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Gas or Electric Lawn Edger for edging 350LF? First Edger Purchase

indianapolislawn

16 years ago

Experts........Looking for a recommendation.

I have approx. 350LF of lawn edge and I am looking to purchase a lawn edger. This will be my first edger, so I don't know what kind or brand to purchase.

Please recommend.

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

iowa50126
16 years ago
I've got 200 feet of sidewalk and a 60 foot driveway I edge once or twice a season.

I always rent a gas model.

I never use one enough to invest in a machine and just have it collect dust in my garage.

That being said, I'd go with the gas type for the extra power and be sure to buy lots of extra blades...you need a few the first year.
eastpenna
16 years ago
indianapolislawn,

Are you talking about a stick edger or the one with wheels? Do you have a gas string trimmer? If so, is it one solid piece or does it accept attachments?

Once you get your lawn edged good the first time you can run a stick edger down the entire length in no time. I do mine every week to keep it looking military.
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I'm partial to a wheeled edger. Grew up in California with a series of Power Trim, McLane, and King O'Lawn machines. Never heard of Little Wonder until I moved to Jersey. The two best in my opinion are the Power Trim and the Little Wonder. They range from pro-sumer quality in the $500 range to models for professional gardeners up $800 or more. For your use a Little Wonder 6002 or a Power Trim 200 or 200-4 are probably best. Both retail for about $500 to $550 and if you shop can be had for $450 to $475. Both are fitted with Briggs 3.5hp engines, and if serviced regularly the engine will last a lifetime. Edger service is much easier on an engine that mower usage. Edger engine also sees much fewer hours than a mower. Key is regular oil and filer changes. A step down, but still a credible machine is the McLane. I recommend the 101 or the 801. Both have four wheels and come with Briggs 3.5hp. List price is about $425 although they are often flogged on the internet for about $300 - $325. Pretty good machine for home use, and again Briggs is good in this application. Downsides are plastic wheels and generally less robust construction. Whatever you do avoid the McLane 137. It only has three wheels, and the front wheel is fixed. For less than $10 less at list price, it is not a good value proposition. I currently use a Little Wonder 6232 Commerical with the Honda. I got a good deal second hand (paid less than $350) and love the edger. However, I could not justify the expense of the Honda if I were buying new ($850 - $900). If you need to go cheaper than $300, a stick edger or string trimmer may be what you need. I don't think they edge as well, and are more tiring, but that's the trade-off.
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davidandkasie
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i say if you are going to use it alot get the gas model. my drive is 150' long, plus i have a turn around area and the front sidewalk is ~75' and the back is another 60'. i tried using an electric weedeater with the head turned to edge, and honestly got tired of fighting with the cords. then i got a gas weedeater and love it.

now i weedeat only about 1 time a month, with round up! between having over 600 linear ft of concrete to edge and close to 60 trees spread over 4 acres, i just don't have the time nor energy to do it any other way! i use the gas weedeater around the flower beds(still that is roughly 200 lf) to prevent overspray( i killed my wife's flowers and never heard the end of it!), but other than that it is pure chemical weed control.
nycjsw
15 years ago
Go with a gas edger. Not only can you use it to edge but you can also use it to trench around flower beds. If you do it about 3 times a year you can edge almost as fast as you can walk.
I never used it for trenching around flower beds until this year. I was shocked at how well it worked. First to edge at zero degrees around the bed then you go back and edge at an angle. Then you can remove a wedge. I had always done it with a shovel or a half moon.

My edger is a 10 year old 3.5 HP Craftman.
tommythegrassguy
15 years ago
I have a 1960's vintage King-O-Lawn gas edger and would never trade it for anything less. I started out with an electric edger but later used my neighbor's old King-O-Lawn. The difference was night and day. The gas edger is more powerful, easier to use and did a much better job. I edge once a week along my walks, driveway, and around planting beds and the gas edger is the way to go. You don't need to pay top dollar either. I bought my King-O-Lawn from my neighbor for 100 bucks. Take a look in your classifieds or on craigslist.com to see if you can find a well cared for gas edger and save some cash. Mine runs as well as the day it was new so it's possible to get a great gas edger without breaking the bank.

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