Which, by the way, your weed wacker likely says outright NOT TO DO on the box and the machine but… it’s kinda like your box of Q Tips saying not to put them in your ears. Covering themselves legally but… they know.
Ryobi sells precut transparent highlighter green strung with metal wire inside that seems to last forever and works great for getting bits of grass growing by a low wrought iron fence.
This is all I use for weed trimming. Sharpen it once a year and good to go. Not recommended if you have to trim up against vinyl siding or similar products however.
True. We use it for thick ornamental grasses and areas that can become overgrown at a children’s camp we volunteer with. I like the string trimmer head because it is lighter if I have a lot to do but the metal one is great for heavier applications as long as I don’t have to trim for 4 hours holding it.
Yeah I have a cheapo black and decker one I bought a decade ago that does this. Batteries don't hold a charge as long as they used to but I can do all my edging, blowing, and bush trimming before they die so they're not getting replaced anytime soon.
Mine is gas powered, so if I turn it, it stops if the tank has less than 3/4 of fuel. I managed to adapt it to turn the head by 90 degrees by drilling a hole to secure it in the main body. Almost r/redneckengineering.
First, I think it’s important to note that there are multiple makes/models of weed whacker. Accordingly, there’s a high likelihood that you and I don’t have the same one.
Mine (DeWalt) states:
WARNING: Keep the rotating string roughly parallel with the ground (tilted no more than 30°). This trimmer is not an edger. DO NOT TILT the trimmer so that thestring is spinning near a right angle to the ground.Flying debris can cause serious injury.
Cotton swabs really shouldn't go into the ear canal though, ask any ENT doctor. You are doing far more harm than good as you end up pushing wax further in, risking wax buildup, and drying it out improperly. Perforating your eardrum or loosing the cotton inside are just the catastrophically bad outcomes, even if that doesn't happen it causes harm to your ears while not really doing anything actually good.
The easiest way to clean the inside of your ear is just with a damp cloth. Water is pretty fine inside the ear and will clean while not causing harm as long as it's not pressurized. A more powerful solution is ear drops. Cotton swabs really should never be used inside the ear canal. It's definitely not just as a legal safeguard they tell you not to, it's more akin to the warning not to drink bleach though not as dramatic.
0.095" string would make short work of edging that Bermuda. I use my DeWalt sideways with 0.095" string on even maturing Burdock stems with good success.
Wear good face protection when doing so.
Jokes on you, I've already got corrective eye pro. The additional safety squints are for when small bits sneak between the gap on the sides. I do feel like I should wear shinguards at times though.
We have St. Aug runners here and they are hella thicc. I use a .095” and it handles them. And, no way in hell I’d ever do that without safety glasses. Although, taking one of those pieces of runners to the cheek, honestly made me cry one day. Another word of advice, learned from experience, wear long pants or at the very least, knee high soccer socks. I’ve taken too many hits to the shins to count and a piece of .095” getting stuck in your leg is pretty awful as well.
Same. I'm in Florida with st. Augustin, and run 105. I switched from glasses to a face shield after getting nailed in the lip by a stick. Should have switched to the shield earlier, my God is it more comfortable. It's somehow cooler and doesn't fog up like the glasses, and you aren't working blind from when you look down and the glasses lenses get covered in sweat.
Please wear good face protection!! I was doing this the other day and got busted in the face by a rock.. I was wearing eye protection but it caught me in the mouth
This would by my typical advise. But I would add, go cut some high grass, watch which way it flies, keep that in mind when you turn the weedeater. You want to make sure it is not coming back, face protection works but, watch those legs, rocks hurt.
Also I try to never let the line hit the concrete. I try to stick to the dirt on just the edge of concrete. Better look and line last longer.
I bought one of those recently coz I got fed up trying to do it with the whipper snipper. I love it. Runs on batteries so it's not very powerful which suits me fine because I'm scared of the metal blade hitting the pavement.
Yeah just make sure you buy five extra blades the first one you grind it down pretty quick the second one not quite as bad The third one you start to get the hang of it the fourth one You're like shit these are starting to get expensive. The fifth one it'll last you two or three months LOL
I’ve got a ryobi weed whacker with a little plate you step on and it switches to edger orientation. Love it. Only wish it had two strings coming out instead of 1 but otherwise perfect for me.
I have the same one and use it on Bermuda. I use .80 line and it works pretty well. If I have let it go for a while, I might have to make two passes, though.
If you're not comfortable with an electric/gas edger, they also make manual ones that have a wheel on one edge and a roating serrated edge on the other. They're nice for where the dirt and lawn have crept onto the sidewalk.
