Best weed wacker string ?

[snyder]

Its that time of the year. What is the longest lasting line to use for
a Stihl FS 38 trimmer. This thing takes about 15 minutes to restring
and my chain link fencing tears it up pretty quick.

 

[gdocktor3]

I do landscaping semi professionally and do just fine with echo .95 trimmer line. Husqvarna and some others make braided line with titanium in it, but too expensive for my blood. Gator also makes excellent line. There's two options for you. You can spend the money and get the titanium braided line or something similar, or you can go with a smaller more flexible line that allows you to fit more on the head. Lawnsite.com is a forum like this filled with tons of good info. Here's one of many threads on trimmer line http://www.lawnsite.com/threads/95-vs-80-trimmer-line.418464/

 

[theoldwizard1]

Square edge is supposed to cut better (cam't prove it by me).

Buy the largest diameter that will fit (usually 0.95) and but it in the largest spool you can find. I got mine on eBay for <$30 and it has lasted me more that 10 years !

 

[jptbay]

Do yourself a favor and buy a wind up head. Re-string in one minute, rather than 15.

http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-55-265-Speed-Trimmer-Straight/dp/B001SCIE3Y?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

 

[stikman56]

I've tried many. None seem to last any longer, although the smaller the line the better it cuts. Bigger lines are not any more durable IMO. Square edge didn't cut any better that I could tell.

 

[CJM8515]

The thicker the line, the harder the engine has trying to fling it around in some cases. I worked for a landscaper and they had some echo mid grade weed wackers on one of the crews. The boss bought the thicker line cause he claimed we were wasting the thinner stuff since it breaks easier. Well those echos had a hell of a time slinging the thicker line along...

Personally, dont buy at it home depot. Go to a landscape shop or buy it online. You get WAY more for the money.

 

[Bdgjr215]

Square edge is supposed to cut better (cam't prove it by me).

Buy the largest diameter that will fit (usually 0.95) and but it in the largest spool you can find. I got mine on eBay for <$30 and it has lasted me more that 10 years !

Lol a five pounder only lasts us about a month, but we service over 200 lawns
So i guess its all relative.
The best all around string is .095 if your head accepts that diameter, but like
Someone else already stated, a little thinner say .080 if i was field mowing
Becausevit will cut a little better without slowing the head down
.095 is more durable for edging sidewalks and fence lines though

 

[Bdgjr215]

The thicker the line, the harder the engine has trying to fling it around in some cases. I worked for a landscaper and they had some echo mid grade weed wackers on one of the crews. The boss bought the thicker line cause he claimed we were wasting the thinner stuff since it breaks easier. Well those echos had a hell of a time slinging the thicker line along...

Personally, dont buy at it home depot. Go to a landscape shop or buy it online. You get WAY more for the money.

Its not the thickness of the line , its how much string you let out and how big
The bump head is.ive been told for every inch of string past the mfgs. Recommendation you lose a thousand rpm from the engine.You end up burning up the clutch and overheating the engine cause weedwackers use a fan internally that spins at engine speed to stay cool.

 

[gte718p]

I did grounds as a summer job in high school and college. I did all the weed eating and push mowing, basically anything that you couldn't do with a tractor. I was a 400 acre college campus. I am a big fan of the Echo brand string. I believe the call it cross fire or something like that.

It holds up better then anything else i've used. I buy it from Zoro or Amazon depending on who is cheaper at the movement. HD sells it, but buying a homeowner sized spool is 3x~4x as expensive as the larger contractor spool of the same string. It takes me 5 years + to use a spool, but its not like it goes bad.

 

[Treeman]

Nylon is hygroscopic. Soaking your line in water will make it a bit more flexible and longer lived, especially old line that has sat around for years.

 

[2004.5cumminsman]

I use Oregon brand Magnum Gatorline. Has a plastic outside with a fiber string inside.

https://www.oregonproducts.com/pro/products/oep/TrimmerLine_MagnumGatorLine.htm

Holds up well on split block edging.

 

[ZRX61]

I used to have one that had a 8in circular saw blade on the end, that put an end to restringing....Just had to keep it away from your feet... & fence posts...

 

[TheEuronater]

I like the Husqvarna Titanium force string. I got it for really cheap on eBay though, I think like 13 buck for a pound or two. Use it with my Echo gas trimmer. Works much better than the Echo string that it came with. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N1XPMG/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[MrGiggles]

Its not the thickness of the line , its how much string you let out and how big
The bump head is.ive been told for every inch of string past the mfgs. Recommendation you lose a thousand rpm from the engine.You end up burning up the clutch and overheating the engine cause weedwackers use a fan internally that spins at engine speed to stay cool.

All things the same, .105 takes more power to whip around than .095. I've seen this first hand with my FS90R.

All modern trimmers have a guard with a knife that will automatically cut the string to the recommended length. If you run the string shorter than that, the engine is usually spinning too fast. Like running a chainsaw with a dull chain.

.095 is a good balance of toughness and weight for most trimmers, but I like .105 if you have the horsepower. It does last longer.

I used to have one that had a 8in circular saw blade on the end, that put an end to restringing....Just had to keep it away from your feet... & fence posts...

I have one of these for my FS90 too. It will cut 3" saplings. Not the best for grass, but Stihl does make an actual grass knife.

