String trimmer choices

[sunfish]

I'm a Husky saw fan, but bought a Stihl FS110R two years ago and love it!

String around the house/shop and a blade in the woods. I would buy another tomorrow if I needed it.

 

[sdsteele]

I started out with the Husqvarna 323L and really liked it, till it broke after ~1 hour of use. The flywheel spun off the crank shaft and tore up the clutch. The dealer repaired it under warranty and it did the same thing the second time I used it.

I have since traded up to the 327LS which it quite a machine. I have not found anything it can't cut with in reason.

Not to say that all 323L's are bad as my edger has the same power head and has never has a problem.

 

[NORMZILLA44]

I am always a husqvarna, and stihl fan. I own echo also a polesaw, and a srm211 weedeater. Real good luck, and happy. Dindt have more cash to by a bigger one but this thing has really impressed me!

 

[husky362]

try a kawasaki or gator magnum line

i have a Kawasaki and its one of the better trimmer's i've ran,,,redmax, hoffco ,older homelite's, dolmar and yes ive ran the sthil combi unit....... i just dont like the weight myself,,,,but most people dont use them very long and you have more attachments .....all of them cut grass............the Kawasaki kt 27a is 1.5hp and 10# and i like it......... i use gator magnum aramid core line.. it is tuff............the string is one thing that makes any brand cut better........my friend is a sthil dealer and i trim for him..be supprized how fast weeds grow when ya work on lawn mowers,, sometimes i test the repaired trimers for him ....... i usually judge them against my Kawasaki......... i was trimming the really growed up stuff the other day with my trimmer, waist high grass no problem.... power and real good string

 

[Zombiechopper]

I have a 110 with bike handles.

1) it starts on one pull every single freaking time.
2) you can feather the throttle very well. You can hold some really low R's so as not to catch rocks
3) you can restart it with the harness on. It starts so easy you will not believe it

Best piece of grass equipment I have ever bought

 

[james 13]

the stihl 90 is a grat choi:yoyo:ce for that sized propety

also if you want go onto the stihl usa page and it narrows down the choices for you

 

[CentaurG2]

3) you can restart it with the harness on. It starts so easy you will not believe it

And yes I can start it while it is on the harness

What harness are you folks running?? I use a Stihl double confort harness and adjusted properly is very difficult to restart a fs250. Easier to unclip the unit and start it. You boys must be a thin as a rail or double jointed.

 

[litefoot]

What harness are you folks running?? I use a Stihl double confort harness and adjusted properly is very difficult to restart a fs250. Easier to unclip the unit and start it. You boys must be a thin as a rail or double jointed.

That's what I was thinking. I'm kind of a Stihlhead, but in a medium-grade to pro trimmer, I think Shindaiwa makes a better trimmer. Check out the T2510. Torquier and easier to start than my FS80.

 

[Threadbare702]

I know there are a lot of hardcore stihl fan's on this site but the truth is that they dont make a line trimmer thats as easy to use and as reliable as some of the other brands out there. They are way too finicky. While they have great power they just take too much care to keep them running well. look at some of these threads on ************
http://www.************/showthread.php?t=325548
http://www.************/showthread.php?t=325345
http://www.************/showthread.php?t=324902

It's seems to be particularly the FS90's. I still say that the Shindaiwa's and Kawasaki's are the best. But hey what do I know I only do this for a living.

 

[octane78]

I have an older FS44 at the cottage, and an Echo srm225 at home.

I just love the Echo, it sips gas compared to the Stihl, and always starts on the 1st or 2nd pull, lots of power for the size, and 5 years warranty!

 

[morgaj1]

I have about 5 acres that I maintain. I have had Kawasaki, Echo and Husqvarna trimmers. The Husqvarna 326LS is by far my favorite trimmer. It is light, has plenty of power and will accept a blade. As for Tanaka, they make some great trimmers. I have a Tanaka pole saw that is a beast and has been extremely reliable. Plus, Tanaka now has a 7 year homeowner warranty. I don't think you can go wrong with Husqvarna or Tanaka.

 

[TRWTech]

I have an Echo SRM 265T and love it. 25.4cc and 13.1 lbs. It has the high torque head and I haven't bogged it down yet, even trimming ditches.

You can also run a blade on it so I really like that versatility.

