twist the thing.
It also comes with the ability to unjam the blades at the push of a button, so you don’t ever have to worry about getting caught or stuck somewhere and your blade snapping. All the power and features of the Hedge Master make it ideal for even the toughest hedges, but all this makes it fairly heavy so just be ready to take some breaks if using for longer periods.
Tempted already? Be sure to check out our expert guide on how to choose a hedge trimmer before you buy.
Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 Hedge Trimmer: price & availability
You can get the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360i from Husqvarna directly, from your local Husqvarna dealer, or from resellers such as Lowe’s, Amazon, and others.
To get one bundled with a battery an charger will set you back $319, but sometimes we’ve seen it for as low as $299. If you’ve already got a compatible battery, you can pick up just the tool itself for $229. This puts it definitely towards the higher end of its competitors, but if you need to be able to cut through just about hedge, you can’t go wrong.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 Hedge Trimmer: First impressions
The first thing I noticed was that the box itself seemed to be a bit more dinged up than I’d expect. My only assumption here is that since mine is a review device, it could quite possible have been a returned item due to the damage of the box. I can’t say for sure, but I would hope assume that most first-time purchase boxes would be in better shape. It also could entire have happened during transit, but either way, it arrived with some dings to the box.
Once inside the box, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of plastic and Styrofoam present. Some of the pieces had their own plastic bags, but for the most part everything in the packaging was cardboard, which was nice to see. It was also nice that there was essentially no assembly required. You can quickly insert the included option sweeper on top of the blade if you like, but that’s all you would need to do. I also very much appreciated that they included hardware to mount the battery charger to the wall if desired. Other battery-powered tools I’ve purchased did not include that.
After I had it out of the box and got a good look at it, it was clear to see that the 360i means business. The teeth are large and sharp and it’s clear this thing is ready to work.
Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60: Design
The Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 is extremely easy to use. The large handles are easy to grasp, especially while wearing gloves, and the D-shaped forward handle makes it easy to slide your hand around as you turn the trimmer when changing cutting angles. The safety button built-in the forward handle covers the entire length of the handle so you don’t ever have to take your hand off when adjusting. While the rear handle doesn’t rotate for seamlessly switching cutting angles like on some competitor models, “tri-handle” still makes it fairly easy to rotate quickly.
The large cutting blade certainly helps reach the trickier spots, but that does mean the whole thing is quite large. You’ll need to reserve plenty of space in your garage or tool shed for it. Also, while not as heavy as a gas-powered hedge trimmer, the 360i is still quite heavy, especially for prolonged periods or higher up places. It’s not necessarily a deal breaker, but if you don’t need all the power of the 360i, you could certainly find something smaller and lighter.
The battery operation does allow for adjustable speeds, however. Just above the power button on the handle is another button that adjusts the cutting speed letting you opt for more power when you need it and more battery life when you don’t. Next to the speed controls is a release button that will open the teeth allowing any stuck branches to fall out; no more jammed blade.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Husqvarna Hedge Master 320iHD60 Cordless Hedge Trimmer: key specs
Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60: Performance
The Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 absolutely lives up to its name. No matter what I tried to cut with it, it sliced through it cleanly like a hot knife through butter. I started on a few small, rounded shrubs we have and was able to give them a nice trim in a couple of minutes.
As they are about the height of our garage, this is really where the large size and weight of the 360i made an impact. It almost became a bit unwieldy on such small shrubs. I was certainly feeling it after a couple of minutes, but luckily it didn’t take me long and this hedge trimmer is not designed for such small bushes. To get your money’s worth, you need to take on some larger shrubs.
So that’s what I did.
Next, I tackled our much larger shrub on the other side of the house and appreciated even more the power and versatility of the Hedge Master. Trimming this hedge has taken me as long as half an hour in the past doing it by hand, but now I can knock it out in less than 10 minutes.
I also cut an entire row of my neighbor’s waist-high hedges and again was thoroughly impressed with how quickly and neatly I was able to do it. Not only did the Hedge Master cut through everything fast, it left clean, precise cuts, almost as if done by professionals. On some of the thicker spots in the hedges I cranked up the cutting speed and whipped through them with no problem. I even cut through some branches that were fairly thick and never had an issue.
I was pleased to see that battery life was never an issue either. Granted, I wasn’t using it for hours at a time, but most people should not have any trouble trimming their hedges in one charge. The LED indicator on the battery is helpful for keeping track of how much juice you’ve got left.
Once you’re done for the day, there’s really no way to easily disassemble or collapse the Hedge Master so you’ll just have to make room in your garage or tool shed. I do recommend covering the blades between uses with the included blade cover, particularly if you’ve got kids around.
Before you put it away, it’s a good idea to make sure there are any leaves or wood chips stuck in the blades and that could damage them over time. Other than a gentle cleaning every now and then sharpening the blades from time to time should be all you need to do.
Score: 5 out of 5
Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60: User reviews
Customer reviews of the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 all echo one another, all speaking highly about the battery-powered tool. It's worth noting that the majority of the reviews I'm reading are incentivized, and the reviews appear across multiple sites; I'll highlight anything standout.
Looking direct on the Husqvarna site it has overall scored 4.8-out-of-5 stars. Reviewers rave about the long battery-life, and how easy and safe it is to use. There is a comment about the cost of batteries for it, though, and the size being bigger than expected. Still, from what I can see, even those three reviews who gave it four stars speak well about it.
Over on reseller sites, Amazon customers have given it an overall rating of 4.6-out-of-five stars. One reviewer says "Great product for the value, I would recommend this to others needing a professional type hedger" whereas another said "This Husqvarna Hedge Master trimmer is exactly what I was looking for". There is a negative comment, though, which is about the lack of power but this seems to be an unfortunate isolated incident. And on Lowe's it scored 4.5-out-of-5 stars with an independent reviewer noting that the trimmer is great to what they had before, but it arrived in a wet box.
Should you buy the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How does the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60 Hedge Trimmer compare?
Overall, the Husqvarna Hedge Master performed tremendously during my testing and offers a lot of value for the money. But as with everything, it’s not perfect.
Lucky for us, Husqvarna isn’t the only hedge trimmer manufacturer in town. If you only have a few small hedges and a good extension cord, the Greenworks 22102 is a solid, low-cost option.
For those with taller shrubs or trees that need a good trimming, the DeWalt DCPH820B is well-made and has a long pole handle for reaching high without needing a ladder.
If you do need the raw power of a gas trimmer, the Poulan Pro PR2322 was rated as our best gas hedge trimmer.
How I tested the Husqvarna Hedge Master 360iHD60
I tested as many different types of hedges as I had access to for this review. I started with two small, ball-shaped shrubs that stand about head height outside my garage. Next, I attacked a rather large rounded hedge on the corner of our house that had not been trimmed in over two years. Lastly, I trimmed several rows of waist-high rectangular hedges at a few different locations.
Learn more about how we test.
