looking for a new weed whacker

[meledward23]

I have run many string trimmers in my time. I must say that the Shindawia line is in my opinion the hands down best. I don't know about $ for $. If I need a weedeater I just go get another one. I have had them last 10years, with heavy use. I have several at the farm, and one here at the house. Just my two cents.

I also think it has a lot to do with your size, and yard type. A shindawia is probably overkill for a 1/2 acre yard and a little old woman. But for a 6'0 220 man and 1.4 acre yard and 30+ acre farm a nice tool.

 

[kenmac]

1 husky-----1 maruyama---------1 redmax all 3 are commerical grade with solid steel shaft (not flex cable) & excellent trimmers

 

[sendero]

I've always bought cheap $100 trimmers at HD, they worked ok but not great.

I have a 220' dam with about 12' of face on the water side and 25' on the back side. I suppose in theory I could get on my Kioti with a bush hog and mow it, but I'm not about to. That much slope creeps me out, even though theoretically there would be no way to roll over, I'm not chancing it.

I mowed it with a push mower a couple of times, talk about 3 hours of brutal work, yikes.

Then i bought a Husky 125 moderately priced weed whacker. I love the thing, I'll never buy a cheapie again. Starts on first pull, cuts a lot of stuff just barely above idle. For $200 I don't see how it could be beat...

 

[GaryS]

I had ordered some parts for the old Ryobi but didn't think I had ordered all that I needed. I worked on it last night and now have a franken-whacker. It runs but I don't know for how long and I'm not ordering any more parts for it.

I hope to have this hobble along so I can take advantage of end-of-season sales and buy a good machine.

 

[mpowrd]

I bought one of the Honda 4-stroke brush cutters with the wide handlebars and chest harness. It has a saw/cutter blade, but I've only used the dual line head with heavy duty line that has a center core in it.

I live on 2 acres of pretty hilly land where most of it can only have the wild grass and weeds cut by hand. The Honda has been very reliable, doesn't vibrate too much, and is much quieter than my 2-stroke blower or chain saw. It has lots of torque, so one you get used to the lower line speed, you can really cut through thick stuff. Don't regret the purchase one bit. If I remember correctly, it was about the same price as the 2-stroke Shindawa (spelling?) at around $300.

 

[jgh]

20060618

I believe I have been told that Stihl trimmers use the same 2/4 stroke gas-mix technology that Shindaiwa uses. Not sure who developed it, but the Japanese mfrs tend to be leaders in small engine technology.

Mystery is why neither company uses that engine in its chain saws. Less smoke and noise. And a hell of a lot easier to start!!

J

 

[jgh]

20060618

One note about an aggravating item: I use 3rd party hubs that accept precut pieces, on both my Honda and Shindaiwa trimmers, with the 0.155 center wire line (>tim taylor grunt!!<).

My wife and I have lots of trouble when it comes to pulling out residual pieces of line for replacement. Frequently I have to take apart the hub and remove it on the inside.

Anyone else have similar experiences and discover a solution? I recommend that type hub because it makes it possible to use much heavier line which works harder and longer, but the problems are annoying.

J

 

[GaryS]

I had ordered some parts for the old Ryobi but didn't think I had ordered all that I needed. I worked on it last night and now have a franken-whacker. It runs but I don't know for how long and I'm not ordering any more parts for it.

I hope to have this hobble along so I can take advantage of end-of-season sales and buy a good machine.

Well franken-whacker didn't last very long. Just went out and bought a new Sthil FS90. It appears to be the best of both worlds. It's a four stoke engine without the extra weight from an oil tank. It's a very interesting engine design.

I've not used it yet - I'll post details after I get to play with it for a bit.

 

[NewToy]

I bought a Stil FS110RX last year and it's the best trimmer I've ever had. It has the 4 stroke engine and runs like a champ. Lots of torque at the bottom end and easy start.

John

 

[GaryS]

Got to try out the trimmer and what a world of difference. The low end torque is amazing. With the Ryobi, I had to wind it up before hitting anything heavy. No need with this one.