If you read this in time, this edger is on Sale reconditioned. Click the following link for more info on the reconditioned Black & Decker LE750R Edge Hog Electric Landscape Edger.
I previously discussed the differences between string trimmers vs edgers and some of the various options I was considering in terms of lawn edgers. In the past I was able to borrow an edger a few times a year but now I needed to get my own edger.
I finally decided on the Black & Decker LE750 Edge Hog 2-1/4 HP Electric Landscape Edger because I didn't want to deal with gas and I have less than 200' of edging to do.
The Hound Dog Steppin' Edger #HDP6-4
was a close second. I have other Hound Dog products that I'm happy with and I like to use manual tools whenever I can. They're cordless, very quiet and using them burns a few calories. I ultimately decided on a powered lawn edger to speed things up.
Since my last post I also found the Factory-Reconditioned Homelite 12 Amp Lawn Edger ZR45100
which is the only other electric grass edger I have seen besides the Electric Mantis Tiller/Cultivator with Border Edger
. While I like factory reconditioned tools, sometimes I even prefer them because I know they've been individually tested, something about the reconditioned Homelite edger didn't sit well with me. After seeing info on the product I looked on the Homelite website and couldn't find info on the product. It appears to be discontinued. I couldn't find any place selling it new either.
Buying reconditioned for a popular product is one thing, a reconditioned tool that has been discontinued turns me off because I think they had so many problems they wound up dropping it and are now trying to make some money selling off what they have left.
The Black and Decker Edge Hog also looks like it has more adjustments for depth which will make it better for trenching. Homelite products in general don't seem to get good reviews either.
I really wanted the Electric Mantis Tiller with Edger but didn't want to spend that much and don't plan on using the tiller often enough to justify the cost.
So I went with the Black and Decker Electric Edger. To save some money I purchased a refurbished Black and Decker Edge Hog
from CPO.com's Black and Decker refurbished store.
I've been waiting to use it and share my experiences but with all the rain the soil has been too moist to edge. It's really been driving me crazy because it's hard not using a new toy and my lawn had an overgrown edge since it's been a while that I had access to an edger. In some places the lawn was growing a good 3-4" onto the concrete.
I've used it 2 1/2 times so far. The first 1/2 time was when I first bought it. It had been raining constantly and the first break in the weather I rolled it out. While a gas powered edger would have been able to go through the overgrown edge and damp soil, the Edge Hog had problems. It was very slow going and pulling up the cut edge was difficult so I gave up. The moist clay soil also wound up clogging the blade and I had to spend some time cleaning it out. Cleaning it was very easy because the blade cavity opens up. Just turn the red plastic knob on the side of the edger, towards the front, and the door opens to give you access to clean out mud or replace the blade.
A little while longer, after 4 sunny days without rain I had a much easier time. The Edge Hog cut through the edge without problem and the cut edge pulled up easily in nice long strips. It even handled curved walkways without a problem. I had to go very slow in some areas and even pull back and forth a few times where it was a little tough. The edger has a decent amount of power but it's not a monster and you can't just force it through. You need to take it slow when it's bogging down so you don't burn out the electric motor or wear down the motor brushes. You'll hear it when the motor is working too hard and you should slow down.
The Black and Decker Edge Hog has a curb guard, which is a piece of metal that rides along the edge of the hard surface to make sure you're following the hardscape to get a clean edge. This edge guard pulls up when you want to edge along a flower bed or use the edger to make a shallow trench. I still wound up seeing sparks which indicates the blade was hitting the concrete but this only happened when I was first inserting the blade or coming to a corner. It's important to try and keep the blade from hitting a hard surface. Hitting concrete will wear the blade down faster, hitting asphalt could tear up the driveway.
Along with the wheeled base, the edge guard makes the edger very easy to use. It left a clean edge except in the first bit I tried. That was mostly my fault because I missed the edge by an inch because of how overgrown it was. After a couple of weeks the grass filled in and it looks fine now.
Blade depth is up to 1.5" deep and the adjustment is very easy to make without any tools. A cord holder prevents the plug from accidentally being pulled out and with a little care it's easy to make sure the cord isn't in the path of the edger.
This not quiet but it's not loud either. Definitely quieter than a gas powered edger. It is also very light and easy to handle.
The next time I used it went a lot smoother. The electric lawn edger rode along quickly and there was no bending over to pull out the cut edge. It didn't bog down anywhere either. It does blow out a bit of dirt and you should be careful not to have anyone stand in front of it in case it hits a pebble or some other hard object that might get kicked up. Safety glasses should be worn to guard against any flying debris.
After edging, mowing and trimming, a pass with the blower cleaned up all the grass clippings and dirt from the edge, leaving a nice, clean, deep line.
Now that the edge has been established, I plan to only use the edger once or twice a month, every 2-4 mowings, if that much. In between I'll use my Black & Decker NST2018 18-Volt Cordless Electric 12-Inch Grass Hog String Trimmer
to maintain the edge. The two make a very good combo in my opinion.
The string trimmer isn't very powerful but works well to touch up an edge. Being battery operated makes it less of a chore to use than a corded electric trimmer.
Overall I'm very happy with the Black and Decker Edge Hog. It works better than I thought it would and heavy duty replacement blades
are affordable. It doesn't have the same performance as a gas powered edger but taking it slow when the edging is thick is a reasonable compromise for the amount of money saved.
