Anyone else have a Weed Eater PE550?
It is not commercial grade, and I don't expect it to last too long, but it seems to do a nice job of edging, has more than enough power, and has an effective vibration-damping handle. Replacement blades (which wear very rapidly) are cheap and available. All replacement parts seem readily available.
It has a centrifugal clutch like a stick edger or string trimmer or chain saw. It doesn't have fancy features. Want to put the blade in or out of the soil? Tilt the whole unit forward or back. Edging on an uneven surface such as a curb? OK, it doesn't have an adjustable wheel to level it. But it is so light, that you don't need the wheel -- you can just tilt it so that the blade remains vertical, by tilting the handle, and holding the blade vertical that way -- you lift one wheel off the ground. I suppose you could shim under the wheel, with a stack of 2" x 4" x 12' or 1" x 6" x 12' lumber. But the unit is light enough to fairly easily hold one wheel off the ground by tilting the handle. Or you may have to roll the wheels over the grass instead of on the concrete curb. Seems to works fine that way.
I can see the advantage of a unit with a 4-stroke engine with a linkage to lift the blade up and let it down, and with a manually operated clutch to stop the blade while the engine is running. But are there any advantages to a stick edger type of design? I don't see it. You have to lift the engine, like with a string trimmer or brush cutter, hold it up in the air. It gets heavy after awhile. It seems to make more sense to let the engine rest on the wheels.
Much much faster and neatening up a sidewalk edger, than a string trimmer. I hate string trimmers, anyway.
There don't seem to be any other similarly designed units on the market.
It is not commercial grade, and I don't expect it to last too long, but it seems to do a nice job of edging, has more than enough power, and has an effective vibration-damping handle. Replacement blades (which wear very rapidly) are cheap and available. All replacement parts seem readily available.
It has a centrifugal clutch like a stick edger or string trimmer or chain saw. It doesn't have fancy features. Want to put the blade in or out of the soil? Tilt the whole unit forward or back. Edging on an uneven surface such as a curb? OK, it doesn't have an adjustable wheel to level it. But it is so light, that you don't need the wheel -- you can just tilt it so that the blade remains vertical, by tilting the handle, and holding the blade vertical that way -- you lift one wheel off the ground. I suppose you could shim under the wheel, with a stack of 2" x 4" x 12' or 1" x 6" x 12' lumber. But the unit is light enough to fairly easily hold one wheel off the ground by tilting the handle. Or you may have to roll the wheels over the grass instead of on the concrete curb. Seems to works fine that way.
I can see the advantage of a unit with a 4-stroke engine with a linkage to lift the blade up and let it down, and with a manually operated clutch to stop the blade while the engine is running. But are there any advantages to a stick edger type of design? I don't see it. You have to lift the engine, like with a string trimmer or brush cutter, hold it up in the air. It gets heavy after awhile. It seems to make more sense to let the engine rest on the wheels.
Much much faster and neatening up a sidewalk edger, than a string trimmer. I hate string trimmers, anyway.
There don't seem to be any other similarly designed units on the market.
