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As I posted elsewhere my Dealer is having year end sale, a Shindaiwa T235 can be bought new for $199.

I have been thinking Echo or Stihl for new 2 cycle trimmer, but now this is in the running too.


I really appreciate any input, I want to get best bang for my $$.

Re: Shindawia T235 Trimmer, Is it really good as they say ?

If I am correct, Shindaiwa is owned by Echo. I have an Echo. The SRM 225. They are mostly the same; they have the same engine. I also have a few KM90r from STIHL.

At first, we loved the STIHL trimmers. When I got the Echo, we had problems with it and didn't like using it. After getting it fixed and using it for a while, we starting liking it and now we mostly use it. The STIHL are spending a lot more time on the rack. All in all, the STIHL trimmers run good, I've had some problems tho with them (coil and eating spark plugs). I think you will like the Shindaiwa a lot. I have tried it and it runs good. Things to keep in min tho:

STIHL is heavy
STIHL dealers are everywhere
ECHO is very light = not as tired.
ECHO is not very strong = you will want something stronger in the spring when the grass is long and wait or when you need to do some abandonned houses.
ECHO carb sucks on the SRM225
ECHO has a very nice handle

I say get it.

Yeah that is pretty much a red SRM-225. :laughing: OK, there are differences, but I would either get that or the Echo.

Wow !! Fast replies, Thank You both.

This is gonna be just for my home use. But prices are about same for all 3 so.....

And from what I understand (reading) the Shindaiwa has a solid drive shaft, forged piston with 3 piston rings, instead of 1.
Ball bearings used instead of bushings.

Extra capacity Speed Feed head. Better carb, Dual air filtration system, etc. I am seeing these on Ebay for $349.99

Yea, the Shin is better built I think. Go for that one.

For about same money, I think that would be a good investment. Supposed to be Commercial unit.

Indeed! Commercial it is. I use the SRM225 commercialy.

I am definately gonna look at one this week. "Fleet Week" sale ends on the 15th.

Then another year end sale is on the 21 & 22nd, & then the deals are gone till next year.

Re: Shindawia T235 Trimmer, Is it really good as they say ?

7394 said:

As I posted elsewhere my Dealer is having year end sale, a Shindaiwa T235 can be bought new for $199.

I have been thinking Echo or Stihl for new 2 cycle trimmer, but now this is in the running too.


I really appreciate any input, I want to get best bang for my $$.

Click to expand...

Lawnboy18 said:

If I am correct, Shindaiwa is owned by Echo. I have an Echo. The SRM 225. They are mostly the same; they have the same engine. I also have a few KM90r from STIHL.

At first, we loved the STIHL trimmers. When I got the Echo, we had problems with it and didn't like using it. After getting it fixed and using it for a while, we starting liking it and now we mostly use it. The STIHL are spending a lot more time on the rack. All in all, the STIHL trimmers run good, I've had some problems tho with them (coil and eating spark plugs). I think you will like the Shindaiwa a lot. I have tried it and it runs good. Things to keep in min tho:

STIHL is heavy
STIHL dealers are everywhere
ECHO is very light = not as tired.
ECHO is not very strong = you will want something stronger in the spring when the grass is long and wait or when you need to do some abandoned houses.
ECHO carb sucks on the SRM225
ECHO has a very nice handle

I say get it.

Click to expand...

Let me say first off the Echo doesn't own Shindiawa. They are both owned along with Kioritz by the Yamabiko Corp. Yes there made in the same place, run the same engine, there basically the same unit just different colors.

The reason Yamabiko purchased Shindiawa and paired them with Echo was because they tried to get a patent on a four stroke engine for Echo and were turned down so in order to compete with Stihl they purchased Shin who already had the four stroke engine, at least that's what I've been told. The points that lawnboy posted would be accurate for the most part, but it doesn't necessarily make it your best choice. Here are a few points you may want to consider in your purchase.

He said the Echo is very light, it weighs 12lbs while the Shin weighs 12.1 the only problem is the Stihl 90r weighs 11.7 lbs and if you want less weight the Stihl 100rx comes in at 10.8 both lighter units than the Echo or Shin if weight is an issue. Now the problem as I see it would be the fact that both the Echo and Shin are running 21.2cc engines while the Stihl 90r is a 28.4cc and the 100rx is a 31.4cc engine so if your looking for power and efficiency Stihl would get you the most for your money or the best bang for your $$. Yeah the Stihl will probably cost a bit more but as they say you get what you pay for. If your into 2 stroke the Stihl FS 94 is available and it also has more engine with the 24.1 cc and it weighs 10.1 lbs which is lighter than all the rest. It also has that ECO-SPEED throttle set wheel which allows you to set the most effective throttle speed for a specific application.

