Pros and Cons of An Edger vs Trimmer for Your Lawn

Lawn maintenance requires a certain set of tools to make sure that your property will look nice and well kept. Lawn edgers and string trimmers happen to be a couple of those tools that you will need along the way. We’ll look at the differences between edger vs trimmer tools and whether you need both.

Edger vs trimmer tools may sound similar to each other, but they have different functions.

If you have ever been bombarded by nasty weeds that have overtaken your garden, or you simply have tall grass that is growing out of control, you need to know which of these tools is best to use given the situation. 

Edger vs Trimmer – an Overview

Lawn Edgers

Also known as an edge trimmer, a lawn edger is designed to smoothly cut and define your yard’s boundary lines.

You use this tool along the edges to establish that distinction between your lawn and the nearby sidewalk, driveway, or flowerbeds.

Grass has a habit of growing over the edges, which makes your yard look messy. Edgers will use a vertical spinning blade to cut through this grass, which will eliminate these unnecessary borders. 

You can have either a manual or motorized lawn edger, but it is worth noting that manual edgers cost less than motorized ones.

Manual edgers (check this one out!) are mostly like spade tools while motorized edgers (like this awesome Greenworks battery edger) feature a rotating blade that is powered either by gas, electricity, or a battery.

A guiding wheel can be found on most motorized edgers. This wheel allows you to roll the edger along the border you are cutting.

Manual edgers take more effort in comparison, and may not be ideal if you have a larger yard. Gas-powered edgers are typically the most powerful motorized edgers on the market. Especially 4-cycle ones like this Earthquake 79cc walk-behind one! 

String Trimmers

Better known as a weed wacker or weed eater, string trimmers are typically used for trimming grass and removing weeds in spots that are impossible for your big lawn mower to reach. These spots include areas around trees and buildings.

A flexible non-filament line can be found inside a string trimmer, which helps it cut the grass in those hard-to-reach spots. String trimmers can either use gas, electricity, or batteries to power a horizontal rotating head. 

A string trimmer is a great companion to your lawn mowing session – it finishes all those spots you couldn’t get to, making your yard look perfect.

It is a matter of how you will use your trimmer before you decide on the right model. 

Gas-powered trimmers (like this nice 25cc Remington one) are the heaviest options to consider, but they provide more power and cut through the tougher, more stubborn plants.

Battery-powered or cordless trimmers are lighter and more convenient but have less power than gas and corded electric trimmers.

If your property is small, you won’t need to worry about a cordless trimmer running out of charge before finishing the job. 

Edger vs Trimmer – the Differences

If you want to create a new boundary in your yard or keep an edge defined, then you will use a lawn edger.

If you want to maintain an already existing boundary in your yard or clear areas of weeds and grass that your lawn mower can’t reach, then you will use a string trimmer. 

You bring out a string trimmer after you finish mowing your lawn, and you use it to trim grass along the edges and around obstacles so that your yard continues to look beautiful.

You can reposition a string trimmer vertically so that you can use it to edge your existing boundaries. However, if you already have a lawn edger, then there is no need to do this.

Types of String Trimmers 

When it comes to the technical aspects of these tools, there are some things to watch out for.

If you get a string trimmer and prefer to use gas, then there are different types of gas-powered string trimmers you can get.

The first one is a 2-cycle trimmer that requires a mixture of oil and gas, which means you will need to set aside a separate container for this trimmer’s fuel supply.

The other type is a 4-cycle trimmer which only uses gas, much like a lawn mower. Oil is kept separate from the gasoline in another reservoir of the engine. 

And these days, you can get backpack trimmers so the bulk of the weight is on your back, not hanging of your shoulders! Check this one out:

No different than gas-powered lawn mowers and lawn edgers (which I will discuss soon enough), gas-powered string trimmers tend to be louder than electric-powered trimmers, but they’re generally more powerful.

Corded electric string trimmers are lightweight and portable, and will produce less noise than their gas-powered counterpart. 

They’re also very affordable – look at this one!

Cordless string trimmers are also on the market, but be prepared to recharge the batteries or change out the battery pack altogether a few times before finishing work on your lawn. 

How about a cordless trimmer and edger in one?

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Types of Lawn Edgers

Just like string trimmers, lawn edgers can also be powered by gas or electricity. If you prefer not to use either of these resources, then you can use a manual lawn edger.

For some people, manual lawn edgers are preferred because they have a simplistic design and are easy to use. Most manual edgers are shaped like a spade and look like an axe.

