There have been many inventions and attempts at manufacturing a quick solution to the age old problem of lawn edging. I have seen some weird and wonderful contraptions in my time – there must be a museum devoted to such pieces – very few of which ever made the grade from drawing board to becoming a useful tool. Some of them mechanical, some non-powered, some variations on a theme, some using scissor movement and others a reciprocal scythe effect.
I have never seen one that is practical, light and easy to use. And yet, it should be so easy………….!
I had the requirement to try and locate such a machine to carry out a regular maintenance contract which included nearly a mile of metal edged lawn, mainly serpentine, with very few straight sections. Clearly, using ordinary edging shears was not going to be a practical option, so something needed to be arranged. I looked into various tools and specialist equipment, but also at other potentials.
I am a very keen fan of the Stihl Combi Units, having a medium sized van and the need to carry a lot of different tools means that the Combi suits me admirably. I run the KM100R machines, replacing one each year even if it has given good service. I carry two – one as a spare, as I have so many of the attachments (all twelve!) I could not risk the power plant not starting on me! (which has never happened – yet!)
Working with my suppliers (Simmons Saws Ltd), and starting with the Stihl KM-FCB edge trimmer, we removed the metal blade and fitted an Oregon Jet-Fit Head with a two line feed. Using Oregon flexi-blade cut to length, this proved a brilliant piece of kit. Most importantly – the machine was not compromised in any way. The head is made for strimmers, and this is what the edger became – a ninety degree strimmer.
The adjustable working depth proved ideal, and after a few false starts – mainly getting used to the required angle of the machine, and the correct distances from the lawn edge/hard edge, it proved to be a fantastic success!
As you can see, the ‘blade’ cuts a clean line to the grass, leaving a gap of perhaps 10mm between the hard edge and the lawn. In this instance, the hard material is brick, but the same effect may be achieved against the metal edging. If at first you don’t succeed – keep on trying. You will save a lot of time and effort once you master the speed and angle. One final tip – you need not use high revs, approximately 70% of available power is sufficient.
