Seems the biggest difference is the straight shaft have a gear drive on the spool end where as the curved just have a flexible wire shaft. Longevity, the straight seems to be the obvious choice. What are the advantages of a curved shaft? I personally like the straight over the curved based on feel.
Straight or curved trimmer shaft/
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Shughes717
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Straight shaft trimmers seem to generally be more powerful as well. Curved shaft trimmers may be more comfortable to use, but you don't see many being used commercially. Most of the higher end commercial trimmer models the big brands manufacture are straight shaft. I personally prefer straight shaft trimmers. The main advantage that curved shaft trimmers have in my opinion is that they are typically much less expensive.
SeniorCitizen
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My two Echos run in opposite directions. Straight shaft covers me with clippings/cuttings. Pick up the curved every time for that reason, better control and less tiring to use.
Ric
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Advantages between the two are what there used for. Curved Shaft are for Home use and Straight Shaft are for commercial use, not that they can't be used as a home unit. Stihl doesn't even make a commercial curved shaft. The advantage to the commercial units is they will for the most part come with a larger engines and they come with both Cable and Solid shaft drives and you can change over or use them with heavier lines, Brush Knifes, Circular saw Blades, Grass Blades etc.
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The thing that I don't like about curved shaft is that they can not reach far underneath things. That may not seem like a big deal, but for me, I use my straight shaft trimmer for places I can't get my mower....like under bushes, tables, slides, and other things people have in their yards. So if I can't get it with the mower, I need to be able to get it with the trimmer, and a curved shaft sometimes won't allow me to do that. Plus as was pointed out, my curved shaft spins the opposite direction than the straight shaft. So if you are used to one, be prepared to get debris thrown at you without expecting it if you are using the other. 
Ric
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The thing that I don't like about curved shaft is that they can not reach far underneath things. That may not seem like a big deal, but for me, I use my straight shaft trimmer for places I can't get my mower....like under bushes, tables, slides, and other things people have in their yards. So if I can't get it with the mower, I need to be able to get it with the trimmer, and a curved shaft sometimes won't allow me to do that. Plus as was pointed out, my curved shaft spins the opposite direction than the straight shaft. So if you are used to one, be prepared to get debris thrown at you without expecting it if you are using the other.
I just purchased the FS 100 RX this afternoon. The first thing I did was to remove the deflector for the mowing head. That's a PITA for getting into those tight places like under bushes, tables, slides, and other stuff people can have in their yards.
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Personally I think the guard doesn't really get in the way (for me), and the chance of getting a rock shot in your eye makes me always keep it on. Maybe I don't mind the Echo guards because they are not as wide as the Stihls. Skinny enough to not be a pain, but still there to protect your face. This is the best picture I could quickly find that shows the guard size on my trimmer.
Ric
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Personally I think the guard doesn't really get in the way (for me), and the chance of getting a rock shot in your eye makes me always keep it on. Maybe I don't mind the Echo guards because they are not as wide as the Stihls. Skinny enough to not be a pain, but still there to protect your face. This is the best picture I could quickly find that shows the guard size on my trimmer.
I never like the deflectors, I guess because the units I've used in the past never had one. The Stihl deflectors are so big compared to the Echos and some of the others and I have a lot of those concrete flower bed boarders that I edge and it just gets in the way of everything, even putting the trimmer in the rack with the thing on is a pain.
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SeniorCitizen
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With a CCW rotation a person using one right handed may as well take the guard off since it has no value keeping debris from the operator.