Pick the best manual edger for you should be fairly easy. Manual edgers are actually pretty simple tools. Once a little learning curve, you soon begin to learn how to operate the edger in a comfortable manner.
The hardest part about using a manual edger is the physical handling aspect of this equipment. You have to move this heavy tool over the surface that you want to smooth. A nice smooth driveway is much easier to handle than a pebble-filled driveway. To prepare the driveway for edging one method that has been growing in popularity is to sand the edges of the driveway and then use a manual lawn edger to smooth the ends. The end result will have your driveway looking as if someone had spent a considerable amount of time working on it.
There are a number of other methods that can be used to prepare the grassed area before using the edger. A rotary broom works well with this method. It can even be replaced by a power mower if you do not have enough space. This piece of equipment will sweep the entire edging area. You should not be able to see the front edge of the blade. The front edge should be completely covered in grass clippings.
Some of the newer edgers have a feature that allows you to turn off the blade and clean the sides without turning the motor off. This makes it very convenient to clean the sides while the blade is being used. Edging motorization has also become more popular and available for some models. These motors turn off on their own when there is no grass to cut.
The weight of the lawn edger should vary with the use. A four-cycle manual edger is able to handle over one hundred pounds. However, most users average around eighty pounds for ease of operation. Most gas edgers range between forty and fifty pounds for ease of operation.
Along with the weight comes a wide range in terms of which type of blade is correct for the job. Gas edging requires a 9-inch blade. This is smaller than most lawn mowers. A three or four-cycle lawn edger requires a smaller blade which is still larger than most gas-powered mowers. For example, a push mower with a three-cycle or four-cycle engine can carry a single edge or up to four edges at any given time.
It will take the manual to help determine the best blade. A steel blade can cut through a variety of turf and grass types and last much longer. On the other hand, a metal blade can chip paint and may take more work to repair in the long run. In addition, using a steel blade may cause the tool to become blunt over time, even though it may take time to recover from this.
The handle on an edger is another consideration. Manual tools handle differently. Some are lighter than others, some are ergonomic, and some require additional accessories. Gas edgers require handles that are made from steel, while others are ergonomic and have a rubberized grip. Each user has different preferences, and the user may be better suited to find the best edger based upon the needs of his or her yard.
Another consideration is whether or not to use smooth or serrated edges on the blade. Smooth edges perform well with small lawn blades, but they are not nearly as effective when cutting thick turf or large grass blades. Serrated edges are excellent for cutting thicker turf, but they take longer to remove the cut grass because of their rounded edges. For these reasons, it is best to ask a professional to determine which would be the best type of edge for the edger being used.
One should also look at whether or not there are any specific attachments that can attach mowers, push mowers, and golf vehicles to edgers. Attachments can speed up the cutting time, but it is still important that the lawn is cut properly. For instance, a lawn mower attached to an edger can do a great job cutting grass, but it would be a disaster to attempt mowing delicate turf without some kind of edger attachment. An edger will also allow for ease of movement between different locations. An example would be if one is operating a push mower from a standing location, it is much easier to move to another location than if the lawnmower is being operated manually. Many people do not like moving their lawn equipment because they feel as though it is taking too much time, but this is not the case when using edgers.
The main consideration when buying an edger is whether or not it will perform as well as its creators had hoped. The biggest pros of these devices are that the blades spin very quickly, and this cuts the time in half compared to what it would take to manually slice the lawn. It also allows for the removal of sod in one fell swoop unlike other types of tools that need to be mowed repeatedly. These pros however come with several cons. There is a wide range of different sizes of blades that can be purchased so it is important to determine which of the blades will best work for the lawn being cut.
