Lawn Care Gear: A Helpful Guide to Buying Edgers

What’s a lawn care owner’s biggest pet peeve?

… Getting the call that something is broken.

Every time it happens, you wonder if it’s because the product you bought was cheap, used or just not the right fit for the kind of jobs you’re doing.

To cut out this timely (and potentially costly) hassle, you need to invest in reliable residential and commercial grade equipment that’s not going to let you down.

That’s why we started this series. We want to show you a variety of the best equipment out there for lawn care businesses.

Welcome to Part 2 in this series about lawn care gear. (If you haven’t caught up on Part 1, you can read it here.) 

Here are the best edgers for lawn care businesses:

Walk-Behind Edgers

Troy-Bilt Gas Lawn Edger

Pros:

• Affordability: ≈ $200
• No mixing gas and oil (4-cycle engines don’t need it)
• SpringAssist™ starting technology (creates a more smooth and steady pull)
• Blade: heavy-duty 9-inch dual-tipped steel
• JumpStart™ technology available (sold separately)
• Depth positions: 6 (more than some competitors)
• Warranty: 2 years
• Lightweight: 20 pounds

Cons:

• Engine displacement (cc): 29 (less than its competitors)
• Maximum cutting depth: 1.75 inches (less than its competitors)

Who’s it for?

If you’re just getting started, this is the edger for you. Walk-behind edgers are great for beginners because often time they’re still mowing lawns themselves without the help of a team. If you’re a beginner, a walk-behind edger could save you from a lot of exhaustion.

So if you’re just starting out or are a small lawn or landscape business, this edger might work for you.

However, since it’s not specifically built for professional commercial use, I don’t recommend this edger for medium to large size businesses.

Southland SWLE0799 Lawn Edger

Pros:

• Affordability: ≈ $238
• Minimal effort: walk-behind edger
• No mixing gas and oil (4-cycle engines don’t need it)
• Engine: 4-stroke OHV
• Easy start: manual recoil
• Horizontal drive
• Hops curbs
• Depth positions: 5
• Maximum cutting depth: 5 inches
• Adjustable blade: makes a bevel cut
• Warranty: 2-year limited
• Adjustable wheels: 15 degrees right or left

Cons:

• Maximum torque: 3.1
• Engine displacement (cc): 29
• Heavyweight: 60 pounds
• No push-button ignition
• The engine isn’t as strong as some of the other competitors

Who’s it for?

New owners and small lawn care and landscaping businesses would most definitely benefit from using this edger. Especially since you’re likely still working jobs with little to no help from a team, you need products like this to ease your workload.

While I recommend it for new or small businesses, I can’t recommend it for established medium to large businesses, because it’s not designed for professional commercial use.

Craftsman Edger

Pros:

• Affordability: ≈ $200
• Minimal effort: walk-behind edger
• No mixing gas and oil (4-cycle engines don’t need it)
• Engine: 4-stroke
• 2-step starting: prime and pull
• Electric start capability: eliminates manual pull starts with an electric engine starter (sold separately)
• Blade: 9-inch dual-tipped steel
• Lightweight: 20 pounds
• Limited warranty: 2 years

Cons:

• Engine displacement (cc): 29 (this is low for a walk-behind edger)
• Maximum cutting depth: 1.75 inches (less than some competitors)

Who’s it for?

New and small lawn and landscaping owners can benefit from using this edger. It’s lightweight and walk-behind capabilities make it easier to complete jobs as a business owner still working out in the field.

However, it probably isn’t durable or powerful enough to suit the needs of established medium to large-sized lawn and landscape businesses.

McLane Edger

Pros:

• Torque: 5.5
• Baked polyester powder coating (protects it from chipping or potential corrosion)
• Versatile: can be used as a trimmer too

Cons:

• Heavyweight: 66.3 pounds
• On the higher end of the pricing scale: ≈ $580
• Curb wheel: optional accessory

Who’s it for?

Even though McLane only makes one edger model, this is still a great option for any lawn and landscape business.

