The STIHL HLA 150 hedge trimmer gave Main Street Mower about two extra feet of reach in its tall-hedge test, but it weighed nearly 19 pounds with the battery. Its 4,000-stroke-per-minute cutting action felt smooth and handled branches easily. The main trade-off is weight, especially when you're holding the tool up for long stretches.

Mature hedges and topiaries can leave you needing more reach, a ladder, or an adjustable cutting angle. The HLA 150 addresses those needs with a telescoping shaft and an articulating head. Comparing it with the HLA 40, HLA 66, and engine-powered HL 94 shows where that extra size helps.

• The HLA 150 combines 24-inch blades, an articulating head, and telescoping reach for professional hedge work.

• Its 4,000 strokes per minute delivered smoother cutting than the slower models in the comparison.

• The telescoping shaft provided about two additional feet of reach, although it didn't eliminate the need for ladders.

• At a reported 14.6 pounds without a battery and about 18.8 pounds with one, weight was the biggest drawback.

• The Chip and Stu favored pairing the lighter HLA 66 with the HLA 150, using their interchangeable batteries across lower trimming and high-reach work.

Reach gets the blades to the hedge, but stroke rate affects how the cut feels once they arrive. SPM describes how quickly the blades move back and forth. Main Street Mower compared four tools with three different blade rates:

RPM measures motor speed, while blade stroke rate counts the blades' back-and-forth movement. The video didn't report a separate RPM figure.

Chip and Stu noticed smoother cutting as blade speed increased. Faster blade movement reduced branch dragging, grabbing, and pulling, which they described as a rough-cut sensation. The HLA 40 felt rougher than the HLA 66, while the two 4,000-spm models had the smoothest action at their tested blade speeds. They compared the difference to barber clippers that cut smoothly rather than tugging at hair.

They also connected cutting quality with the finished appearance and the condition of the plant. They said a clean cut damages leaves less than chewing through them. In their view, that cleaner finish helps the plant recover and reduces its susceptibility to disease.

The STIHL HLA 40 bundle was the residential option in the comparison. At the time of filming, Chip and Stu quoted a cost of $319 for the tool, battery, and charger. It was also the lightest of the four trimmers.

Its cutting equipment differed from the other models. Chip and Stu described the HLA 40 as having four-sided cutting edges, compared with eight-sided cutting edges on the others. They also pointed out its smaller tooth spacing and lower stroke rate.

In an earlier test, the HLA 40 had bounced off and grabbed at thicker material, while handling growth thinner than a pencil more comfortably. In that test, its cutting capacity was limited on thicker growth, though it performed reasonably well on the hedge in this comparison. The operator appreciated its low weight. Chip and Stu concern was that buyers might mistake its telescoping and articulating features for commercial-level cutting performance.

The STIHL HLA 66 extended-reach model brought a noticeable improvement in cutting feel. Its 3,000 strokes per minute and eight-sided cutting edges made it smoother than the HLA 40 in Chip and Stu's hands. They also showed its wider tooth spacing during the blade comparison.

This was a familiar tool for the Chip and Stu, who said their mother had used the unit for at least 10 years. Even so, the test exposed a clear limitation: the HLA 66 doesn't telescope. As they worked higher across the hedge, they began running out of reach.

Its lightweight construction remained an advantage for lower work. By the end of the comparison, Chip and Stu saw it as a useful partner for the larger HLA 150. The smaller tool handled the accessible areas without requiring the operator to carry the heavier telescoping model throughout the job.

The STIHL HL 94 was the engine-powered comparison, a gas hedge trimmer. Chip and Stu  introduced it as STIHL's longest engine-powered extended-reach model with an articulating head. At 4,000 strokes per minute, it represented another step up in cutting speed.

Both Chip and Stu noticed the difference as they moved through the tools. The faster cutting action felt smoother than the slower models and helped explain why commercial equipment can leave a cleaner-looking hedge. It also established a useful benchmark for the battery-powered models, which offered the same reported stroke rate.

The STIHL HLA 150 is a professional-grade hedge trimmer with an articulating head and a 24-inch cutting bar. Its blade length is 24 inches, and its telescopic shaft extends its working reach beyond that of a fixed-length model. The adjustable head changes the cutting bar's angle for different parts of the hedge and may suit work around ornamental shrubs and other shrubs, though that use wasn't tested.

During the test, it cut through branches easily. Chip and Stu praised its blades, power, and heavy-duty pole construction. They also found that its 4,000 strokes per minute preserved the smooth cutting feel they liked in the gas model.

The telescoping shaft added about two feet of reach in this test, but it didn't make ladders obsolete.

The extended reach made a practical difference on taller sections. Chip and Stu emphasized that two feet can determine whether a particular area is accessible with the tool. However, they didn't present it as a replacement for every ladder or other tools.

