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Which one are you guys running, what are your experiences with these brands and which models do you recommend

Guess I'll "stir the stew up " a little .....( lol ) 2 very popular brands here in Florida ( almost year round cutting season ) have been
Shindaiwa and Maruyama . seems I never hear much about these brands in the forums . Of course, they are up there in price but the QUALITY is excellent . Not taking anything away from Echo or Stihl products ..... they too, are great machines ... (hope we're -
talking STRAIGHT shaft models here) I've owned & maintained them all, still own 3 Shindaiwa's & a 28 year old Maruyama Brushcutter that runs like a scalded A** ape.. & a fairly new Stihl FS-90R , If you're lookin at stuff from the BIG BOX stores ....... may the good Lord have mercy on you & your WALLET ! I consider MOST of the stuff 3rd rate, OK for a small home owner if you don't mind replacing it every few years , buy a great machine, GET THE MANUALS !!! READ the manuals !!! KEEP the manuals ! Best of luck in
making your decisions .......... and remember always ! RUST NEVER SLEEPS !! ....... Boobala .....:smile: :smile: :thumbsup:

My_guy99 said:

Which one are you guys running, what are your experiences with these brands and which models do you recommend

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When I first started out, I bought all echo handhelds. The reason why is because they wer cheaper. But after a while they got hard to start, especially in Florida when it was getting about 100° Now all I have is Stihl equipment and I love it. I will probably never go back to echo. But that's just my opinion, I know of other people that are vise versa. It's really just what you prefer.

You won't be disappointed with either brand. That being said two years ago I had to replace my Stihl FS-56 (neighbor ran over it with his tractor) which I had no problems with. He bought me an Echo SRM-266. I repaired the Stihl and gave it to him, so he didn't have to borrow it any more. Both are running fine, but I do think that the Echo has a bit more power.

Shindaiwa or Husqvarna for me. Being 6'1" I look for longer weedeaters that will last.

Boobala said:

Guess I'll "stir the stew up " a little .....( lol ) 2 very popular brands here in Florida ( almost year round cutting season ) have been Shindaiwa and Maruyama . seems I never hear much about these brands in the forums . Of course, they are up there in price but the QUALITY is excellent . Not taking anything away from Echo or Stihl products ..... they too, are great machines ... (hope we're - talking STRAIGHT shaft models here) I've owned & maintained them all, still own 3 Shindaiwa's & a 28 year old Maruyama Brushcutter that runs like a scalded A** ape.. & a fairly new Stihl FS-90R , If you're lookin at stuff from the BIG BOX stores ....... may the good Lord have mercy on you & your WALLET ! I consider MOST of the stuff 3rd rate, OK for a small home owner if you don't mind replacing it every few years , buy a great machine, GET THE MANUALS !!! READ the manuals !!! KEEP the manuals ! Best of luck in making your decisions .......... and remember always ! RUST NEVER SLEEPS !! ....... Boobala .....:smile: :smile: :thumbsup:

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Thank you for your reply, anything I see you in a big box store scares me what kind of threw me off was seeing the echo trimmers that I was looking at and Home Depot and I thought what the F. Is there a difference between the ones at Home Depot and the ones at the dealers? It doesn't seem as such that's why A bit leery of the echo brand, I don't know if they just have certain lower in components on the ones at Home Depot but it looks like they're the same model number at Home Depot and at the dealer I don't think they would go through all that work just to sell to Home Depot and then sell to the dealer.

Yes I am talking about the straight shaft, I am a taller gentleman and I have always preferred the the straight shaft rather then the curved ones.

I was looking at the echo SRM – 266T model , And haven't looked that very much into the stihl brand just a little bit so still gathering my info on them. I do realize they are very reputable product that's why they're on the plate in my opinion. I'm needing to replace smart from her as soon as possible so I need to make a decision fairly quick. I don't have a lot of clients but I noticed this is one thing that's kind of needing to be replaced ASAP!

zmister11 said:

When I first started out, I bought all echo handhelds. The reason why is because they wer cheaper. But after a while they got hard to start, especially in Florida when it was getting about 100° Now all I have is Stihl equipment and I love it. I will probably never go back to echo. But that's just my opinion, I know of other people that are vise versa. It's really just what you prefer.

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Seems like Florida would be a very good test spot for equipment like this considering the temperatures. I'm noticing from the comments I've had so far it looks like stihl is the winner! Is there a certain model you believe is better or are there certain features that strike your fancy of course I'm doing my research as we speak and will figure that out for myself I know I picked out the one I want it through echo and that's the SRM – 266T still have to go back and find which one would suit myself on the stihl brand.

