Need a new trimmer!

Ric

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I am going to agree with you if your going to be bush whacking or foot tall grass then yes your going to need more power than a feather light or a ryobi.

(( cowboy up and get over it ))

im not looking to do this sort of thing. all i do is trim around houses and stuff where mowers cant go. im not looking to brush wack. i would buy a stihl or an echo if i were doing that sort of thing.

You have to think about what you are going to be doing before you buy. Carscw said if your going to be bush whacking or foot tall grass then yes your going to need more power than the feather light, you say I'm not looking to do this sort of thing, I'm not looking to do any bush whacking but How do you Know, can you say that you wont end tomorrow at a job that is a clean up with grass that's a foot tall a job you could possibly make two or three hundred dollars at. Now personally I'd hate to show up for a job like that and have to give that much money to the next guy in line because I don't have the equipment to do the job and he does. Being prepared to do anything the client wants or needs is 90% of the battle.
 

Carscw

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I have to agree with ric I started with a weedeater featherlite. Lasted maybe 30 hours hard use before it needed more stuff done than it was worth. Bought a green max or green machine something like that forgot the name it cost 89 dollars at lowes lasted maybe 60 hours and again the repairs cost more than the machine. They can't stand the heat. They can't stand heavy use and they have close to no power.

Carscw says he beats the hell out of a ryobi I would buy that one. I've never used it probably won't but if he uses it as much as he said he does and its lasting go for it.

Have you looked at the toro equivalent of the ryobi? I don't remember the price at homedepot but I remember it was cheap and uses the same attachments as the ryobi

Don't get the toro it's just crap. I got one because we all know toro makes good mowers. Used it in half a yard and took it back.

My wife loves the weed eater feather light. Went threw two last year. I was so happy to see that Walmart does not sell them anymore.

I do work my ryobi hard and it has paid for it self.
But did get to a yard this week grass was 3 foot tall next to the house. The ryobi did ok but more power would have been nice.

The big surprise was how well the cub did.

(( cowboy up and get over it ))
 

motoman

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The 31cc two stroke straight shaft Sears (weedwhacker)has been on sale for $118. Mine is a tiger so far. Has Ryobi dna which lasted 10 years.
 

metz12

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my trimmer now is a craftsman. my dad said the thing is older them me so its got to be almost 20 years old. i like craftsmans tractors and push mowers but ive never dealt with anything else of theirs. could they be like their chainsaws and be exactly like a poulan? but with a craftsman name tag?
 

exotion

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my trimmer now is a craftsman. my dad said the thing is older them me so its got to be almost 20 years old. i like craftsmans tractors and push mowers but ive never dealt with anything else of theirs. could they be like their chainsaws and be exactly like a poulan? but with a craftsman name tag?

Craftsmans have a habbit of falling apart... just saying.

Another option to think about if you don't have hours of use each day is battery? They are generally pretty inexpensive and battery means one less gas can
 

CauZey

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I'd go with echo 200$ for straight shaft I think? Can't beat that and personally I like the way they rub better than stihl and I have both
 

Tom59

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Echo uses a nickel plating on cylinder walls iirc that allows for much longer use.
Echo-Stihl even old models you can EASILY re-sell them , people trust them. Lawn services here almost all use stihl or echo but more echo for sure. redmaxx mixed in and shindaiwas.....
Echo has a certain hour expectation - longest in the industry iirc.

If you don't have the money is one thing, but to say they are just as good is a joke. Took me awhile before I could buy all quality small yard machines , so I've been through el'cheapo's enough to know they are heavier , less durable, less reliable, harder to get parts take one in for service they will tell you its disposable. I once owned three trimmers all cheap two were for parts to keep one running. I don't remember the brand but they were yellow.

SRM-230 is a nice machine. Less vibration , excellent usuable power , quieter, easier to swap in line , super easy to start , the heads last much longer. I don't think you can go wrong unless you have a terminal illness. Comparing them to ryobi's.... I own a srm-230 and have a ryobi hanging on my garage wall right now.....I kept it as a backup been hanging there for awhile now.

Buy used if you cannot afford a new one , be my advice. Ebay has them....my pole saw was used and echo serviced it for FREE. I had to pay for one part , I believe it was damaged in transit. They covered it. I was pleasantly shocked. Runs like a bear has for 5 yrs or so now.....
 

Ric

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Echo uses a nickel plating on cylinder walls iirc that allows for much longer use.
Echo-Stihl even old models you can EASILY re-sell them , people trust them. Lawn services here almost all use stihl or echo but more echo for sure. redmaxx mixed in and shindaiwas.....
Echo has a certain hour expectation - longest in the industry iirc.

If you don't have the money is one thing, but to say they are just as good is a joke. Took me awhile before I could buy all quality small yard machines , so I've been through el'cheapo's enough to know they are heavier , less durable, less reliable, harder to get parts take one in for service they will tell you its disposable. I once owned three trimmers all cheap two were for parts to keep one running. I don't remember the brand but they were yellow.

SRM-230 is a nice machine. Less vibration , excellent usuable power , quieter, easier to swap in line , super easy to start , the heads last much longer. I don't think you can go wrong unless you have a terminal illness. Comparing them to ryobi's.... I own a srm-230 and have a ryobi hanging on my garage wall right now.....I kept it as a backup been hanging there for awhile now.

Buy used if you cannot afford a new one , be my advice. Ebay has them....my pole saw was used and echo serviced it for FREE. I had to pay for one part , I believe it was damaged in transit. They covered it. I was pleasantly shocked. Runs like a bear has for 5 yrs or so now.....


Most every lawn service I see here all run Stihl, very few run the Echo stuff. The Guys that run the Echo are the Guys that everyone talks about that load everything in the back of their Toyota pickups, not that that's a bad thing because their guys that are trying to work. Going through the el-cheapo's as you say is something I never done, I never purchase equipment for my business from the big box stores or places like that. I purchased the Echo 200 and 210 from a dealer and it lasted one season before they got put on the wall because they were wore out. What the echo did for me was they allowed me to put back all the money after expenses from my first year in business which allowed me to buy Stihl and I've never looked back.

When it comes to the business and buying equipment I don't look at a piece of equipment and say I can't afford that or it's out of my price range, I say I can't afford not to buy this because I know that it will pay for itself in a short period of time and over the long haul it will make the business money. When you buy cheap it's just like you say there less durable, less reliable, harder to get parts for and if take one in for service they will tell you its disposable which they are and you end up spending more money in the long term than buying high end once.
 

Tom59

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You wore out an echo in one season. WOW- You must have gotten two lemons.

I love stereo typing it makes for short conversation and obviously a closed mind.

The Guys that run the Echo are the Guys that everyone talks about that load everything in the back of their Toyota pickups, not that that's a bad thing because their guys that are trying to work.

My best friends service which is huge 25 fulltimers all yr long he doesn't run stihl trimmers and he drives a Dodge he also owns a couple GM's and a Ford or two.....so he must be the one to ask. Wow...
 
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