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Speaking of jungle plants - Ive just got a delivery...

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Brugmansia Equador Pink :

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Canna Musifolia Grande :

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Megaskepasma erythrochlamys:

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They look splendid specimens Nick,
Jenny

 

:-)

That Canna is huge ! just the thing for the tropical tall things corner..

 

I can't find a website for Okatsune, so relying on technical info from other Marketing sites They variously say:

Made from Hitachi Yasugi high carbon steel with a Rockwell hardness of 60.0 - 61.0

The hardness of the blades comes from the exacting tempering process used, with blades heated to over 800°C in two stages and then cooled down in five phases following a strict time schedule

... because of their unique blade design sap is drawn away from the cutting edges meaning they stay sharper for longer.

 

Flymo Contour Cordless 24V - can't imagine why I didn't buy one ages ago ...

Friends, who swore by theirs, came to stay recently and kindly brought theirs for me to try. Not sure of the model, but it was mains powered. I also tried out a (mains powered) "Flymo Trimmer" - that is definitely NOT the same for doing edges.

With the "Contour" there is a wheel, and a pair of Front & Back pointy arrows. You roll the wheel along the edge, keeping the arrows aligned with the edge, and Bob's your Uncle

With the trimmer you have to hold the unit, in a sideways style, and vaguely aim it at the edge. It has the Front & Back arrows, but the lack of the wheel made it very difficult.

I decided that we had too many edges that were a long way from a power socket, so I went for the cordless, and got the highest voltage / wattage they made - 24 volts.

The box says it will edge the equivalent of two football pitches, it certain did all mine on a single charge, and at a fairly decent walking pace - which knocks spots off using edging sheers.

If you do the edges reasonably often (and its not as though the task is hard, with the right gear!) then it is trivially easy to use. If they become overgrown it still cuts OK, but its harder to get lined up properly. It seems to work best if you aim to follow an imaginary line slightly on the flowerbed side of the actual edge - I expect the nylon cord is flailing about and thus takes up some slack. If you aim into the lawn proper it cuts a grove, which looks naff, and of course the edge itself doesn't get trimmed.

I've already been tempted to get the half-moon spade out and make proper edges along all the hedges that just have vague "Glyphosate edges" at present!

Got lots of edging to do? Get one!

Make sure its a Contour, and not a Trimmer, model though. The Contour still operates as a strimmer, so you can do any little bits that you can't reach with the mower, its just that the Wheel on the Contour is the thing that makes the difference.

 

Oh, I nearly forgot. Every time you start the "engine" the spool extends a bit more line, so you need to keep it running - don't stop the motor to go around a plant - just pick it up, still running, realign the other side of the plant, and trot off again. WHEN it stops cutting THEN stop/start the motor for a bit more nylon line ... otherwise your bill for new Nylons will be worse than the GI's in WWII !!

 

Mine is coming to the end of it's life so it's worth considering this Kristen. How does the weight compare to a corded one please?

 

The battery is quite chunky, and is up at the top of the handle, however now you mention it I can't say I was aware of it / its weight (during use).

I found the model names confusing, not least because Flymo's own website gave them names that the vendors either aren't using, or they are selling old versions (although if that is the case then no one appears to be selling the new versions! can't find the 650E on Amazon at all, for example), but going with the names on the Flymo website:

http://www.flymo.com/uk/grass-trimmers/

There is the Contour XT range (Corded and Cordless). These don't have adjustable height handles, so I skipped them, but they weigh 2.8 & 2.4 kg (corded / cordless).

Then we have the Contour 500E, 650E and "Cordless 24V" which are 3.9kg, 4.3kg and 3.5kg (although the product comparison tool lists the first two as 3.1kg and 3.4kg but gives no weight for the 24V - how do companies manage to make such useless websites? The website also manges to list a cable length for the cordless models <Sigh>)

So it seems that the Cordless is lighter than the corded ones, which is a bit of a surprise.

I don't know if it is important, but the cordless has only a single nylon line [protruding from the spool] whereas the corded has a pair of nylon lines. It didn't seem to make any difference to edge trimming [and presumably consumes less line, overall], but perhaps a pair of nylon lines is better for regular strimming? The cordless certainly slowed down somewhat when I strimmed some bits in the corner of the lawn that the mower had not reached properly, but I'm not planning to use it for that other than the odd "corner bits"

Comparing the 650E to the 500E it has a higher wattage motor (650W / 500W) and wider cutting circle (30cm / 25cm)

The 650E has an automatically variable speed control which I have read in user comments is a PITA. For example see the comments on the Contour 600HD model on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flymo-Contour-600HD-Electric-Trimmer/dp/B007RAVG2C#customerReviews

 

Thanks for the information. I can't see how the cordless is lighter than the corded assuming they've got the info correct. It's worth checking them out side by side in a shop I think.

I don't have a problem with the single line, that's how they used to be made when they were first brought onto the market. I have a twin spool feed at the moment and it drives me mad trying to get them both in the right positions before the whole lot springs out!

 

Yes, I do use a spade as I find it much easier than a half-moon, but I thought if I put "spade" here people would tell me I should be using a half-moon, so to AVOID those pointy-fingers I lied!!!!

 

I have never possessed a half moon and always use a spade!