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Even though an edger and a string trimmer are both designed to tackle weeds and grass, they have very different functions. A string trimmer trims the grass and weeds against fence lines, foundations, and other places you can’t reach with a lawn mower. An edger establishes clean borders between driveways, sidewalks, and your lawn.
Not sure which one is right for your yard or whether you need both? Ahead, we’ll break down how these two tools differ in our string trimmer vs. edger showdown, so you can determine whether you need one or both to help you manage your yard.
What Is a String Trimmer?
A string trimmer is a handheld tool with a cutterhead that uses flexible plastic line to slice and dice grass and weeds. Also referred to as the brand name weed whacker, this lawn care tool consists of a small gas or electric motor that sits atop a long steel pole. The string trimmer line extends from a spindle at the opposite end of the pole that spins at a high rate of speed, functioning as a horizontal “blade” that cuts through weeds and grass blades.
The string trimmer’s handheld design and narrow profile make it adept at fitting into tight spaces. “It’s typically used to cut where the mower can’t reach, e.g. along fences, garden beds, etc.,” says Mark Clement, home and garden tool reviewer and licensed contractor with MyFixitUpLife. “It can also be used as a “scythe” to cut down high grass and weeds prior to mowing.”
String trimmers are powered by either a gas/oil 2-stroke engine or cordless battery-powered motor. While a gas weed eater offers more trimming power, an electric string trimmer is lighter and easier to maintain.
Our Recommendation: Stihl FSA 80 R Battery-Powered String Trimmer
This well-built cordless battery-powered string trimmer is capable of cutting through weeds up to ¼-inch thick and lasts long enough to handle most lawn maintenance needs.
What Is a Lawn Edger?
Lawn edgers have one job: Create a crisp clearly defined line between your lawn and bordering driveways, sidewalks, and landscaping beds. This push-behind machine uses a vertically positioned rigid steel blade with a thick kerf that allows it to cut several inches into soil to create that border. Unlike a string trimmer that is handheld, a lawn edger is supported by a set of wheels. Lawn edgers come in 4-stroke engine gas-powered models and cordless battery-powered models.
Our Recommendation: ECHO 25.4 cc Gas 2-Stroke Lawn Edger
With a powerful 25.4 cc gas engine, the ECHO provides ample power for cutting dense grass and weeds on a single pass, yet it’s lightweight and easy to maneuver.
Differences Between Lawn Edgers and String Trimmers
| String Trimmer | Lawn Edger |
| Flexible nylon line | Rigid steel blade |
| Operator must support | Supported by wheels |
| Designed to trim weeds and grass | Designed to create borders between grass and pavement or landscaped areas |
| Typically used after each mowing | Used periodically to redefine edges |
| Can handle light edging when turned vertically | Cannot be turned horizontally to function as a trimmer |
While string trimmers and lawn edgers may have some similarities in appearance and function, several characteristics set these two yard tools apart.
Blade
Both lawn edgers and trimmers are designed to cut through vegetation, but they use different blades to do so. String trimmers use flexible plastic string line to cut down weeds, allowing them to work around hard objects, like buildings, fences, and trees, without damaging the tool.
Edgers, in comparison, use a rigid steel blade that’s tough enough to cut 4 to 5 inches into hard soil and through tougher weed roots.
Usage
String trimmers and edgers may look similar, but they serve different purposes. A string trimmer is used to trim weeds and grass in places lawn mowers can’t reach, such as around fence posts, up against the foundation of a home, or around trees and shrubs. You can turn a string trimmer horizontally and use it as a light duty edger to refresh borders along sidewalks, driveways, and flower beds. It just requires more effort.
“While using a string trimmer as an edger is effective and landscapers do it all day, it’s a lot of work,” Clement says. “And, if an edge has become overgrown, say over a sidewalk, it takes a string trimmer several passes to tune that up.”
Lawn edgers, in comparison, are designed for one purpose, edging your lawn around driveways, sidewalks, and garden beds, and cannot be used as trimmers.
“String trimmers are a bit more versatile and a bit more of an all-around tool,” says Chris Richert, a product manager for Husqvarna. “Lawn edgers are much better for crisp edges and if someone wants to be very precise.”
Ease of Use
Both string trimmers and edgers require a certain amount of upper body strength to operate. Since a string trimmer is a handheld machine, it requires the operator to support its entire weight during use. Holding the cutting head up while supporting the engine or motor requires a fair amount of physical effort, especially when trimming larger yards. Though edgers are heavier than string trimmers, an edger rolls on a set of wheels that support its weight, making it easier to operate.
Frequency of use
String trimmers are typically used as companions to lawn mowers, trimming grass that lawn mowers can’t access to a height that’s uniform with the lawn. Since string trimmers are used each time you mow the lawn, they see a lot of use.
Lawn edgers are only used every once in a while to establish a new border between lawn and pavement or clean up one that’s begun to lose its shape. As such, they aren’t used nearly as much as a string trimmer in the average yard.
Combo Trimmer/Edger Tools
Along with dedicated trimmers and edgers, you’ll also find tools that double as both. A trimmer edger combo tool is a string trimmer with a handle that allows you to rotate the head vertically to handle edging duties. When converted to an edger tool, these tools have wheels they rest on, allowing you to push them along a driveway or sidewalk. While these jack-of-all-trade trimmer tools may seem like they fulfill the duties of both string trimmer and edger, they do not.
They function very similarly to a string trimmer, using a nylon line to handle the cutting duties. Since they lack a steel blade, they don’t have the turf cutting power of a true edger. So, while a wheeled string trimmer can handle trimming duties about as well as a standard string trimmer, these hybrid tools are only suitable for maintaining established borders between pavement and lawn. You won’t be able to blaze a new border with a combo trimmer/edger.
Final Thoughts
String trimmers and edgers serve very different roles in your lawn. Given that a string trimmer gives you the ability to trim grass and weeds in places you can’t reach with your mower, they’re clearly the more essential of the two tools when it comes to managing a lawn. If your property has long borders along sidewalks, driveways, and flower beds, then adding an edger to your arsenal of yard tools makes sense.
If your budget doesn’t allow for two tools, you can establish those edges around pavement and landscaping by borrowing a neighbor’s edger or by investing in a much more affordable manual lawn edger, then use a string trimmer to maintain those borders. “A string trimmer is more versatile and the more popular pick because it can be used for trimming as well—you can use them for edging by turning the trimmer head,” says Richert. “It’s not quite as good as using an edger, but it will work.”
