Gadget: Flymo Cordless Sabre System

I returned from holiday to find that my back garden had turned into a jungle. My newly seeded lawn finally decided to take root and was now taller in places than Jedward's quiff.

Not only that, but the bush next to the garage was acting as a slightly aggressive sentry, giving all who passed it a thorny surprise. I needed a gadget and I needed it fast.

First to answer my SOS was Flymo which volunteered its Sabre Cut Cordless 24V Hedgetrimmer for the task. The Sabre Cut system is the nearest you'll get to a garden Swiss Army knife. Simply unplug the Hedgetrimmer component and swap it for numerous other attachments including a Strimmer, a Blower or even the dastardly named "SabreSaw". The Hedgetrimmer costs about 72 online and comes with a 24V cordless battery pack.

The additional attachments cost between 25 to 65 each. You wear the battery pack over your shoulder like a man-bag, with the geeky but useful belt optional.

I felt like a cross between a psycho from the Chainshaw Massacre and one of the Ghostbusters once I was fully tooled up. I managed to transform my hedge into a manicured poodle-shape in no time and although my grass looked like it had been chewed by a camel by the end of the outing, this was no fault of the Flymo.

Two things particularly impressed - with a full charge of the battery I was able to sculpt my hedge and annihilate my grass and still have juice left to burn.

Secondly, everything was very well designed; from the extendable built-in handle to the satisfying click and clunk as each attachment fitted together. Granted, you could buy a series of own-brand garden power tools for less than the combined Flymo price, but the Sabre System impresses in raw cutting power and ingenuity.

It's the nearest thing to a garden Swiss Army knife

Flymo Cordless Sabre System

From 72, www.amazon.co.uk and B&Q

This article was first published in The Scotsman on Saturday, 18 September, 2010