Recommend a String Trimmer!

[123Saab]

FWIW I have a Toro Straight shaft with a bunch of Attachments.

I like it so much that I just bought another powerhead so that I dont need to switch out the brush cutter.........hahaha...

I dont need ANY excuses to buy another gas engine....

Downside: While the new powerhead is a PERFECT copy of my old one it is, Of course, Made in china.......

If it wasnt for the sticker I would not be able to tell them apart.

 

[Mamala Bay]

Originally Posted By: iand
shindaiwa,echo,stihl,kawasaki,tanaka,hitachi(note:tanaka and hitachi are basically the same machines rebadged)makita these are all machines that Australian contractors use and recommend some people like the 4 stroke machine but i managed to destroy 3 blowers 2 hondas and a makita by not keeping a good enough eye on the oil levels in our main growing/mowing season i also don't like the power to weight ratios of the 4 stokes but i would suggest whichever trimmer you get that you fit a speed feed head to it
I've had a Shindaiwa T260 for over 10 years about 2,500 lawns a year and still starts easily


Got the Shin T260 and T270. The T260 is Shindaiwa's classic(my favorite) the best they made regards to weight, balance, power and of durability.

 

[zmelli]

Anybody check into the Maruyama brand trimmers? What trimmers has the best design? best quality parts? I would like to see tear downs of these small engines.

 

[smithph]

Originally Posted By: JZiggy
Ranger, thanks for the really helpful input.

Here's another question for ya'll. For medium-duty homeowner use, do I need to worry about the engine size? Here are the products that I'm currently considering:

Echo SRM-225: 21.2cc
Echo SRM-230: 22.8cc
Stihl FS-56: 27.2cc
Husqvarna 128: 28.0cc

All of these are in the $200-300 range. Most of them spec ~1HP. Would the extra cc's going from, say, the Echo to the Stihl mean anything in service?


The top 5 rated string trimmers by consumer reports in order are: (I see a pattern, only four points separated them on a 100 point scale)

Stihl FS-45
Stihl FS-40 C-E
Echo SRM-225
Stihl FS-56 RC-E
Echo GT-225

1) The 1st four listed scored excellent for Trimming, Edging & Tall Grass/Weeds
2) The last one scored excellent for for Trimming and Tall Grass/Weeds with a very good for Edging
3) All scored very good for Handling and Ease of Use

Just another data point for what its worth: the Stihl FS-45 was flagged as a best buy and the others are flagged as recommended by CR.

 

[rainman49]

I've got a 5-year-old Kawasaki KTFR27A that is the easiest starting trimmer I've ever owned.

 

[javacontour]

I made a carb adjust tool with a small screwdriver and one of the blue wire butt splices.

I think I finally got my piece of junk Poulan trimmer to run reasonably well after fiddling with the H and L adjustments.

They are splined, not screws now, and the blue (don't recall the gauge) butt splice fits well enough to turn the adjustments. It will now idle at a low speed and accelerate without bogging down.

So most can be adjusted, you just have to buy or make a tool.

No, I wouldn't recommend the trimmer, but I'll be darned if I'm going to give it up until it totally quits running.

Now I wish I could get a 1990's era Homelite trimmer modeled after the leaf blower I have. It just runs and runs. All I do is put fuel in it, run it and empty the fuel at the end of the summer and run it dry. It's still running and I think I got it around '96 or '97 as a gift from my former FIL.

Originally Posted By: BISCUT
Originally Posted By: tig1
Echo is the main machine used by the pros round these parts. My Echo weed wacker is 10-12 years old. Runs very well to date.


+1 to Echo being a good machine. I have a 12-14 year old SRM2400 that is still running as good as the first day. I use royal purple 2-cycle...if that matters.

BUT this Shindaiwa is arguably the best machine out there to date.

Only draw back i see from the new model string trimmers is that there are NO (visible anyway) carb adjustments. I'm thinking most likely an EPA thing!!

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
I made a carb adjust tool with a small screwdriver and one of the blue wire butt splices.

I think I finally got my piece of junk Poulan trimmer to run reasonably well after fiddling with the H and L adjustments.


Yep. It's amazing how a little carb dialing-in totally transforms a troublesome trimmer (or the likes). The little ~$6 Sears/AYP/Poulon carb adjustment tool I mail-ordered a few years ago has fixed about a dozen little 2-strokes to date.

Joel

 

[clarklawnscape]

Originally Posted By: JZiggy
Ranger, thanks for the really helpful input.

Here's another question for ya'll. For medium-duty homeowner use, do I need to worry about the engine size? Here are the products that I'm currently considering:

Echo SRM-225: 21.2cc
Echo SRM-230: 22.8cc
Stihl FS-56: 27.2cc
Husqvarna 128: 28.0cc

All of these are in the $200-300 range. Most of them spec ~1HP. Would the extra cc's going from, say, the Echo to the Stihl mean anything in service?

I would avoid the husqvarna 128l as its an orange poulan (dont get a real husqvarna til you get a 300 series), i would also avoid the stihl, if $300 is in your price range, look to redmax or shindawa or kawasaki. echo is a good machiene and will last, but if youve operated the 3 ive mentioned, youll notice the echo is lackluster in power/rpms