Good String Trimmer??

[PyhooyaBooya]

The only brand of trimmer I hear to buy is Stihl. They are expensive. Are there any good brands that have commercial trimmers that aren't in the $300 range?

 

[Ric]

The only brand of trimmer I hear to buy is Stihl. They are expensive. Are there any good brands that have commercial trimmers that aren't in the $300 range?

There's a good reason for that, it's because the Stihl is the commercial operators choice and yes they're expensive but worth every penny IMO. As far as I know you're not going to find any commercial trimmers that are not $300 and up. As I said before Echo makes some good trimmers and there largest motor they have is a 28.1cc model 280T and is priced at $389 and there bottom end commercial models start at I believe $309 but it's only a 25.1 cc motor. The commercial Stihl motors sizes start at 28.1cc for the FS70 and go up to 40.2 cc for the FS 250 so you're getting what you pay for.

Ask yourself a question, Where in the long run am I going to spend the least amount of money. Buying the cheaper stuff and replacing it in a couple of years or buying good equipment that is going to last 5 or 6 years.

 

[JDgreen]

I have a huge yard and my trimmers get probably 50 hours of use EACH per year (I have two) and they are models that cost $70 each new. Have NEVER seen the wisdom of buying a heavy, expensive model that costs $300 plus because my cheapos usually last me five to six years before something breaks and then I just keep them for parts. I prefer the MTD Yard Man 28cc model, have found them easy starting, reasonably reliable, and cutting performance is very good for the price.

 

[JDgreen]

The only brand of trimmer I hear to buy is Stihl. They are expensive. Are there any good brands that have commercial trimmers that aren't in the $300 range?

Why do you want to spend money on a heavy duty commercial trimmer when you are considering a $100 push mower to start with....:confused2: put your money into the MOWER first.

 

[Jetblast]

That's a tough one. Cheap trimmers don't last as long as expensive ones and they're also a bigger pain to use, especially on heavier jobs like clearing thick ditch grass. Aside from the power differences, a lot of it has to do with the cheaper ones using .080 line and having uncomfortably short shafts, while the better ones use thicker .095 line and can move with you gracefully and reach further without turning you into a hunchback.

Both Ric and JDgreen are right, but maybe there's a compromise for now. I understand that you're getting a landscaping business off the ground with a small budget, so for now I might go for a Stihl FS 45. --> FS 45 Trimmer From STIHL <-- It's an .080 trimmer at around $150 with a longer shaft than many, so it's very well regarded. It's also the number one pick by Consumer Reports.

Once you've had some solid accounts for awhile and your .080 trimmer is piping up and shooting it's mouth off too often, look into a commercial .095 trimmer from Stihl or Echo. I use an Echo .095 trimmer on my hundred yards of crazy ditch grass with a strap and J-bar, and it's been great, but I'm sure I'd use a Stihl just as happily. No smoke and mirrors, these are great brands who deserve their reputations.

At some point you may be confronted with the idea of a 4-stroke string trimmer, and my advice would be to try before you buy. The extra tallness of the engine due to the valves on top of the head gets in the way of my right elbow and makes them virtually unusable. I'm 6'1". If you're less tall it may not be such a problem.

 

[JDgreen]

That's a tough one. Cheap trimmers don't last as long as expensive ones and they're also a bigger pain to use, especially on heavier jobs like clearing thick ditch grass. Aside from the power differences, a lot of it has to do with the cheaper ones using .080 line and having uncomfortably short shafts, while the better ones use thicker .095 line and can move with you gracefully and reach further without turning you into a hunchback.

Both Ric and JDgreen are right, but maybe there's a compromise for now. I understand that you're getting a landscaping business off the ground with a small budget, so for now I might go for a Stihl FS 45. --> FS 45 Trimmer From STIHL <-- It's an .080 trimmer at around $150 with a longer shaft than many, so it's very well regarded. It's also the number one pick by Consumer Reports.

Once you've had some solid accounts for awhile and your .080 trimmer is piping up and shooting it's mouth off too often, look into a commercial .095 trimmer from Stihl or Echo. I use an Echo .095 trimmer on my hundred yards of crazy ditch grass with a strap and J-bar, and it's been great, but I'm sure I'd use a Stihl just as happily. No smoke and mirrors, these are great brands who deserve their reputations.

At some point you may be confronted with the idea of a 4-stroke string trimmer, and my advice would be to try before you buy. The extra tallness of the engine due to the valves on top of the head gets in the way of my right elbow and makes them virtually unusable. I'm 6'1". If you're less tall it may not be such a problem.

Well written...I just love my $70-and-tax trimmers. I beat them up by running them 3/4 throttle most of the time and am very abusive with line advancing but they seem almost bulletproof. I would still be using the one that is seven years old but one of the tabs on the flywheel broke off and it would cost more to replace the flywheel than a new trimmer did, so I simply purchased another one.

 

[JDgreen]

BTW, Jetblast, WTF is ditch grass? I have never seen anything .080 line could not handle.

 

[Ric]

JD I know you're not real big on buying equipment but I think you have to remember that he is talking about running or using this equipment in business, not around the house. 50 hours of use EACH per year for your Trimmers is fine for around the house but not when you're in business, when you could be using a trimmer or an edged and put that much running time in on one in a week.

 

[JDgreen]

JD I know you're not real big on buying equipment but I think you have to remember that he is talking about running or using this equipment in business, not around the house. 50 hours of use EACH per year for your Trimmers is fine for around the house but not when you're in business, when you could be using a trimmer or an edged and put that much running time in on one in a week.

Um, I guess spending 22 grand for my JD isn't "big on buying equipment".....:laughing:

Well, the man who is asking advice doesn't even have a business yet, no customer base, no mower or other equipment that we know of, so I do not quite understand the purpose of buying a commercial grade trimmer at the current time. Just my nickle's worth. If he buys a $300 trimmer now and gets no business and has to sell it at a loss, well, I guess that is just his loss. Shall we tell him to forget about any customers until he can afford a $3,000 zero turn mower? Sorry, it's just my opinion he should start small and not go all out on fancy equipment.

 

[Jetblast]

BTW, Jetblast, WTF is ditch grass? I have never seen anything .080 line could not handle.

It's regular Northern grass that grows in my constantly muddy ditches and gets neglected due to my general aversion toward hard manual labor. I only cut it when my township's crew comes by to mow the county road ditches, which means it gets 3-4 feet tall, woody, and as thick as Tiparillos. Throw in a bunch of hidden foot-tall crayfish towers and it's quite the challenge, but my Echo with .095 MaxiEdge or Crossfire line does a pretty good job. When it dies I will move up to a full blown brush cutter though.