Craftsman 140cc Gas Edger – Review

I have to admit we have been lacking some Craftsman love here on Tools In Action lately. Recently my neighbor got a new Craftsman mower that Eric and I helped set up. The mower started first pull out of the box and overall had a quality feel, we were impressed. Landscapers can cost upwards of $800 to clean out and edge my flower beds.  I love the look of edged beds, it gives the property a nice and clean look. It really enhances whatever is planted in the beds!  My landscaper would use a special machine called a bed bug to carve out the beds. This year I was determined to edge myself. My options were slim as I did not want to spend $3k on a Bed Bug. I tried a flat shovel, but this turned out to be a bad idea. My body started raining and I felt unbelievably parched. My DR later confirmed the rain to be sweat. I have never experienced this phenomenon before, work is not in my vocabulary. I needed another way.

I came across the Craftsman 140cc Gas Edger and found it to be just the tool I needed to get the job done fast with the least effort. Another good feature is that it doesn’t break the bank.  When I first received the edger I was impressed at the build quality. Craftsman really does a good job on their lawn and garden equipment. The engine is powered by a Briggs and Stratton 140cc OHV 550 E series engine which is made right here in the USA  The little engine surprised me and was enough power for all my needs.  Once in a while you could stall it out if you go to aggressive or went too fast. If you really need more power they also offer a 158cc version. To start the engine you just pump 3 times, pull the safety bar and pull the cord. It started first pull almost every time. The gas tank holds a 1/4 gallon of gas which was more than enough for my yard on one tank.

The unit has a spring suspension, this really helped with keeping an even cut throughout the operation. A 5″ curb hop feature allows you to trim along curbs and driveways with a raised curb. The 9″ steel blade has 6 cutting positions that are selected via a lever on the handle bars. The blade is belt driven and has smooth feel to it. The blade can be beveled to either side 15 degrees. This customizes the look you want. The unit cuts great however to cut nice circles around trees takes some practice. Some people think of this as a once a year use machine, I use it every few weeks to freshen my flowerbeds and tree rings. It does a great job and takes me about 10 minutes to do the entire property. A rubber flap deflects most of the debris from hitting the user.  I found it would shoot a little bit into the lawn, especially on circles. A quick clean up with a rake resolved this.

I recommended this unit, it will pay for itself in one use and you can have fresh cut flower beds all year. It also edges along sidewalks, paths, driveways and has trenching kit. . Our unit did not include this kit but on the Sears website it says “Bonus trenching kit included” so I am sure it comes with one. This Craftsman has a 2 year warranty.