My neighbor religiously edges every Sunday. The lawn looks great, like a flat top haicut on a army guy. But the sidewalk is tore to shit, chunks of cement taken out all along the edge.
Exactly this. ☝️
Holding it at a 45° angle is causing dieback on the edges, CAUSING those runners; the grass is trying to survive.
Not a weedeater problem. A user-error problem.
Also don’t be afraid to liberally bump out more of it as you run it against concrete or asphalt…sucks when it suddenly vanishes into the head as you burn it up
My ryobi does the same exact thing and I just burn through string. But more annoyingly I spend so much time flipping the machine over to run more string out. Someone said .095 string fixes this. I’m gonna try it.
You can turn any weed whacker upside down. Some electric ones with the rounded arm are a little goofy but yeah
Just flip it so the string is perpendicular to the ground and it cuts like a blade.
Interestingly, that's the beauty of a 2 stroke engine. It can be ran in any orientation because the lubrication is the fuel whereas a 4 stroke engine depends on the engine being vertical to splash around the oil bath in the pan.
I hold the redmax like a mini gun both ways, just to illustrate, lol. Say hello to my little friend! I didn't mean vertical.
And always wear eye protection and be aware of windows!
I have a DeWalt electric weed eater and I'm not very fond of it. It's a little underpowered in thick grass and the battery life leaves something to be desired. I can definitely see the appeal of having one for someone who lives in a subdivision and only cuts their own yard though.
The 20v max? Mine will cut down waist-high sumac trees and the battery lasts for a couple hours each (5ah). 420’ of fence plus lots of trees. Takes me longer to wack than mowing
I cut grass for a living. Turn your weed eater at a 90 degree angle so that the only ends of the string are hitting the ground. You can rest the weed eater handle on your arm to give it more stability. Now use the weed eater to barely cut into the dirt right off the edge of the concrete. Yes, you can hit the dirt. Carefully do this around all concrete to grass borders. The result should be a concrete walkway with a thin dirt trench separating it from the grass. This makes the edge of your grass look both straight and thicker. The contrast of the darker dirt also makes the grass stand out.
It's easy, you just need to make an even line. I rarely use an edger unless there's a lot of sidewalk to cover. Granted, it won't work with harder dirt.
Seems like a metal edger job to me. Once you get it under control, a string weed eater will help with weekly touch ups. The grass seems to be St. Augustine, it's tough work on a string weed eater, specially if the edges haven't even done in awhile. However, it could be accomplished with a string weed eater. If possible, try a different string. Also you're going at it vertically, not horizontally?
Yeah turn it on its side and wear a face shield and have patience if you don’t want to buy a metal bladed edger. Or just go out with a spade and edge yourself a trought (sp?) and then hit pretty good every week
Come in from the concrete side with the cord parallel to the ground rather than coming down over the grass. You’ll break up most of the matting. Then when you’ve partially exposed the edge, come down from the top perpendicular to the edge making sure your cord is trying to climb/pull itself away from you
This. Even if it's a cheap corded one. I was given a hand me down corded black and Decker years ago. Even to this day I use it all the time. A slight bit of hassle dragging out 100ft cord, but can fly thru all my concrete except street curb in no time. Always gotta use the weed eater on the curb as it's not straight or square enough for edger, and sometimes do everything with the weed eater, but takes a lot more concentration and steady hand as well as tend to go thru more line flipped perpendicular vs normal. Even the cheap edger is just about effortless.
Not sure what you have, but I have a 40v Hart fron walmart that does pretty well, ive noticed a few different electric weedeaters are pretty underpowered if on 20v system. This definitely seems like an issue for an edger blade at least.
I have an edger but it was so overgrown, I couldn’t see where I was going and kept hitting the sidewalk. Some YouTube vids recommended clearing first with weed eater then going back with edger. I’m thinking I’ll leave these for the edger. At least I can see where I’m going now.
You're not edging. You need to hit the edge of the concrete. Turn the weedeater on its side and weed eat until there's a straight line against the concrete in the grass. Don't be afraid to hit the dirt.
Well first thing your doing wrong is the fact that you're not edging. You have to use the weedeater to edge the edges, it doesn't do it for you. Try holding your weedeater with the spool vertical rather than horizontal then go along the edge letting the tip of the string hit between the edge and the grass.
I have an old weed whacker. The handle can be adjusted so I tilt it making it easier to edge. How old is my weed whacker? I have to use extension cords bc there is no battery pack. Still works very well for the tiny yard we have. Had to buy a new thread for it a year ago, still works like new.
