String Trimmer Help

[waynem34]

From what I understand a commercial trimmer will last a home owner a very long time compared to the the little trimmers that most regular joes will buy.I have a ryobi commercial trimmer that I've had for about fifteen years.The stuff the landscapers use is the ones you want, but you can buy two cheap ones or one nice one.I like the power the commercial trimmers have.GoodLuck

[dagger dog]

Stihl makes the best trimmer. And the 25-2 autocut head can't be beat. I used to own a lawn business and I've tried them all

I have a FS 86 Stihl straight shaft brush cutter bought in '88, rebuilt the carb' about 2 years ago still has the same fuel lines, no push bulb, just a choke and would bet 10 bucks that it'll start and run on the third pull, after setting all winter. But it's a bruiser to hump, spend a couple hours with it is like going 3 minutes with a pro heavy weight.

They make excellent equipment, so does Husqvarna. If I were to buy another it would be a smaller Stihl, or Husky.

Threw away my money and bought a 4 cycle Ryobi, the little engine is OK and is easy starting, with enough power for small yards but the trimmer heads are pain.

[abunaitoo]

I'm in the minority. I use an electric corded trimmer from Craftsman.
Still use the bump feed head.
Been going strong for almost 7 years now.
My main reason for going electric is it's quiet.
I'm gotten uses to the cord.
I have a Ryobi, Echo and Shindaiwa, but haven't used them since I got the craftsman.

[.429]

The truth is, any homeowner could probably pick up any commercial trimmer out there and he'll think it's the greatest thing ever! Lol

[Fishman]

I have a stihl fs85 straight shaft that is 15 years old. It always works and I don't recall ever doing anything to it except adding gas and changing attachments around. The blade that you sharpen like a chain saw is the best thing since sliced bread. My string bump feed works fine too.

[CastingFool]

fwiw, I have a friend who owns and runs a rental shop. I asked him about recommending a chainsaw for home use. He recommended I buy Echo. Good quality and relatively easy to work on.

[Nicholas]

I rented an Echo pruner and two different machines had problems. Gave up and spent a grand on a Stihl power head and four different attachments - pole saw, string trimmer, blade trimmer, and blower. It works!

[wv109323]

I have a Husqvarna 326. I have worn out about six trimmer heads over the last 5-6 years. I highly recommend them.

[Mallard57]

I prefer Echo string trimmers but the stihls aren't bad either. Like an earlier poster said alcohol will ruin carb diaphragms on a regular basis. Good string trimmer line like Gatorline helps alot. If you are nocking down big tough weeds and such, both Echo and Stihl bigger models ,you can get a flail head(plastic flails) that works well.

[Freightman]

For what it is worth I haven't bought a trimmer in 20 years so don't know but mine is a cheap $39 at the time I think Weed Eater Feather lite. Would I recomend a new one no as I know the quality has went down over the last 20 years.

[Gator 45/70]

I have the echo with a curved shaft and also uses the 8" precut nylon string. However I find that stainless steel leader material last longer.

[dkf]

Still using an Echo curved shaft trimmer bought new in 1982. My grandfather is still using an echo trimmer that is a lot older than mine. Bought another Echo as a spare about 10 years ago. Fixed jet carb and did not run to my liking and started hard. Machined a new intake manifold and bolted on a Walbro carb I had with high/low adjustments and it started easy and ran great after that. The carb was really the only issue I could find with it. Ended up giving it to my sister to trim her first house.

I have both the 2-string precut and the bump heads. Much prefer the bump head however winding line is an annoyance but it is worth it to me.

[silverado]

I don't have a lot to trim but an electric ryobi battery lasts a long time. My trimming is probably less than most of Ya'lls so I won't promote it too much.