One of the things I like about the Stihl units is that their carbs are adjustable with a screw driver and the Echos you need special tools to adjust the carbs and there tools you can't buy and I assume the Shins are the same way which IMO makes them throw away carbs. I can also tell you that the Stihl 90r and the 100RX will do any job that you'll run into. I just purchased the 100RX and it's a kick butt unit.

I've still got my two old T-25 Shindawas and they still run good, but haven't
been using them for the last 7 or 8 years due to working on other people's
weedeaters and using them to trim my lawn. Hey! I gotta test them out
somehow. Why wear my Shindawa out? :laughing:

Thanks Guys- Appreciate the input. :thumbsup:

Weight is no issue, my old Troy-Bilt TB20CS is 13 lbs (dry) & 31cc, been using that for 9+ years.

This new interest is just for my personal use at home. And I am looking at staying around $225 or so for my budget. That's why the Year end sales make sense to me & my wallet.

The Stihl FS 56 RC-E, looks & feels good, but costs a bit more.

The Shindaiwa specs show a lot more beefed up features than the Echo of same cc.

That's the reason I posted up this question in first place, for good feedback.

Re: Shindawia T235 Trimmer, Is it really good as they say ?

Ric said:

Let me say first off the Echo doesn't own Shindiawa. They are both owned along with Kioritz by the Yamabiko Corp. Yes there made in the same place, run the same engine, there basically the same unit just different colors.

The reason Yamabiko purchased Shindiawa and paired them with Echo was because they tried to get a patent on a four stroke engine for Echo and were turned down so in order to compete with Stihl they purchased Shin who already had the four stroke engine, at least that's what I've been told. The points that lawnboy posted would be accurate for the most part, but it doesn't necessarily make it your best choice. Here are a few points you may want to consider in your purchase.

He said the Echo is very light, it weighs 12lbs while the Shin weighs 12.1 the only problem is the Stihl 90r weighs 11.7 lbs and if you want less weight the Stihl 100rx comes in at 10.8 both lighter units than the Echo or Shin if weight is an issue. Now the problem as I see it would be the fact that both the Echo and Shin are running 21.2cc engines while the Stihl 90r is a 28.4cc and the 100rx is a 31.4cc engine so if your looking for power and efficiency Stihl would get you the most for your money or the best bang for your $$. Yeah the Stihl will probably cost a bit more but as they say you get what you pay for. If your into 2 stroke the Stihl FS 94 is available and it also has more engine with the 24.1 cc and it weighs 10.1 lbs which is lighter than all the rest. It also has that ECO-SPEED throttle set wheel which allows you to set the most effective throttle speed for a specific application.

One of the things I like about the Stihl units is that their carbs are adjustable with a screw driver and the Echos you need special tools to adjust the carbs and there tools you can't buy and I assume the Shins are the same way which IMO makes them throw away carbs. I can also tell you that the Stihl 90r and the 100RX will do any job that you'll run into. I just purchased the 100RX and it's a kick butt unit.

Click to expand...

I personally wouldn't worry about non-adjustable carbs. I have replaced carbs on several units, and in some cases the replacement looked nothing like the original. For example, I once acquired a Homelite backpack blower with a defective carb. The defective part was a non-adjustable Walbro WYC-6, which is around $50 new. I replaced it with a $15 Ruixing, which was meant for use on a Weed Eater FL20 string trimmer. Sure, the backpack blower didn't start up and run well immediately after the replacement. But with some adjustment, it now runs as good as it did with the Walbro (actually better, because the Walbro didn't work.) To show the difference between the two carbs, I have attached pictures. The first is of the Walbro, the second of the replacement Ruixing.

I am now preparing to replace the carb on an Echo PE-2201. The original is an obsolete Walbro WY-18. The replacement will be a $10 adjustable rotary carb from China.

I know that many people will disagree with using cheap China carbs as replacements. However, if my machines function well with them, I see no reason to pay much more just to get a non-adjustable, OEM part.

