# Weed Wacker...the best?



## oldbill (Jun 6, 2005)

Ok guys here is a question I have been wanting to ask for some time now. What is the best moderate priced weed wacker? Stihl, Echo, etc.
Also, what makes a commercial weed wacker better than one found at Home Depot...coould never understand why one lasted so long and the Home Depot weed wacker had a limited life span.


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## hankster (Jan 1, 1998)

Stihl and Echo are both good units. Commercial units are made much better. They have fully supported crankshafts, fully machined mating surfaces, drilled and tapped bolt holes, heavy duty shafts, etc. Home units have bearings on only one side of the crankshaft, no machined surfaces and are put together with self tapping screws.


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## geogrubb (Jul 28, 2006)

I agree with Hankster, IMHO, it's whats going on inside those things at about 6-8 thousand rpm that makes the difference. I am still amazed that the ones with a bearing on one side of the crankshaft hold together for more than 5 minutes. Have a good one. Geo


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## kbalona (Apr 27, 2006)

Shindaiwa makes some very high quality trimmers, and they do have some smaller home-owner models that are priced right but have much more quality than anything you'll find at a big box store.


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Echo, Shindiawa, Maruyama, Stihl, Kawasaki, Tanaka. All very good and well built products, will last the average homeowner a lifetime with reasonable care.


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## geogrubb (Jul 28, 2006)

30year, you missed Redmax. Have a good one geo


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## oscaryu1 (Mar 25, 2007)

i take
echo =)


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## mopar4u (Jul 14, 2006)

What is used on the other side of the crank if there is no bearing?


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## geogrubb (Jul 28, 2006)

Nothing on the other side of the crank, it's like a bicycle with one pedal, your leg being the rod. Have a good one. Geo


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## oscaryu1 (Mar 25, 2007)

*Geo's right*

geo's right


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## stihl #1 (Feb 4, 2007)

Something else to consider is the dealer. I am a STIHL guy, but as others have said, there are plenty of other good brands out there. The problem is parts and service, if you ever have need of them.
A local dealer should provide good service and answer questions for you, and is an independent business, not part of a big box chain. The dealer is trying to make a living and provide a service. Echo, Husky, Toro, and many other brands play it both ways by selling through chains and trying to keep local dealers around to provide service. I used to be a dealer and this was a real stab in the back and sore spot for me.
STIHL, RedMax, and Shindiawa are about the only ones left that only use independent service dealers. Use the factory website to search with your zip code and see who is local and check them out. If they act uppity or like a jerk keep looking.
As far as the actual units go, STIHL has more experience in design and testing than anybody, and it shows when you compare similar units based on price or engine size. There are no longer in reed valve or cantilevered crank models in the line up, all are piston ported with bearings in each end of the rod and both sides of the crank, two rings, and if you will change the air filter every year, use 89 octane fuel and mix the brand of oil recommended at exactly 50:1 in the case of all STIHL models, use a fuel stabilizer additive to get it through the off season without the carb gumming up, it will last. I have seen a FS 100 STIHL trimmer used and abused commercially rack up 1200 hours of run time over a three year period with minimal repairs.
HTH


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## oscaryu1 (Mar 25, 2007)

=) seen an echo abused.. well... if you call abused 15:1 oil ratio never clean 6 year old spark used to cut weeds like 30 times each season... but i googled stihl.. it has a nice rep.. check stihl too =)


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## newz7151 (Oct 15, 2006)

PM oscaryu1, he knows the most about everything and how to help.


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