To edge or not to edge

[Scag48]

Well, as many of you know, I am in a squeeze for cash and am trying to decide which is a better investment-edging or blowing. I want to get a blower for cleanup after I'm all done mowing and maybe for fall leaf cleanup. I also would like a stick edger for those people with loads of cash that would like the lawn looking perfect (mowing, edging, trimming every week). Most of my customers only want me to trim every 2 weeks (don't ask me why, they just do). I tried cutting through sod with my trimmer but that didn't really work, so I guess you have to cut the sod with an edger, than cut whatever blades of grass that grows over that edge with a trimmer every week (vertical edging). The only thing that is holding me back from an edger is price and safety. I guess I'm kind of a wimp but a sharp blade whirling around pretty fast kinda scares me. Some friends of mine that live down the street from one account I have chucked a couple of rocks at me last night so I wouldn't want to be distracted with an edger. Anyway, what would you recommend for my situation, blow or edge?

 

[yardsmith]

You will usually use a blower every time you cut a lawn; an edger gets used on a portion of your lawns, only once (2x max) a season, when the grass starts growing back over the walks.<br>Get all your customers lined up ahead of time & edge them all in the same day. That way they each pay for the rental (or a good % of it) while you crank them all out in one day.<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

 

[Scag48]

Thanx Smitty, I thought you would edge more than 2 times a year. That really helps me, would have made a bad purchase without the help. Thanx again. 80)

 

[MOW ED]

I have an edger and I use it on select customers as an included service 2 or 3x per season.<br>All other edging is done as an additional service. This helped pay for the edger and now every time I edge its profit.<br>The only time its bad is new jobs that are growing over the concrete by a foot so make sure you look at all jobs and charge accordingly. Good Luck.

 

[Scraper]

Edge 2-3x per season? Around here we do it biweekly. After more than a 3 weeks it's leaning over the walk. A nice crisp edge looks awesome. No more extra time to do then to use a string trimmer to do it, but much more perfect! All edging is provided for as standard service. Sometimes during real dry weather it can go longer without needing it, but never longer than 4 weeks.<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: Scraper

 

[Evan528]

Around here every house has sidewalks along the entire lenght of the property. Edging once a week is a must to keep the edges crisp and manicured looking at all times. Some people hear edge every two weeks but to me the edge just looks very shaggy after a week and makes the service cutting the grass look unprofessional. people above are right... rent an edger for a day and edge all your costomers edges to get the grove going and to straighten them all out. After the edge is made nice by the edger you can use the string trimmer from then on and make it look just as nice if you no what your doing. I paid about 400 bucks for a new little wander last spring... i have used it at all my houses twice in 2 years. They get edged the first mowing with the edger than the rest of the year with the trimmer. Dont waste your money on a edger... rent one for 20 bucks.

 

[Scraper]

Evan...I wouldn't say buying one is a waste of money as my MTD cheapie is still going after 5 years. The quality by far is more superior using an edger as a regular tool as opposed to a string trimmer. Yes...it can be done with a string trimmer, but it can't really be as perfect as a steel blade as the string gives as well as &quot;frays&quot; the grass causing yellowing. The edger is used for walks and drives. For tree rings and beds we use the string trimmer to create the &quot;half-moon&quot; effect. Tree rings and beds are done at least once a month. Makes reedging in the spring all that much easier.<p>Just my opinion. <p>Actually most of the other LCO's around here don't even use edgers and when they use their string trimmers it's like in another post that they are on 45 degree angles and cause die back. Best is when one of my sidewalks runs into the competitions. Mine is &quot;perfectly perpendicular&quot; and theirs is all over the place. <br><p><font size="1">Edited by: Scraper

 

[Evan528]

i love that! I have one yard that makes me look like a godess! the two yards on either side of it are done by the homeowner... the edges on either side aRE out about 7 inches over the walk and they meet my perfectly straight crisp edge. Also my lawn is dark green with srtipes and not a weed on it while the ones next to it are cut in ciircles with push mowers and are full of dandilions, oxalis and plantain like crazy. Makes my lawn look like a masterpeice between two weed infested unmanicured lawns.

 

[Youngster]

I edge every yard i cut every time i cut it! I dont know how ya'll can get by with one or two times a season, but if you can thats good. Scag, I was (still am) in your situation. I'm only 17 and dont have a whole lot of money to spend on good equipment. I'd definitely get a blower if you had to just choose one. But check around and maybe you can find a good used edger or something. I have bought a couple used items and so far have had great luck with them. Or (i'm sure i'll get some responses to this) if you cant afford some really good stuff right now buy a cheap one! I still use a $69.99 homelite handheld blower on my yards. It gets the job done, may not be as good as one of the nice backpack blowers or something, but it'll work for me until i get the $$$$ to buy a better one. Hope this helps a little!<p>Youngster<p>----------<br>Cashin' in on Others Laziness!!!!<br>

 

[AGG Lawn Maintenance]

Get a blower for now. Down the road check into an Echo pro series weed wacker, you can put an edger or hedge trimmer on it oh and the weed wacker. With one simply click of a button.