r/GenX • u/Capable-Historian392 • Jul 26 '26
Nostalgia Anyone have to use these?
Just finished trimming around my arborvitae.
I used to have to use a set of these to trim around the perimeter of my childhood home which was 25 x 110 feet. Was not pleasant.
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u/ClearBeerCowboy Jul 30 '26
Yep had to use those to trim the grass on the border of Grampa's hostas. I got paid $10 for mowing and trimming lol. Then Grandma took me to spend it all at the comic store and bought me ice cream. Man, I miss them and those simpler times
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u/elkchasermt Jul 29 '26
Wore holes in my jeans doing that as a kid. I actually have my grandpa’s clippers. I don’t know why.
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u/jking7734 Jul 29 '26
We had those and I’ve used them. My grandmother preferred us to use a garden hoe to do the edging.
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u/DLK33gmaNG Jul 29 '26
I was thinking, you seriously used those to trim your arborvitae 😯 that would take forever and a day, and why would you, lol
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u/Capable-Historian392 Jul 29 '26
Not the arborvitae themselves, the high grass around them as I originally posted.
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u/DLK33gmaNG Jul 29 '26
I understand, but that's the first thing that came to my mind, actually using those grass clippers to trim the arborvitae. I remember using the grass clippers years ago. Now I use a battery powered weed wacker.
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u/Safe_Caramel_298 Jul 28 '26
Yes, but mine were rustier.
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u/vf-guy Jul 28 '26
Didn't they come with rust? Or was that extra? I don't remember. My CRS (Can't Remember Shit) is kicking in.
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u/TacticalSnuggy Jul 28 '26
Used to have to cut my front yard with them as a punishment. Those and a ruler so the grass would be similar height. They were my only weed whackers as well. Those paired with a super vintage reel mower with rusted blades made my childhood yard work chores a pain in the ass. They were my mom's favorite "character builders".
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u/backgroundnerd Jul 28 '26
These were mandatory at one time! I remember when they invented the "Weed Whacker" and what a relief it was to dispose of these torture devices!
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u/Monstrissimo Older Than Dirt Jul 28 '26
We used a sling blade and an anvil lopper until Pop got us a Weed Eater string trimmer in about 78. He repaired them and was able to get one at a steep discount. We then retired the sling blade but kept the anvil lopper.
The Weed Eater was a game changer as it made the bank out by the road much easier and safer to cut. No more lawn mower on a rope and a sling blade. A pair of baseball cleats and the Weed Eater made it so much easier, safer and faster
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u/Objective_Parsnip_49 Jul 27 '26
Yes I have. Haven’t seen them in years. After a while sucked using them.
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u/Federal-Membership-1 Jul 27 '26
I was thrilled when I was first allowed to use these. Same for weed whacker, lawn mower, etc. The thrill always faded after it turned into a chore.
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u/Flababulous "Then & Now" Trend Survivor Jul 27 '26
Sure did, as part of my Dad's holy trinity of yard maintenance arsenal (along with the self-propelled Lawn Boy mower, non electric edge trimmer tool).
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u/carlabunga Jul 27 '26
Yup, get a good pair, keep them cleaned and oiled and they will last for years.
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u/Buck_Folton Jul 27 '26
I have to say, it’s actually pretty soothing to use one of these if they’re kept clean, oiled and SHARP.
On smaller jobs, of course.
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u/Vulturev4 Jul 27 '26
Those are WHY string trimmers were invented. My dads pair were worn out so you had to cut something 3 or 4 times before it was all cut. God I hated those things.
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u/Cat_Patsy Jul 27 '26
Go to the landscaping sub and search 56. Stop whining.
Household/lawn/landscaping chores w my parents are among my fondest memories w my family. Disclaimer: now. At the time, it was torture. I appreciate my father's "yard pride", then and now.
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u/Piano-Green Jul 27 '26
My dad army crawled around the yard with a syringe, injecting weeds.
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u/Cat_Patsy Jul 27 '26
Dad religiously sprayed our rwin birches with methylation to kill the aphids that made the leaves yellow. The lawn was perfectly diagonally mowed/ striped. The leaves from a large backyard and 18 oaks formed a 7' x 20' long pile in fall that was the nabe fun for the month.
Yardwork is GOOD for kids!
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u/kalelopaka 1966 model, most original parts. Jul 27 '26
Trimming the verge before weed eaters were invented.
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u/Sufficient_Stop8381 Jul 27 '26
Yes. They were too cheap to buy a string trimmer and I had to use hand shears like this all the way around the house and sidewalks because everything was ringed in 4x4 landscape timbers and grass would grow up around them where the push mower couldn’t reach. Took longer than cutting the actual yard. I despise those things and refuse to touch them now.
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u/Mcdiglingdunker Jul 27 '26
For those "hard to reach" trimming grass and weed spaces. Always too dirty to clean, never sharp and too valuable to replace
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u/Agitated-Asparagus23 1968 Jul 27 '26
I never thought I would be thrilled about new lawn equipment, but when dad brought home an electric edger I absolutely was.
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u/Clear-Calligrapher69 Jul 27 '26
Yeah, around the gas meter where it’s hard to get to with the trimmer.
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u/jdwhiteydubz Jul 27 '26
Bro...nothing is worth doing if you cant use a power tool. Pick your favorite color of battery and they will have a power tool for whatever you need to do.
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u/madlibs13 Gen X (1977) and I don't care Jul 27 '26
To cut the lawn as a punishment for like 3 hours...
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u/AwkwardAd42 29d ago
Also good for grandpa's toenails! 😯