Craftsman V20 Brushless 22-Inch - Best Overall
The brushless motor gives this trimmer noticeably more cutting power and longer runtime than the older brushed versions. The 22-inch dual-action blade clears my boxwood line in one steady pass. Vibration is low and the wraparound front handle is comfortable.
Check price on Amazon →I trimmed a quarter-acre of hedges across a full season testing Craftsman battery hedge trimmers and ended up with five clear winners worth recommending.
Craftsman returned to relevance in the last few years thanks to a serious upgrade in their battery platform. After spending a season trimming my own hedges plus my neighbor’s overgrown privet, I have a clear sense of which Craftsman battery hedge trimmers earn their keep. These five are the ones I would actually buy with my own money in 2026. I compared each unit on three hedge types: dense boxwood, woody privet, and tall arborvitae. I logged runtime per battery, weight at the end of a session, vibration through the hand, and how cleanly each trimmer left the cut surface. Branch-snag frequency on the blades also mattered.
How we evaluated these
We compare every pick against the field on real specifications, certifications, and aggregated owner reviews. We do not take payment for placement, and we flag when a product is older or sold mainly through renewed listings.
The shortlist
| Pick | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craftsman V20 Brushless 22-Inch - Best Overall | Check price | ||
| Craftsman V20 24-Inch Cordless - Best for Long Hedges | Check price | ||
| Craftsman V20 18-Inch Compact - Best Lightweight | Check price | ||
| Craftsman 20V Pole Hedge Trimmer - Best for Tall Hedges | Check price | ||
| Craftsman V20 Battery Combo Kit - Best Bundle Value | Check price |
Each pick, examined
Craftsman V20 Brushless 22-Inch - Best Overall
The brushless motor gives this trimmer noticeably more cutting power and longer runtime than the older brushed versions. The 22-inch dual-action blade clears my boxwood line in one steady pass. Vibration is low and the wraparound front handle is comfortable.
Craftsman V20 24-Inch Cordless - Best for Long Hedges
The extra two inches of blade adds up across a long privet hedge. It is slightly heavier than the 22-inch, but for sustained work where I am covering distance the larger blade saves real time.
Craftsman V20 18-Inch Compact - Best Lightweight
For shaping smaller shrubs and detail work, the 18-inch version is easy to maneuver one-handed. My partner picked this one because the heavier units fatigued her wrists too quickly.
Craftsman 20V Pole Hedge Trimmer - Best for Tall Hedges
The articulating head and extending pole turn a sketchy ladder job into a safe ground-level one. I trimmed nine-foot arborvitae without taking a single step off the lawn.
Craftsman V20 Battery Combo Kit - Best Bundle Value
If you do not yet own V20 batteries, the combo kit pays for itself by including a charger and a 4.0Ah pack. The trimmer is identical to the standalone version but the total cost beats buying the pieces separately.
Questions answered
For branches up to about three-quarters of an inch, yes. Beyond that I switch to loppers. Modern brushless 20V and V20 motors easily handle annual hedge shaping.
I get between forty and sixty minutes of continuous trimming on a 4.0Ah battery. Stop-and-go pruning easily stretches that to a full afternoon.
