In Brief.

This has been one of the hardest of all reviews to evaluate.  All trimmers operate in very much the same manner & have much the same features.  This means that there is very little to distinguish one model from another.

Choosing a trimmer is very much a matter of  matching the machine to the job..  If your job involves frequently changing the cutter depth, especially where accuracy is paramount, then you would look closely at the Bosch machine.  For anyone who only needs a trimmer occasionally, and does not need to use it in place of a router, the TradeTools Direct TTD350T is exceptional value for money.  This doesn’t mean that we were not impressed by the robustness of the Makita and Hitachi models.

So, if there’s a fence - then were sitting right on it!  Sorry!

What we do.

We unpack and examine each of the trimmers on our test bench prior to use. We record some of the more obvious visual details such as basic features and specifications. Although we are not able to advise on how long the equipment tested will actually last in the field, we do examine the materials & overall manufactured finish to give you a considered opinion of how robust each machine may prove to be. We do not dismantle tools as a normal part of our testing procedure.  Results of this opinion are shown as our quality assessment.

We try to get a ‘feel’ for each machine that we review.  To do this we use them in as close as we can to a normal trade application.  For the trimmers this didn’t take long as we simply ran each trimmer around a couple of pieces of timber using a standard coving bit fitted with a ball bearing guide.  We then record our views on how comfortable, smooth, easy, noisy etc each tool was to use.  We examine any accessories that are included in the purchase price and give an opinion of how robust the tool and its accessories seem to us to be.  Each tool is then awarded a score based on our opinion of how the machine handled and how robust the tool appears to be in operation.