string trimmer/weed whacker recommendations?

[Fallingwater]

Interesting. How does this mix system work?

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

As no one has mentioned it:

http://www.arboristsite.com

This site is to outdoor power equipment what CPF is to flashlights. There was a lot of BS and drama flying around last time I lurked there, but if you can sort through that stuff there's good info from professionals who (ab)use these tools day in and day out. They'll know what breaks, why it breaks, and what models keep up.

I use a cheapy Homelite that I bought brand new for nearly nothing. I don't use it for a pry bar or a chopping block but I don't baby it either; it helps maintain quite a few acres. I never run it at anything but WOT. I drain the fuel tank and run the engine and carb dry every winter; blow out the air cleaner and cooling fins at the same time. That's the only work it gets.

If you get a two stroke, don't run cheap oil. There are several good options, the discussion of which would merit at least a thread of it's own.

:buddies:

 

[Wattnot]

Stihl is one of, if not THE best, for string trimmers and chainsaws.

Sorry guys, the rest of you wasted your time. :naughty:

 

[Trashman]

TMC and Maruyama are a couple of the brands most used by the pros. I once found a Maruyama that a lady had put on the street. She said her dad died and she had a month to clear out the house and didn't want to be bother with selling stuff. I brought it to the local japanese lawn mower shop to get a head for it and mentioned to the owner that I found it and wanted to sell it. He wanted it. After buying it, one of his regular customers (a professional gardener) came in and he was soooo thrilled to tell of his new purchase. He said, "It's a Maruyama! I'm taking this home! I could never afford a brand new one of these, now I've got one!" This was coming from the Japanese store owner/repairman who's been there as long as I can remember. Judging by his excitement, I'd say it was a top of the line trimmer. The gardener mentioned he had the same thing. These are both commercial brands, though, and may be more than you're looking for or need. (performance and PRICE wise (they're not cheap!)) Also, you're probably not going to find these two brands at your local home and hardware store. Makita might be ok, too. After my Grandpa died, I sold his Makita string trimmer to a professional gardener. The gardener told me he actually used a TMC, but needed a new one and didn't have the money for it (he said his cost $600), so he just wanted something cheap for the time being. I sold it to him for $100. He didn't even start it, just lightly pulled the starter cord to listen to the "put" sound it makes when slowly pulled and just said, "ok, I'll give you $100 for it." (my asking price in the Recycler)

The gardeners that do my parents house also use TMC string trimmers. They do many houses on our block, going from house to house, and when they're done with our neighborhood, they move onto the next. They're running their trimmers everyday, all day. If they're chosing TMC, I'd say it's a good bet that they're good tools.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

...just lightly pulled the starter cord to listen to the "put" sound it makes when slowly pulled...

Probably feeling for compression, though he might have been listening for obvious mechanical problems too.

:buddies:

 

[dig-it]

I`ll throw a very positive recommendation in for Shindaiwa. I`ve had the T-230 model for 3 years and it has easily been the best I`ve ever had. Power, balance, low vibration makes for less muscle stress and a happier owner.

 

[Trashman]

Here's a link comparing some of the top brands. http://www.the-lawn-advisor.com/String-Trimmer-Reviews.html

Aside from the TMC & Maruyamas, I also see a lot of the local gardners using Kawasakis, although, since the Maruyama I sold the lawnmower repairman had a Kawasaki engine on it, I think these brands may mix different engines with their shafts. I actually thought I was selling the guy a Kawasaki, but he knew what it was just by looking at it. I don't know how, though, since Maruyama wasn't written anywhere on the trimmer.

 

[aussiebob]

We have a Honda 4 stroke line trimmer, its about 10 years old now and still starts first time and runs like new. The oil has only been changed once and it mostly sits outside exposed to rain etc.

My 2 cents, Get A Honda!

 

[oronocova]

I'll say that I do like Honda engines, my push mower has a Honda OHC engine on it. It is really nice, starts easy, smooth power.

As far as the weigh of a 4cycle vs 2cycle trimmer goes... I guess it depends on what you think you can handle. I'm a pretty big guy and I can run mine an hour at a time with no problems. Could probably run it longer, but an hour is about the max for what it takes me to do my weed-eating. If you are looking at a larger engine/trimmer most of those have a shoulder strap which, if adjusted to suit you, helps out tremendously on the weight. Let your shoulders carry it, not your arms...

