Anybody ever heard of a Whipper Clipper?

I acquired this edger about 5 years ago off the curbside. An old woman's husband had died and she was getting rid of his old "junk". Well this junk turned out to be a treasure for me. Judging from the date code on the Briggs, it was built in 1975, the same year I graduated from high school! I had never heard of the Whipper Clipper, so I looked it up on the web. Turns out they're still in business at their factory in Bonham, Texas. Anyway, I cleaned it up and bought a new blade, air filter, and plug for it. The only thing wrong with it were loose mounting bolts on the carb. It started right up and worked perfectly. I didn't use it at all last year, I kinda slacked off on the edging. So I rolled it out of the garage today and looked in the tank. There was some 2 yr. old gas in there and it was very orange. I siphoned that out and filled it with fresh gas. Checked out the air filter which looked very clean, and the plug still looked new. Would you believe after sitting up all that time it cranked on the 2nd pull? This thing is bulletproof. I guess I should clean it up and paint it--it looks pretty dirty. But it still works great after all these years.

Yes, I have heard of them (no surprise here geo). I used to sell them back in the 70's and I have to say they were about the best wheeled edger I have ever seen, used or worked on. I was surprised that they are still in business, I have not seen one in years.

Yes, I have heard of them (no surprise here geo). I used to sell them back in the 70's and I have to say they were about the best wheeled edger I have ever seen, used or worked on. I was surprised that they are still in business, I have not seen one in years.

I just paid a visit to my local lawn equipment dealer today to buy a star blade for the Whipper Clipper. They had 2 brand new units on the showroom floor--priced at $429! And the design hasn't changed much from my '75 model.

I recently got into buying and fixing and trading lawn equipment. I somehow ended up with two of these Whipper Clippers out of an estate sale and sold them both for a nice profit- not realizing what I was giving up.

I thought these were odd looking machines- bulky- and must be cumbersome compared to my 40 year old two wheeled K&S (Ft Worth TX) with its 2hp Briggs.

Later I came across another WC with a 3hp Tecumseh. I had to rebuild the carb, change the belt and add a new blade and edge guide, but I have since learned these are the coolest edgers on the planet. Rock solid. The curb hopper is a bit more trouble than my K&S, but again, the whole machine is rock solid and built like a tank. That engine purrs like a kitten too. Gobs of power.

These edgers are built by Americans in Bonham, TX, and are basically a hand built machine. They are the Cadillac of edgers.

Now here is the kicker. Turns out the owner of my local power equipment supply also owns Whipper Clipper. Nicest guy you would ever want to meet. I wish him success with this endeavor, as I know the onslaught of cheap, flimsy throw away equipment sold at big box stores has been the death knell for many a good USA manufacturer.

I will say this- if you can get your hands on one at ANY price, it will be the last edger you will ever buy.