Rivets said:

You won't be disappointed with either brand. That being said two years ago I had to replace my Stihl FS-56 (neighbor ran over it with his tractor) which I had no problems with. He bought me an Echo SRM-266. I repaired the Stihl and gave it to him, so he didn't have to borrow it any more. Both are running fine, but I do think that the Echo has a bit more power.

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Isn't the FS– 56 model a homeowner grades. I read a lot of reviews about those but it seems that they're not the most ones of course or is that just an older model. I've only looked at the commercial line or professional line so far

BlazNT said:

Shindaiwa or Husqvarna for me. Being 6'1" I look for longer weedeaters that will last.

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I'm with you there I'm 6'5" so curved shafts won't work for me.

Think I'm going with a Stihl FS 90! Talked to the dealer today and that looks like a good fit for me atleast!

My_guy99 said:

Think I'm going with a Stihl FS 90! Talked to the dealer today and that looks like a good fit for me atleast!

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That's the one I was going to refer! I run the fs90 commercially and it's going on 3 years now. All the lawn company's that I used to work for ran them also. They have been great so far!

I forgot to mention, I bought the blade adapter kit for my Stihl FS 90R . I put my 10 inch 80 tooth blade on it from my Maruyama ,
currently down for a leaky gas tank, ( another problem with really old equipment it's tough to find parts ) but I'm determined to fix it
even though its 28 yrs. old everything works as designed . Back to the FS 90........ IF you do get that model I'm sure you will find it
more pleasing than you expect . As a weed whip it's great, as a brush-cutter I'd give a very good rating , ( maybe because I'm using a 10 inch blade ...an 8 inch might be better & it probably needs sharpened ) BUT the Maruyama will go right through a 3 inch tree branch with no hesitation and, ...... it's a bigger engine. It could be the Echo may be just as good I just don't know about their new equipment ,but like you , when I see it at Big Box stores I get concerned....... could be their sales are so slow they're desperate to increase their bottom line . Anyway ....... please remember to get EVERY manual including PARTS and keep them safe, one day, you'll be glad you did, as before best of luck with your new machine, keep us informed about it too ! ...Boobala ...:cool2:

zmister11 said:

That's the one I was going to refer! I run the fs90 commercially and it's going on 3 years now. All the lawn company's that I used to work for ran them also. They have been great so far!

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The FS 90 is a great machine, I've run mine for probably 9 or more years. For 30$ more you can jump to the FS 100RX and go from the 28.4cc engine to the 31.4 and lose a pound of weight. I have and run all three the 90, 100 and 110. there all great machines. The Fs 94 is also a good machine if you like the 2 stroke.

Ric said:

The FS 90 is a great machine, I've run mine for probably 9 or more years. For 30$ more you can jump to the FS 100RX and go from the 28.4cc engine to the 31.4 and lose a pound of weight. I have and run all three the 90, 100 and 110. there all great machines. The Fs 94 is also a good machine if you like the 2 stroke.

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Hmm that's good to know. I didn't know it was only $30 more.

zmister11 said:

Hmm that's good to know. I didn't know it was only $30 more.

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Price on the FS90 is $339.00 and the 100RX is $369.00 and there's about a pound difference between the two. You wouldn't think there would be a lot of power difference between the two but when you use them there is a big difference. I think the 100RX handles a whole better. Either one is hard to beat.

Ric said:

The FS 90 is a great machine, I've run mine for probably 9 or more years. For 30$ more you can jump to the FS 100RX and go from the 28.4cc engine to the 31.4 and lose a pound of weight. I have and run all three the 90, 100 and 110. there all great machines. The Fs 94 is also a good machine if you like the 2 stroke.

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I didn't know that was only $30 more thanks for commenting on that particular good to know! Even though it's only 1 pound less but $30 more I think that might be worth the money

Ric said:

The FS 90 is a great machine, I've run mine for probably 9 or more years. For 30$ more you can jump to the FS 100RX and go from the 28.4cc engine to the 31.4 and lose a pound of weight. I have and run all three the 90, 100 and 110. there all great machines. The Fs 94 is also a good machine if you like the 2 stroke.

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Thanks for that great bit of advice, I think I need to look at the other two models like you said sounds like that might be the better buy $30 more for 1 pound less in a little bit bigger motor sounds like a good deal thank you

Ric said:

Price on the FS90 is $339.00 and the 100RX is $369.00 and there's about a pound difference between the two. You wouldn't think there would be a lot of power difference between the two but when you use them there is a big difference. I think the 100RX handles a whole better. Either one is hard to beat.

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also great to know

Ric said:

Price on the FS90 is $339.00 and the 100RX is $369.00 and there's about a pound difference between the two. You wouldn't think there would be a lot of power difference between the two but when you use them there is a big difference. I think the 100RX handles a whole better. Either one is hard to beat.

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Yeah that's pretty cool. Next time I need a new trimmer I'll probably give the 100RX a try.