Some are roller-based edgers that feature a wheel covered in spikes. When it comes to your wallet, manual lawn edgers tend to be less expensive. They also require less maintenance and have better durability. 

If your grass is thick or you are being bombarded by weeds at every turn, it’s a better idea to get a gas-powered edger. Using a manual edger to handle heavy grass would be a stressful, time-consuming ordeal in comparison.

The downside to gas-powered edgers is that, while they can cut right through heavy grass and weeds, they are the heaviest types of edgers to carry around.

Gas-powered edgers also deliver louder noises than electric lawn edgers and can give you a considerable hit in your wallet. 

A solid alternative to the gas-powered lawn edger is the electric-powered lawn edger. These edgers can either be corded or cordless (in other words, battery-powered).

Cordless edgers are just as portable as the other types of edgers, but don’t expect the same kind of power being produced from these as you would see from gas-powered edgers. 

Edger vs Trimmer Buyer’s Guide

Do All String Trimmers Use the Same String Size?

Nope.

Not all string trimmers were designed to use the same string size.

The string you use in trimmers will differ in thickness, and not all string trimmers will be compatible with various different string sizes. Keep an eye out for a model that will accommodate varying thicknesses.

Or, if the string has been annoying you for years, get yourself a stringless trimmer or a brushcutter – they use a plastic or metal blade instead and you’ll never have to fiddle with the string ever again!

Also, check out the best trimmer line for string trimmers. 

Can You Use a String Trimmer for Edging, and a Lawn Edger for Trimming?

Kinda.

It is possible to use a string trimmer for edging. You can also use a lawn edger for trimming.

The key difference in these tools is the angle in which they cut. Always remember this; string trimmers cut horizontally, and lawn edgers cut vertically.

All you have to do is turn the string trimmer sideways for it to start cutting at a vertical angle. The same principle would apply to the lawn edger as you only need to turn it sideways for it to start cutting at a horizontal angle.

However, not all trimmers and edgers will let you do this because some models will have wheels attached to them, and some models may be too bulky to be oriented differently.

You can probably do this for a bit, but it starts getting heavy real quick!

Can You Find a Tool That Both Edges and Trims?

Glad you asked!

The innovations in gardening tools these days have very few limits (if any), and the following example is a tool that can act as both a lawn edger and a string trimmer.

Worx believes that it is a good idea to have an edger and trimmer combo for a tool, and I tend to agree with them. Worx created the PowerShare 12-inch Cordless String Trimmer and Edger, which allows you to easily transition from the functions of one tool to the other. 

You press a “Command Feed” button to get more line, which means if you run out of line, the button press will replace the line you just lost.

This 2-1n-1 tool is light as a feather, weighing only 5.3 pounds. It has an adjustable head that can be tilted 90°, which makes the switch between edging and trimming look and feel seamless.

A pair of 20-Volt 2.0 Ah Lithium-ion batteries are required for this special tool. 

Should You Edge or Trim Before or After Mowing the Lawn?

That is really your call to make. You can edge or trim your grass at any time.

The end result will always be the same after using a lawn edger or string trimmer. I prefer to mow first because it’s much easier to sit on the mower and do as much of the work as possible. 

Once I’ve mowed as much as I can, I trim the rest. I like to trim as little as I can!

What’s Better? A Straight or Curved Trimmer?

This sounds like a future topic to tackle, but let’s reveal the basic answer to this question now.

Both straight and curved trimmers will let you trim grass around landscaping features, including trees, bushes, plants, and any area that your big lawn mower can’t reach.

Straight trimmers have straight shafts, and curved trimmers have an obvious curve that sticks out 2/3 of their length down their shafts. Curved string trimmers are better suited for shorter people (under 6 feet tall), and straight trimmers are better suited for taller people.

Keep an eye out for this future topic – we’re doing a full article on the differences between straight and curved shaft trimmers very soon.

What Do You Think – Edger or Trimmer?

The long debate about whether a lawn edger or a string trimmer is better suited for your yard shouldn’t be a debate at all. Both tools have their specific purposes for lawn care, and it is a matter of how you handle both tools.

Knowing the difference between an edger and a trimmer will help you to make better decisions as to what your yard really needs. At the end of the day, it comes down to the angle at which these tools cut the grass and how much work you give these tools. 

Over the years, I have gotten used to string trimmers because I have needed to give the long grass in my yard a much-needed haircut.

Which tool do you think is more necessary for your yard? Do you own either one of these tools? If so, what are your experiences with these tools? Feel free to leave a comment down below!

Last update on 2021-04-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API