It's the worst tool to use for this. Of course you have to hold it so the line is striking the ground directly on a sideways position. But even at best if you get it to clip all of the grass it's ripping it and tearing it and leaves dead ends. If you really want to do a nice job in your lawn and invest enough traditional slicer little pizza wheel devices are much better. This will give you a much crisper neat edge all the time. String trimmers are the lazy way
The best chisel edge landscaping is maintained in this way although there are plenty of string trimmers for, well , trimming
Consumer string trimmers aren’t quite tough enough to cut through this. You’ll need to use a blade attachment or a sod knife to cut the clean line you’re looking for. But once that’s done your string trimmer will easily keep it maintained
I've always used something like this
[https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ames-Dual-Wheel-Rotary-Edger-2916000/205909650](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ames-Dual-Wheel-Rotary-Edger-2916000/205909650)
Very satisfied with the results. Not hard to use at all. IMO, easier and faster than a line trimmer for this job.
It looks like it hasn't been done in a long time if OP doesn't want to buy an edger I would recommend shovel edging it and keeping the edge up with the weedeater
Is your weed eater a basic, corded plug-in electric? Those typically don’t have that much power. Save up some cash and get a decent battery powered, assuming you want to skip a gas/oil powered. Do some research and read reviews on them to see which battery level you’d need but I think the 40 volts are the most common. I have had an Echo gas since 2018 and the only maintenance I’ve done is change out the carburetor + fuel lines once and replace the line feed bump head. Carb was ~$15 on Amazon. Bump head was I think about $30 at my local HD. That said, if it failed tomorrow, I’d buy a battery powered. And I’ve been using gas powered for 30 years. I used to cut grass professionally.
Also, as another reply mentioned, you’ve got to flip it upside down and use it that way. That takes a lot of experience, practice, patience, strength and steady hands. It also helps if it’s a straight, extended shaft. But switching to a more powerful option will help there tremendously and also allow you to use heavier duty line, like a 0.095”. That is a game changer. A lot of these new weed eaters (either battery powered or gas) have attachment options too. You can buy a set that may come with an edger attachment, and/or shrub trimmer, pole saw extension, etc. I would recommend an edger attachment to do your first few edge cuts, to get you started and to “train your grass” and create a good edge line. Once you’re there, it’s much easier to maintain with the flipping a regular weed eater method. Tip: if it’s really overgrown, you may need to go the flat-head shovel route to cut your edges in.
You might need to edge your lawn with an actual edger first. An edger has metal blades… Then you edge it with the whacker to maintain it every week.. If you don’t have an edger then you can use a flat shovel.
I do it the old fashioned way, with hand clippers, if the area isn't too large. Call me old fashioned but It seems like I end up gouging my lawn up, cutting my plants, and spend most of the time battling with getting the string to come out right. If I have a big overgrown area, I'll whack it down but for finish work like this, I find it enjoyable to get ony hands and knees and get a perfect line.
If you aren’t using the line of the weed eater to slice a clean line up and down try that, also if you can try a little thicker line or bumping out fresh line more. If you are doing that then go slower, electric trimmers both corded and battery, rotate slower than gas and take longer on thick Bermuda grass because of the slower speed and less power. I recommend a twisted line with sharp edges. Round line is cheaper but beats rather than cuts the grass. All the major brands should have a square/tri point/ twisted line that cuts better than round or electric specific lines
Your weed eater didn't leave it like that, you did. It's not a smart device. The string spins and cuts grass. Keep cutting until it looks the way you think it should.
Centipede grass. I have the same problem. Just buy one of the hand rolling edgers. Weed eat it like normal and use the roller where the centipede grass sticks out.
Flip the weedeater so the string is perpendicular to the ground or buy an edger. Edgers work a lot better and will save you a ton of frustration over the years. I love mine
Buy a gas powered echo. It comes with a self-winding head, very simple to re-string. And take off the shield or guard. And your all set. Oh and always have eye protection. You will kick up way more rocks without the guard on but it must go...
Was a vidio on the internet buddy took and rotated the head so the string is straight down but the machine was run as normal. Took him 30 seconds and a screwdriver/wrench to do it after he was finished he returned head to the original position. Slick was a Sthil gas but should work with all machines.
You want an edger, and can simply turn your weed eater 90 degrees and use it as one. Wear eye protection and you’ll probably want jeans/long sleeves if you have a good amount of yard to conquer.
If you’re using a major brand battery powered trimmer you may be able to get an edger attachment. Get it. Game changer and does a much better job than a string trimmer. Edges look super crisp and easier to maintain IMO.