I finally decided on the Black & Decker LE750 Edge Hog 2-1/4 HP Electric Landscape Edger
because I didn't want to deal with gas and I have less than 200' of edging to do. was a close second. I have other Hound Dog products that I'm happy with and I like to use manual tools whenever I can. They're cordless, very quiet and using them burns a few calories. I ultimately decided on a powered lawn edger to speed things up.Since my last post I also found the Factory-Reconditioned Homelite 12 Amp Lawn Edger ZR45100
which is the only other electric grass edger I have seen besides the Electric Mantis Tiller/Cultivator with Border Edger. While I like factory reconditioned tools, sometimes I even prefer them because I know they've been individually tested, something about the reconditioned Homelite edger didn't sit well with me. After seeing info on the product I looked on the Homelite website and couldn't find info on the product. It appears to be discontinued. I couldn't find any place selling it new either. Buying reconditioned for a popular product is one thing, a reconditioned tool that has been discontinued turns me off because I think they had so many problems they wound up dropping it and are now trying to make some money selling off what they have left.
The Black and Decker Edge Hog also looks like it has more adjustments for depth which will make it better for trenching. Homelite products in general don't seem to get good reviews either.
I really wanted the Electric Mantis Tiller with Edger but didn't want to spend that much and don't plan on using the tiller often enough to justify the cost.
So I went with the Black and Decker Electric Edger. To save some money I purchased a refurbished Black and Decker Edge Hog
from CPO.com's Black and Decker refurbished store.I've used it 2 1/2 times so far. The first 1/2 time was when I first bought it. It had been raining constantly and the first break in the weather I rolled it out. While a gas powered edger would have been able to go through the overgrown edge and damp soil, the Edge Hog had problems. It was very slow going and pulling up the cut edge was difficult so I gave up. The moist clay soil also wound up clogging the blade and I had to spend some time cleaning it out. Cleaning it was very easy because the blade cavity opens up. Just turn the red plastic knob on the side of the edger, towards the front, and the door opens to give you access to clean out mud or replace the blade.
A little while longer, after 4 sunny days without rain I had a much easier time. The Edge Hog cut through the edge without problem and the cut edge pulled up easily in nice long strips. It even handled curved walkways without a problem. I had to go very slow in some areas and even pull back and forth a few times where it was a little tough. The edger has a decent amount of power but it's not a monster and you can't just force it through. You need to take it slow when it's bogging down so you don't burn out the electric motor or wear down the motor brushes. You'll hear it when the motor is working too hard and you should slow down.
The Black and Decker Edge Hog has a curb guard, which is a piece of metal that rides along the edge of the hard surface to make sure you're following the hardscape to get a clean edge. This edge guard pulls up when you want to edge along a flower bed or use the edger to make a shallow trench. I still wound up seeing sparks which indicates the blade was hitting the concrete but this only happened when I was first inserting the blade or coming to a corner. It's important to try and keep the blade from hitting a hard surface. Hitting concrete will wear the blade down faster, hitting asphalt could tear up the driveway.
Along with the wheeled base, the edge guard makes the edger very easy to use. It left a clean edge except in the first bit I tried. That was mostly my fault because I missed the edge by an inch because of how overgrown it was. After a couple of weeks the grass filled in and it looks fine now.
Blade depth is up to 1.5" deep and the adjustment is very easy to make without any tools. A cord holder prevents the plug from accidentally being pulled out and with a little care it's easy to make sure the cord isn't in the path of the edger.
The next time I used it went a lot smoother. The electric lawn edger rode along quickly and there was no bending over to pull out the cut edge. It didn't bog down anywhere either. It does blow out a bit of dirt and you should be careful not to have anyone stand in front of it in case it hits a pebble or some other hard object that might get kicked up. Safety glasses should be worn to guard against any flying debris.
After edging, mowing and trimming, a pass with the blower cleaned up all the grass clippings and dirt from the edge, leaving a nice, clean, deep line.
Now that the edge has been established, I plan to only use the edger once or twice a month, every 2-4 mowings, if that much. In between I'll use my Black & Decker NST2018 18-Volt Cordless Electric 12-Inch Grass Hog String Trimmer
to maintain the edge. The two make a very good combo in my opinion.The string trimmer isn't very powerful but works well to touch up an edge. Being battery operated makes it less of a chore to use than a corded electric trimmer.
Overall I'm very happy with the Black and Decker Edge Hog. It works better than I thought it would and heavy duty replacement blades
are affordable. It doesn't have the same performance as a gas powered edger but taking it slow when the edging is thick is a reasonable compromise for the amount of money saved.
I found one used and I think it does a great job after replacing the blade. Far better than the cordless string trimmer. When I first bought it I used it every time I mowed but eventually cut back to around every 3-4 mowings. I find it has a hard time when the soil is wet too but for the most part it works great.
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm using it, I edge around flower beds too instead of with the string trimmer to save some time. It does a good job of cutting through the spreading KBG.
In the past I only edged a few times a year but now I plan on doing it a little more frequently that I can. The look of a freshly edged lawn is nice but about every 3-4 mowings sounds about right.
ReplyDeleteI used it on some flower beds too. I had one border bed that started out straight but has since lost its shape. I drove a stake on either end and tied a string between them, then ran the edger down following the string and got a very nice straight line.
The gas edger had more power but I didn't want to spend that much or deal with a gas engine. For the cost of renting a gas edger 2 times a year I now own my own so I'm happy.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI own the Worx GT Trimmer/Edger and while I was happy with it as a cordless trimmer I wasn't getting the nice crisp edges that I had when I had a lawn care service.
ReplyDeleteYour thatch rake/ivy tip is what led me to your site and your review on the edgehog got me interested enough to order one. It edges faster and better than the works obviously. I use the EdgeHog once a month and the Worx all other times. Because the EdgeHog does such a nice job it makes it easier for the Worx GT to maintain the edge.