Battery power offered benefits beyond cutting performance. A cordless hedge trimmer starts with the trigger, without engine cranking or exhaust near the operator's face during overhead work. The comparison didn't measure vibration, so it doesn't establish low vibration for the HLA 150.

Noise mattered because hedge work often happens close to houses and windows. Chip and Stu liked being able to work near customers' homes with less disturbance. They saw quieter operation as especially useful for a tool that spends so much time close to occupied rooms.

Pulling the trigger starts the blades, and releasing the trigger stops them. Pause between hedge sections before repositioning.

While discussing the HLA 66, Chip and Stu said the setup they were holding had a run time of about three hours. They described that run time as enough for much of a commercial landscaper's hedge-trimming day because the tool doesn't draw much power through its gearbox. That figure wasn't a measured HLA 150 result.

A corded electric hedge trimmer requires managing its cord, and it wasn't part of this test. Check STIHL's current AP System documentation to confirm whether an AP200S battery is compatible with the HLA 150. The retailer's "ALLPRO System" label is retailer terminology, not a confirmed STIHL battery platform.

Chip and Stu also described crews that combine gas-powered mowers, string trimmers, and blowers with battery-powered hedge trimmers, edgers, and pole saws. Hedge trimming was a logical place for that mix because of the runtime and proximity to customers' homes. In their view, those benefits made a battery hedge trimmer a practical addition without replacing every engine-powered tool on the truck.

Chip and Stu strongest criticism of the HLA 150 was its weight. They reported 14.6 pounds without a battery and approximately 18.8 pounds with a battery. Their repeated description of it as a "tank" captured both their praise for its construction and their concern about handling it.

That weight becomes more demanding when the tool is held up or used for long periods. Chip and Stu cautioned that managing it requires enough strength to control its size and mass comfortably. Their positive assessment of its cutting ability didn't remove that concern.

The Chip and Stu preferred combination was the lighter HLA 66 alongside the telescoping HLA 150. Their approach was to handle lower trimming with the HLA 66, then bring out the larger tool when the extra reach was needed. According to Chip and Stu, the batteries interchange between the two.

That pairing reflected their broader point that hedge trimmers aren't one-size-fits-all tools. A model that reaches a tall hedge can be unnecessarily heavy for work closer to the ground. Keeping both available separates everyday trimming from the jobs that demand the larger tool.

Kawasaki sponsored the video, and Chip and Stu discussed their experience using its oils and filters. They said Main Street Mower had relied on those products for more than a decade while performing thousands of oil changes each year. The featured product was Kawasaki PRO 50, a 15W-50 full-synthetic oil.

In the sponsor segment, Chip and Stu described the formulation as designed to last longer and resist burning off quickly. They also presented it as a single-oil option for mower engines, diesel truck engines, and hydraulic applications, with fewer separate oils to manage across a fleet. Those were the sponsor segment's product claims, rather than findings from the hedge-trimmer comparison.

Chip and Stu also emphasized their trust in Kawasaki's engine brand. They said PRO 50 was available through Kawasaki dealers nationwide and Main Street Mower. The oil discussion was separate from their hands-on assessment of the four hedge trimmers.

The Chip and Stu identified the hedge as Privet (Ligustrum). They said it was less dense than the hedge used in their earlier HLA 40 test. That difference helped explain why the smaller residential trimmer performed better here than it had previously.

No, Chip and Stu were using the HLA 150 for the first time during this comparison. Their positive view of its potential longevity came from its heavy-duty construction, including the pole and cutting equipment. They didn't report years of ownership or long-term wear results for this model.

Chip sent pictures to landscape contacts and asked what they would charge. Their answers ranged from $50 to $75 per bush, and the property had four bushes. Those informal estimates illustrated how repeated pruning costs could help justify owning a tool, rather than establishing a fixed service price.

Chip and Stu suggested hedge trimming as a possible stand-alone service. Their reasoning was that some landscapers leave it out of regular maintenance, while customers put the work off until later in the season. They didn't provide an earnings forecast beyond the per-bush estimates from their contacts.

Yes, Chip and Stu described STIHL's catalog as having more distinct hedge-trimmer models than any other tool category. The STIHL hedge-trimmer lineup includes both conventional and long-reach tools. This comparison focused on four options with different levels of reach, cutting speed, weight, and intended use. It didn't test the HLA 140, HSA 150, or HSA 140. Check STIHL's current specifications for reach, blade dimensions, and battery compatibility, including those for the HSA 140.

The HLA 150 delivered the reach and cutting performance Chip and Stu wanted on the tall hedge. Its telescoping shaft reached areas the fixed-length tool couldn't comfortably cover. However, handling the weight remained the deciding limitation.

Their preferred solution was to keep the lighter HLA 66 available for lower work. The HLA 150 then handled the sections that required additional reach. In this test, the larger tool earned its place through what it could reach and cut, rather than through convenience on every part of the hedge.

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