String trimmer for ~$300

newbury · Jul 20, 2012

On my FS250 the bike bars are affixed such that I can twist the handle around so it's in line with the shaft. It easily fits in the backseat of my truck (CC Ford F350 dually).

deerseeker001 · Jul 20, 2012

i bought a husqvarna this spring and i love it.i paid 200.00.you can add attachments.i have two acres of lawn and trees and rock gardens so it has to work good or its gone.

YesDeere · Jul 20, 2012

schoolsout said:
I'll check that one out. I had thought about the KM series, but didn't know how well they hold up. Pops' Ryobi has the attachment system and I've used the chainsaw attachment and it worked really well. I take it, you like the KM?

The km is the preferred tool. It's held up well. So well my dad went and bought the 110. It's pricey but worth it. It's been abused a good bit by me and my friends with no problems. Just a little tweak to my pole saw and extensions. I use two of the extensions no problem. The real difference is the torque. You don't have to wind it out to get the job done. Grunts right through it.

flusher · Jul 21, 2012

I just bought a $359 RedMax BCZ2650S trimmer (made by or fronted by Husqvarna) a few days ago after my Tanaka 245PF crapped out after 8 seasons. Its a commercial grade trimmer, regular torque, 1.2hp unit. Redmax makes a max torque commercial unit that runs around $400-450 depending on store discounts.

Used the RedMax to tidy up about 1/4 mile of firebreak around my fencelines. Appears to work fine. I had the tech at the Ace Hardware store where I bought it remove the bump type string dispenser and replace it with a $20 no-brainer type Tanaka string holder that takes 16.5" long pieces of plastic string. I prefer this type because I hate messing around loading 20 ft of string in one of those bump types. I use that red-licorice type ribbed plastic twine (0.120" and 0.155" dia IIRC) rather than the smooth style twine since the ribbed stuff is much more durable.

I use the snot out of my string trimmers--mowing 1/2 mile of ditch and fenceline several times a year, tidying up 1/2 mile of 30-ft wide firebreak in addition to cleaning up almond orchard and the usual trimming round the lawn areas.

Good luck.

HCJtractor · Jul 21, 2012

I have lots of Stihl tools and agree they are great except the gas caps drive me crazy. Until they admit the caps are over engineered And worthless, I will never buy another Stihl tool. I curse every time I have to refill, and finally am drawing the line after spilling too many tanks on the ground and down my back. I am going to give Redmax a shot. Just bought their Mac daddy blower. Looks like it is built like a tank. I also think some of the Stihl motors require lots of maintenance as far as valve adjustments. The crappy "flippy caps" are just too much of a pain to ever buy another implement with them.

dodge man · Jul 21, 2012

I bought a FS 46 about three months ago. I looked at several models and it by far fit me the best. I just got on the Stihl website and now I know why, it has a longer shaft for taller people. It's homeowner unit,but it should last me.

Natureboy · Jul 21, 2012

About 10 years ago I bought an Echo SRM 2110 (sorry, dont remember what I paid) from a dealer, NOT the box store version. Its well maintained and used alot. Came with the back strap, brush, woodblade and string trimmer. Still going strong.

murphy1244 · Jul 21, 2012

Natureboy said:
About 10 years ago I bought an Echo SRM 2110 (sorry, dont remember what I paid) from a dealer, NOT the box store version. Its well maintained and used alot. Came with the back strap, brush, woodblade and string trimmer. Still going strong.

I have two srm-225 echo's, one i keep a metal blade on.Love my echo

whistlepig · Jul 21, 2012

Give a Stihl FS100RX a try. No handle bars. No brush cutting heads. Just a dedicated string trimmer. I have had Stihl trimmers that could use the brush cutting saws and heads. The FS100RX has so much power and speed with .095 string that it's all I need now.

schoolsout · Jul 22, 2012

flusher said:
I just bought a $359 RedMax BCZ2650S trimmer (made by or fronted by Husqvarna) a few days ago after my Tanaka 245PF crapped out after 8 seasons. Its a commercial grade trimmer, regular torque, 1.2hp unit. Redmax makes a max torque commercial unit that runs around $400-450 depending on store discounts.

Used the RedMax to tidy up about 1/4 mile of firebreak around my fencelines. Appears to work fine. I had the tech at the Ace Hardware store where I bought it remove the bump type string dispenser and replace it with a $20 no-brainer type Tanaka string holder that takes 16.5" long pieces of plastic string. I prefer this type because I hate messing around loading 20 ft of string in one of those bump types. I use that red-licorice type ribbed plastic twine (0.120" and 0.155" dia IIRC) rather than the smooth style twine since the ribbed stuff is much more durable.

I use the snot out of my string trimmers--mowing 1/2 mile of ditch and fenceline several times a year, tidying up 1/2 mile of 30-ft wide firebreak in addition to cleaning up almond orchard and the usual trimming round the lawn areas.

Good luck.

Buddy bought a RedMax a month or 2 ago and has had some issues with it. It was just under $300, I think. The guy at the store said he'd never seen them have such problems and they are working to fix it. I used it once and it definitely had the power. Cutting through poke salad and briars like a champ with no problem.