Weedwackers!

[Ronus]

Thanks for all the great responses! Looks like Echo, Stihl or Honda. Ill start checking the links that you all put up to see what appeals to me the most. You guys are awesome, thanks again!

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Whatever you get, don't get what my neighbor has, because he apparently "fu#$ing hates" it. At least that's what he yelled at it this weekend.

Maybe he was talking about his wife.....Be honest, did you bang her?

 

[Skin]

Unless you're doing it professionally or have a huge lot to maintain just get cordless. For most people string trimmer usage means going along 100 feet of fencing and maybe around a plant or two and that's it. You don't need gas for that.

 

[Andybull]

I have an older Echo and a Shindaiwa straight trimmers, both are great machines. I also own a lot of Stihl professional yard tools.

 

[buildmyown]

Whatever you get, don't get what my neighbor has, because he apparently "fu#$ing hates" it. At least that's what he yelled at it this weekend.

You heard me all the way from Mass. I bought a cheap Bolens from Lowes a few years back and hate the thing but cant justify replacing it till it dies. When it does it will be a Stihl or Husqvarna.

That Bolens has taken the beating like a champ. I removed the limiter caps from the carb to lean it way out gutted the muffler and ported the exhaust and intake. Even ran 110 octane in it and it still wont blow up.

 

[silentpoet]

One quick note, ethanol kills these carbs. I run TrueFuel 50:1 instead of pump gas and oil mixes. If you decide to use pump gas be sure to locate some TrueFuel or non-ethanol gas/oil mixture, run your engine dry, refuel with one of the two recommended and run it 5-10 minutes before you store it. You'll appreciate it in the spring.

For my lawn equipment and my 68 caddy I only buy gas at the local ethanol free station. Good recommendation. I think that by law they ought to be required to call ethanol stuff "**** GAS".

 

[joe_padavano]

I have a farm and use the string trimmer a lot. I've tried them all - Stihl, Echo, Troy, Poulan, two stroke, four stroke, etc. NONE of them last more that two seasons. The Stihl threw a rod (yes, I use the proper oil mix). At this point I buy the cheapest trimmers I can find (usually under $80 on sale) and just assume they are disposable. So far even the bargain basement ones last two years.

 

[Rob73]

About a month ago I purchased a new Stihl FS 56. Straight shaft. Plenty powerful for me. Not too heavy & I dont use the strap that it comes with either. I hated the bump head the first 30 minutes that I used the thing. I installed one of those heads from Sears that uses one single piece of string. Love it. I live out in the country and do quite a bit of trimming every other week or so.

One downfall of the Stihl that I noticed, it gets hot and you have to watch your arm. It will get ya if you dont watch out. My old Craftsman didnt do that, but I think the Stihl will make up for it in how long it will last.

I did not look at the Echo models, but a reliable source told me that Echo made the superior weed trimmer. I bought the Stihl because the dealer was close in case I needed parts or something.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Nick_Wa]

I have a Stihl FS 75 I bought used from an older gentleman last year. Said he used it at his cabin a couple times a year, looked brand new, and he fired it up and ran it for a minute for me. I gave $100 for it.

I used it once after that and since then it always dies on throttle. I start it wide open and it dies within 5 seconds. Replaced gas line, fuel filter, and primer bulb to no avail along with cleaning the carb. Ordered a carb rebuild kit and hoping that fixes it. Nice machine but need to store them properly IMHO.

Sent from a Galaxy Nexus in Canada.

 

[methomas70]

Another vote for Stihl.
Perhaps with the colder months approaching (depending where you live), you may find a cheap one at a garage sale.

Also FWIW (taken from the Stihl website):
How do you pronounce the name STIHL?
Our name is pronounced exactly like the metal "steel."