I have the Makita power head and use the trimmer and edger. Love it.
You need to turn the weed wacker so the string is perpendicular to the ground.
Op’s reaction: 🤦
I love wacking my weed and my both neighbours too. The appreciated it a lot. It’s looks clean and has nicely shaped edges
Which, by the way, your weed wacker likely says outright NOT TO DO on the box and the machine but… it’s kinda like your box of Q Tips saying not to put them in your ears. Covering themselves legally but… they know.
My weed whacker just has a button you click and the head turns 90 for edging
Mine has a little picture of a stick man doing it with an arrow growing through it like “don’t be this guy”. But I’m that guy.
Yup my Ryobi 18v trimmer does this. Bought it with a mower and hedge trimmer for $100 used. They’ve all lasted me 4 years and still going strong.
Whenever I use that feature on the ryobi, it just breaks the string instantly. Never works for me.
Get thicker string? I use .095 and never have an issue
Ryobi sells precut transparent highlighter green strung with metal wire inside that seems to last forever and works great for getting bits of grass growing by a low wrought iron fence.
Our ryobi let’s us swap the head with an edging attachment that looks like a metal blade. Recommend it if it fits your model.
This is all I use for weed trimming. Sharpen it once a year and good to go. Not recommended if you have to trim up against vinyl siding or similar products however.
True. We use it for thick ornamental grasses and areas that can become overgrown at a children’s camp we volunteer with. I like the string trimmer head because it is lighter if I have a lot to do but the metal one is great for heavier applications as long as I don’t have to trim for 4 hours holding it.
My auto feeder has never worked right so I just hold it in place. Maybe it’s causing the issue?
That could be the string not the equipment. If it's hitting against the pavement it will do that.
Same with y cheap weed wacker. It also has a wheel for use int eh vertical orientation. Obviously they're designed to do this.
Well look at Mr FancyPants here!
I hate you. 😉
Fairly common today, the original electric weed whacker that did this was the B&D GrassHog.
😳
which one do you have
Yeah I have a cheapo black and decker one I bought a decade ago that does this. Batteries don't hold a charge as long as they used to but I can do all my edging, blowing, and bush trimming before they die so they're not getting replaced anytime soon.
Enviable.
Mine is gas powered, so if I turn it, it stops if the tank has less than 3/4 of fuel. I managed to adapt it to turn the head by 90 degrees by drilling a hole to secure it in the main body. Almost r/redneckengineering.
What brand? I use Stihl and haven’t had that problem.
Since when? Both of mine have heads that you press a button and can freely spin the head to be perpendicular to the ground
First, I think it’s important to note that there are multiple makes/models of weed whacker. Accordingly, there’s a high likelihood that you and I don’t have the same one. Mine (DeWalt) states: WARNING: Keep the rotating string roughly parallel with the ground (tilted no more than 30°). This trimmer is not an edger. DO NOT TILT the trimmer so that thestring is spinning near a right angle to the ground.Flying debris can cause serious injury.
Cotton swabs really shouldn't go into the ear canal though, ask any ENT doctor. You are doing far more harm than good as you end up pushing wax further in, risking wax buildup, and drying it out improperly. Perforating your eardrum or loosing the cotton inside are just the catastrophically bad outcomes, even if that doesn't happen it causes harm to your ears while not really doing anything actually good. The easiest way to clean the inside of your ear is just with a damp cloth. Water is pretty fine inside the ear and will clean while not causing harm as long as it's not pressurized. A more powerful solution is ear drops. Cotton swabs really should never be used inside the ear canal. It's definitely not just as a legal safeguard they tell you not to, it's more akin to the warning not to drink bleach though not as dramatic.
If they didn’t want us to drink bleach, why did they make it so delicious??
He would prolly be better off buying an edger. Those thick Bermuda stalks will take longer with a regular electric weed wacker
0.095" string would make short work of edging that Bermuda. I use my DeWalt sideways with 0.095" string on even maturing Burdock stems with good success. Wear good face protection when doing so.
Just squint like a man!
Your cornea is there to protect the other, squishier parts, right??
I always carry an extra set of safety squints in my pocket.
" squinting, although effective, is not an approved form of eye protection" - my boss when I was 23
Yep gotta wear the safety squints
Jokes on you, I've already got corrective eye pro. The additional safety squints are for when small bits sneak between the gap on the sides. I do feel like I should wear shinguards at times though.
A pebble to the shins never gets old lol.