Not only does it have impressive power, but it’s also extremely versatile. It’s versatility is what makes the McLane an extremely affordable option.

Handheld Edgers

Husqvarna Edgers

Pros:

• Multiple models to choose from, for example:
  • 525ECS (the most affordable option)
  • 525ES (the premium option for straight shaft edgers)
  • NOTE: There’s also a walk-behind option (the LE475).
• Limited commercial warranty: 2 years
• X-Torq® engine
• Engine displacement (cc): 25.4
• Engine horsepower: 1.34
• Idling speed: 3000 rpm
• Maximum power speed: 8,500 rpm
• Quiet: 94 dB(A)
• Minimal vibrations: 4.2 m/s² (front handle) and 9.1 m/s² (rear handle)
• Lightweight: 14.3 (525ES) and 13.9 (525ECS)

Cons:

• Higher end of the pricing scale: ≈ $320 - 420

Who’s it for?

No matter where you’re at in your lawn and landscape business, anyone can benefit from these Husqvarna Edgers. They’re specifically designed for commercial use, and they have excellent features.

Echo Edgers

Pros:

• Multiple options to choose from:
  • PE-225 (affordable curved shaft)
  • PE-2620 (premium X-Series curved shaft)
  • PE-280 (premium curved shaft)
  • PE2620S (premium X-series straight shaft)
• Limited commercial warranty: 2 years
• Most of their edgers have die-cast metal debris shields (this is rare because many nowadays are tough plastic)
• Engine displacement (cc): 21.2 - 28.1
• Lightweight: 13.1 - 14 pounds

Cons:

• Blade: 7.75 inches (typical size is 9 inches)

Who’s it for?

All of these edgers are great for any size lawn and landscape business. They’re ALL made to withstand commercial use, and they are all fairly powerful.

And so, whether you prefer curved or straight shafts, there’s an option for you.

RedMax Edgers

Pros:

• Multiple options to choose between:
  • HEZ230F (most affordable option)
  • HEZ230S (2nd affordable option)
  • HEX260F (2nd premium option)
  • HEZ3060S (most premium option)
• Maximum power speed: 8,500 rpm
• Idling speed: 3,000 rpm
• Engine horsepower: 0.94 - 1.4
• HEZ3060S has damper reducing vibrations to decrease vibrating up to 20%
• 2-stroke engine without the need of a catalytic converter
• Limited commercial warranty: 2 years
• Engine displacement (cc): 22.5 - 29.5

Cons:

• Heavyweight: 14 - 15.5 pounds

Who’s it for?

Any one of these edgers would make a great addition to any sized lawn and landscape business. They’re all powerful with several complementing features.

Stihl Straight Shaft Professional Edgers

Pros:

• 2 straight shaft edgers to choose between:
  • FC 96 (affordable option)
  • FC 111 (premium option)
• Engine displacement (cc): 28.4 - 31.4
• Maximum power speed: 4,800 rpm
• Lightweight: 13.7 pounds
• Limited commercial warranty: 2 years

Cons:

• At the highest end of the pricing scale: ≈ $450 - 500

Both edgers have reduced-emission engine technology, skid plates, stop switches and “open” guard designs.

Who’s it for?

Whether you’re a beginner or successful business owner… small or large lawn care and landscaping business… primarily residential or commercial business - ALL can benefit from using Stihl’s edgers.

Their affordability, quality and capability make them an easy fit for any lawn and landscape owner.

Conclusion

No matter which edger you choose, just be sure it’s right for your business.

Every brand and edger is different, and so it’s important you know what you need before you make this purchase.

Since no lawn and landscape business is the same, only you know what’s right for your business. So be sure to evaluate your budget, types of accounts (residential or commercial), and be honest about the size of your business (small or large).

No matter if you’re just starting out or you’re a lawn and landscape pro, I promise that somewhere in this article there’s an edger JUST FOR YOU.

Lawn Care Gear Series: Part 1 - Lawn Mowers

Lawn Care Gear Series: Part 3 - Trimmers

Lawn Care Gear Series: Part 4 - Uniforms