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What are Edging Shears?

G. Wiesen
G. Wiesen

Edging shears are a type of lawn or gardening tool designed to allow a person to more easily and comfortably trim the vegetation at the edge of an area. These shears are typically designed like other types of gardening shears with two curved blades that come together to cut in a way that is similar to a pair of scissors. The major difference between these shears and most others is that edging shears usually feature a long handle that allows a person to trim the edging of a lawn or garden without having to bend over very far.

While there are different manufacturers of edging shears, each offering a number of different models, most of these shears take a similar shape. In general they are all designed to allow a person to more easily trim the edging of a garden or lawn, without placing excessive strain on his or her back and shoulders. Using other types of shears, such as common gardening shears, may require someone doing edging work to bend down repeatedly, or perform the edging while kneeling and crawling along the ground. The design of edging shears is typically intended to help a person more easily trim the edging of a lawn without having to bend or kneel.

An expansive garden demands the use of garden shears.
An expansive garden demands the use of garden shears.

Edging shears are usually designed with two blades, much like other pairs of gardening shears or scissors. These two blades intersect and slide along each other, creating a smooth and clean cut when used properly. Extending from these blades, however, is typically a long handle that can easily reach to the waist of a person who is standing and using the shears to reach plants near the ground. One common design for edging shears using a pair of handles, each one connected to one of the blades, and when the handles are pushed together the blades move together to cut.

Another common edging shears design uses only one handle that is connected to both blades. With this design, one of the blades is typically fixed to the handle itself; this is usually the top blade when in use. The lower blade is able to rotate and effectively open and close the cutting area between the two blades. These edging shears can then be used with either one or two hands by pushing the shears down onto the ground, rotating the lower blade and cutting through anything between the two blades.

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    • An expansive garden demands the use of garden shears.
      By: il-fede
      An expansive garden demands the use of garden shears.