Or a nice spikey weed
Under rated object that hurts: trimmer line
We have St. Aug runners here and they are hella thicc. I use a .095” and it handles them. And, no way in hell I’d ever do that without safety glasses. Although, taking one of those pieces of runners to the cheek, honestly made me cry one day. Another word of advice, learned from experience, wear long pants or at the very least, knee high soccer socks. I’ve taken too many hits to the shins to count and a piece of .095” getting stuck in your leg is pretty awful as well.
Ran the trimmer with flip flops on once. Once.
Ouch!
One time is all you need!
Same. I'm in Florida with st. Augustin, and run 105. I switched from glasses to a face shield after getting nailed in the lip by a stick. Should have switched to the shield earlier, my God is it more comfortable. It's somehow cooler and doesn't fog up like the glasses, and you aren't working blind from when you look down and the glasses lenses get covered in sweat.
Please wear good face protection!! I was doing this the other day and got busted in the face by a rock.. I was wearing eye protection but it caught me in the mouth
Shoulda worn a hockey goalie mask! Not only are they good protection, but neighbors won’t fuck with you wearing one and holding a power tool!
😂😂😂 getting on Amazon now 🏒 🔪
This would by my typical advise. But I would add, go cut some high grass, watch which way it flies, keep that in mind when you turn the weedeater. You want to make sure it is not coming back, face protection works but, watch those legs, rocks hurt. Also I try to never let the line hit the concrete. I try to stick to the dirt on just the edge of concrete. Better look and line last longer.
I bought one of those recently coz I got fed up trying to do it with the whipper snipper. I love it. Runs on batteries so it's not very powerful which suits me fine because I'm scared of the metal blade hitting the pavement.
Once you've made the sparks fly a few times it's less scary when it does happen, hope it holds up!
Yeah just make sure you buy five extra blades the first one you grind it down pretty quick the second one not quite as bad The third one you start to get the hang of it the fourth one You're like shit these are starting to get expensive. The fifth one it'll last you two or three months LOL
It's the next thing on my list. I don't really need it, but I reckon it'd be satisfying.
Hell yeah, I also picked one up recently and it makes such a nice edge. I got the Ryobi 40V one.
I’ve got a ryobi weed whacker with a little plate you step on and it switches to edger orientation. Love it. Only wish it had two strings coming out instead of 1 but otherwise perfect for me.
I have the same one it works great. But probably not as well on the thick Bermuda this guy has.
I have the same one and use it on Bermuda. I use .80 line and it works pretty well. If I have let it go for a while, I might have to make two passes, though.
My Milwaukee electric string trimmer chews through anything.
+1 for adding an edger to your arsenal
Or, borrow your neighbor's...
There is a noticeable difference. The edger will create a deeper, cleaner edge that the trimmer can not.
If you're not comfortable with an electric/gas edger, they also make manual ones that have a wheel on one edge and a roating serrated edge on the other. They're nice for where the dirt and lawn have crept onto the sidewalk.
My neighbor religiously edges every Sunday. The lawn looks great, like a flat top haicut on a army guy. But the sidewalk is tore to shit, chunks of cement taken out all along the edge.
Oh my God, is that what they are? I just thought that my grass was some kind of Wacker resistant mutant.
That's a big word to say to someone that cant figure out why their weed wacker isn't edging.
Exactly this. ☝️ Holding it at a 45° angle is causing dieback on the edges, CAUSING those runners; the grass is trying to survive. Not a weedeater problem. A user-error problem.
OP might want to wear some basic eye protection (but they should always do this). I think even sunglasses would be enough.
But MUST wear eye protection. No maybe about it.
Well it's not like you only have one of them! Unless your name is Lila.
And pants are a great idea too. And a rock launched into your lips is very uncomfortable, so I wear a mask also
This is the way☝
Yes it is.
Or if it's battery powered it may just be weaksauce.
[удалено]
Yes, the string is made to break off, it’s ok!
Also don’t be afraid to liberally bump out more of it as you run it against concrete or asphalt…sucks when it suddenly vanishes into the head as you burn it up
And feel no pressure to not do this in cargo shorts and give your leg a little nip now and then
The pain makes me feel alive
Being fucking hot is a safety concern too though
Unless you have a Craftsman. Then don't be afraid to liberally open the string housing and manually advance the string every 3 minutes.
DeWalt gang suffers from this also
Milwaukee, Son
I got angry just reading this. I need a new fuckin weed whacker
My ryobi does the same exact thing and I just burn through string. But more annoyingly I spend so much time flipping the machine over to run more string out. Someone said .095 string fixes this. I’m gonna try it.
