Lets talk string trimmers (aka weed eaters)

I have a DeWalt 40v trimmer and its badass.
Had it for 2 years no issues, i only ever use it on "low" because thats all i need.
But on "HI" that sucker will rip
Also its QUIET! I can listen to my earbuds while working which is nice.
 
Grew up using Echo, inherited it, wore it out, tried other stuff because I got good deals and am back to Echo. Picked the brains of multiple friends that sell the 3 main orange brands before making the switch back. Also, our local mower shop carries them, so I have service for them 5 minutes away if that is ever needed.

BT580T backpack blower
CS490 saw
SRM3020T trimmer

Run good fuel and good oil at the right ratios and roll out.
 
I have a Dolmar 4stroke weed eater that I've had for several years. Not having to mix gas is nice. I've ran a saw blade on it as well as regular string head on it too. Always starts with just a couple pulls of the rope, if not on the first pull. Think I paid $300 for it. But I'm pretty sure Makita bought out Dolmar so the Makita should be the same thing, just a different color.

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StretchASU said:
Also, our local mower shop carries them, so I have service for them 5 minutes away if that is ever needed.
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I think this is the main thing to take into consideration. All of the big name brands will serve a home owner for a long time. I went sthil because I drive by the local mowing shop on my way to work everyday. If anything need done I can drop it off on my way into work and pick it up on my way home. I also like how when you purchase a shtil if you buy a pack of oil or there canned fuel you get a 5 year warranty.
 
On the farm we use all sthil stuff. Weed eaters, saws, blowers. Same at the FD, all our stuff but the old vent saw is steel. Its husqvarna and also works well.

At home I use a B&D chorded trimmer. The thing just flat works. My personal saw collection varies from the old husqvarna I got off of @WARRIORWELDING for the heavy stuff to my homelite super e-z s. All older than I am, all run like tops.
 
So this followed me home today.

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BigClay said:
So this followed me home today.
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I have the FS 135 (bicycle handle) and am amazed at the power the "4-mix" (mix + cam/rockers/valves) can produce!
With guard removed, I can bump the line out for a 24" cut and it keeps eating 3'-4' tall weeds like it's nothing.

The only weeny-wilt was the tiny (triangular) "brush blade"... bitch is bouncing off the rev-limiter constantly with that on :mad:
 
Caver Dave said:
I have the FS 135 (bicycle handle) and am amazed at the power the "4-mix" (mix + cam/rockers/valves) can produce!
With guard removed, I can bump the line out for a 24" cut and it keeps eating 3'-4' tall weeds like it's nothing.

The only weeny-wilt was the tiny (triangular) "brush blade"... bitch is bouncing off the rev-limiter constantly with that on :mad:
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I have used this 110 three times now and I am kicking myself for ever having bought the 55! I cut twice as fast because I don’t have to wait for it to rev back up when cutting thick brush.
 
I need to replace my current trimmer and I'm inclined to go electric, but the reviews are scaring me back to gas. Milwaukee ones say they overheat during use and battery life is short. DeWalt say they use some oddball spool system that doesn't bump-feed and is impossible to get parts for. Any first hand experiences yay or nay on these? I've already got a bunch of dewalt batteries, so that route would make sense to me, if reviews were better.

Also, many of the reviews gripe about the difficulty of mixing gas and oil, so maybe that's telling about the user ability right there.
 
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I ran my Milwaukee string trimmer with HD9.0 battery for 15 minutes straight the other day. Then popped the battery out, put it in the blower, and blew off the driveway and sidewalks for about 5 minutes. Still had 3 out of 4 bars of battery remaining. The popped the same battery into the hammer drill and drilled a 1" diameter hole through 6" of concrete, then through 10" of concrete (not that I timed it, but it took 1min28sec :D) and it still had 3 bars out of 4.
 
jeepinmatt said:
I ran my Milwaukee string trimmer with HD9.0 battery for 15 minutes straight the other day. Then popped the battery out, put it in the blower, and blew off the driveway and sidewalks for about 5 minutes. Still had 3 out of 4 bars of battery remaining. The popped the same battery into the hammer drill and drilled a 1" diameter hole through 6" of concrete, then through 10" of concrete (not that I timed it, but it took 1min28sec :D) and it still had 3 bars out of 4.
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I have had very similar results with my Milwaukee string trimmer and blower. I have not had any overheating issues at all and I have two acres clear that I maintain.
 
grapehead said:
DeWalt say they use some oddball spool system that doesn't bump-feed and is impossible to get parts for. Any first hand experiences yay or nay on these? I've already got a bunch of dewalt batteries, so that route would make sense to me, if reviews were better.
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My wife bought a 20V DeWalt trimmer on the guise of "helping me". :D
I've used it multiple times to weed around the house/outbuildings/banks I can't mow with 5.0aH bastard packs (only have a few Dewalt branded batteries, but a dozen 5.0aH "Amazon-clones") and can generally make a full pass on a single battery (30 minutes).
Regarding the head, aside from a different diameter of string (smaller than the Stihls .090"), the head does appear to be a "bump head" of sorts and haven't had any issues in 10-ish hours of use since early spring.

Now, everything else gets relegated to the FS135.
If you don't mind mixing, the "4-mix" is a fawking animal!
I went thru 1gal of mix & 4 string loads a few weeks back cutting the right of way of our 1/2 mile long drive, around the ponds, banks, and a 10th mile of creek bank... it cut everything like butter!
 
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