The good part about having a yard is that you can enjoy fresh air in the great outdoors without having to leave the comfort of your own home. The bad news is that if you want a tidy lawn, you are going to have to care for it properly.

A lawn edger is one of the many tools that you should consider buying. In this article, we explore what this tool does, how you can use it, and we present some of the best grass edgers that money can buy.

The Backyard Boss Top 5 Grass Edgers for 2021

PRODUCT

FEATURES

BLACK+DECKER 2-in-1 Edger & Trencher - $$title$$

BLACK+DECKER 2-in-1 Edger & Trencher

  • Dimensions: 23 x 10 x 12 inches
  • Weight: 14.05 pounds
  • Type: Electric corded

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WORX WG163.9 20V Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger - $$title$$

WORX WG163.9 20V Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger

  • Dimensions: 36 x 7.5 x 5 inches
  • Weight: 5.5 pounds
  • Type: Cordless battery operated

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BLACK+DECKER ST8600 Trimmer/Edger - $$title$$

BLACK+DECKER ST8600 Trimmer/Edger

  • Dimensions: 8 x 36 x 4 inches
  • Weight: 5.35 pounds
  • Type: Electric corded

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Greenworks 13-Inch 40V Cordless String Trimmer/Edger - $$title$$

Greenworks 13-Inch 40V Cordless String Trimmer/Edger

  • Dimensions: 60 x 14 x 45 inches
  • Weight: 9.26 pounds
  • Type: Cordless battery operated

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BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Lawn Mower, String Trimmer and Edger - $$title$$

BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Lawn Mower, String Trimmer and Edger

  • Dimensions: 15.25 x 40.5 x 7.38 inches
  • Weight: 14.4 pounds
  • Type: Cordless battery operated

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Why You Can Trust Us

At Backyard Boss, we love power tools because they get the job done efficiently and leave us more time to enjoy the outdoors. Most people appreciate a neatly edged lawn, but few enjoy doing it manually; that's us, too. We've been through our fair share of manual yard work and know that a good grass edger can make a world of difference.

When you have long walkways, driveways, or flower beds, neatly cut grass edges create a wonderfully clean aesthetic. We appreciate that because we've turned our own gardens from an overgrown mess to cleanly trimmed lawns. And we've tested various grass edgers in the process.

Best 3-in-1

BLACK+DECKER 2-in-1 Edger & Trencher

    The BLACK+DECKER 2-in-1 edger and trencher is ideal for people who want a durable gardening tool that server a variety of different purposes.

      Pros:

    • Converts from edger to trencher.
    • Easy assembly.
    • 4700 RPM.
      Cons:

    • Complaints about decreasing quality

Why We Like It: BLACK+DECKER makes some of the best gardening tools on the market, and this string trimmer is here to prove it. This product is actually a trimmer, an edger, and a trencher, being a versatile tool for people who are invested in having a good-looking lawn. It is powered by a 12-amp motor with plenty of torque to cut through the roughest turf, so even if the grass is overgrown, you know this baby can handle it.

It comes with built-in cord retention to prevent the cord from creating inconvenience and having you potentially trip over it. The blade measures 7.5 inches and can be adjusted in three positions for better control over the depth. You can choose to purchase the edger alone or buy a pack that includes a replacement blade.

Customer's Choice Grass Edger

WORX WG163.9 20V Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger

    The WORX WG163.9 edger is a great product for people who want a gardening tool that's lightweight, easy to handle, and makes edging the grass as simple as possible, even for a beginner.

      Pros:

    • Flower spacer guard feature.
    • Lightweight.
    • Instant line feeding.
      Cons:

    • Wire spools are really small.

Why We Like It: The WORX edger is one of the best products of its kind because it comes at a very good price, it's easy to operate, and the durability exceeds expectations. There are plenty of reasons why this product is preferred by so many customers, so let's dive into the specifications and see what it has to offer.

This trimmer/edger is designed with a quick-release lever that allows you to adjust the telescopic hand to a length that you feel comfortable with when you're trimming the grass. The dual-position wheels are there to make switching from edger to trimmer in no time, increasing your efficiency. One of the strongest points of this product is its ease of maneuvering since it weighs only 5.3 pounds.

Best for a Low Budget

BLACK+DECKER ST8600 Trimmer/Edger

    Those of you that are looking for a decent grass edger at a low price can go with this BLACK+DECKER: good construction, easy to use, and made by a respectable manufacturer in the industry.

      Pros:

    • Automatic spool feed.
    • Low price.
    • 7,700 RPM
      Cons:

    • Consumes string really fast.

Why We Like It: We move on to another product made by BLACK+DECKER, only this time it's a more affordable trimmer/edger. The tool is powered by a 5-amp motor that promises to cut even through stubborn turf, making sure that you can have a good-looking lawn even if the grass is a bit overgrown and makes edging more complicated.

It integrated an automatic spool feeder that provides wire for your trimmer line on the go, without any additional effort on your behalf. You can adjust the height of the edger so you don't have to bend over and put a strain on your back. The cord retention system will prevent you from tripping over cords that are just lying there in the grass.

Best Cordless Lawn Edger

Greenworks 13-Inch 40V Cordless String Trimmer/Edger

    If you're tired of having cords in the way of your trimming and edging, it's time to switch to a reliable cordless trimmer, such as this battery-powered tool by Greenworks.

      Pros:

    • Easy to maneuver.
    • No cords.
    • Doubles as a trimmer.
      Cons:

    • Not suitable for bigger yards.

Why We Like It: The Greenworks trimmer is one of the best cordless edgers that money can buy, and also a product you should consider purchasing if you're tired of having cords behind you all the time when you're planning to work on the lawn. It comes with a battery and a charger, giving you enough juice to take care of your lawn on a full charge.

