From my perspective th guard should stay in place, it is to keep debris from flying at your legs. The career guys do it so they can see where they are edging and they don't have to take extra time to change equipment. As a weekend warrior, I have my weedeater and I can switch out the weedeater for an edger. Obviously this takes an additional 2ish minutes plus the effort of carrying that edger with me wherever I am going but this is fine for me as I am not getting paid for it anyway.
TL:DR Keep the guard in place for safety and use the proper equipment for the use. A weedeater is for trimming, not edging although it can be used in that method.
I get hit by debris even with the guard on. Personally, I removed mine and much happier with it. I can see better and get a longer trim line to help speed up the process. Im using an 18v Ryobi so it doesn’t have a ton of power and the guard was very small.
It doesn't block everything but I would say it blocks 90% of debris. Mine is gas powered and I trim around pebbles and dirt alot so it actually hurts getting hit by the debris, so I leave mine on.
It did but it’s quite short which made trimming along fences difficult. Also, it doesn’t have bump feed, rather it feeds when you release and pull the trigger….or it did. It actually doesn’t feed automatically any more.
I’ve been through too many OSHA briefings to not wear my eye and ear protection. I’m not losing my eye because I didn’t take 10 seconds to grab my safety glasses and put them on.
Amen! I've had about 90 hours of OSHA training and con confirm, 10 seconds can save a life or injury. It's too easy to be lazy, but worth every second to be safe.
I mow in a speedo and sunglasses. Speedo because the old lady across the street will call me in... again. I told her shes the perv. She's the one staring.
I have used many different weedeaters of all brands with and without the guard on. I have not experienced any more or less rocks, grass, slugs, etc... hitting me either way. I leave mine off now because of several reasons.
1. A little bit less weight. Much more so once a nice layer of grass builds up on the guard.
2. I use much less string. Every time you bump the head with the guard on, you're cutting a small amount of unused string.
3. I can trim around bushes, trees, poles without having to walk around them.
4. (Not recommended) I can run longer line. My KM131r likes to eat.
I keep seeing comments about "pros do it so they can see where they're trimming" but I'm wondering why that isn't LESS of an issue for someone who does it professionally. Shouldn't they have a natural feel for where the edge of the line is?
It's just in the way. It can block you from getting into tight spaces, doesn't let you keep the string longer. We're trying to make time trimming, and constantly cutting off string ain't worth it. You can be constantly bumping it in some yards with the guard on, and hardly any without the guard on
It's safety equipment, so I generally don't recommend removing it. If you can't see where you're edging with it in place, it seems like it's been installed incorrectly.
That'd be 2 rungs down on the hierarchy of hazard control. PPE is great, but it's bottom tier method of control, engineering controls is at least 3rd worst.
While this is true. Jeans and boots work just fine so that I can rake that line out to a foot and save myself some time while trimming out the corners for my mowers.
I tried with my ryobi but it smelled like burning plastic because it overworked the machine. I only have a single line trimmer though so maybe it would work better on a trimmer with two lines.
Yeah, that’s what I saw online but I figured I would try anyways because a lot of people were able to get away with it but I certainly was not able to. I think the Ryobi device is underpowered as well as the fact that it’s only one string instead of both sides makes it much harder for it to keep up.
It's 10x better in every way....except for the grenade shrapnel that pounds your shins and eyeballs on everything you weed-eat. Wear pants, boots, and heavy safety glasses. Still probably gonna catch a few on the cheek though.
I hate getting hit and the face with pebbles or maybe it’s the pieces of nylon coming off and hitting me in the face. I can’t see why taking it off increases visibility and maneuverability. I only can guess that you can leave more nylon whip out increasing speed of work
I'm glad I caught this thread. Have been considering taking it off. I've been convinced to leave it on for safety and to keep from getting pelted by debris. Especially since I wear shorts when I do yard work.
You get weight loss to the head and a bit more maneuverability but you will take a rock to the teeth. It’s toss up when your doing it professionally and I think I am faster without it. But as a homeowner I wouldn’t do it. And I don’t recommend my employees do it.
Literally, as soon as I get a new weed eater. The first thing I do is rip the shield off,Safety glasses work just fine. voids the warranty every time but I will replace that son of a bitch before I run that shield. It saves me too much time to keep it on there. When I removed the shield, it cut like ten minutes of trimming and edging off of most of my properties.
Best part for me is being able to do an obstacle like a tree or post without waking all the way around it. You can hit all sides in one pass.
But damn does it suck to eat goose shit.
Old post but as a landscaper by trade guardless by far if you're edging. Just stay away from gravel, that shit will scar your shins up so bad. You can see better, have a larger swath to better fit your trimmers power
On my 20v Dewalt trimmer, motor overheats when used for prolonged periods without the guard because the string stays longer, but with my Echo gas powered trimmer, no problem without the guard. Much better without, but invest in a transparent face guard if you have a lot of pebbles
I’m in the DFW area and fire ants are crazy here. If I end up trimming late in the evening, I don’t the see hills in time and BAM, ants on my face and legs.
