What’s a good edger/trimmer — my husband wants 2 cycle and a straight bar … for edging flower beds and along the rock wall … you guys have given me lots of good advice so far —
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Upgrading the footings and columns that support a girder beam is an opportunity to level out the floor above.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
I believe in Stihl products. They have a nice selection of "occasional use" string trimmers, and a whole spectrum of products from there all the way up to the brushcutting types the pros use.
I also believe they are best purchased at a good dealer, the kind that handles the whole line of products, including chainsaws.
View Image
"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
Stihl, or Echo.
Both are well made, and will last a long time.
But be very careful to read to manual -- some of the higher-grade 2-cycle engines require that the fuel mix be done with 89-octane gas. If you use the cheaper stuff in one of these, it will run too hot, and could damage the innards.
My Stihl dealer has signs posted all over his shop saying to use premium only gas now that it contains ethanol. They have had a bunch of stuff come in with vapor lock and other problems. I have a Stihl FS 55 which is a pretty damn strong trimmer. My father used to hate buying trimmers because "they just break in a year or two". I haven't done any maintenance to it and ran it on year old gas once and it still starts fine and runs very strong. Go with a high quality Husqvarna or Stihl and don't mess with any of the regular consumer stuff.
You can't go wrong with either a Sthil or a Husky.
My Husky has been running for 19 years now. It is a big boy that takes a harness with a side mounted hook to carry it and has bicycle type handle bars with the throttle and on off swtch on the. That puupy has busted a lot of heavey brush, weeds and small trees and I've never had the first issue with it.
I have a Troy string trimmer and do not reccomend them at all. DW bought it to replace a 14 year old Weed Eater trimmer that I messed up because I ask it to do what I should have been using the big Husky to do. The Troy is a hard starter and is awful at feeding the line out. I spend more time messing with the line feed than I ever did with the cheap ould Weed Eater.
Second that. I have suffered through a series of cheap trimmers (and some not so cheap). Currently have a Husqvarna from Lowes, 223L I believe. Just after I bought it I saw a Stihl at my local True Value for $199. It would have been mine if I had seen it first. Son does landscaping and is predominately Stihl.
Have an old inherited Stihl curved shaft that just won't die. Does not have a lot of umpth but generally does ok. For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
DW bought the POS Troy Built. Her brother is a Consumer Report type and he told her it was the top rated and best value in CU.
$25 more and she could have picked up the Sthil or a Husky.
The best value is,... she doesn't have run it,...I do :)
He already has a string mower which he got when we bought the place because it was so overgrown and it takes care of the heavy duty stuff ... now we need something lighter for more precise work around the garden ... looks like Stihl and Echo lead the pack ... thanks for all your replies!
This is a question for the entire group. Any tips on keeping the string from breaking so fast? I have a Stihl straight shaft machine, and I feel like I am always adding or fixing the line. thanks in advance for your help.
Edited 6/12/2009 3:58 pm ET by harold12
Some string is junk, and string gets more brittle with age. I've found "Weed Eater" brand string is good.
I have had good luck with my two Echo trimmers - one with string and the other with a brush blade. They have started right up each spring after having been given no preparation and they have run on year old gas (w/oil mix) with no problems. They are available at Home Depot around here or several places on-line.
Originally bought a Homelight about 8 years ago and after trying to use it twice, I literally tossed it away. It ran erratically and vibrated. Unfortunately, I had purchased it and then didn't use it until my return privilege was no longer in effect.
i have a husgavarna staright shaft from lowes,was about 225. i have 2 others but this husky is my favorite.
YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T
MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE
DUCT TAPE.
Can't beat an Echo. However, get a curved shaft. Easier to control. I've got both, in fact I've got three. Two curved and one straight with the handles. One is a 1982 model that still runs. Got a '82 Echo CS that sill runs too.
Echo or Stihl - I've owned both and would base my choice on the availability of a good servicing dealer. I'll disagree a little with Tom.T- I prefer a straight shaft trimmer; while a curved shaft may be a bit easier to control there's better reach with a straight shaft to get under trees and shrubs and they generally are a more rugged trimmer.
