I put the Echo DPE-2100 lawn edger to the test, and was impressed with how it handled my tough grass and corner lot

When you live in a place where your grass grows almost faster than you can cut it in the summertime, you learn to appreciate yard-care tools that make the job quick and efficient.

I've probably mowed my lawn too many times to count, and have used many different tools and products. But I was excited to try a new Echo edger and see how it performed on my lot.

At first glance, the cheap-looking, glossy plastic head cover gave me pause, and I worried the rest of the edger would echo that feeling. I'm happy to say that was not the case. This edger is well-built and trims my yard quickly and efficiently. What's more, the long battery life lets me use it several times before needing to recharge it, which is ideal for the lawn care season ahead.

Specifications

Set-up

With the exception of plugging in the battery charger to charge the battery, there was literally no setup involved in this essential gardening tool. The whole thing came fully assembled in the box, so all I had to do was slot in the battery and start edging.

The battery, charger, and instruction manual all came neatly packaged in the box as well.

The battery did come with some charge, but it won't be fully charged, so you'll need to charge it before any heavy usage.

I was able to edge my lawn without needing to charge out of the box, but your usage will vary depending on the size of your yard.

How does it cut

I live in the south, where most lawns (including mine) are the tough, fast-growing St. Augustine grass, and this lawn edging tool handled it with no problems whatsoever. I also live on a corner lot, so I have to follow the curve to get a nice, clean trim.

The are two speed settings on this edger: fast and slow. There is a noticeable difference between the two, but I never found myself needing to go above the slow speed. Plus, it saves battery power as well.

If you need to adjust the cutting height, the cheel has a quick-adjust wingnut so you can change it on the fly, however, the handle does not have a quick-change adjustment, which I found a bit frustrating.

Even with a corner lot, I don't have a whole lot of yard that needs edging, and it generally takes me about 10 minutes to do all of it.

Echo says the DPE-2100 will deliver up to 40 minutes of run time, and I would say that's pretty accurate. I only needed to recharge after every three or four uses.

Ease of use

Edgers are fairly simple tools, at least as far as power equipment goes, and the DPE-2100 is quite simple to use.

After slotting in the battery in the back, you simply depress the safety latch under the trigger and pull it. There's no power button for turning it on or off, which is convenient.

The DPE-2100 is thankfully light enough at just under 12 pounds that it never got heavy or unwieldy when navigating the edge of my thick and green lawn. The curved shaft makes it easy to walk behind as well.

The most inconvenient part of this edger is the battery charger. It's a top-mounted charger, which means you slot the charger onto the battery instead of putting the battery into a battery dock of some sort.

This also means that the plug is a larger brick instead of just a two-prong plug, and due to my outlet situation, it covers another usable outlet for me.

H&G Verdict

Echo cements itself yet again as one of the premier makers of outdoor power tools. The DPE-2100 edger is efficient, reliable, and easy to use. It's pricey, but you won't be disappointed with it.

When it comes to spring lawn care, making sure you have the right tools to manage the lawn during the upcoming growing season is important.

Where I live, my yard needs cutting at least twice a week during the peak summer months, so I need a tool that's easy to set up and use and that I can feel confident will do the job right every time.

The Echo DPE-2100 fits that bill beautifully. It's not the most affordable edger around, but it's one I can happily recommend.

Shop lawn accessories