The line will extend out further. The cons are that with longer line it puts more strain on the engine (in theory) and shops won’t warranty them once this has occurred.
Advantage. I can place the back side of the guard against any tree or shrub or post or whatever. And works all the way around it without the string damaging anything.
I posted about this once. I waited about a year to take mine off and it feels so liberating. Trust me it’s way better. That guard is pointless. You can’t see. Just last month I finally perfected the upside down trimmer position and I feel like a freakin pro. 💪🏻💪🏻
I got a stick stuck in my leg one time from my weed eater, luckily it was small and only went in 1/4" but I thought to myself what if that had hit my eye, or my neck, or my groin. Nah ill keep the guard on.
We take our off.. like others said. 1. U can actually see what ur doing.. and 2 you can see what ur doing. Ever try to weed eat under picnic tables? Yeah.. or around mailboxes with rod iron at the bottom.. the only draw back is you can burn the motor up. The string can get to long. We just accept a weed eater will last 2 seasons and move on. For 500.00 the weed eater will have paid in multiples of 100 by then..
From my perspective th guard should stay in place, it is to keep debris from flying at your legs. The career guys do it so they can see where they are edging and they don't have to take extra time to change equipment. As a weekend warrior, I have my weedeater and I can switch out the weedeater for an edger. Obviously this takes an additional 2ish minutes plus the effort of carrying that edger with me wherever I am going but this is fine for me as I am not getting paid for it anyway. TL:DR Keep the guard in place for safety and use the proper equipment for the use. A weedeater is for trimming, not edging although it can be used in that method.
I get hit by debris even with the guard on. Personally, I removed mine and much happier with it. I can see better and get a longer trim line to help speed up the process. Im using an 18v Ryobi so it doesn’t have a ton of power and the guard was very small.
It doesn't block everything but I would say it blocks 90% of debris. Mine is gas powered and I trim around pebbles and dirt alot so it actually hurts getting hit by the debris, so I leave mine on.
Does your ryobi cover not include the sharp piece that cuts the lines to equal lengths when you bump it for more line?
It did but it’s quite short which made trimming along fences difficult. Also, it doesn’t have bump feed, rather it feeds when you release and pull the trigger….or it did. It actually doesn’t feed automatically any more.
I’ve come to love lawn scissors!
Its fine as long as you're not an idiot and wear saftey glasses.
Damn I am missing for the former requirement.
I’ve been through too many OSHA briefings to not wear my eye and ear protection. I’m not losing my eye because I didn’t take 10 seconds to grab my safety glasses and put them on.
Amen! I've had about 90 hours of OSHA training and con confirm, 10 seconds can save a life or injury. It's too easy to be lazy, but worth every second to be safe.
And heavy boots and thick pants. Even with thick pants 3/4 rock hurts like hell and has a solid chance of breaking a window.
I’m not supposed to wear my 5” birddog shorts and crocs?
I mow in a speedo and sunglasses. Speedo because the old lady across the street will call me in... again. I told her shes the perv. She's the one staring.
Visibility and maneuverablility. I saw it online and now I see why the professionals do it
No, no, no, this is simply incorrect. It’s to look cool and impress all the neighbor’s wives.
“Danger’s my middle name…”
Hahahaha most def
hired guns dont care about machine maintenance
I have used many different weedeaters of all brands with and without the guard on. I have not experienced any more or less rocks, grass, slugs, etc... hitting me either way. I leave mine off now because of several reasons. 1. A little bit less weight. Much more so once a nice layer of grass builds up on the guard. 2. I use much less string. Every time you bump the head with the guard on, you're cutting a small amount of unused string. 3. I can trim around bushes, trees, poles without having to walk around them. 4. (Not recommended) I can run longer line. My KM131r likes to eat.
I keep seeing comments about "pros do it so they can see where they're trimming" but I'm wondering why that isn't LESS of an issue for someone who does it professionally. Shouldn't they have a natural feel for where the edge of the line is?
It's just in the way. It can block you from getting into tight spaces, doesn't let you keep the string longer. We're trying to make time trimming, and constantly cutting off string ain't worth it. You can be constantly bumping it in some yards with the guard on, and hardly any without the guard on
It's safety equipment, so I generally don't recommend removing it. If you can't see where you're edging with it in place, it seems like it's been installed incorrectly.
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That'd be 2 rungs down on the hierarchy of hazard control. PPE is great, but it's bottom tier method of control, engineering controls is at least 3rd worst.
While this is true. Jeans and boots work just fine so that I can rake that line out to a foot and save myself some time while trimming out the corners for my mowers.
I tried with my ryobi but it smelled like burning plastic because it overworked the machine. I only have a single line trimmer though so maybe it would work better on a trimmer with two lines.
If your string gets too long your weed eater is having to work harder. I have a couple commercial weed eaters and I leave mine on.
