With any flowerbed or garden, there’s going to be an edge. The edge of the lawn meets the bed, and a border is visually defined. Some people use a physical barrier that secures down into the earth, allowing for nothing more than a trimmer to clean up the grass along the edge.
When a border between a lawn and a landscape bed such as a garden has no physical barrier, then edging and redefining equipment becomes a part of the landscaping setup and maintenance.
A lawn edger machine does the hard work of cutting out a new lawn edge. A bed redefiner cleans and renews an existing bed border. The latter is not adequate for initial edging and would overwork the equipment.
Going deeper into the equipment, we’ll journey through the uses of both pieces of machinery. From the features and benefits to their usefulness, and a few machines that I wouldn’t want you to pass up – if looking to grab your edger or redefiner. Let’s take a look at these two pieces of lawn and bed maintenance equipment.
What A Lawn Edger Is Used For
Lawn edgers as a term for the specific form of landscape equipment can sometimes be somewhat ambiguous.
Specifically, lawn edgers are intended to create a clean-edged border between lawn and landscaped (garden) bed.
The intention of bed redefiners’ design is, as the name suggests, that of re-defining an existing bed edge. They aren’t meant for chopping a new edge like a lawn edger is intended to accomplish.
With the previous clarification in mind, there are both handheld and ground-based edging machines. These machines come in both electric and gas-powered models.
Take a look at the video (link at the end of the article), where Doc explains power edging your lawn. For those of you who love to read, let’s continue.
How Does A Lawn Edger Work?
Lawn edgers are a specific purpose landscape machine. The unique design allows the device to quickly and effectively cut, chop, dig and throw a narrow trench of dirt along a path directed by the equipment’s operator.
Lawn edger equipment works by rotating a metal blade at a high rate of speed. The blade cuts a trench in the earth at a determined depth controlled by the machine’s operator.
There are both hand-held and ground, wheel-based machines. The wheel-based ground machines are usually more substantial and more comfortable on your back to operate.
A hand-held machine might be an easier option if you have many rounded or sharp-curved edges to do.
Do You Need An Edger?
Why would you need an edger? Well, if you have a good shovel, you don’t need an edger. But, depending on how much distance you need to cover, doing it by hand might be a bit much.
Deciding on whether you need an edger depends on how much edging is required. When in doubt, just rent a machine and test it out first if the cost is a concern.
Either working by hand with a shovel or using an edger, a clean edge on a garden and lawn border helps define a nicely landscaped property. Whether you need an edger depends on the amount of labor you’re willing to do. Money is time for me, so I use an edger. But that’s just my opinion. What do you think?
What A Bed Redefiner Is Used For
Bed redefining equipment cleans lawn edges previously cut. Although some machines may be quite capable of cutting a new edge, most bed redefiners intended for simply cleaning existing cut edges do not possess the strength of their edge-cutting cousins.
How Does A Bed Redefiner Work?
A bed redefiner works in the same way as a lawn edger. At least, that is most certainly how things appear when you visit the Stihl manufacturer’s website to see what they say about edgers and bed redefiners, they sell both.
A bed redefiner is commonly just a type of edger that is hand-held. The intention is to use this tool to redefine the border of a lawn to the garden. But, let’s get to how it works.
The handheld landscaping power tool, a bed redefiner, uses a spinning blade on the end of a handheld unit to chop the dirt and mulch the blade contacts.
Bed redefiner tools are designed to be light enough to carry easily and powerful enough to obliterate dirt and mulch. But, these machines do not have the robust build of their heavy-duty cousins, the lawn edgers.
Do You Need A Bed Redefiner?
Whether a requirement for a bed redefiner exists or not is entirely up to you. If you already own an edger, you may not feel the need for a bed redefiner. However, it depends on several variables.
- Whether you already own a lawn edger.
- If so, if the machine is hand-held or wheel (ground) based.
- How much edging requires maintenance
- Type of edging (curved, concrete framed, or simple garden/lawn border, for example)
If you already have an edger, you likely don’t feel the need to buy a bed redefiner, but it could be a complementary tool that lessens the edger’s burdens.
Can You Use An Edger On Flower Beds?
Edgers could find use on flower bed edges. However, often is the case where a flower bed has a curved edge. Ground (wheel) based edgers may be challenging to operate around tight curves. A hand-held edger may prove more effective than a wheeled unit.
Similarly, a hand-held edger and a hand-held bed redefiner may work equally well if a border only requires a clean-up. And a flower bed won’t usually have a concrete barrier like lawns commonly have adjacent sidewalks. Bed redefiners are not usually as sturdy as edgers.
What Is The Best Type Of Lawn Edger?
The gas-powered edgers are by far the strongest. Second, come the corded units. Due to the price difference, most people with standard to smaller properties opt for the corded unit.
Hybrid Wheeled – Electric/Corded (Small Properties)
WORX Electric Lawn Edger & Trencher (Amazon Link)
If you require a tool to use a few times a year and you’ve got a small property (less than 100ft to an outlet), then the WORX electric lawn edger is the best choice for you.
It’s a 12 Amp, 7.5″ unit. This machine works well, has a fair amount of power, and is at the top of the reviews – making it a thumbs up in my book.
Hand-held Hybrid Trimmer/Edger – Electric Cordless (Smallest Properties)
BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX Lithium Easy Feed String Trimmer/Edger with 2 Batteries (Amazon Link)
When your property is small, a cordless and hand-held unit is commonly the best option. I call it a hybrid because although the unit is hand-held, there is at least a single guide wheel, making the machine not truly hand-held.
Doubling as a trimmer, we can see how the lines blur between some of these landscape tools. There is a distinct correlation between these tools’ uses and mechanics from edgers to bed redefiners to trimmers.
What Is The Best Type Of Bed Redefiner?
Echo Gas 2-Stroke Bed Redefiner (Amazon Link)
The Echo BRD-2620 is my choice for the top bed redefiner. This gas-powered unit works exceptionally well to clear a large number of bed edges. And handling curves is no problem with this machine.
Ironic as though choosing a gas-powered machine for the job that takes less power than the edging may seem when I’ve chosen electric above, there’s a good reason for this.
Most people inherit garden beds and lawn edges when they move into a property. For example, unless your home is new construction or you are putting in a whole new bed, there’s no need for an actual edger.
With the requirements to simply clean existing bed edges in mind, this is my top pick for the best bed redefiner. As a gas-powered unit, it’s powerful, easy to use, and will make short work of bed edging, giving you a single pass experience like no other.