Re: Shindawia T235 Trimmer, Is it really good as they say ?

primerbulb120 said:

I personally wouldn't worry about non-adjustable carbs. I have replaced carbs on several units, and in some cases the replacement looked nothing like the original. For example, I once acquired a Homelite backpack blower with a defective carb. The defective part was a non-adjustable Walbro WYC-6, which is around $50 new. I replaced it with a $15 Ruixing, which was meant for use on a Weed Eater FL20 string trimmer. Sure, the backpack blower didn't start up and run well immediately after the replacement. But with some adjustment, it now runs as good as it did with the Walbro (actually better, because the Walbro didn't work.) To show the difference between the two carbs, I have attached pictures. The first is of the Walbro, the second of the replacement Ruixing.

I am now preparing to replace the carb on an Echo PE-2201. The original is an obsolete Walbro WY-18. The replacement will be a $10 adjustable rotary carb from China.

I know that many people will disagree with using cheap China carbs as replacements. However, if my machines function well with them, I see no reason to pay much more just to get a non-adjustable, OEM part.

Click to expand...

Well with the equipment your talking about I personally would waste the money on even a carb from china because as you said the echo edger is basically obsolete and the Homelite and Weedeater are throw away stuff IMO. I think when your talking about a 3 to 400$ trimmer or a 5 or 600$ Backpack blower you talking about a different animal and they should get or need OEM parts and need to be done in the service department where they were purchased.

My Echo is not a cheap piece of equipment. It probably sold for $300-$400 new. Even if I had a more valuable Stihl trimmer that was nearly new, I would probably buy a China carb for it and install the carb myself.

I currently have no brand loyalties due to the wide variety of machines I use. While cheaper equipment is usually less user-friendly, it still does a good job. Take Homelite for example. I think that Homelite equipment is considered "junk" because many of the people who buy it treat it like cheap equipment, which means hard usage and no proper maintenance. If Homelite equipment was treated like Stihl equipment, I think it would last much longer than it does.

primerbulb120 said:

My Echo is not a cheap piece of equipment. It probably sold for $300-$400 new. Even if I had a more valuable Stihl trimmer that was nearly new, I would probably buy a China carb for it and install the carb myself.

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Nobody said it was cheap, I just agreed with you and said it was obsolete and the Msrp in 1991 was $299. I mean IMO a 24 year old edger isn't really worth investing any money into just like the the HL and Weedeater because you can buy them to cheap to invest any money into them.

My point is, I think it's still valuable - even if it's 24 years old. If it looks good and edges good, I should still be able to sell it for more than I would a new Homelite edger.

Yes it seems so, waited till a ran a few tankfuls of gas mix thru it before posting. And still a little early to know the long term dependability, but so far super !! This gas trimmer, I'm very pleased with. Does everything with ease & very easy of gas too.

primerbulb120 said:

. I think that Homelite equipment is considered "junk" because many of the people who buy it treat it like cheap equipment, which means hard usage and no proper maintenance. If Homelite equipment was treated like Stihl equipment, I think it would last much longer than it does.

Click to expand...

Well I think you said it yourself when you said, If Homelite equipment was treated like Stihl equipment. There's no comparison between the two. JMO but Homelite doesn't even really stack up against Stihl's Residential equipment line. You also said I see no reason to pay much more just to get a non-adjustable, OEM part. I just purchased a 100 RX Stihl and it has a fully adjustable carb as does every piece of Stihl equipment that I've purchased.

It basically comes down to you get what you pay for and some of the equipment that has been mentioned is great for a homeowner who may use it a couple of times a month and some of the equipment is great for the weekend warrior but when you start talking about using equipment 5 and 6 days a week or for equipment that gets hours of use daily you had better take a look at what you buy, its warranty, its cost effectiveness and reliability over the long haul.

7394 said:

Yes it seems so, waited till a ran a few tankfuls of gas mix thru it before posting. And still a little early to know the long term dependability, but so far super !! This gas trimmer, I'm very pleased with. Does everything with ease & very easy of gas too.

View attachment 27569

Click to expand...

No regrets, this baby is smooth & very well balanced, cuts like a hot knife too. I did reduce the cut swath from 20" to an 18", which for my needs is more appropriate. The Speed Feed 400 head is awesome, haven't had to add string just yet. But after checking it out, will be a breeze.