Help picking new trimmer

[/pine]

This is because Stihl's are actually worth bringing in for repair/ maintenance ... whereas most other brands are throw-aways.

I bet most of those you're seeing are professionally used, get used very hard by low paid hired hands, & simply do require repair from time-to-time. Pro's won't bother with junk brands, can't afford to.

most of the ones I notice look brand new...and "Pros" (in FL we call them "yard fleas" because they hop from yard to yard ...no offense to anyone or profession intended) can't afford to have their equipment in the shop all the time...

Just this year I had to order some minor parts for my 9 year old (lightweight) Poulan PL25 trimmer... the parts are easy to get and reasonably priced...

most of the ones I see on the curbs for the trash man are electric trimmers

 

[beppington]

I find this very hard to believe. In fact, I don't believe it at all.

My dealer sells both Stihl and Echo. When I asked for the best one, he said that Echo had a heavier gear box and he liked their engines better. For the same HP, the Echo was a bit cheaper.

Hmmm ... I may have to take that back. I know for absolute sure I was told that by someone trust dearly, & I thought I remembered reading it myself on Stihl's own website, however I can't find any such info right now.

Let's go with I was wrong, & I'll surely post back if I find out otherwise. Sorry for the wrong info, meantime.


ps I still love Stihl

 

[gauthier]

You didn't have to let us know that you was wrong you know

 

[6thgpSF]

I bought the fs90 by Sthil and it's a heck of a trimmer.It's got the handlebar with the throttle built in so neither arm is resting on the engine,also has the harness. russ

 

[Bird]

My dealer sells both Stihl and Echo.

My closest dealer and the one from whom I bought my Toro mower and Stihl string trimmer only sells Toro, Stihl, and Lawnboy; however, a few miles on down the road is a dealer who does sell a lot more brands of mowers and that dealer stocks both Stihl and Echo string trimmers. A few years ago, just from observation, it seemed that most of the pros were using Echo, but now nearly all of them I see are Stihl. Whether one is better than the other . . . who knows?

 

[LBrown59]

it never fails that whenever I'm in the repair shop (where I buy hydraulic hoses etc)...someone brings in a new looking Sthil or husky trimmer because it won't start..

That's cause the others never make it that far.:thumbsup:

 

[LBrown59]

*This is because Stihl's are actually worth bringing in for repair/ maintenance ... whereas most other brands are throw-aways.

.

The others never get that far.

 

[gauthier]

lbrown wrote,"cause the others don't make it that far"and "the others never get that far",which one is it,I'm confused?

 

[/pine]

lbrown wrote,"cause the others don't make it that far"and "the others never get that far",which one is it,I'm confused?

a third (unbiased) scenario is that the "others" are on the job performing like always...

 

[VABlue]

This question got a lot of life all of a sudden!!

I'm not soured on Stihl's, I know that problem was probably a broken wire - which can happen on anything. But I needed to trim before heading to England for a month, and couldn't do it. Upon my return, the trim was ~2' tall and the wife's Yorkies were lost in it! Needing something quick, I went with the Husqvarna 223L. Review: starts really easy (almost as easy as my Husky blower - 1 slow pull), VERY light and comfy to use, and just as much power as the FS55. I still need to find something to cover my arm, though, but it's not as bad as the Stihl was. The trimmer head seems easier to reload than the FS55, but is also looser - it flew off twice when I was trimming the brick paths and crashed the head onto the bricks (harmlessly in front of me). Have to control it better, I guess...

I don't have enough trim time on either brand yet to say which I prefer (and can't with the Stihl any longer). But overall, I think both machines are equally capable. All other things being equal, the Husky seems about 5-lbs lighter and comfortable to use. With the old Ryobi, my arms would vibrate for hours after trimming and my lower back was sore. The Stihl cut that issue in half, and the Husky all but eliminated it.

So far, I'm happy with the choice. Hopefully, I won't need to choose again for another 10-15 years...