"There can be no doubt that Socialism is inseparably interwoven with totalitarianism and the abject worship of the state…Socialism is in its essence an attack not only on British enterprise, but upon the right of ordinary men and women to breathe freely without having a harsh, clammy, clumsy tyrannical hand clasped across their mouth and nostrils" -Winston Churchill
Edited 6/12/2009 1:51 pm by jc21
Sorry everyone, but the answer is Shindaiwa, hands down. The C4-type 4 cycle (T2510) is both quiet and a hot rod, and the Speed-Feed head literally takes about 30 seconds to add more string. Best money I've ever spent on a lawn tool.
http://www.shindaiwa.com/usa/en/products_2/trimmers/index.php
http://www.shindaiwa.com/usa/en/products_2/trimmers/t2510_t2510x.php
They sell a kit that allows the 2510 to be retrofit with a hedge trimmer as well, if you find yourself in need of hedge trimmer for >12' tall hedges (like me!).
I would seriously consider a multi-tool (Shindaiwa, Stihl and Husq. all sell some version of one) if I had it to do over again.
-t
Never heard of Shindaiwa, and the links don't seem to be working......
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
Buddy of mine has a shindaiwa chain saw. It will run circles arund my husky.
My local rental yard has sarted carrying them for rental and for sale. Pirces have come down from what they were years ago. It looks like they are moving into the consumer market. I hope they haven't down graded thier quality and speed just to gain market share. They had an excellent product 20 years ago. I just couldn't afford them then.
A couple of goats would solve everything.
I can tell you avoid Ryobi. I have a Toro which works great. But I would go Sthil, Echo or Husqvarna most lawn companies here tend to use Sthil. I like the style that you can clip on and off various attachments.
Wallyo
Edited 6/12/2009 2:24 pm by wallyo
I can tell you avoid Ryobi.
Can you share the reasons?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
I have had two one lasted five year or so with parts breaking, It takes a while to get parts once ordered. Simple things kept breaking like the plastic throtle control etc.I got the second one to replace the first I took it back the same day I got it to Home Depot
Had to fight a bit for hem to take it back.I got the Toro i has been great!
Can I say the word '####' here? If I can, I would tell you that Ryobi stuff is just that.
Bought one last year... the bolts holding the intake manifold to the block vibrated right out yesterday... guess what that does to compression, and the ability to restart?
It's in the dumpster. Love my Husqvarna Chain Saw... gonna buy a Husky trimmer as soon as I get into the big city...
I will say the only thing I liked on my Ryobi is the easy load line hub (mine was over 5 years)
set the arrow feed the line in, turn the hub backwards.Since it was click change I set the power head to the recyclers and kept the curve shaft. I made sure what I purchased to replace it had a click change, I still use the Ryobi curve shaft in my Toro. Ryobi plactics are cheap, crack, split just garbage.Wallyo
I like electric. It starts every time.
Will Rogers
Links worked for me. Shindaiwa is a predominantly commercial brand or trimmers / blowers /etc. Top notch stuff. Very good and very spendy since it's commercial.I second the vote for Stihl FS55. Been VERY happy with mine. It's not as Heavy Duty as some of their more commercial stuff. I would consider it more a Heavy Duty Homeowner model. But I use mine HARD and it has never really let me down. One note- if you go Stihl, make sure to read the owners manual for the startup procedure. They are easy to flood and a real PITA to get started once you've flooded them. But if you read and follow the directions (novel idea huh?) should start in under 5 pulls every time.BTW- you can almost buy 2 of the Stihl trimmers ($199) for the price of one Shindaiwa ($370) that WebTed mentioned. Like I said- good stuff, but marketed and priced for lawn pros.
Edited 6/13/2009 1:14 pm ET by frontiercc2
Stihl products are great. They've recently produced some four stroke units that take fuel/oil mixtures; my neighbor has one. It's a very nice machine. Quiet, torquey, and cuts like a champ. I've got a Stihl "commercial" FS85 trimmer (two stroke) which is also nice, but after using my neighbor's I would seriously consider the four stroke.
The other nice thing about the Stihl line is the bajillion cutters and attachments. I've used mine for everything from felling small trees (10" brush blade) to 3' tall grass and weeds to regular trimming.
Scott.
Edited 6/13/2009 4:59 pm by Scott
My DH went on Consumer Reports and though Stihl was at the top of the list the reviews were almost universally negative! I don't get it ...
Me either; I've never heard anything bad about them, other than from cheapskates who think everything should cost the same as Ryobi. Do you remember what the complaints were about?Scott.
Edited 6/15/2009 6:13 pm by Scott
I had a low end Stihl i bought new and it started acting up.