The edger starts with a simple push of a button and it offers the lightweight and reliability that you want from a product within this price range. It can reach speeds of up to 9,000 RPM, which is pretty impressive considering that there are many products with a similar price and corded that can't reach such a performance. On a full battery charge, the edger can cut up to 30 minutes. It weighs 9.3 pounds and has an automatic line feed for easier trimming.

Most Versatile Grass Edger

BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Lawn Mower, String Trimmer and Edger

    This BLACK+DECKER gardening tool is perfect for people who want a product that helps them handle multiple aspects related to taking care of the yard.

      Pros:

    • Adjustable height.
    • Quick charge time.
    • Comes with two batteries.
      Cons:

    • Expensive.

Why We Like It: The last item on the list is the type of "go big or go home" product that you want to buy if you're really interested in keeping your lawn in tip top shape. It is a trimmer, an edger, and a lawnmower, with enough juice to help you work on all three successfully each time. It some with an automatic feeding system that ensures a great workflow without any interruptions.

It can help you trim the grass at heights that vary from 1.6 to 2.4 inches. As advertised, this product is great for yards that measure a maximum of 750 square feet. It has power drive transmission and comes with two included batteries.

A Look at Grass and Lawn Edging

Now that you have an idea of what kinds of products are on the market, let's have a look at what you should look for in a grass edger.

What Is the Easiest Lawn Edger to Use?

This is a rather complex question and there isn't exactly a straightforward answer to it. Probably the lawn edger that's easiest to use is one that's battery or hag-powered (to avoid tripping over any potential cords and wires), but also one that's easy to hold. The ease of maneuvering is very important when it comes to gardening power tools, especially in ones that have blades.

How Much Is a Grass Edger?

As you can imagine, grass edgers are made for basically any type of budget, and the number of features will have a huge say in the price of the product. If you are on a tight budget, you can get a grass edger for under $40, but if you're willing to spend more money, you can find grass edgers that cost even $200.

What Does a Lawn Edger Do?

A lawn edger is either a manual or a motorized gardening tool that's used to create certain boundaries across the surface of the lawn. The whole idea of using a lawn edger is to make sure the lawn looks neat and tidy. It can be used to create new flower beds or to make clean grass cuts along the sideway/driveway.

How Often Should You Edge Your Lawn?

a suburban lawn that has been mowed and edged

Again, this is not an exact science. |However, experts say that edging your lawn is a reflection of how much effort you want to put into it. There are people who can get away with edging just once per year. If that's also your case, you might want to way until the end of June. This way, you'll edge your lawn once peak growth season has passed, which is from April to May.

How Do I Manually Edge My Lawn?

There are two types of manual edgers that you can use for this process: the half-moon edger and the rotary edger. For the half-moon edger, you will need to mark the area where you want to start edging. Once that's done, proceed to place the blade of the edger where you want to start and start tilting the handle back at a 45-degree angle.

By using a foot, push the edger's blade into the ground about 2 or 3 inches. Start to rock the edger from one side to another to loosen the ground and repeat the process until you've reached the end. If you plan on using a rotary edger, you will first have to remove any overgrown vegetation located over the sidewalk edges by using a regular shovel.

How Can I Edge My Lawn Without an Edger?

If you don't want to invest in a fancy edger, you can always use the traditional one (you know, the one that looks like a shovel). These are called manual edgers, and they have sharp half-moon blades that can help you cut the grass by applying a little bit of torque. However, if you want your yard to look tidy without putting in too much effort, there are plenty of good electrical or gas-powered edgers that are affordable. We don't really recommend trimming the lawn without an edger because it's too time-consuming and takes a lot of effort. It's like trying to unscrew a screw using the blade of a butter knife.

How Deep Should You Edge Your Lawn?

Regardless of the method chosen, you should edge your lawn about 2 inches deep. The reason why this is the standard depth is that this is generally how far down the power-edgers reach in order to avoid root spread.

How Do I Edge the Sidewalk of My Lawn?

The process depends on whether you are using a manual rotary edger or a powered rotary edger. In the first case, you will have to insert the cutting edge into the space between the soil and the sidewalk, and then push down and forward to proceed with cutting the grass. To make sure you are cutting in a clean line, move the edger back and forth. Before you move on to mowing, make sure that you sweep the grass on the lawn.

If you're using a powered rotary edger, put its wheels on the sidewalk first, then align the cutting edge between the concrete and the grass. Power up your edger and proceed to walk along the sidewalk. You will have to be extra careful in order to make sure you don't hit the sidewalk with the blades of the edger. If you have to cut deeper into the thatch/soil, reset the edger blade, and repeat the process to end up having a clean sidewalk edge.

How We Picked

For this product roundup, we relied on our collective experience as a team, as well as user reviews. We compiled a list of products based on team recommendations, sales data, and other best-of lists. Then we combed through them to pick out the ones with the best specs and highest ratings. Finally, we combined our own experiences with particular brands and products with what other users had to say to pick out the best of the best.

Grass Edgers Wrapped Up

As you can see, there are plenty of different grass edgers to choose from, with electrical and gas-powered ones being the best for those who don't want to put in too much elbow grease. If you want your lawn to look its best, investing in a grass-edger is a really good idea because no homeowner can expect to have a beautiful yard without buying any gardening tool (unless they hire a gardener, of course).

Our overall top pick is the WORX WG163.9 20V Cordless Grass Trimmer/Edger, which also was the customer's choice grass edger. It's highly durable, easy to use, and yet affordable. If you haven't owned a grass-edger before, this is the perfect model to get started with.