String Trimmers, AKA weed wackers

[limeranger]

I was told (not sure if it's true or not) that echo and Stihl are the same. this will be the 3rd year for the Stihl I bought, and have been happy with it. I figured spending a little extra was worth it for the many resons mentioned above. I was shocked how close it was in price to the cheaper ones. We have a fair bit of property and i use around 2 gallons of gas in the trimmer each summer, not sure how many hours running that is but seems like a bit to me. Also when i bought my trimmer the store told me if I bought a 6 pack of mixing oil they triple the warranty to 3 years. This also happened to a friend of mine with his chainsaw at a different store, so worth looking into. All we had to buy for the warranty was a pack of 6 bottles of 2 stroke oil, sized for mixing 1/2 gallon at a time (works well with the jug i bought for it). Have'nt had any issues to use the warranty for but, good to know it's there.

 

[Indy_500]

I bought the Echo GT225 due to my ryobi taking a poop. HD claimed "a new lower price" so $160 sounded good to me and my dad. The only reason we bought it was because it didn't have the POS bump and turn string feed. I'm sick of those stupid things jamming up.

Oh yeah, it came with a 5 year warranty too!

 

[curtrnev]

I bought Echo lawn equipment 16 years ago all still going strong. I lost count of how many "cheaper" gas trimmers my father inlaw bought in the same time. And the Echo is to expensive how? Echo or Stihl and be done with it. Kind of like buying a small tractor or a riding lawn mower.

 

[Bull]

These weed whacker threads are always popular. I guess guys like whacking their weeds a lot '

I went with the Echo SRM-265T. I doubt I'll need to buy another trimmer for a long while.

 

[hguerrero]

i got a Honda 4 cycle...no mixing oil and gas (always found that to be a pain in the a**)
i've had it now 4 years...works like a champ.

 

[Indy_500]

i got a Honda 4 cycle...no mixing oil and gas (always found that to be a pain in the a**)
i've had it now 4 years...works like a champ.

ain't it really heavy though? there still are some 4 stroke weed eaters that you have to mix the gas.

 

[impulse922]

If you dont really have a big yard, get a cordless 18v weedeater with two batteries. We have a 10 or so year old craftsman 31cc, and it has plenty of balls and runs great, but realistically the cordless one is much more user(pot) friendly and waaaaay more convenient to use. It's hard for me to admit it, but its true

 

[kms254]

Thanks for all the replies guys this has been helpful and I am sure you saved me money and headache in the future.

The trimmers that have edger/hedger/blower attachments appeal to me because I would have less to store in the long run rather than a tool for each. Do they function on par with the standard tool the replace? I am mainly concerned with the edger attachment because I do have a lot of edging to do, and I have a 3 wheel walk behind edger but I can't seem to get a way for it to edge the outside most edge due to the vertical curbs we have in our neighborhood.

I don't mind spending money to get something that will last and work, but as a new home owner I don't want to spend money willy nilly, frankly I never really have. But paying for quality where it counts is justified in my book.

 

[jake26]

Thanks for all the replies guys this has been helpful and I am sure you saved me money and headache in the future.

The trimmers that have edger/hedger/blower attachments appeal to me because I would have less to store in the long run rather than a tool for each. Do they function on par with the standard tool the replace? I am mainly concerned with the edger attachment because I do have a lot of edging to do, and I have a 3 wheel walk behind edger but I can't seem to get a way for it to edge the outside most edge due to the vertical curbs we have in our neighborhood.

I don't mind spending money to get something that will last and work, but as a new home owner I don't want to spend money willy nilly, frankly I never really have. But paying for quality where it counts is justified in my book.

My brother has a trimmer with attachments but he doesn't use them. I would suggest getting a quality gas blower if you want a blower because no timmer will compete with a focused tool. Jake of All trades, Master of None type of thing.

 

[old salvage]

Just got a Husqvarna 128ld (A rebranded Poulan apparently) and did a little trimming today. Worked great and I really liked it. Went to demonstrate to my brother and.... the pull cord wont rewind. I looked in the manual and apparently I pulled the cord out too far.
When I set it up this morning I used the one sheet, quick start guide and it didnt say "Do not pull the cord all the way out" like the manual does. Thanks Husqvarna you jackasses.

 

[Spookrider]

Stihl FS 55 so far it been great but, I have onlyhad it for less than a month

 

[ratdoggy]

I just bought an Echo trimmer. It seems all the lawn guys around here use them. They do have a 5 year consumer warranty.

I bought an echo from a real dealer 3 years ago. Starts on 2nd pull. No problems what so ever. Bought junk (cheap) at a box store. Brought it home used it for 1 hour got pissed and bent it over my knee. My wife sees it in the garbage and thinks I'm nuts. It was the best $69 I ever spent cheaper than seeing the shrink about anger issues.

