Out with the old...the very, very old, and in the new. The old one is my grandparent's Black & Decker U-278 Deluxe Lawn Edger & Trimmer that I inherited. Its gears were so worn that it only spun the blade about half the time and anyone within a mile could hear me edging. Although it had the ability to trim, to the best of my knowledge, it had never been used as anything but an edger. Years ago I went into a brick and mortar Black & Decker store and asked for some replacement blades by model number. The clerk was kind to ask if I had a really old edger. After I assured him my edger was sufficiently old, he sold me some new blades...in dusty packages.

I believe the edger was purchased sometime in the 1970s. The most recent U.S. patent number listed on the edger, 3,330,102, was issued on July 11, 1967, for a "Pivoted Index Latch for Lawn Trimmer-Edger." One guy lists the model as having been manufactured between 1965-1970 as seen here and here.

The new one is a Black & Decker Edge Hog 2-in-1 Landscape Edger model number LE750. It is lighter weight as it uses more plastic than metal. It was $80 at Lowes/Home Depot. Sears had it for $90...*sigh*. I've already tried it out once and it is like night and day compared to the old one. Quick, quiet and smooth! I wonder if it will last 30+ years?

Interesting that it was 115 volts and not the now standard 120. As for the RPM of 8,500...let's just say that it never rotated near that speed while I had it. Two things you never see any more: (1) "For Service -- See 'Tools-Electric' in Yellow Pages" and (2) "The Black & Decker Mfg. Co., Towson, MD., USA." Finally, we put the edger out by the curb in front of our trash and by morning, before the trashmen had come, it was gone.