Unpopular opinion: I switched from a Fresno to a wood float for my finish pass and my edges got cleaner
Last month I was finishing a 12 yard driveway pour in Tempe and my Fresno kept leaving tiny ridges near the edges no matter how careful I was. I grabbed an old wood float I'd had in the truck for 2 years and ran the final pass with it instead. The wood soaked up a little moisture and left a much more even surface, and the broom finish bit way more consistently after that. I'm not saying wood beats steel for every job, but for this pour it clearly did. Anybody else run into that or am I just late to the party?
That "wood soaked up a little moisture" part is the key thing nobody talks about. I've had the same deal where a steel trowel just chatters along the edge and leaves those little ridges you're talking about, drives me nuts. Grabbed an old wood float once out of pure laziness, mostly cause I didn't feel like walking back to the truck for the right tool, and the finish came out way better than it had any right to. So either you're late to the party or we're both idiots who figured it out the hard way, take your pick. The broom biting better after makes sense too, that water film on top is what messes up the texture.