 

[Cage116]

One thing to think about is the removable gear case and differant attachments you can put on a stihl string trimmer. Check out their catalog. Just something to consider. Versatility is always a good thing

 

[OldDeadOne]

Having the ability to use a brush blade is big with me when I get my next trimmer since my old Featherlite HO 25 I don't think can handle a brush blade.

 

[boda65]

the stihl 90 is a grat choi:yoyo:ce for that sized propety

also if you want go onto the stihl usa page and it narrows down the choices for you

Thanks to everyone for your input. I have looked at Shindaiwa trimmers online. There are two dealers within 35 miles of me. My local dealer carries Stihl and Redmax. I looked at those two and handled a FS90 with bicycle bars. I really like the bicycle bars, it feels like you are part of the machine, rather than just carrying it. That really limits my choices. I noticed that nearly everyone who has the bike bars seems to like them. I probably will get a blade for it as well.
Now I am wondering if I am being silly wanting the fs130 and should settle for the fs90. I'll dwell on it for a few days and make up my mind next week.:monkey::monkey::monkey:

 

[Cage116]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I have looked at Shindaiwa trimmers online. There are two dealers within 35 miles of me. My local dealer carries Stihl and Redmax. I looked at those two and handled a FS90 with bicycle bars. I really like the bicycle bars, it feels like you are part of the machine, rather than just carrying it. That really limits my choices. I noticed that nearly everyone who has the bike bars seems to like them. I probably will get a blade for it as well.
Now I am wondering if I am being silly wanting the fs130 and should settle for the fs90. I'll dwell on it for a few days and make up my mind next week.:monkey::monkey::monkey:

Bike bars are great for large open area mowing jobs. They are tuff to handle around the wife's flower beds though. The "D" ring handle is much more of a precise thing. My advice to you is to buy 2 one with the "D" ring and one with the bike handles and a good Harness. Stihl does make a pretty decent trimmer with versatility....

 

[taylor6400]

I bought a FS90 trimmer this spring. D handle with string, and i bought the poly head and brush knife at the same time. Went home with the string on it and wasted no time firing it up...that 4 mix sounds WEIRD at first. I kept thinking something was wrong with it. But i did the bank along my driveway and i just ripped through everythng. My old echo was always getting grass wrapped around the head i never did once with the new Stihl. I trim it about once a month over spring and summer so its usually somewhere around 6-8 inches. I couldnt believe i didnt run a tank of gas through it doing my whole bank...i actually had half a tank left and i usually ran 1.5 tanks in my echo. Next day put the poly head on and head to my dads house to hit around is 1 acre pond. Got that done in record time; less than an hour and again not much fuel. I LOVE this thing. Over the weekend i finally put the steel blade on for a community service project i volunteered for that was trimming back along a foot/bike trail and we were clearing your basic brush/briars up to about thumb width, and i had no trouble with the D handle. I do too many banks to think about the bike handle. But i have had it about 4 months now and havent had any problems...i have only ran about 2.5 gallons of gas through it so far...but thats a lot of run hours.

 

[dancan]

Now I am wondering if I am being silly wanting the fs130 and should settle for the fs90. I'll dwell on it for a few days and make up my mind next week.:monkey::monkey::monkey:

I have not heard any complaints about having to much power .
When I'm clearing larger areas of brush/scrub/grass I use my fs550(and harness) with the tri-blade then do the finish work with my km55 .
If I had a lot of work doing a lot of grass and banks and ditches I would most likely opt for a high powered d handled trimmer but since I only do a bit of trimmer work for my customers I find that my combo works for me .

 

[PLMCRZY]

I have a fs55r i bought a while back for just around the house (1 acre). I wouldnt recommend it, if you give a hair of throttle it shakes, the throttle grip feels loose all the time. Altho motor is great it does have plenty of power and it always starts 1st or 2nd pull. I couldnt tell ya how many hours is on it, its been trimming atleast 1 day every week. Some occasions it will trim about 3 days a week. I've had it for about 2yrs now.

I will not buy another Stihl trimmer, most likely will be a Echo or maybe a redmax. The local dealer that services my lawn mower sells redmax i believe.

 

[longjnsilver]

can you get bike handle for a KOMBI head?

Canya, huh, canya?

Seems like you could get a set of bike handles for the KOMBI head/shaft unit and swap 'em out.

Yes? No?

- LongJnSilver - in the market for a Kobmi KM 130 and would like to have a choice of handles