As far as string goes, out of everything I've tried, I like Stihl X-line and Echo Crossfire. Both are about the same besides the color.

I also tried the white plastic blades that Stihl makes, and hated them. They don't last any longer or cut any better than string, but take longer to change, and they're more expensive.

 

[PBCampbell]

I would concur that .095 provides the best compromise between cut quality and durability. I like multi edged lines for the cut quality and settled on Oregon "Nylium" after trying a few different brands. Echo "Crossfire" was very close in my opinion though. I've never run any Stihl or Husqvarna branded lines though. Shakespeare used to have some good lines, although I'm not sure how widely available it is.
For heavier weed cutting, Oregon "Gator Magnum" holds up well, but the Oregon "Flexicut" is possibly the best thing in line for dense weeds and semi woody growth. It requires a special head as it isn't possible to auto feed. After that I just go to a steel blade and suffer the increased time to cut.
I've never found a good reason to go to larger line as cut quality and cut time suffer. The narrower diameter lines cut cleaner and quicker.
I'm also a fan of the Oregon "Speed Feed" heads which was mentioned in an earlier post. Durable and easy to reload. I also soak my precuts in water which does seem to prolong their durability.

 

[WWShop]

Another vote for echo .095

My yard isn't large but I weed whip around a lot of rocks and this line holds up really well.

 

[nh_yota]

Another vote for the Echo .095 which is what my father uses on his Stihl trimmer.

 

[Eric Commarato]

Red Max makes the absolute best. It's a molded braid that is very durable.

 

[rlitman]

Nylon is hygroscopic. Soaking your line in water will make it a bit more flexible and longer lived, especially old line that has sat around for years.

+1 Dry nylon is more brittle, and weaker.

I use Oregon brand Magnum Gatorline. Has a plastic outside with a fiber string inside.

https://www.oregonproducts.com/pro/products/oep/TrimmerLine_MagnumGatorLine.htm

Holds up well on split block edging.

I use the same stuff. The outer layer is actually kevlar based. Not just for strength, but also because it will not weld to itself on the spool.

I use twist line. It's quieter.

 

[chris142]

My echo 225 will throw golf ball sized rocks across the yard with .095 string in it. Has all kinds of power.I move my cars so I don't ding them up with flying rocks.plus it comes with the quick load head.takes 1 minute to reload.

 

[GeorgeFromPa]

yup.. it works good
http://shop.fender.com/en-US/access...ectric-guitar-strings/0730050403.html#start=1

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

+1 for the .095 line. I use the green square stihl trimmer line. Its the only thing that holds up trimming along my retaining wall. The rough face on the blocks wear most line about an inch every couple feet. The green stihl line makes it several feet before I have to put out more line from the head.

 

[scubadoober]

I have tried the Husqvarna titanium, and was sorely disappointed. I switched to gatorline with the Kevlar and it lasts 2-3x longer. Much more durable.

 

[dimichele]

I was thinking of steel cable. It sounds like it may be too heavy though.

 

[Wamsutta]

Echo Black Diamond. Wicked stuff.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

The orange line that came with my Stihl FS-90 wore surprisingly quick. I switched to Husqvarna Titanium and its lasting SIGNIFICANTLY longer (both 0.095).

 

[dr_clyde]

I tried out the CF3 Pro from Stihl on recommendation from my lawn equipment dealer. I have been very happy with it.

It is a composite of 3 different plastics, apparently, and is very durable without being bulky.

 

[Jon_E]

I have a large roll of something red and braided from Shakespeare. Not sure of the actual name. It's .095 diameter. I use it in an Echo GT-251e with a manual head - I cut 8" pieces off the roll and put them in manually when it wears down. I hate bump-feed heads because I always run out of line too quickly.

I have so much of the stuff I may never run out. Use about 30-40 feet of it every year.

 

[geojag]

Stihl has a new line that is gray, black, and orange, I use the 0.095 size. It is called CF3 Pro.

At my current house, I have a lot of weed eating to do, with a lot of sharp rocks. It takes me about 3 hours. Using the Echo Crossfire in the same size, I would have to refill the string a couple of times. Using the new Stihl line, I don't even have to fill up each time, probably weedeat the place one and a half times on one refill.

**Edit - I see Dr. Clyde mentioned this, I second his opinion.

 

[CoryDH]

I had an FS-38 before I got a KM-94. The 38 I always used .065in/1.65mm. It is thin but cut the best for that trimmer. I ran it along cinder block foundation and wooden fence with no damage to either. Durability I couldnt tell a difference between brands. With the 94 I upped the diameter and can tell. Iirc the 38 tops out at 2mm for the notches.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk

 

[redmondjp]

It should go without saying, but in my 40 years of using a string trimmer, I've found that what makes the line last the longest is knowing where the end of the line is as you cut, and not running it into concrete or fencing as much as possible.

In the former horse pasture behind my house, the guy who used to trim around the 4x4 fenceposts has abraded the posts down to about 50% of their original size by trying to trim too close to them. I took that maintenance job over and barely touch the posts now with the trimmer line (mainly because I am scared that any further post damage will hasten their failure).

I can usually trim the perimeter of about 1/4 - 1/3 of an acre before I have to extend the lines out of the head. YMMV