Edgers and other hand-held petrol gear have rubber vibration isolators between the engine and the handles. The engine vibrates a lot (two-stroke engines especially), and without these isolators you'd shake your fillings out using one. The isolators are simple rubber bushes or rings, and they wear out over time.

When the rubber goes hard, breaks down, or splits, the vibration travels straight through to your hands. After 30 minutes of use you'll feel it in your forearms, and long-term use of a vibrating edger can cause real problems with your hands and wrists.

Where to look for the mounts depends on the edger:

• Wheeled edgers. Usually rubber mounts between the handle bar and the chassis, sometimes also between the engine and the chassis.
• Stick edgers. Mounts at both ends of the shaft, where it meets the engine and where it meets the handle.
• Brush cutter style edgers. Mounts at the engine end and along the handle bar.

To check yours, engine off, give the handle a good firm push and pull relative to the engine body. If you can feel obvious looseness or hear creaking, your mounts have gone soft. If you can see splits or chunks of rubber missing, definitely time to replace.

Mounts are usually $5 to $20 each. Most edgers have between 2 and 6 of them. Replace all of them at once, not just the obvious failure. The others are about to go too.

Fitting can be fiddly because mounts often have specific orientation, and getting old rubber off captive bolts can be a pain. If you've got a pull-apart edger with the engine completely separate from the handle, it's straightforward. If the engine and handle are bolted together with shared mounts, take photos before you start so you remember how it goes back together.

One safety note. Worn mounts can also let bolts work loose. Check all the engine-to-chassis bolts when you do this job. A loose engine bolt vibrating for weeks can crack the mounting bracket.