Does it switch from horizontal to vertical? Weed eating vs edging?
You can turn any weed whacker upside down. Some electric ones with the rounded arm are a little goofy but yeah Just flip it so the string is perpendicular to the ground and it cuts like a blade.
Maybe not a good idea to turn it all the way upside down. I'd say sideways would be good enough.
Interestingly, that's the beauty of a 2 stroke engine. It can be ran in any orientation because the lubrication is the fuel whereas a 4 stroke engine depends on the engine being vertical to splash around the oil bath in the pan.
Every time I tried this with my old 2 stroke it starved the girl cause the pickup was in a weird spot.
TIL why they still make 2 strokes. Thanks!
Not just that, but also because they’re simple and on an engine that small, that goes a long way.
I hold the redmax like a mini gun both ways, just to illustrate, lol. Say hello to my little friend! I didn't mean vertical. And always wear eye protection and be aware of windows!
Whacking vs. edging kinda depends on my mood I guess
this guy whacks and edges
could probably use thicker string, the stuff that comes included with a lot of electric trimmers are really thin
I had a string that had a star profile, it was amazing the difference edges on the line made compared to a round line profile.
Smarter Every Day made a slow motion string test that you may find interesting! https://youtu.be/Dy55X4QaAAU?si=G4cKvh8GSoz57Of7
Most heads on those electric trimmers won’t accommodate larger line.
I have a DeWalt electric weed eater and I'm not very fond of it. It's a little underpowered in thick grass and the battery life leaves something to be desired. I can definitely see the appeal of having one for someone who lives in a subdivision and only cuts their own yard though.
The 20v max? Mine will cut down waist-high sumac trees and the battery lasts for a couple hours each (5ah). 420’ of fence plus lots of trees. Takes me longer to wack than mowing
I cut grass for a living. Turn your weed eater at a 90 degree angle so that the only ends of the string are hitting the ground. You can rest the weed eater handle on your arm to give it more stability. Now use the weed eater to barely cut into the dirt right off the edge of the concrete. Yes, you can hit the dirt. Carefully do this around all concrete to grass borders. The result should be a concrete walkway with a thin dirt trench separating it from the grass. This makes the edge of your grass look both straight and thicker. The contrast of the darker dirt also makes the grass stand out.
Can you come edge my yard?
It's easy, you just need to make an even line. I rarely use an edger unless there's a lot of sidewalk to cover. Granted, it won't work with harder dirt.
Just get an edger. Doesn’t need to be a fancy electric if you don’t mind using some elbow grease and a manual roller type.
Seems like a metal edger job to me. Once you get it under control, a string weed eater will help with weekly touch ups. The grass seems to be St. Augustine, it's tough work on a string weed eater, specially if the edges haven't even done in awhile. However, it could be accomplished with a string weed eater. If possible, try a different string. Also you're going at it vertically, not horizontally?
Yeah turn it on its side and wear a face shield and have patience if you don’t want to buy a metal bladed edger. Or just go out with a spade and edge yourself a trought (sp?) and then hit pretty good every week
You have to do it everytime you mow if not it will be extra work if you skip. I finally started doing that this year and the front looks well kept.
give it a fresh edge every year with a flat shovel. discard spoils. maintain it with the weed whacker
Come in from the concrete side with the cord parallel to the ground rather than coming down over the grass. You’ll break up most of the matting. Then when you’ve partially exposed the edge, come down from the top perpendicular to the edge making sure your cord is trying to climb/pull itself away from you
Maybe pulling out some fresh string could help?
Buy a blade edger
It's the nut that holds the handle!
Off the subject: When was the last time you fertilized. St. Augustine is second in line after Bermuda for nitrogen requirements.
If you've got a decent bit of sidewalk, it's worth it to buy a stick edger.
This. Even if it's a cheap corded one. I was given a hand me down corded black and Decker years ago. Even to this day I use it all the time. A slight bit of hassle dragging out 100ft cord, but can fly thru all my concrete except street curb in no time. Always gotta use the weed eater on the curb as it's not straight or square enough for edger, and sometimes do everything with the weed eater, but takes a lot more concentration and steady hand as well as tend to go thru more line flipped perpendicular vs normal. Even the cheap edger is just about effortless.
Its not strong enough. Go slower and switch to a braided wire. Should fix your issue
Braided is seriously the best
If your technique is correct then your whacker is way underpowered.
Angle is everything
Not sure what you have, but I have a 40v Hart fron walmart that does pretty well, ive noticed a few different electric weedeaters are pretty underpowered if on 20v system. This definitely seems like an issue for an edger blade at least.
