Brush cutter blades

[Sodo]

Use the size blade designed for your cutter, and use the shield that is designed for that blade. If your cutter is not designed for use with a blade, then don't use one on it. Don't try to slap a blade on your weed whacker and call it good: the drive shaft and gears likely can't take it. It's a great way to ruin an otherwise perfectly good weed whacker.

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.
- Abraham Maslow

I don’t think this is what Mr. Maslow is saying. He is saying “the only tasks you will consider do-able, are the ones that look like a nail”. Not that the task itself cannot be done or done well, but your motivation to solve the problem based on your perceived notions of success, are based on your perceived limitations (of the tools you have).

An easy solution is to buy two weed whackers. A cheap one for the light duty. It sits in the garage and looks pristine. And get a good one, (Echo for example) with a straight shaft for hard work. That is, if you have real work to be done. Acres and acres of fuels reduction is real work, I can attest. And getting ahead on this, while I’m able, is going to be real important 20 years from now. The tool must perform.

I ran a Homelite straight shaft trimmer with a skilsaw blade for years, but couldn’t keep the motor running and couldn’t figure it out. And I’m a hardhead with gas motors, they cannot refuse to run - I’m gonna win. I lost this battle. But it was a motor or carb or ignition problem not related to the cutter type. I got that unit for free though, easy come easy go. I don’t know about other brands.

I went to Echo because they are well-made and modern, with good parts available. Echo makes 3 grades of straight shaft trimmers. I have two, the lightweight and mid grades. The low grade unit has seen a LOT of skilsaw blade use, and shows no problems. There was no need to buy the mid-grade unit except my wife wanted one that had “strings” on it not a blade so I got me a mid-grade (265), which can operate several different attachments (polesaw, blower, trimmer).

The mid-grade unit has seen appx the same usage (heavy) and no problems either, but it weighs (seems like) double. The lightweight unit performed so well with the skilsaw blade, I am ceratain the heavier unit will go the distance (but costs more) and the extra weight costs effort in your workday. No free lunch. I grease the bevel gear by packing grease into the hole level to the top, then screw the plug in to inject it to the gears (a couple times).

IMHO Your tools should perform the work that you need assistance with.