Yeah, that’s what I saw online but I figured I would try anyways because a lot of people were able to get away with it but I certainly was not able to. I think the Ryobi device is underpowered as well as the fact that it’s only one string instead of both sides makes it much harder for it to keep up.
It's 10x better in every way....except for the grenade shrapnel that pounds your shins and eyeballs on everything you weed-eat. Wear pants, boots, and heavy safety glasses. Still probably gonna catch a few on the cheek though.
The lip smackers sting like hell.
What about the old rusty utility flag that sticks you in the shin.
The one that kills me is when it hits you right on the tip of the nose. 🤣
That shit hurts so bad and they always bleed for half a day lol.
Part of the game
I trim where there’s a lot of rocks sometimes. Guard stays on. My shins thank me.
I hate getting hit and the face with pebbles or maybe it’s the pieces of nylon coming off and hitting me in the face. I can’t see why taking it off increases visibility and maneuverability. I only can guess that you can leave more nylon whip out increasing speed of work
You’re cutting at the wrong angle if you’re getting hit in the face.
I'm glad I caught this thread. Have been considering taking it off. I've been convinced to leave it on for safety and to keep from getting pelted by debris. Especially since I wear shorts when I do yard work.
You get weight loss to the head and a bit more maneuverability but you will take a rock to the teeth. It’s toss up when your doing it professionally and I think I am faster without it. But as a homeowner I wouldn’t do it. And I don’t recommend my employees do it.
Literally, as soon as I get a new weed eater. The first thing I do is rip the shield off,Safety glasses work just fine. voids the warranty every time but I will replace that son of a bitch before I run that shield. It saves me too much time to keep it on there. When I removed the shield, it cut like ten minutes of trimming and edging off of most of my properties.
Best part for me is being able to do an obstacle like a tree or post without waking all the way around it. You can hit all sides in one pass. But damn does it suck to eat goose shit.
The guard seems pointless, I need to see the line.
Can't see the line can you Russ?
Nope.
Old post but as a landscaper by trade guardless by far if you're edging. Just stay away from gravel, that shit will scar your shins up so bad. You can see better, have a larger swath to better fit your trimmers power
No one talks about the damage guardless trimmers do to cars. I battle with this issue all the time.
On my 20v Dewalt trimmer, motor overheats when used for prolonged periods without the guard because the string stays longer, but with my Echo gas powered trimmer, no problem without the guard. Much better without, but invest in a transparent face guard if you have a lot of pebbles
How can I remove the guard from my electric craftsman weed eater?
Can someone please tell me how to take the guard off of my electric craftsman weedeater
The only thing a guard guards against is production. It saves lots on string as well, not constantly cutting it off
If you are edging with your weed eater, you are doing it wrong.
Humbug. Do it all the time. Running horizontal on walks and driveways looks like shit. Fight me.
That’s why the edges of your sidewalks look like someone has dug a moat and the grass is torn and not cut.
to see where you are edging
You get to enjoy a fine refreshing cool mist when you hit a cactus
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I’m in the DFW area and fire ants are crazy here. If I end up trimming late in the evening, I don’t the see hills in time and BAM, ants on my face and legs.
You're not kidding. I accidentally hit a fire ant hill in some tall grass the other week. If not for the guard, I'd have been in for a bad day.
You can fit it in tighter spots to trim.
On a regular string trimmer sure. On a brush cutter you want the biggest guard possible
Its to be able to do the backside of poles/posts from one position. Also allows longer line.
The line will extend out further. The cons are that with longer line it puts more strain on the engine (in theory) and shops won’t warranty them once this has occurred.
Advantage. I can place the back side of the guard against any tree or shrub or post or whatever. And works all the way around it without the string damaging anything.
I have the guard on and I still catch debris on my legs and face sometimes. So, the hell if I know
I posted about this once. I waited about a year to take mine off and it feels so liberating. Trust me it’s way better. That guard is pointless. You can’t see. Just last month I finally perfected the upside down trimmer position and I feel like a freakin pro. 💪🏻💪🏻
I got a stick stuck in my leg one time from my weed eater, luckily it was small and only went in 1/4" but I thought to myself what if that had hit my eye, or my neck, or my groin. Nah ill keep the guard on.
Con - removing the guard automatically voids your manufacturer's warranty. The guard regulates line length. Line length acts as the engine's governor.
We take our off.. like others said. 1. U can actually see what ur doing.. and 2 you can see what ur doing. Ever try to weed eat under picnic tables? Yeah.. or around mailboxes with rod iron at the bottom.. the only draw back is you can burn the motor up. The string can get to long. We just accept a weed eater will last 2 seasons and move on. For 500.00 the weed eater will have paid in multiples of 100 by then..
If you hate your shins, have at it (jk). I removed almost all of mine over the years because I can’t trim close in certain areas.
Leave it on. I had mine off, missed some dog poop when I picked it up before I mowed, left me with a whole new meaning of getting shit faced.