This trimmer gets used on climbing fig, pittosporum, boxwood, and other ornamental woody hedges in my SoCal yard.  It is not that old so I cannot speak to its reliability, but it has worked very well so far.  It runs smoothly  and quietly and makes short work of leafy and/or woody hedges.  My basic impressions so far:

Pros:

+  Long reach - the long cutting blade is really nice for trimming large, flat areas (as in climbing fig on an 80 foot block wall)
+  Strong - it did not bog down when used on heavily overgrown foliage with branches ranging 1/8" to 1/2"
+  Good capacity - cut relatively large branches, however I don't get the sense that this would be happy doing that all day as it is relatively light duty
+  Well balanced and good weight - The tool is balanced well at the center handle and the weight is easy to manage, even at shoulder level

Cons:

-  Trigger lock - The trigger is large and has a nice, soft action; however, the size of the trigger within the relatively small rear handle well makes it prone to shutting off the trigger lock.  In use, I am constantly shutting off the trigger lock because there is not enough room for my hand and it keeps actuating the trigger.  Not a big deal, but slightly annoying.
-  No auto shut off if the cord comes unplugged - I discovered this one when my cord hit a snag and pulled free from the pigtail when the trigger lock was on; when I plugged the cord back in, the trimmer came back to life because the trigger was still locked.  Surprise!  I  should have thought of that, and forgetting to  unlock the trigger before plugging the unit back in can lead to a potentially hazardous situation.

Other thoughts...

The large gap in the cutting blades that allows the tool to cut somewhat large branches also makes it potentially more dangerous to fingers.  I have large hands and my fingers fit nicely in the gap- tool unplugged, of course! - so watch that.  Also, while the cutter is very long and good for extra reach or large surfaces, it also makes the tool slightly more cumbersome.  If I were to be using this from a ladder, I think I would rather go with a smaller blade, which would make the tool much more maneuverable and easier to handle. The unit came with the center handle disassembled to make it fit in the shipping box; there were only two screws needed to attach it, so that was no biggie.  Overall, I am very happy with it and it is a tremendous time saver compared to my old manual shears.
This trimmer gets used on climbing fig, pittosporum, boxwood, and other ornamental woody hedges in my SoCal yard. It is not that old so I cannot speak to its reliability, but it has worked very well so far. It runs smoothly  and quietly and makes short work of leafy and/or woody hedges. My basic impressions so far:

Pros:

+  Long reach - the long cutting blade is really nice for trimming large, flat areas (as in climbing fig on an 80 foot block wall)
+  Strong - it did not bog down when used on heavily overgrown foliage with branches ranging 1/8" to 1/2"
+  Good capacity - cut relatively large branches, however I don't get the sense that this would be happy doing that all day as it is relatively light duty
+  Well balanced and good weight - The tool is balanced well at the center handle and the weight is easy to manage, even at shoulder level

Cons:

-  Trigger lock - The trigger is large and has a nice, soft action; however, the size of the trigger within the relatively small rear handle well makes it prone to shutting off the trigger lock. In use, I am constantly shutting off the trigger lock because there is not enough room for my hand and it keeps actuating the trigger. Not a big deal, but slightly annoying. -  No auto shut off if the cord comes unplugged - I discovered this one when my cord hit a snag and pulled free from the pigtail when the trigger lock was on; when I plugged the cord back in, the trimmer came back to life because the trigger was still locked. Surprise! I  should have thought of that, and forgetting to  unlock the trigger before plugging the unit back in can lead to a potentially hazardous situation. Other thoughts... The large gap in the cutting blades that allows the tool to cut somewhat large branches also makes it potentially more dangerous to fingers. I have large hands and my fingers fit nicely in the gap- tool unplugged, of course! - so watch that. Also, while the cutter is very long and good for extra reach or large surfaces, it also makes the tool slightly more cumbersome. If I were to be using this from a ladder, I think I would rather go with a smaller blade, which would make the tool much more maneuverable and easier to handle. The unit came with the center handle disassembled to make it fit in the shipping box; there were only two screws needed to attach it, so that was no biggie. Overall, I am very happy with it and it is a tremendous time saver compared to my old manual shears.