wrote in message
ups.com...
Anyone know of a good, but relatively inexpensive brand gas powered
edger/trimmer for my yard? I heard they make combo devices for trimmer
and edger, so that would be even nicer. Thanks


Well, I just recently bought a Craftsman 32cc straight stick (not the
ergonomic curved handle type) 2-cycle gas powered trimmer. I paid a little
over $150 for it, but that was including ~10% tax and a big package of extra
trimline. Of course, it was on sale, so $150 would be the normal price I
think. They also have one about $20 cheaper. The difference is, the one I
bought is supposed to be easier to start. (it is fairly easy to start, but
don't know if it's actually easiER) Anyway, this Craftsman trimmer has a
pivot point on the stick that holds the business end. Basically, you loosen
it, twist it, tighten it again and now you have an edger.

I have no need for an edger, but suspect it would work really well as an
edger. This 32cc 2-cycle Craftsman is really powerful. A few times I
accidentally pointed the trimmer head too low, and it dug right into the
earth. No, that's not a good thing, but it does illustrate that it's pretty
powerful. Heck, I've even used it as a mower in an area that my lawn
tractor couldn't reach. Just swing it back and forth in about a 4' arc and
walk slowly. Works great!

Another nice thing is that it is NOT "bump feed". If you've never owned a
"bump feed" trimmer, you will HATE IT WITH A PASSION. Unfortunately, almost
all of the reasonably priced trimmers are bump feed, so it's a huge plus
that the Craftsman is NOT. On the Craftsman, a short piece of line is
looped through the business end. When it wears out, stop the trimmer, pull
the line out, insert a new one. No tools, 5-10 seconds to change line (if
you take your time about it). We have a fairly large yard with lots of
trimming work to do. I'm estimating it uses about 10 cents' worth of
trimmer line and about 50 cents worth of fuel/oil mixture every time we use
the trimmer for the whole yard. Not bad. -Dave