Echo or Sthil trimmers??? Your thoughts

My_guy99

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

Boobala

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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:
 

zmister11

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

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.
 

Rivets

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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.
 

BlazNT

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

My_guy99

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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:

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!
 

My_guy99

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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.

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.
 

My_guy99

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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.

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
 

My_guy99

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

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

My_guy99

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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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