What's the preferred flavor of weed-trimmer??

[deeter16317]

In the market for a new (or newer) weed-trimmer...figure heavy grass, some weeds, no brush (I have a rotary mower for that).

What's the best bang for the buck right now? Is a 2-cycle still preferred, or is the 4-cycle catching on?

 

[JonnySaab]

Shindaiwa ! best thing I have ever bought. cost more than Home [censored] special but I've thrown 2 of those away in less than 5 years. 2 cycle has got the power! I have a 4-cycle that is pretty lame in the power department. We trim alot ~ 10 acres of weeds!

 

[cryption]

Do you want gas? I have a 2-stroke that sits in my garage in favor of my Black and Decker electric. Simple, light, and no maintenance.

Plug it in and go.

As gas goes, I prefer a 2 stroke. No oil changes, and from what I gather 2-stroke have more power. My 2-stroke is a Craftsman (I think made by weed eater) and it's been reliable for years.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Spend the money on a Stihl gas-powered.

 

[JHZR2]

I have a husquvarna and it is great. Always starts first pull, runs super-strong and very fuel efficient.

I like echo 2-stroke stuff too, so Id say their trimmers are likely quite good too. Cant comment on the fancier brands.

What I would say is give a big thought to how much stuff you need to whack. In hindsight, my husquvarna is overkill. For my small yard, I would have preferred a non-clutched, curved shaft unit for trimming grass and weeds. In my experience, for lighter yardwork, a non-clutched unit can do most trimming at idle.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Originally Posted By: JonnySaab
Shindaiwa ! best thing I have ever bought. cost more than Home [censored] special but I've thrown 2 of those away in less than 5 years. 2 cycle has got the power! I have a 4-cycle that is pretty lame in the power department. We trim alot ~ 10 acres of weeds!


I have to agree. A commercial quality unit like a Shindaiwa is a wonderful thing. Use it back to back with a low budget line from a big box store and you will really be able to tell the difference.

That said, if I were to buy again, I would replace my dependable (but crude) Ryobi with an Echo, which I look at as a light duy commercial unit. I have an Echo chainsaw and blower and they give a lot of quality for the money.

 

[ncguy]

I bought an Echo 210 trimmer last year and couldn't be happier with it. I got it at a local mom n pop dealer for around $200 and they even threw in a six pack of oil and a gas can. One of the nice things about the Echo is the five year homeowner warranty-I don't have to worry about repairs for five years.

 

[IndyIan]

Stihl, echo, shindaiwa, husky but not their cheapest stuff.
A lightly used pro model of these companies would be good too.
I got a stihl fs86 for $80 a couple years ago, its probably 10 years old and it should last for 20-30-40 more years? Not without some repairs, but it will always be better than a $80-$200 trimmer and outlast 3 or 4 of them so getting it fixed makes sense to me.

 

[Youthere]

i spent the money and bought a brand new stihl, and could not be happier. look around and compare features though. and look at the different types of stringer heads you can get also. Heads for heavy brush or for trimming. Also look for the trimmers that can accept different attachments, it could help if you are needing different tools and can then just purchase attachments for the weedeater motor-head unit.

 

[robshelton]

I have used, repaired and thoroughly trashed most brands and for a homeowner I like Echo straight shafts. If you want to go cheaper, look for a Ryobi. And while I like the 4 stroke, the oil sump is so tiny I'm not comfortable with it! So I stick with the 2 strokes.

If you have a ton of work to do, take a serious look at getting a used pro model. Be sure to check around on-line for user reviews, they can be telling.

I bet you are in an area where they use 10 - 15% Ethanol so be sure to drain drain the fuel and run it dry for storage. Else you will be replacing the primer bulb and fuel lines prematurely.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
Spend the money on a Stihl gas-powered.


This. Stihl stuff is a step above most of the products you can buy at Home Depot and Ace Hardware. I got my father an electric one last year (he hates gas ones) and he said it is absolutely phenomenal. Good ergonomics, built well, easy to use, strong performer.

 

[Johnny]

IMHO in this order:

Stihl
Husquvarna
Echo
Shindaiwa

 

[hate2work]

I sell and service the Stihl products, you can't beat them. Get youself an FS-90R, use the Ultra oil and you'll be set for the next 20 years or so. If you lived closer to me I would make you a deal on one.

 

[kballowe]

I have a Shindaiwa but I would think that you could get some of the others (Stihl, Echo, Husquvarna) and have good service. The key is NOT to buy the cheapest thing that you can get.

Sears Craftsman used to be top of the line but I don't think it's like that anyomre.

Stihl is sold and serviced in many places so that is a plus.

 

[eljefino]

There's a brand that runs on those 1 lb propane camper bottles. Interests me because it never goes bad and you don't have carb troubles etc.

 

[Jim 5]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
IMHO in this order:

Stihl
Husquvarna
Echo
Shindaiwa


I agree with this, except I'm not so certain of the order. I'd put Stihl and Echo about the same. Not sure where to rank the other 2 but they'd be in the top 4.

I wonder about those 4 stroke hondas. Honda usually makes pretty good stuff, but you never hear about them.

I had a $69 Homelite that was reliable for about 2 years then had all kinds of carb problems. I replaced it with a mid-sized straight shaft commercial Echo which has started on 2 pulls consistently for the past 6 years of ownership. And the bump-feed head works really well which can be a real hassle if it doesn't. I don't think alot of people consider that when they buy a line-trimmer.

 

[Newtonville]

Try to buy where they will take back. I bought one of the best named above from a dealer,not Home D, but the fine but strong vibration it had made my hand tingle for hours after, couldn't use it even once more after that. They took it back. This is a serious problem if prone to it, if not prone, still not so good. A lot of pro gardeners like Shindaiwa. Right now I am using a BD cordless electric which is pretty weak, but it works and is convenient. Mainly line breakage/fouling is the problem I have with all string trimmers.

 

[rclint]

I would defiantly buy used, it's coming up on fall/winter time which will put a lot of newly used lawn mower/weed eaters on the market. You can save up to 2/3 or 1/2 price on a nice used trimmer which can put you using a one season old trimmer top of the line brand for around the same price as the cheap box store stuff. I would only buy name brand stuff used such as Stihl, Husquvarna, Echo etc..

It can be hard deciding what you need, I like over killing everything myself, however there is also something to be said if you have a smaller yard about weight... Of all the brands I have used I have had the best luck with Husquvarna myself and I have used them all except the Shindaiwa which I have never seen or heard of in my area.

 

[bigmike]

I must be cheap or don't have much money. I bought a Ryobi last year and it's been good to me. I probably only use it for about 20 minutes a week to trim out my yard, though.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I ditched the hand held trimmers a few years ago and went with a DR self propelled trimmer. I like that it doesn't kick grass and rocks back at my legs and ankles. I also don't have to carry it around when doing the fence line or the trees at the far end of the property. It also has the power to cut through serious brush and small trees. One set of strings lasts me a full season.

After having the DR I'd never go back to a hand held string trimmer.