Need a decent weed whacker string trimmer

[yam]

My picks are Honda or Stihl. The Honda's are four strokes so you don't pre-mix oil and gas. I have had my Honda for years, it's good one.

 

[farmboy]

You guys work way too hard........


BUT, I live on an acreage, so it might be easier for me to do this. My favorite trimmer is..........................


Roundup. About 2-3" around everything I have to mow around. I do it 2 to three times per year, and it costs me less than the cost of gas, oil, and trimmer string.

 

[bandaidman]

i have a 10 year old makita straight shaft trimmer that is ready to give up the ghost

i have had several pieces of ECHO power equipment that i am very happy with but want to know what people like the best among these

ECHO
Shindaiwa
Stihl (great chainsaws, never used anything else by them)
Honda (have one of their mowers, never seen their trimmer)

my priorities would be: longevity, ease of start...and most of all...ease of adding more string...my makita worked great...adding string was a pain

 

[Sid Post]

ECHO
Shindaiwa
Stihl (great chainsaws, never used anything else by them)
Honda (have one of their mowers, never seen their trimmer)

Stihl FS-130 for me. The deciding factor for me was dealer support over the Echo. The 4-mix engine still requires you to mix gas and oil but, it is a lightweight "eco" friendly 4 stroke. The one negative with the FS-130 over the lesser powered motors is that the accessories are rated for the power of the FS-110 and under engines. If you want a saw blade, no problem but, a hedge clipper is apt to die a fast death by being over powered.

 

[Mike G]

I just want to add a word or caution there. Consumer reports often balances price versus feature. Sometimes the products they recommend are because they are cheaper but you still get decent product. I personally frequently do not like their recommendations on tools. An example is in the circular saw category they recommend getting a consumer model and recommend against getting a worm drive. The worm drives are heavier, cut more slowly, and cost more is why. That said, I'm 30, I don't do construction work for a living but dabble a lot and do odd jobs on the weekends some times. Before I was 18 I had burned up 2 consumer grade circular saws that ran 1/3-1/2 of the price of a worm drive. Not from abuse but just because they don't last. About that time my dad got a worm drive that I used for the next 10 years before I got my own and it's still running great. I've seen this pattern repeated more than once in CR. They are great for some things but others it makes sense to take with a grain of salt. No offence meant here btw.

-w

I've had the same results with saws. That's why I bought a Skil HD77M worm drive a few years ago instead of what they recommended.

I do agree, though, and I usually buy the highest rated item if I can. I buy very few of their 'Best buys' because they are usually down the list in ratings, and if you have done research prior on the items you want to buy, the 'best buy' stuff is typically not the highest quality available. It may be a good bang for the buck on some items, but I won't buy those items when it comes to tools, appliances, or T.V.s and such.