Your Favorite String Trimmer ?

[Merkava_4]

What's your favorite string trimmer that's well balanced and comfortable to use all day ?

My biggest pet peeve with string trimmers is they're usually too short. Only the RedMax BCZ260S seemed long enough. Supposedly the head angle on a RedMax makes it better suited for tall people.

[bgsengine]

Cant help but recommend Echo have used them - have an older SRM-210 - equivalent to today's SRM-225 - its lightweight, powerful, fast, nicely balanced and an optional shoulder harness kit for extended use time - default install location the trimmer will just about balance level on the harness.. WIth the speed feed head, carry a couple spare loops in your pocket and reloading takes just seconds (30-40 sec. with my own "best time" being 22 seconds) they are quiet and - most importantly for comfort - they are the most vibration-free trimmers I have ever run. Ive had relatively new Stihl, homelite, weedeater, husqvarna, cub cadet and other models to work on in the shop and test run.. . all of them - every single one, I can feel the units vibrations all the way through the handles and up to my shoulders... some worse than others, and over extended use time, quickly noticed the difference with the Echo models.. they run so smoothly and their handles and balance are so nicely done - picking up my Echo and running it after running one of the other brands, the difference is immediate - I have sold quite a few Echo machines just demonstrating that to a customer with a like-new competing model in for repairs..

[RoyM]

I am a big Echo fan too. My old SRM-2100 has been flawless, smooth, reasonably quiet, and reliable as gravity. A significant part of my yard is too steep for a mower or wheel trimmer so a comfortable hand carry is important. I have tried different entry level consumer models and hated every one of them, lacked power and too much vibration.

[Luffydog]

I have say mine is a gallon of round up spray once or twice and it's gone and no gas oil or repairs needed. 15 mins I am in the house In the cool. So my liquid weed eater is all vibe free and no aches or pains hard to turn it down

[KE4AVB]

Both trimmers, grass and broad leaf herbicides have there places here. When multiple acres they become necessary. Around the immediate home and fruit trimmers get a good work out as well I done. Did 3 acre yard with lots of trees for 23 yrs. The rest about 8 acres was cut by a 4 ft rotary mower (Some call them bush hogs) with spraying fence lines with Gly-4 (Generic Round-up). Use 2-4-d for broad leaf control. Even use Gly-4 @ 50% strength (7 oz per acre) remove sage grass and to suppress fescue grow.

Farmers are always gripping about the use of 2-4-d around their fields but you if use the salt base (Amine) version you can use it within reason when the temps are not getting above 80F for a few days as it is being absorbed by the plants. It is the cheaper Esther version that is so volatile and will kill un-intended plantings due gas off. I have sprayed my whole yard right next to cotton fields without any problems but as I said you got to use your head when doing this.

I also use a 4EC per-emergence herbicide in my garden for years as I shouldn't need to constantly be tilling to control crabgrass especially when the garden is over 1/2 acre. If didn't I would be spending all weekend every week just in the garden. Just got do it at least two weeks before planting corn and get incorporated right it after it is applied. One thing about 4EC it will strain about anything due to dyes used. I do get 90-120 day grass suppression with it and most of the garden is done by then.

When it comes to a string trimmer I prefer a good straight shaft bush cutter around the farm. As it makes accessing areas much easier than a curve shaft, if I need to switch over to the tri arc blade it not a problem of having to go get another unit. Current I use an antique Homelite unit that has a extra long shaft. Being 6 ft and with lumbar problems I don't need to be stooping all the time I am using it. I even combined a Troy-bilt and a Poulan for a cousin that is 6'3" that was gripping having the shaft too short. I manage to combine a setup that added 3" to the shaft length and he loved it until the straight gas incident.

What trimmer you do decide on don't leave out in the rain all the time. I got in two Echos last year that user was leaving out on his equipment trailer year around. Both were rusted up badly; therefore, repairs within reason were out of the question. They now resting in pieces in my parts room.

[RoyM]

I use Roundup on the parking areas and walkways but certainly not on the lawn edges and the front slope that is too steep for a mower. My old curve shaft Echo worked well on our city lot where it was grass and dandelions along the fence but was too slow with the .080 line in the weeds in our current yard. I was constantly reloading the head.