So I have about 700m2 of rough grass that needs strimming several times a year. The Leroy Merlin (Spanish B&Q type place)  one has died after 3 years and nowhere locally will service it.

I’m thinking of a second hand FS 90 /91 Stihl. These seem to go for about £200 on eBay. There is a Stihl dealer / service centre in town, so I’d have somewhere to take it.

Any other ones worth looking at? There is also a Husqvarna dealer in town as well.

I’d hire something decent in when I needed it and let someone else worry about the maintenance

I bought a Husky 525 thingy with cow horns, harness and blade last year. Chalk and cheese compared to the cheap stuff from the sheds (I’d been using one for nearly 20 years!). Treat yourself to a decent one, it’ll make the job a lot less hateful

I’ve an Echo petrol strimmer that has required minimal maintenance these last 7 years. A little less vibey than the equivalent Stihl model at the time. Numb fingers and hands are a risk with large strimming areas and usage times.

I bought an FS 94 last year for an area of grass and lots of rushes. No complaints so far and it started first time last month after 5 months of hibernation. I changed the metal blade to an autocut moving head due to a large amount of stones and link fencing to avoid.

At Easter when my one wouldn’t work I rented a Stihl. Much faster and easier to use. But 35 euro for the day and I generally cut at least 5 time a year. It’s the Basque Country so everything grows at a crazy rate. Buying one seems better value and saves the trip into town.

Husky or Stihl , I use to turn people away from my workshop when they presented anything else, its just not worth it. Yeah you might get a good one but generaly you wont.

Just helped my elderly neighbour with his brand new SGS 52 cc dung heap, the carb mixture screw is ridiculously sensitve & either idles & bogs under load or revs out fine but wont idle, with a miniscule adjustment. Oh & the plug cap fell apart revealing a 4 strand wire  H T lead & stupid spring cap.

I’d probably buy new and check which comes with the best warranty and also check google reviews or Facebook to see how your local dealers perform when it comes to honoring that warranty. When those little engines go wrong a cylinder / piston assy can mean they are an uneconomical repair. A lot of shops will simply blame you for putting the wrong mix in it and leave you high and dry.

I got a stihl fs250 about 12 years ago, local service shop has replaced loads over the years but parts are cheap.  Use it about 10x per year so it has more than paid for itself.  I may sell it and buy a new one but i think they are about 1000e now.

Please ignore this accidental post

Second hand stihl fs460.. just bought a nice 2nd hand one for £300

Makes light work of strimming on this scale

Use proper heavy duty Stihl kit at work. Aside from buying the brushcutter make sure you budget for a harness and good PPE, mesh visors still let debris through so wear glasses too

Forget it. Electric.  No fuss. No bother.  Powerful. Quiet.

https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/B00GV941VS/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅZÕÑ&qid=1526126326&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=black+and+decker+strimmer&dpPl=1&dpID=317R3UzESSL&ref=plSrch

Go for Stihl and you won’t regret it, I use mine commercially as they are easy to use, powerful and spares are easy to buy and cheap and you won’t be looking to buy another one for a good few years.

As above mesh visors do let debris through I have a nice hole in one of mine, I always where specs as well.

I already have the harness, gloves , visor, rigger boots & ear defenders.

I’m not certain an electric one would be appropriate. It takes the best part of a day to strim everything with a petrol one. Happy to be proven wrong.

Makita 4 stroke here. Three years old and always starts first time.

Been strimming for 8 hours solid today, using Stihl FS360c. Faultless. Using some nice thick spiral cord, the spiral stuff seems to be sharper (due to the ridges) and cuts better than normal straight cord

Looking at the FS 94 or FS 91. I’m taking the van out in August so if I can find a good second-hand one before then, I’ll get that. If not, I’ll buy a new one in Spain.

I bought a used Stihl FS450 about four or five years ago for around £200. We have a long tree lined drive and numerous paths through the woods which I keep clear of weeds and long grass. It’s been bombproof. If it should die, I’ll replace it with another used one.

Using these big pro spec tools, you really need decent PPE.