One thing not mentioned was straight shaft vs curved. I see most of the professionals around here use straight shafts. I'm sure there is a reason. I prefer a curved shaft around the house, but my homelite with the blade has a straight shaft.

 

[DieselTech]

I'll second the arboristsite.com recommendation. Lurking over there has taught me quite a bit about power equipment.

Fallingwater, I don't fully understand the 4 Mix system, because I haven't really bothered to study up on it. What I do gather is that you still mix your fuel with 2 stroke oil, and the engine does not have an oil system. However, the engine does have valves similar to a four stroke: I think. What I do know, is that my trimmer starts easily, runs great, and has more torque than any other trimmer I've had, but the speed and weight is on equal footing with all the two strokes I've had.

 

[Trashman]

One thing not mentioned was straight shaft vs curved. I see most of the professionals around here use straight shafts. I'm sure there is a reason. I prefer a curved shaft around the house, but my homelite with the blade has a straight shaft.

The professionals are using the the trimmer for edging the lawn, also. A curved shaft will not be as balanced when the trimmer is turned sideways (to make a vertical edge.)

 

[ShOgUn_LI]

My mate who's a gardener by trade told me the straight shafts had a solid drive shaft while the curved shafts had some bearings or something? And basically said that the curved ones had a tendency to melt when run for too long lol.. Sounds like an exaggeration to me, but it did convince me to buy an Echo straight shaft! Wished i spent a little more to get the honda 4-stroke thou

 

[DieselDave]

I've been running a Stihl FS85 for 4 seasons. the Stihl dealer told me this one was the smallest one they sold with a solid shaft. The smaller straight shaft Stihl's used a cable. He also told me to run it wide open all the time as it was better for cooling. I changed the plug this year and blew out the air filter. It's a smaller cc unit than my last trimmer, Ryobi, but it definitly has more torque. I only trim for 60-80 minutes every other week 8 months of the year so I'm not really a heavy user.

 

[Badbeams3]

I have one of the new Ryobi 18 volt trimmers. It has an auto feed system and works great. I use it with the lithium batts I got for christmass. Probably not up to the gas powered ones but runs every bit as good as wired electrics. Runs pretty long even on the regular 18 volt batts.

If you already have the Ryobi 18 volt stuff the trimmer is a no brainer...it`s great. Got it at Home Depot for $30.

 

[n4zov]

I am no expert, but I know a lot of commercial equipment users who are experts, and they almost all use Stihl equipment. They cite longer life, better local service, and better selection of accessories as reasons for choosing Stihl. You can't go far wrong by looking at what commercial users are buying in your area and even asking their advice. I would think that good local service would be a very important consideration.

I used electric trimmers for years, and I do not believe they offer the power and portability you may need in your application.

 

[Minjin]

I went through this a few years ago and from all the research I did, you've got the big 3 exactly: Stihl, Shindaiwa, and Echo.

It ended up being a 50/50 toss up between Stihl and Shindaiwai, with the nod going to the latter since the dealer was close to my house. You can't go wrong with a straight shaft model from any of these. I've been extremely happy with my Shin.

 

[WDR65]

I work for a large landscape company now and grew up on a large production nursery. I've used Husqvarna, Stihl and Shindaiwa and the company I work for now uses Stihl completely.

I am preferential to Husqvarna because they seem smoother running, easier starting and more ergonomic than Stihl. At home in NC I have Husky 232 R , 240 R and 322. The 232 and 240 are both brushcutters with the 240 have a whole lot of power to spare doing almost any job. They are going on 10 years of hard use now and are still going strong. Though I was a stickler about maintaining them.

Stihl is tough, but not my favorite. I think the company uses it because its the easiest to get around here in lower SC. We've killed three or four trimmers and several edgers since I've started working here and I've only been here a little over a year.

I was always told that Shindaiwa was the best and the two that my uncle bought for the nursery 25 years ago are still going strong. I haven't checked the price on them in years and IIRC they were always a lot more than the other brands especially in the smaller models. Ours are old and not too ergonomic compared to today's models, but their longevity kinda speaks for itself.

I think it all depends on how long you see yourself using this and if you want to buy something that perhaps you can pass down the line later.

 

[Beamhead]

Echo gets my vote, I have been abusing mine for 12+ years, it ain't pretty or clean but it fires up on demand.
Parts are readily available if needed, I should replace the original air filter.

 

[Trashman]

I did notice that the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation is using Echo, although that could mean a bunch of things.