Strimmers

Can anyone recommend a petrol-driven strimmer? I want something to keep the paths clear in my wood, so something with a bit more grunt than the basic B&Q small garden strimmers, something like a Stihl?

Any pointers on what to look for, are the ones with handles better? Any good deals?

Thanks in advance…

Im a big fan of my 4stroke Honda strimmer (Honda UMK425UE) . So much smoother and quieter than a rattling 2stroke. Easy start, well balanced, not too heavy.

Plenty of grunt from the 25cc, they also do a 35cc if you really need it.

Not cheap, but honda reliability – I expect this to last 20+ years.

That looks good Stoner, and it’s available for £285 online which seems good value…

Are the bike-handle type brushcutters a lot better than ordinary strimmers?

bike handle as opposed to U handle do you mean?

Cant comment about U’s as not tried them but cow horn bars are comfortable for extended use if you set them up right and have the strimmer balanced in the harness right. (BTW comes with harness)

Echo make good strimmers

I have a Stihl which was secondhand when I got it 16 years ago – still works fine – have replaced the head shroud and the cutting head bearing but that’s all.

Only gets used a couple of times a year mind you as I can’t stand the noise…

That’s one of the downsides of 2-stroke though Hamish, and having to mix your petrol… Quite like the idea of a quiet 4-stroke…

Been using a Ryobi, can change heads from strimmer to hedge trimmer etc etc.

the only two stroke bit of kit I still have is a stihl chainsaw. Honda 4 stroke strimmer and mower are a pleasure to use. And of course Belzebub is 4 stroke too. But not very quiet 😉

I like the look of that Stoner!! I don’t think it would fit down the paths of my wood though, and most of the open grassy areas are 25° inclines… I don’t fancy tumbling down to the bottom with one of those at full chat!!!

I have a Stihl FS 90. It’s great for trail clearing with either line or the brush knife. I have the saw blade, but have never needed it. It is a 4 stroke, but still uses 50:1 fuel:oil mix like 2 cycle Stihl equipment.

However, I know someone that has something like this and it is much faster than any handheld trimmer. It does a fantastic job of maintaining trails!

Here at Thetford MTB racing were we use strimmers to get the race course cut back we used and still have 2 Ryobi strimmers, that have done about 8 years hard work, engines are good but heads are the week point
We are now using 2 Echo strimmers (on a par with a stihl) and around the same money, good smooth running quit strimmer with a fantastic simple head to re load and will take comfortably a 2.5mm line, we are using the Origan line with a thin wire through the centre of the plastic, great for the tough bracken and brambles we deal with,

I have a 40 something cc Kawasaki two stroke strimmer, bought used from fleabay about eight years ago. I have a very long driveway that needs strimming a couple of times a month in summer. I wasn’t certain a strimmer would be any use as the the grass was quite out of and at first and I didnt want to blow a shed load of cash on someting that wouldnt work. But after the first cut, it was much more manageable. Use the largest cutting cord you can. They also now come with a semi serrated edge and a wire core.

Wear PPE. I use my chainsaw trousers and helmet, I’ve been hit by flying stones before. A good harness relieves much of the weight and makes it much easier to use.

If mine dies, I’ll probably go for a Sthil.

Have a ryobi with the detachable implements, the mini chainsaw attachment was very handy – the hedge clipper pretty useless, however it was an arse to start when hot and has now rattled itself u/s after about two years of occasional use – wouldn’t recommend one, will probably get 4t honda to replace it

Watch out for wasps’ nests 😥

I have a Stihl FS250 & used it say 10 days a year for the last 8 years. It’s 2 stroke, 40cc & I use it to clear weeds, sapplings, bushes etc with either cord or a metal 2 pronged cutting head.

I love it, it eats through most stuff. Bit noisy being 2 stroke but I wear ear defenders & mask. Have to be careful as it kicks up stones.

A c 1 acre plot takes me 1 day to get round, just switch the heads, fuel lasts 40 mins. Harness, gloves, face guard.

You can get cheaper ones, think mine was about 500 gbp when I bought it. Just needs a service every few years.

I’ve got the stihl Kombi system, which is boss. Plus the easy start engine means even the bread knife can fire it up.

http://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/01478/KombiSystem.aspx

I use a pair of tweezers to do all the strimming I need to do.

😐

Those combi systems look OK, but I have no use for a hedge trimmer. I’m a firm believer in the right tool for the job, so I’m thinking the Honda Stoner mentioned is going to be best for the type of terrain I have.
Thanks for all the input fellas, even you, nicely-trimmed-fannylion… Grrr. 😀

+1 for Stihl. Also see the “other” thread.