Have you ever wondered what a lawn edger does? or if they’re worth owning?
Edgers are a type of lawn equipment that often seem like a luxury rather than a necessity. You know you need a lawnmower to keep the grass neatly trimmed. You might also have a trimmer to help cut the grass in hard-to-reach areas where a mower can’t get to. But do you need another tool to edge the lawn after mowing and trimming?
Lawn edgers are a great final step to keeping a carefully maintained yard. That last step of edging to create a nice, clean line along the edge of the lawn makes a huge difference in how a yard looks. Let’s take a closer look at what lawn edgers do, who might want to use them, and which lawn edgers are the best choice for you.
What Does A Lawn Edger Do?
Edgers are a tool used to define the edge of a lawn. They provide a fast, simple way to keep the borders of your lawn clean and well-defined. They also help create a boundary around your grass. An edger is designed to create a clean line between your lawn and whatever surrounds it.
People most often use edgers along garden beds, sidewalks, driveways, and paths to help keep your lawn grass from growing where you don’t want it. With an edger, you can create a crisp edge along the borders of your lawn and maintain it much more easily than you could by using a string-line trimmer on its own.
Who Uses Lawn Edgers?
Both homeowners and professional lawn care workers use lawn edgers. While many homeowners might be happy with just using a trimmer and mower around their lawn, an edger can add a professional look to a newly cut lawn that will really enhance the curb appeal. Using an edger is the fastest, easiest way to achieve a professional look to the edges of a lawn.
The polished look that using an edger provides is why an edger is a great tool for lawn care businesses to use alongside mowers and trimmers. Edgers are the simplest way to provide the professional finish that clients expect when they hire a company to maintain their lawn and yard.
What Are the Types of Lawn Edgers?
There are a few different types of lawn edgers. Manual edgers include tools like a spade with a half-moon-shaped blade used to cut a line at the edge of the lawn. The manual edgers tend to take up less room and are less expensive than motorized edgers. However, these types of edgers require a lot of effort to use, since you supply all of the cutting power behind the tools. Unless you have a very small lawn to edge, you’ll probably want to invest in a motorized edger if you plan to use an edger regularly.
Motorized edgers use a vertical cutting blade powered by an electric motor or gasoline engine to edge the lawn. Most of these edgers are hand-held tools with a long shaft like a trimmer and a guide wheel next to the blade that you’ll use to guide the edger along the borders of your lawn. Large walk-behind models are also available for those who are working with very large lawns or who’d rather not carry the edger around when working.
What Are My Options For Motorized Edgers?
While manual edgers can be useful in some situations, we’re focusing on the motorized edgers for this article. When you’re trying to decide which motorized edger to buy, you’ll want to start by thinking about whether you want an edger powered by gasoline or electric.
Gasoline-powered edgers are the most powerful. They’re also very portable, and easy to refill if you’re using them for a long time or on-the-go. Gasoline edgers can be loud, though, and they might not be the best choice for working in noise-restricted neighborhoods.
Corded electric or battery-powered edgers are also an option. Corded models have a limited range and the extension cords may tangle or get in the way, but these edgers are very lightweight. A more popular option for electric edgers is battery power. Edgers powered by lithium-ion batteries are lightweight, powerful, run quietly, and have no engine exhaust. They also require less maintenance than gasoline mowers. However, the time it takes to recharge battery-powered edgers can make them inconvenient if you’re working with a very large yard or on multiple properties.
Tools that convert between edging and trimming are also available. In addition, you can get edgers as part of a multi-tool system like STIHL KombiSystem or Echo PAS. For more information about all your different edger options, see our post “Buying Guide: Choosing the Best Edger for Your Lawn.”
Which Edger Should I Get, and Where?
The question of which edger you should buy depends on how you want to use it. If you have a very large lawn or work on multiple properties every day, then a gasoline edger would be a good choice. One of the more powerful battery-powered edgers could also work if you can keep extra batteries around. On the other hand, if you have a smaller yard or if you’ll be working in a noise-restricted neighborhood, a battery-powered edger will be the best choice. If you just want to edge a small part of your lawn once or twice a year, then you might be able to get by with a manual edger or with renting a motorized edger.
Buying an edger from a trusted lawn equipment dealer is the best way to make sure you get a high-quality edger that’s backed up with a reliable warranty and service guarantee. Here at Richardson Saw & Lawnmower, we carry edgers from Echo, RedMax, Shindaiwa, and STIHL. These are all trusted, respected brands with a long history of creating quality lawn equipment. We always service what we sell, and our equipment experts are available to answer any questions you might have about edgers. Come by and see us, give us a call, or send an email to learn more.
