best string trimmer?
 

Backed up over our string trimmer last fall and will need to purchase a new one this spring.
We had a Craftsman 31cc 2 stroke gas trimmer. Worked well for us for many years and the price was reasonable. However, since we purchased it, things have changed in the quality of Craftsman equipment we've noticed and I'm not stuck on buying Craftsman again - in other words, I'm open to just about any brand as long as it works reliably.

Our farm is quite terraced. Many, many fir trees and underbrush - salal, small cascara trees, blackberries. I use the string trimmer mainly to cut the sides of our driveway, so am dealing with salal, blackberry ground strings (the ones that trip you when you are walking), and long grass/weeds.

Anyone have a brand they are just happy, happy with, that is reliable, has power enough to get the job done and isn't constantly breaking down or having string problems? Would like to keep the price under $150 if I can, and if I had a choice I'd maybe move to a 4 stroke instead of the 2 stroke just to not have to mix up the gas/oil and have left over fuel.

Thanks for any tips.
CindyOR

I broke down 3 years ago and bought a Stihl. I think I was right at $150.00 with it. I thought it would be a little light duty but turns out it is really well made and tough. I use Echo Line in it that has these little ridges in it and it holds up really well to all sorts of weeds, even raspberry bushes.....Shop around, and good Luck!!!

I second a Stihl
 

Love ours. Not sure on what I paid for it, but it has held up well and was much more durable than any other I have had. It gets used hard around here......worth the money!

I bought a stihl last year also and I love it
I think it was about 150 also

We have a Stihl easy start and I love it. We had a cheaper one before the Stihl and I didn't seem to have to pull to start it, but the Stihl I can start without DH's help.

I love my walk behind wheel trimmer 6 hosses and will cut upto an inch with minor patience. Get one with a honda or honda clone engine. Cuts a 22" swath. It was my first brush hog.

Have to agree with Sears quailty really going down hill. And to top that off don't count on them to honor the warranty, have had problems with 2 purchases 1 the walk behind string trimmer throw a rod 2nd time used it. They said the oil was dirty and thats why it blew up, called a couple of times sent it back and this time they said there was NO oil in it & thats why it blew up. Well the oil blew out the hole in the block and was clean when I wiped it up. Drained the reaming oil & gas to ship it. Other is a Kenmore refrig about 6 mths old, running 10 deg warmer than the digatal says, sears applaince guy came out said it was fine, called somebody else, replaced a sensor, & did some things on the motor to run quieter do to some recall stuff. Works fine now but real service person not reconized buy Sears so paid for the service. (which I knew when I called him) but better to have it fixed than to blew up and Sears still do NOTHING.
PS as far as weed eater bought a $50 Homelite & $79 Homelite chain saw at Ollie's at that price will just toss when they die, although have a large Homelite XL chainsawthat is 20yrs old & running fine.
Avoid running Ethanal inhanced gas in small engines, the alchol plays havac on the rubber carb parts over time.

Husqvarna straight shaft...I am on my second one. Pricey but tough as nails. I use and abuse mine throughout the 3 seasons and they are absolutely great!

I've always used Husky chainsaws and they've never burped on me but my line trimmer is an MTD, a make I'd never had anything to do with. I bought it exactly 10 years ago and I've never had the spark plug out of it:happy0035:

I use it for much the same as your wanting - driveway, round the letterbox on the road side, along the concrete paths, under the electric fence - it does get a fair hammering as I get carried away at times and forget it isn't a scrub bar:umno: The line is easy to wind, doesn't break (unless I'm dumb enough to try and cut the wires on the fence), it starts first pop but like most 2 strokes, can be a bugger to get going again if allowed to run out of petrol.

It wasn't cheap even at 10-years-ago prices (can't remember what it cost now but given the exchange rate, propably close to your $150.00) but you pay for what you get and I've had my monies worth out of this little gadget.

Cheers,
Ronnie

I think, DH isn't awake yet so can't ask, we paid 100 for a John Deere, it has not been as great as we thought. Not sure what kid of problems, I'll post more later. I just see DH picking it apart a lot. :mad:

I bought a Husqvarna curved shaft trimmer for about $150 a couple of years ago after the frustration of the big box MTD trimmer eating up the plastic starter gear. Nearly all BB trimmers are MTD variants with labels such as Bolens, Echo, Yardman, Cub Cadet....... $70 throwaways......

The hardware where I bought my Husqvarna is also the authorized warranty repair dealer shop, and the store owner put gas in it and started it and ran it just to check it out. Gave me a pack of Husqvarna syn. oil, which I decided to use in the gas mixture. Also came with two string head inserts. This model has started easily, and it has an idle clutch which keeps the line from slapping all over the place when you're pulling it to start.

It's a little more heavy duty than the MTD's, and I probably should have bought a straight shaft, but overall, I'm glad I spent the extra money.

geo

Echo is not a MTD product. I bought an Echo several years ago. It is in the same class as the Stihl. Mine is the straight shaft. You will pay a little moe for an Echo over the MTD brands but I think that it is worth it for many years of service.

I like my Stihl.

