Before purchasing the Weedeater I bought a trimmer with an add-on edger, but after 10 minutes of use I packed it up and sent it back. The trimmer-type edgers (with the switchable edging heads) rotate the blade forward, causing them to "walk" away from you. I found it too annoying and it required too much effort to control. I even tried the method of edging backwards recommended by some and found it way to frustrating.

So, the trimmer/edger doesn't work and now I'm looking for a dedicated edger. The bigger 4-cycle units seemed too bulky. My yard has gentle slopes, but I feared even that would put my sweat glands in overdrive pushing something with the Briggs engine around. The price tag wasn't too appealing, either, though you can get them cheaper now than when I was looking.

Enter the Weedeater. I was a bit leery of the brand at first, but a friend of mine was in his second season with his PE550 last year, and he was very happy with it. I decided to give it a go, and I've been more than pleased with the decision ever since.

Now I'm in my second season and my friend is in his third. The thing starts every time--as long as you follow the proper starting procedure detailed in the manual. It ran just a little rough this year after a few uses until I did a quick cleaning of the air filter. That put the problem to rest.

I rarely need to use my string trimmer any more since buying this tool. It takes care of about 90% of what the trimmer used to do. The finish on my lawn is perfect with no scalped places like a string trimmer produces.

The only maintenance I've performed is scraping the crud off the foam air filter once in two years. The spark plug is the same one that came from the factory--I just checked it and the electrode looks like new. I'm even using last season's gas!

Speaking of gas, are you one of those who worry about mixing gas and oil? I was too. I bought only electric tools for years. Well let me relieve your fears. All you have to do is buy a 1-gallon gas can, put a gallon of gas in it, and pour one of the pre-sized bottles of oil into the can. Shake the can a few times and you're done. It couldn't be simpler and there is no mess.

What's more, the edging goes so fast that gas usage is minimal. I'm using the same gallon of gas I bought last year, and I'm estimating that I'll use no more than 1 gallon every two full seasons. So, if you have an average size yard you may find that you only have to mix gas and oil every other year!

I have concrete everywhere I edge, so I really should replace the blade once per season. Even so, I'm continuing to use the worn blade quite effectively. I should be able to squeeze two seasons out of it. One slight drawback here is that it uses proprietary 8.5 inch blades. These come in a 2-pack that lists for fifteen dollars (I found it cheaper online but would have to pay shipping). The industry "standard" blades are 9 inches and sell for four dollars each. If it was not for this one gaffe, I would have rated this unit 5 stars. I might try a 9-inch blade on it and see what happens. If it works I'll be happy. But even so, it's a design mistake on Weedeater's part.

My trim/edge time has been reduced dramatically with the Weedeater. I can edge the driveway, along the street, and the four islands in my yard in what I guess to be about 2-3 minutes. This is at least twice as fast as with a string trimmer, and maybe as much as five times faster.

I wish I was as pleased with all my purchases as I have been with the Weedeater. It's changed my attitude about the company, and I'd be willing to consider another Weedeater product when the time comes to replace my electric blower with a gas unit.

If epinions allowed ratings using half stars, I would have rated this unit 4.5 stars. Again, the only drawback being the non-standard blade. Sure, it has cheap wheels. But they're adequate for the task and most of the time they're rolling over soft sod anyway. Yeah, the T-handle feels a little cheap. But it's ergonomically pleasing, does a good job of damping vibration, and it doesn't have to withstand much of a load. What can I say? The thing works. It does it's job--every time. What more could I want out of a tool?

One final note. This applies to any dedicated edger--not just the Weedeater. Make sure to wear long pants the first time you use it. These things sling a lot of debris when cutting into the soil the first time. You're likely to find yourself covered in dirt.





Recommended:
Yes