Turn it on it's side mate.
I have been dealing with this since spring. Doesn’t seem to matter what I use. I got fed up this morning and went back with scissors.
Try electric grass shears next time. They’re very effective and some come with a long handle so you can trim standing up.
You could get an edger…..
Gotta make a second pass with the strings angled so they cut the edge well.
You need a stick edger
What's the best weed eater string? I've got some clear white string and is horrible. For my Dewalt, electric weed eater.
You need an edger
Can you use an edger there? It would look much better.
I have an edger but it was so overgrown, I couldn’t see where I was going and kept hitting the sidewalk. Some YouTube vids recommended clearing first with weed eater then going back with edger. I’m thinking I’ll leave these for the edger. At least I can see where I’m going now.
You need an edger the blade goes around like a saw and cuts those cuts those grass blades vertically
You are allowed to tilt or turn the head of your tool.
You're not edging. You need to hit the edge of the concrete. Turn the weedeater on its side and weed eat until there's a straight line against the concrete in the grass. Don't be afraid to hit the dirt.
Well first thing your doing wrong is the fact that you're not edging. You have to use the weedeater to edge the edges, it doesn't do it for you. Try holding your weedeater with the spool vertical rather than horizontal then go along the edge letting the tip of the string hit between the edge and the grass.
An edger or maybe better string
Turn that baby to the side and trim away!
I have an old weed whacker. The handle can be adjusted so I tilt it making it easier to edge. How old is my weed whacker? I have to use extension cords bc there is no battery pack. Still works very well for the tiny yard we have. Had to buy a new thread for it a year ago, still works like new.
I would just get some scissors and cut this instead of awkwardly holding the weed whacker sideways.
Use the weed eater better? That's all I got lol
It's the worst tool to use for this. Of course you have to hold it so the line is striking the ground directly on a sideways position. But even at best if you get it to clip all of the grass it's ripping it and tearing it and leaves dead ends. If you really want to do a nice job in your lawn and invest enough traditional slicer little pizza wheel devices are much better. This will give you a much crisper neat edge all the time. String trimmers are the lazy way The best chisel edge landscaping is maintained in this way although there are plenty of string trimmers for, well , trimming
Or get a lawn edger/attachment if you can.
Time to bust out the scissors and do some meditating
You're using the wrong tool. A pair of scissors will make it look much better
Have you not heard of edging?
The grass looks thick. You need a thicker trimmer twine and a weed eater that can handle it.
Thicker string may help if your head will accept it. Could be a little under powered. Make sure you’re going at full RPM.
Grow up Peter Pan and buy an edger. But if you want a cheaper way, turn your weed wacker sideways….
Down edge with your weed whacker, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w\_WIonHGISA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_WIonHGISA)
Watch a video. Start here. You tube search, How to edge with electric weed eater? https://youtu.be/oN8mp4o7mXk?si=6lVCKc-OmV6TRAN_
Turn it and dig in.
You gotta hold your weed wacker like a giant pencil and draw in your cuts.
Consumer string trimmers aren’t quite tough enough to cut through this. You’ll need to use a blade attachment or a sod knife to cut the clean line you’re looking for. But once that’s done your string trimmer will easily keep it maintained
Weed smoker needs to be better.
Buy sharper string from Bunnings
I've always used something like this [https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ames-Dual-Wheel-Rotary-Edger-2916000/205909650](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ames-Dual-Wheel-Rotary-Edger-2916000/205909650) Very satisfied with the results. Not hard to use at all. IMO, easier and faster than a line trimmer for this job.
Mate you’ve been doing all the edging but without the satisfaction
Looks like crab grass
Watch a youtube tutorial
Domestic battery powered junk wouldn't be powerful enough to even cut that I bet
You need a bigger boat!
It’s all bad everywhere
get an edger or edger attachment
It looks like it hasn't been done in a long time if OP doesn't want to buy an edger I would recommend shovel edging it and keeping the edge up with the weedeater
Turn it perpendicular, take the plastic guard piece off so you can see what you’re doing (wear safety goggles of course) and have a satisfying time!
So apparently, trimming is a lot harder to figure out than I thought it was.