Basicly not starting. I should have taken it back in to the place I bought it, but I got so frustrated I threw it away.
That's why i bought an electric one. Electric is better if you are around an outlet.
Since I have a background in construction, I know how to handle cords.
I just took a light cord and dedicated it to the weed wacker. It stays with it all the time.
Works for me.
I have a Stihl chainsaw that is great. But I almaost always use my electric Milwaukee.
"There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Edited 6/16/2009 12:21 am by popawheelie
Hmmm... maybe Stihl has entered the low end market since I've last bought their product. If so, then it's Caveat Emptor as with the rest of the homeowner garbage that's out there. You get what you pay for, think for, research for, use for...Scott.
Scott Like a lot of things I think there could be two stihl lines what they sell at box stores and what gets sold at stihl dealers. Don't know enough to be sure on that.Wallyo
Yeah....although when I last bought a Stihl product they were mostly in the commercial market. I can't blame them for targeting the homeowner market and cruising on their here-to-fore well earned reputation. But they'd better keep an eye on the credibility meter now that they're in the trash market.Scott.
Which "Box Stores" sell Stihl? My True Value is a servicing Stihl dealer. Have not seen them in any of the usual offenders (;-)For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
Like I said I did not know enough to be sure see my prior post, I think I got Stihl confused with the Echo that Home Depot sells. I think both have lines in similar colors.
Just a side note went to the Stihl web site it had a pop up poll.
Where do you think you can buy Stihl?
Home Depot
Lowes
independent dealer or
All above
So I must not of been the only one.
Wallyo
I bought my Shindaiwa string trimmer at Horizon - they're a national landscape/irrigation supply house, and yes, they largely cater to professional landscapers. My only regret is that I didn't go for one of the multi-tools, because I'm starting to see the need for a mini-mulcher and large hedge trimmer, etc.. It was definitely expensive (I got my 2510 for a hair over $300), but I have a little over an acre of landscape that requires regular, heavy maintenance, and the Shindaiwa makes that task pleasant. I'd never knock Stihl products - my Stihl chainsaw (an MS 260 Pro) freaked me out when I first fired it up (a gift from my wife) - it probably spun up at least 4X what my old Homelite did and at least double my little Poulan. For a guy with a bad back, getting through big cuts in half the time makes a world of difference. That said, I'm sure the similar grade Husqvarna would be a beast. I grew up in NW Oregon, and I've handled a lot of chainsaws in my day. Stihl and Husqvarna are kind of a Chevy/Ford thing in logging country. I'm not a wealthy tool purist - I even bought a Harbor Freight impact hammer two months ago (at $13, it was overpriced...), but overall I've never regretted buying "too nice" of a tool. I've regretted "not nice enough" more times than I can count.
"but overall I've never regretted buying "too nice" of a tool. I've regretted "not nice enough" more times than I can count."
Amen, Brother! I believe hat's probably the mantra that we all share!
Wally- Stihl does NOT sell at box stores. The only place to buy a Stihl is through a Stihl dealer. Just FYI. For anyone buying a husqvarna or Echo at Lowes or HD, make sure there is also a Husq or Echo dealer close in the event you ever need parts. Because you sure won't get any after the sale service on those machines from the box store. And in that case- you might as well buy the Husq or Echo from the dealer in the first place. In my experience, the prices are the same or comparable on the same models.
I stand corrected. But the point I am getting at and I have not studied the whole Stihl line to know but usually manufactures of power equipment make two lines, home owner and professional. I think Stihl must do this too since I passed a dealer this morning his reader board had "stihl line trimmers starting at 149". To me that is a home owner price. And most times there are vast differences in the lines.
Wallyo
To be fair, I should have taken it back for service. i bought it from a professional supply place so it would have been fixed for free since it was so new.
It got the better of me and I was busy. Lost my cool.
I really dislike it when tools don't work."There are three kinds of men: The one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."Will Rogers
Go with the black and decker grass hog, though a battery instead of 2 cycle it is so much more convienent and kind to others. Have had mine 3 years and would have bought another had it died after one year.
have a Sthil FS55. year before last forgot to drain tank. had to replace the carburetor even tho the Sthil oil has a stabil it. needed a new on/off switch (3 yrs old) cost $125 to get fixed.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
"But when you're a kibbutzer and have no responsibility to decide the facts and apply the law, you can reach any conclusion you want because it doesn't matter." SHG