I use a half moon edger to recut and reshape, particularly in spring, if it needs it, and then, throughout the growing season, trim the edges with edging shears - not the ones that stick out in front of you with long handles, they're for doing the top of the lawn at the edge, which is the bit the mower misses, but long handles with blades turned to the left.

Same here,gave up with the strimmer years ago Geradine for same reason they are brilliant.....when they work !!!!

Strimmers frighten me and they never work well (for me, anyway) so, it's the half moon edger and shears for me, too.

I bought myself some long handled edging shears last year and it was the best buy I've had for ages - they are brilliant, easy, quick and much neater than strimming, which I usually managed to make a mess of at some point. A very neglected edging will need neatening off with preferably a half moon spade (I only had one once, it was a cheap "bargain" and bent almost straight away) but after that its plain sailing.

I cheated years ago and edged mine with concrete edgers sunk in the ground, the mower goes neatly over the top, parts near the rockery and patio walls I use a strimmer and yes I do swear all the time when the line breaks, I have far too much for the shears, plus with having dogs playing in the garden the lawn edges were forever getting trodden down....

i am definitely going to get a pair of edging shears,got to be better than all the aggro with the strimmer.thanks,now my next question is what is the best make and where do i get them,never sure if you get better ones at garden centres or b and q

Lots of people on here like Wilkos and recommend cheaper ones and throwing them out when blunt and replacing. I hate waste and believe in buying the best tools you can afford and they then last a lifetime.(Had this dinned into me) Depends on your pocket and your philosophy really. Mine are Homebase own brand and I'm very pleased with them. But I really wouldn't go for the cheapest if you can help it.

ill have a look in homebase thanks for info

Having spent most of today on my hands and knees, crawling along the lawn edges with my kitchen scissors (well at least I didn't use nail scissors), I think it's time for edging shears. I'm hopeless with the strimmer, can't control it at all.

I have a petrol strimmer, electric and different types of hand shears, none work for me, so I use a scissor and have not looked back since.

I use an electric strimmer at all times. I cut over 70 seperate lawns a week and they are very fast and generally reliable. I simply haven't the time to use manual lawn edgers. I can trim a lawn edge at pretty much walking pace .

I've used several electric strimmers over the years but the one I've settled on is the Bosch Art 23 easytrim which is available for about £22. They last me a year doing 35 gardens a week so should last the average gardener 10-20 years!

The main problem with strimmer wire is that some of the wires provided breaks far too easily. The wire the above strimmer comes with breaks far too easily so I use this particular type of wire which I wind onto the spool myself .I buy large reels of 180m of wire and it works out much cheaper than buying the small reels for sale in DIY sheds

http://preview.tinyurl.com/d6lwqhn

The art easytrim is a bump action trimmer which makes it easy to add extra wire as the wire wears out.

I accept that strimmer wires can break a bit too often but the combination of the art easytrim and the wire I've given a link to minimise that.

Lawn edging with a strimmer requires a bit of practice but once learned it is as good if not better than using a lawn edger and 5-10 times quicker

Here are some of the lawns I look after

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/tags/lawn/

I loathe and detest strimmers - the only use I've ever made of them is for an absolutely overgrown lawn which can't be done by a mower. But then I never did quite the same kind of work as you, Anchorman...
I buy cheaper edging shears and just replace when they're blunt, which is ages, actually, if you're only cutting your own lawn with them. Mine last on average about 4 to 5 years, cutting lots of different lawns in that time. My latest pair is a Wilkinson, not posh Wilkinson garden tools, but Wilkinson's the store that sells household goods, etc., as well. I rather like this pair, they're slightly longer in the handle than my old Wickes pair.

Why do you loath and detest them
Bamboo.

Once mastered they are far quicker than edging shears and do at least as good a job.

I find lawn edging using shears is a slow and tedious process.

I can aedge a 30 foot square lawn in less than a minute

Well Anchorman I think it's the mastering of them - and so far I haven't managed it.

It does take a bit of persistence but well worth it once you've cracked it!

2 reasons why I loathe them, Anchorman, despite the speed benefits you mention. You get a much sharper finish on the edge of the lawn with proper, sharp edging shears - you can even correct the shape slightly with those, which you can't with a strimmer. I also hate the way everything it cuts flies all over the shop. And another reason I hate them is because of the damage caused by them to the woody base of plants - many gardens I've looked at over the years have had serious and not so serious damage to the base of the trunk on woody plants, where the grass grows right below.
That said, I don't blame you for using one, I probably would have done too, doing the level and type of work you do.

"you get a much sharper finish on the edge of the lawn with proper, sharp edging shears"

I disagree I've used both and I find I get a better edge with a strimmer

" you can even correct the shape slightly with those, which you can't with a strimmer."

Also disagree. I find it is possible to correct thae shape slightly with a strimmer.

"many gardens I've looked at over the years have had serious and not so serious damage to the base of the trunk on woody plants, where the grass grows right below."

On the gardens I look after I generally put an edge on the lawn an inch or 3 from the tree so the strimmer doesn't touch the tree .

Each to their own ofcourse. We all use what suits us best.

For example I always use a dutch hoe but other gardeners swear by this type

http://0.tqn.com/d/gardening/1/0/E/J/GooseNeck.jpg

Re the damage to the base of woody plants, that's what you often see in ordinary gardens when the strimmer's been used by the amateur owner, Anchorman. Oddly enough, our contract gardeners here never use a strimmer either, they use edging shears. Pity they don't pick up the 'leavings' when they're done, lol

Well I used a strimmer for years and never got the results I get with the shears. I admire your skill Anchorman, but I never managed to acquire it!