Lawn and Garden Power ToolsLawn and garden power tools are what I consider to be the heavier artillery or powered items that you’ll have in your garage. The type of tools that you own in this category will largely depend on your needs, and the needs of your yard. Some of these lawn-garden tools may be better obtained as rental equipment depending on the frequency of use and your ability to maintain them. Lawnmower (opens new window) – This is one of those lawn and garden power tools that almost all households have, but do you really need to own one? There are many home owners these days who are taking advantage of lawn care services, and as a result do very little of their own lawn care. People have busy home lives, busy work lives, family responsibilities, etc. and may enjoy the freedom that hiring someone to cut their lawn can give them. If this describes you, decide whether or not you really need to make this purchase. A good lawn mower can cost several hundred dollars, and may not be worth it if you don’t put it to regular use. Maybe you believe that owning lawn and garden power tools such as a lawn mower goes hand in hand with home ownership and you never even considered hiring someone to do this for you. In my last neighborhood, there was a teenage boy who had started his own neighborhood lawn-cutting service. He was awesome! He only charged $10 per cut and took care of the lawn whenever it was needed! Believe me, if I had that option in my current neighborhood, I’d jump on it! It may be worth doing some investigating and getting some prices from local companies before making this decision yourself. Imagine how nice it would be to come home to a freshly cut lawn and you didn’t have to do anything to make that happen! Until I can accomplish that myself, I had to purchase one of these lawn and garden power tools. I already had a small, push lawnmower when I moved into my current home. I tried to use my push lawn mower to cut my acre-lot when I first moved in (seriously, I’m stubborn and I gave it 150% effort), but it took me over 4 hours to complete. I started adding that up, and couldn’t come to terms with spending 4 hours every other week (minimum) cutting the grass. So I purchased a riding lawnmower (opens new window). When I did this, I made sure I was able to get an attachment to gather the grass clippings (for my compost) and the leaves (for the ridiculously heavy fall dumping). The mower was pricey, over $1,000, but well worth it for the time that it has saved me. I have slowly landscaped my entire yard so that I do not have to use the push lawn mower at all, and can get everything cut with the riding lawn mower. I got teased a bit when I bought this mower, as people referred to me as “going suburban” but I got over it when I was able to finish the lawn in about 45 minutes! Do yourself a favor, and consider the benefits of a riding lawn mower if your lawn is big enough. Remember, these lawn and garden power tools have attachments for not only leaf collection, but lawn aeration, snow plowing, and other fun stuff! If you have a small yard, and want to maintain your lawn the eco-friendly way, you can always purchase a Reel Push Mower. There are many advantages to owning one of these lawn-garden tools if you have the ability, but nothing that I can say better than Reel Mower Guide. Check out the website to see if this is a good alternative for you. If you decide to pursue this option, congratulations on doing your part to help the environment! Edger (opens new window) – Edgers, trimmers, I personally can’t see spending the time that it takes to use these lawn and garden power tools. I have a cheap trimmer that I used until I didn’t need it anymore after I landscaped my yard so that no trimming/edging was required. I admire people who have a picture perfect lawn, and whose grass is trimmed so neatly that not a blade pops out over the sidewalk, but honestly, I don’t have time to worry that much about my lawn, and I really don’t care that much. I try to make things easier and more time-efficient for myself, and so whatever I can do to make that happen is good! For me, eliminating any need to edge or trim the lawn was priority #1. Consider for yourself if an immaculately manicured lawn is something you dream about or not. If not, join me in my lazy quest and ditch the trimmer! Tiller (opens new window) – I’m torn on this item. I don’t think everyone needs to own a tiller, but some folks, like me, would use one CONSTANTLY if they had access to one of these lawn and garden power tools on a regular basis. 
I’d like to till my garden once a year, I have several areas that are “in process” and need to be tilled and then planted, I have several areas where I’m removing old bushes and plants and planting new and would like to till some compost into the soil, the list goes on and on. Needless to say, I would like to own a tiller and will at some point in the future. Those who only need to till a garden once a year may or may not need it. If you're purchasing a tiller to use mainly in your vegetable garden or other small planting areas, make sure you purchase a tiller that you can manage and that is relatively easy to operate. These lawn and garden power tools can get fairly cumbersome and difficult to manage to handle heavy duty jobs. Purchase an item that meets your requirements. You could certainly utilize a tool such as the Garden Weasel, which is a tool that has several bladed wheels which sit off center making it easy to work the soil by hand. I own one of these items, and I have to say it works quite well on soil that is relatively debris free, and not too compact. It’s a good yard tool to use in the garden to till the soil around delicate plants, and get rid of small weeds as they grow. You’ll need to be careful of soil that has a lot of root systems, sticks or small stones as these items can jam up the Garden Weasel. For a well-kept garden, it may be all you need as far as tillers go.Chainsaw (opens new window) – I beg of you....just say no! There are far too many risks involved with the use of a chainsaw. Unless you are proficient in the use of such, or intend to use one on a regular basis so that you become familiar with the item, I would recommend purchasing a sawzall (opens new window) instead. These lawn and garden power tools are much safer for the average homeowner, but work very well for the types of jobs that you do around the home. The sawzall can cut through thick branches, root systems, make easy work of cutting down old bushes, and I have even used it to cut through the posts of a chain link fence (although I did go through one or two blades). The sawzall is a good investment! Power Washer (opens new window) – I put up quite the fuss when my partner wanted to purchase one of these lawn and garden power tools. I’m sure you’re familiar with this, “it’s too expensive, we don’t need it, when are you really going to use it?” Well, as it turns out, we use ours quite a bit. We didn’t get a pricey model, although if I had to do it again I would’ve purchased one with a bit more power, but it was definitely worth it! If you have a patio or deck that needs yearly cleaning, enjoy washing your car at home, own a trailer that needs to be sprayed off, or any other type of project that involves spraying something down outside, a power washer is a good investment. In comparison with a standard hose sprayer, the power washer cleans leaps and bounds above a hose sprayer. We have a patio made out of pavers that are very old, and tend to gather lots of dirt and grime in the crevices and one top. The power washer cuts through the dirt, and cleans out the crevices very nicely. It also took care of some mold that we had growing on our lannon stone. I have to say I recommend this tool highly! I hope this helps you decide what lawn and garden power tools are necessary additions to your home! As always, happy landscaping, and be safe! Northern Tool & Equipment (opens new window), as the name implies, sells a wide variety of lawn and garden power tools for your home landscaping projects. Follow the link to learn more. Sears (opens new window) has a huge variety of lawn and garden supplies. I have purchased many of my lawn and garden power tools from Sears, including my lawnmowers and my snow blower. Sears is a great place to get the equipment you need, and they usually have some sort of financing you can obtain to pay for the purchase over time if necessary.
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