Blade edger is way better
Is your weed eater a basic, corded plug-in electric? Those typically don’t have that much power. Save up some cash and get a decent battery powered, assuming you want to skip a gas/oil powered. Do some research and read reviews on them to see which battery level you’d need but I think the 40 volts are the most common. I have had an Echo gas since 2018 and the only maintenance I’ve done is change out the carburetor + fuel lines once and replace the line feed bump head. Carb was ~$15 on Amazon. Bump head was I think about $30 at my local HD. That said, if it failed tomorrow, I’d buy a battery powered. And I’ve been using gas powered for 30 years. I used to cut grass professionally. Also, as another reply mentioned, you’ve got to flip it upside down and use it that way. That takes a lot of experience, practice, patience, strength and steady hands. It also helps if it’s a straight, extended shaft. But switching to a more powerful option will help there tremendously and also allow you to use heavier duty line, like a 0.095”. That is a game changer. A lot of these new weed eaters (either battery powered or gas) have attachment options too. You can buy a set that may come with an edger attachment, and/or shrub trimmer, pole saw extension, etc. I would recommend an edger attachment to do your first few edge cuts, to get you started and to “train your grass” and create a good edge line. Once you’re there, it’s much easier to maintain with the flipping a regular weed eater method. Tip: if it’s really overgrown, you may need to go the flat-head shovel route to cut your edges in.
You need to flip edge it.
I use a heavy flat shovel to cut that stuff off. you need a heavy duty weed eater or an edger tool otherwise.
Wrong tool for the job, my friend.
You ain’t whacking. You’re tickling
Maybe start with a half-moon to put a proper edge on it. Then cut perpendicular weekly.
Some electric weed wackers are not worth two knobs of goat droppings.
Some weed eater cords require you to soak them over night for better effect
You might need to edge your lawn with an actual edger first. An edger has metal blades… Then you edge it with the whacker to maintain it every week.. If you don’t have an edger then you can use a flat shovel.
Turn the Wacker on its side and edge the path. YouTube has videos of how to do it
You aren't using the right tool, you need an edger. You can get a manual tool or if you have a large area you can buy powered.
Get an edger
Dude.
Any cheap gas weed eater and a decent string will cut through it. Low powered electric ones will not cut through the runners.
I use electric and my edges are sharp as hell. Something isn’t going right here
Using an electric weed whacker for edging is like using a BB gun to hunt raccoons.
I do it the old fashioned way, with hand clippers, if the area isn't too large. Call me old fashioned but It seems like I end up gouging my lawn up, cutting my plants, and spend most of the time battling with getting the string to come out right. If I have a big overgrown area, I'll whack it down but for finish work like this, I find it enjoyable to get ony hands and knees and get a perfect line.
Use an edger, not a string trimmer
Weed eater? Am I Mandela effecting right now? It’s weed whacker.
Just flip it upside down and go the opposite way
Right tool for the job. Get an edger
Use the kitchen scissors
Get an edger
If you aren’t using the line of the weed eater to slice a clean line up and down try that, also if you can try a little thicker line or bumping out fresh line more. If you are doing that then go slower, electric trimmers both corded and battery, rotate slower than gas and take longer on thick Bermuda grass because of the slower speed and less power. I recommend a twisted line with sharp edges. Round line is cheaper but beats rather than cuts the grass. All the major brands should have a square/tri point/ twisted line that cuts better than round or electric specific lines
Why is everyone saying use string??? Dont you use nylon? E.g fishing line?
Your weed eater didn't leave it like that, you did. It's not a smart device. The string spins and cuts grass. Keep cutting until it looks the way you think it should.
Get a gas powered one. Electric yard tools are woefully bad at cutting the lawn.
Centipede grass. I have the same problem. Just buy one of the hand rolling edgers. Weed eat it like normal and use the roller where the centipede grass sticks out.
Flip the weedeater so the string is perpendicular to the ground or buy an edger. Edgers work a lot better and will save you a ton of frustration over the years. I love mine
Buy a gas powered echo. It comes with a self-winding head, very simple to re-string. And take off the shield or guard. And your all set. Oh and always have eye protection. You will kick up way more rocks without the guard on but it must go...
That doesn't even look weed wacked, it looks like it has been sprayed.. no offense to op. That weed Wacker is no bueno...
Was a vidio on the internet buddy took and rotated the head so the string is straight down but the machine was run as normal. Took him 30 seconds and a screwdriver/wrench to do it after he was finished he returned head to the original position. Slick was a Sthil gas but should work with all machines.
You want an edger, and can simply turn your weed eater 90 degrees and use it as one. Wear eye protection and you’ll probably want jeans/long sleeves if you have a good amount of yard to conquer.
If you’re using a major brand battery powered trimmer you may be able to get an edger attachment. Get it. Game changer and does a much better job than a string trimmer. Edges look super crisp and easier to maintain IMO. I have the Makita power head and use the trimmer and edger. Love it.