 

[woody 73]

Wow some really good advise!

Just my two cents but the Stihl is made to last a long time,the echo is also a nice machine. I have had my stihl for about the last 8 years and I have never had any problems with it.

The best advise I can give is this,buy the brand that you have in mind from a local dealer who will give you good service,(ask around for a good dealer).

My stihl dealer goes out on a limb for me every time I need parts or service.The Echo dealer is only a few blocks away,but I hear bad things from time to time , so I have tended to stay away from that dealer.

Hope this helps.

 

[TCJ1981]

Too bad they don't make Green Machine anymore. I've got a 2810 I run the heck out of and it still keeps comin back for more. It's gotta 20+ years old. Whatever you get, just remember to cut with them runnin wide open, as hard as they'll go.

 

[gainera2582]

One question I have is which brand has perfected adding the line to the spool?


FWIW, I would not recommend troy built. Nowhere near the power of a 2 stroke and is a heavy machine.

 

[Indy_500]

One question I have is which brand has perfected adding the line to the spool?


FWIW, I would not recommend troy built. Nowhere near the power of a 2 stroke and is a heavy machine.

the bump and feed ones are **** imho. I bought the echo i did because u feed the line yourself

 

[Joe69]

I have owned 1 C-man, and 2 Weedeaters. Never again. The C-man was absolute junk. The first weedeater had problems with the drive cable slipping after 6 months, but ran great. The second one never did quite run right no matter what I tried. I ended up putting the engine off #1 on the shaft of #2. It's decent now, but underpowered. I think the engine is getting tired. I'll check into an Echo or Stihl next time.

Joe

 

[JASTECH]

I have been using Huskvarna for a while and very heavy use too. It starts after the winter hanging in out builden to. I did have a Echo from Home Cheapo but took it back and I think the Huskvarna is much better.

Thx, JASTECH

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Echo straight shaft.

Charles

 

[cowboy73]

Stihl and Echo are both good brands. But I like the barely used Craftsman 32cc weed whacker I bought at the flea market for 5 bucks. All I did was replace a few rotted fuuel lines and added fresh gas and oil and been cutting along for almost 4 years!!!

 

[Indy_500]

I did have a Craftsman and the thing took a half hour to start. Then, the recoil was shot. It still was startable but took a while to get running. Overall i thought that thing was pure junk just like the craftsman mower i had a while ago.

 

[BetterDays]

I have a Ryobi with the attachment option.

I use the small tiller attachment for my raised bed gardens.

No complaints while using it, as I don't use the bump and ***** spool.

(Edit - for the record, I only have a 1/4 acre lot. )

 

[welderwink]

This has been really good for me too. I just bought a house as well and I def need one. Thanks.

 

[KEH]

Have Echo straight shatf, like it. I bould buy what ever kind you get from local dealer so you will have repair, parts support.

KEH

 

[ranger_dood]

Find a used Homelite... Mine starts, 2nd pull, every time. I got mine for free because it wouldn't run... a mud wasp had completely blocked off the muffler outlet. Took a match stick and cleared it out, and now it runs good as new.

I would recommend a straight shaft if you're going to be using it hard. Those curved shaft ones utilise bands inside, and they will rub against the shaft creating heat. My dad has a straight hard shaft trimmer and that thing will go through anything. Not sure what brand, though.

 

[BetterDays]

I have both attachments for mine, but only use the straight shaft.

Something not right about having a curved shaft


(but no, seriously, I only use the straight shaft and then turn it sideways for edging the sidewalk and driveway)

 

[MadMechMaster]

I suffered 8 years with a curved shaft Homelite. I just replaced it with a straight shaft Swisher that Costco had for $199. Night and day.

My back doesn't hurt, and there is no bogging down in the tall stuff.

 

[DetroitDIESEL444]

I run a small landscaping business on the side and we use mainly redmax.
we have 5 redmax's
3 stihl (never again)
one shindaiwa (reccomend)
one robin (very nice)
one husqvarna (never again)

if you buy one go with a commercial grade one with a sold steel shaft. none of the echo's ive seen dont have solid shafts

 

[Cumminst100]

Merk, you can get an Echo curved shaft trimmer for $150-160, and it'll last a lifetime if properly maintained. My dad's still using the one he bought back in 1994. Or you can get a Stihl (working on & selling parts for lawn & garden equipment is how I make my living

I bought a stihl fs80 in 98' and have been using it commercially the last 4 years have a john deere as a backup.
Bindernut do you have a shop in st louis, the ones down here in cape girardeau **** for getting parts?

