buying a weed trimmer

I didn't have much luck with mine but a good friend swears by his echo trimmer and he's had it a very long time now. 10+ years.
 
All I know is yesterday I was able to edge and do the fence with my DeWalt while listening to my earbuds.

I really enjoy being able to listen to music while doing yard work.
 
I stand corrected. Did some research and surprised to see a lot of info about Echo being the legend for the best leaf blowers ever to be produced for their day before emissions took into effect. And hard to come by now. People are saying they are indestructible if you can find one???
 
Looked at a few this weekend. The 35cc Honda is heavy, but feels good in my hands. Center of gravity is nice. Rolls on its side for trimming like it was made that way.

Trimmed a shitload of stuff with my B&D electric on Sunday. Dragging around 200ft of extension cord is the bomb.
 
okay, next question

2 cycle or 4 cycle?

my leaf blower is 2 cycle, so going 4 cycle isnt gonna save me from having to mix gas.

is there any other benefit?
 
My thoughts for a leaf blower, 2 cycle all the way cause you need the extra rpm's and you go wide open until you're done. A weed eater on other hand is idle more than running. But both get the job done.
 
2 stroke.

I have the Stihl FS85 with straight shaft. Bought it new back in 99. Never did anything to it. No service, same spark plug, same filter, etc. just serviced it earlier this year only because the primer bulb cracked and needed to be replaced. A few $ and it keeps on going strong, even when a buddy forgets to use oil in the gas for a tank, it still works like new and fires up the exact same as it did day 1.

My father has the FS80 he bought back some time in the early 80s or so and it still keeps on going. We have put that thing trough hell and it still works great!

All of my power tools are Stihl. You'd be hard pressed to get me to buy anything different. I would buy a good used backpack Echo blower. My dad has one and it kicks ass. I have a smaller handheld Stihl blower and it works great still since buying in 2000
 
Even charcoal is on the epa hit list. Better stock up since it can even be stored under water. But it's the (instant light) lighter fluid in it that goes bad.

I know from experience not to lead a group of 4 into a pre-football game tailgate session with old instant light charcoal without lighter fluid.:shaking: But to my save, 10 minutes before the game everybody was chucking coals out. I still pulled off some good halftime steak sandwiches.:rockon:
 
rockcity said:
I have the Stihl FS85 with straight shaft. Bought it new back in 99. Never did anything to it. No service, same spark plug, same filter, etc. just serviced it earlier this year only because the primer bulb cracked and needed to be replaced. A few $ and it keeps on going strong, even when a buddy forgets to use oil in the gas for a tank, it still works like new and fires up the exact same as it did day 1.
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Interesting. I have FS85 and had to replace the primer bulb this year too. 20 cent part that the dealer charged me $4 for, but at least they had it in stock. I think it's an EPA conspiracy.
 
shawn said:
Cool story, bro. Have you heard about the epa and their two stroke regulations?
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so are you recommending a 4 stroke? i did see a few articles on EPA stuff but didnt dig any further. i suppose its come to that point where the EPA effects my daily life an i need to pay attention.
 
OK, here's the compiled list from my search...

4 stroke pros:
1. much quieter
2. convenient (no mix)
3. less priming (compared to igniting oily gas) so usually starts first pull. My Hondas all start first pull EVERY time.
4. lower emissions (this plays factor for me doing downtown yards with a lot of enclosed spaces)

4 stroke cons:
1. heavier
2. bigger in size
3. Have to check and change oil

2 stroke pros:
1. lighter
2. higher rpm power band (if you have really thick weeds)
3. smaller in size
4. usually cheaper due to cheaper to build

2 stroke cons/pro:
1. louder
2. older ones are emissions heavy
3. EPA has set the standards so high recently on new ones that the exhaust scavanging and catalyst is restricting a lot of it's power potential right now equaling it back down towards a 4 stroke. But technology is changing daily and the potential to draw more horses from less size will be beneficial in the long run.

No 2 yards are the same. No 2 operators are the same. No 2 weed eaters are the same... One is equal to 6, the other is equal to half a dozen...

Regardless, don't go cheap cause you get what you pay for.
 
Echo 266T. It's a mean ass machine. I use the hell out of it and it's hard to beat. The two that my dad had before I bought mine were a little smaller and I wanted something with much more power and this one definitely has it. The first Echo he had was over 20 years old and the flywheel broke in half, kind of random, but it didn't owe us anything.

Also, the new Echo auto feed head is amazing. It's extremely easy to load up and has none of the problems that the older styles had. They'll also fit on all of the older models, which is great.

Whatever you do, buy a REAL weedeater with a straight shaft. When I use mine on my yard, my grandma's, and my parent's I probably burn 4 or 5 tanks of gas through it and I can do it fairly comfortably even though that's a crap load of weedeating. I may be a little bias, but Echo gets my vote. I'll probably never have to buy another one.

My buddy keeps buying Huskies, but this jewel will run circles around them.
 
Is this another one of those "my weedeater is bigger than your weedeater" threads?
 
jeepinmatt said:
Is this another one of those "my weedeater is bigger than your weedeater" threads?
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could be.


I only read the title
buying a weed trimmer

and came up with this:



9921_P2_HR.jpg





...sorry; hi-jack off :beer:
 
I was thinking along the same lines:
pruning-practice-and-theory-610x250.jpg
 
I went with an Echo SRM-225. Echo's entry level commercial trimmer.

Straight shaft 2 cycle.

chose this over the stihl based on warranty. stihl had a 2 year Echo had 5 year.

It had great reviews all over the internet.
 
Nope. Just saying it's a quality item. Stihl makes good stuff too (especially chainsaws), I just don't know anyone personally that has one, so I told yall about what I know.
 
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