I stand corrected...From Consumer Reports: "MTD markets electric and gas string trimmers under the Yard Man, Yard Machine, Troy-Bilt, Cub Cadet, and White Outdoor brand names. MTD's diverse line of string trimmers includes electric and cordless types, models with two- and four-cycle engines and split-shaft designs for attachments. MTD products are sold at a broad array of retailers including Sears, Tractor Supply, Lowe's, Home Depot, and Walmart."

geo

I have 2 Stihl's, the oldest is 25 years old and works like the day I bought it, still has the same head. Little wonder why when I wanted another I bought a Stihl. The only reason for the new one was so 2 of us can do it all and get done faster.

Someone mentioned Echo, good stuff but dealers are fewer and furthur between if you have one near you it's a good machine. A friend has a Shindawa that has been indestructible but again it depends on dealer support.

Dh thinks its the carb on our JD trimmer, not happy w/it. Used 2-3 seasons & won't fire up anymore.

same here...Stihl all the way!!

i got a honda fourstroke it seems to be a good one and i can put saw blade on it i got for 125 used.

stihl straight shaft has been good for me.

Stick with the straight shafts. My family has been into rental property business for over 25 yrs. We have 3 Shindiawa (sp) . They are pricey but 2 are over 20 yrs old...

Can't resist anymore, the best one is the one you can talk someone else into using to do the trimming for you. :)

Stihl makes good equipment but is kind of pricey (at least in my area) Almost all of my small power equipment is Echo and I highly recommend it. I buy the heavier duty stuff, but I also run a Landscape company. My equipment is beaten like a rented mule day in and day out.

best string trimmer
 

Thank you all for your great replies!!

Stihl has always been a reliable name. I remember it from when my husband was logging. That and Husquavarna. Solid products.

For those of you with the $150 Stihl, what's the model number on that style? I don't remember seeing anything under $200, but that may be the nature of everything just being so much more expensive than I'd like it to be. If I have a model number I can get specific with a dealer in our area.

Wish I could pass this job off to someone else, but after I get going I actually enjoy it. Love to see the end results. Everything just looks so much neater and cleaner when I've finished up. In fact, at times I get going and find myself looking around for more to wack! I deadhead my fall flowering plants with the wacker too:)

Definitely straight shaft preference. Being relatively short I want all flying stuff as far away from me as possible. That is another area Craftsman has fallen short on - their guard is downright dangerous it is so small. Rocks and sticks fly out all the time. I use a face shield, but I'm being pinged in the face constantly while going along. Hope the Stihl has a better guard than craftsman did.

Thanks again everyone! I look forward to heading out to do some shopping for this item soon.

CindyOR

Stihl makes a great trimmer. I've had a Shindawa (sp?) straight shaft commercial trimmer for a few years now and it's been well worth the money too.

We got a Cub Cadet trimmer and really like it but I admit that if we had the money we probably would have gotten a Stihl - I have always heard great things about them.

Buy a Stihl

i was a assistant mechanic at a sthil dealer and we had more problems with the new sthil trimmers. the carbs are extremely cheapo. we also maintained customers other equipment which included redmax and tanka and the mechanic stated they were much superior products.

it seems like the landscapers brought in there fs90s every week for something. i remember carbs being replaced alot.

Efco, not as well know but every bit as good a stihl. I have two stihl trimmers as well and they are very good, but I like the Efco better.
http://www.efcopower.com/indexPri.jsp

This the one I have
http://www.colemanequip.com/Equipment.asp?EID=205

I will also recomend stihl. Shindawa is also very good. I have also bought redmax when I ran a landscape crew, and they held up very well, most lasted 8+ years and that was a commercial crew. I bought a craftsman two years ago (really didn't have the $ for what I wanted), and I have had nothing but problems with it.

best string trimmer
 

Agggghhhh - this is what happens all the time to me. Everyone recommends one or two brands, but then you hear from someone who actually works on them and sees them daily and it turns out the NEWER models are made as cheaply as the other brands. Wish company's would realize some people are willing to pay more for quality! If it lasts and is relatively problem free, I'm willing to pay a little more for that quality, that's for sure.

I've never heard of Redmax or Tanka. I'm not even sure there would be someone in my area to handle repairs on those models. The guy who works on our chainsaw won't touch craftsman brand items anymore. He is selling Echo brands.

I think I'll look at the FS45 and FS55R Stihls and also wander about in the Echo display area at my repair dealer and pick his brain too.

Are any of these made in America anymore? I'm trying hard to buy Made in America when I have that option, even if it costs a little more.

Thanks all for your input!
CindyOR

I have had a Robin/Subaru for nearly 30 years & it runs like a champ !!

Get a stihl with the shaft drive, not the cable. It will last a life time if you take care of it. ANd they can be worked on, and parts replaced at dealers.

I cut thick weeds several feet tall around my farm. ANd have yet to have a box store weed wacker last a full season. After figuring up how much I had spent on them, I decided that spending the coin and getting a professional one would be the smart thing to do. It was.

Are any of these light weight?

Stihl all the way, get a size larger thn you think you need, you will be glad! Love mine!

The 45 and 55 are light duty(think small yard in a neighborhood), The mechanic i worked with hated working on Echos. And about being made in USA stilh advertises about making some of there stuff here, but in reality it is assembled in Virginia beach, with all the parts being cast over seas. id rather have something fully produced in japan with jap parts.

http://www.redmax.com/node7367.aspx

http://tanakapowerequipment.com/index.php?section=14

Redmax is good about being environmentally friendly and there parent company is Zenoh Komatzu the same company that makes the large excavation equipment. i have a engine on a small scooter made by them and it sat for two years in my garage and i just went out and it started on the 2nd pull.