 

[adam728]

I was told (not sure if it's true or not) that echo and Stihl are the same.

Echo and Stihl are not the same company

Just got a Husqvarna 128ld (A rebranded Poulan apparently) and did a little trimming today. Worked great and I really liked it. Went to demonstrate to my brother and.... the pull cord wont rewind. I looked in the manual and apparently I pulled the cord out too far.
When I set it up this morning I used the one sheet, quick start guide and it didnt say "Do not pull the cord all the way out" like the manual does. Thanks Husqvarna you jackasses.

The 128ld is definitely not a Poulan. The two might be made a few steps from one another, but they are completely different. The 128 is actually a pretty nice unit. Loads better than most the homeowner trimmers out there. Was yours an older model? I remember hearing about changes made to the recoil on it due to rope hang.


Lots of good suggestions here. Sticking to the better names and spending a little more is definitely worth it. I'd rather spend twice as much and get a unit that lasts 10 years, and you can get parts for, rather than the cheap "throw-away" units at most the big box stores.

 

[old salvage]

..........
The 128ld is definitely not a Poulan. The two might be made a few steps from one another, but they are completely different. The 128 is actually a pretty nice unit. Loads better than most the homeowner trimmers out there. Was yours an older model? I remember hearing about changes made to the recoil on it due to rope hang.
........

Got it brand new at Lowes a little over a week ago.

 

[DaleK]

I've had a Honda UMK422 for a few years now. Got it out yesterday after 11 months in the garage sitting on a shelf, started first pull on last years oil and gas (not mixed). Mostly use the blade on it rather than string, we cut thistles up to 10' high around the barns and fencelines sometimes and it works great.

Wife's looking for a bit smaller one that she can use now, looking at a Husqvarna straight-shaft since we don't seem to have a Honda dealer anymore and I like the Husky dealer. Stay away from the curved shaft models, they're too hard to get in under fencelines and bushes.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Got it brand new at Lowes a little over a week ago.

I bought the husy 223L weedeater at Lowes in early May. It was the biggest model they had. So far, so good.

If I wasn't in such a big hurry, I would have waited and bought a commercial Echo at a local hardware store.

 

[old salvage]

I bought the husy 223L weedeater at Lowes in early May. It was the biggest model they had. So far, so good.

If I wasn't in such a big hurry, I would have waited and bought a commercial Echo at a local hardware store.

Glad you're having better luck than me.
They seem to get good reviews overall. I could only find one other person who had the same problem I did.
Still though I think I'm gonna go with another make.

 

[welderwink]

Well I just purchased a Stihl fs55, from my local dealer. Its pretty sweet. So far, I love it.

 

[Slow Gray Mule]

I would go with Stihl. I used to mow comercial all through high school and jr. college. I had Stihl weedeaters and blowers. I used and abused them. I just gave the blower away, probably 15 years old. It was replaced with a new model. It ran like a champ when I got rid of it. I also have a 10+ year old FS 45 trimmer. It never saw commercial life, but has been well used. I did manage to break the handle, so it hasn't been without flaws.

Like I said you can't go wrong with a Stihl.

 

[gainera2582]

If you had to choose between redmax or shindaiwa? Which one would it be?

Also, I can't seem to get any prices online. Looking to spend maybe 200-220 at most for a straight shaft.

 

[TAftw]

If you had to choose between redmax or shindaiwa? Which one would it be?

Also, I can't seem to get any prices online. Looking to spend maybe 200-220 at most for a straight shaft.

I have a Shindaiwa at my home, and I use Redmax at work. I would definitely say Redmax. Shindaiwa seems to be cheaper, more of a homeowner based line. Redmax seems MUCH more durable and robust- more geared towards commercial use.

The Redmax I use at work would wipe the floor with the Shindaiwa I have at home. It's heavier, has a larger engine, MUCH better bump head system, and takes the abuse we dish out. I wouldn't be able to see the Shindaiwa lasting a week.

BUT, the Shindaiwa was $200 and change, IIRC. The Redmax would be nowhere near that, more like $300-$400+. Every 2 or 3 weeks I do my lawn at home, and the Shindaiwa is fine for occasional use. I'd say with the shindaiwa you'd be fine.

 

[CamarosRus]

I have an old STIHL FS80 that I'm certain has low hours (my father bought it new)

My "lawnmower" guy says it needs new carb and they arent available ???

Any STIHL professionals reading this that can advise me on this models quality, value and availability of carb ?? Might it be worth repairing ?????

Thanks,

 

[american lockpicker]

Get a Weedeater. Its USA assembled and the last a long time if maintained(parts are cheap too.)