[rodge827]

Gents,

There is a lot of good info here.
I was in Home Despot and got a good look at all they carry.
Tomorrow I'll hit Lowes and our local Sthil dealer.

Do/have any of you use/tried Truefuel?



Thinking of using this if I go 2cycle.

Thanks again,

Chris


 

[thunderbrick]

My wife has a bunch of Ryobi ni-cad cordless tools.   I've never been impressed with the battery performance, even with new batteries.

[hayden]

I've used a small Echo for over ten years, and it starts every spring.  Maintenance has been almost nil, and it simply works when I need it.  Sure, it is louder than a battery unit but nobody in our development has ever complained that it is too loud.  The commercial Echo's are more expensive, but well worth the money.

[WireNut]

My wife has a bunch of Ryobi ni-cad cordless tools.   

  

[WireNut]

Gents,
There is a lot of good info here.
I was in Home Despot and got a good look at all they carry.
Tomorrow I'll hit Lowes and our local Sthil dealer.
Do/have any of you use/tried Truefuel?

Thinking of using this if I go 2cycle.
Thanks again,
Chris

rodge827,

I'm curious as to what trimmer gas/battery you decided to purchase. I'm also in the market for a new trimmer. My yard is only approx 1/4 acre.






 










 

[abernardi]

  Look guys, there's always going to be an endless debate on this subject, so no flames please.  I have a slightly different take on all this.  The noise floor with batteries is MUCH lower than gas, that cannot be denied.  But batteries have their own issues.  When I got my Hynes 2 stroke power supply, there was no question as to the improvement in dynamics and drive.  The power just was there when you needed it.  Yes, batteries will give you a blacker background, but as quiet as DC is, nothing beats the raw power of a gas supply. 
  The only issue of course is the fumes, but that's for another thread.  BTW, if you're driving anything with a sensitivity of less than 88db, get the Hynes Ultrawacker.  It's twice the price, but you won't regret it.

[WireNut]

Look guys, there's always going to be an endless debate on this subject, so no flames please.  I have a slightly different take on all this.  The noise floor with batteries is MUCH lower than gas, that cannot be denied.  But batteries have their own issues.  When I got my Hynes 2 stroke power supply, there was no question as to the improvement in dynamics and drive.  The power just was there when you needed it.  Yes, batteries will give you a blacker background, but as quiet as DC is, nothing beats the raw power of a gas supply. 
  The only issue of course is the fumes, but that's for another thread.  BTW, if you're driving anything with a sensitivity of less than 88db, get the Hynes Ultrawacker.  It's twice the price, but you won't regret it.get the Hynes Ultrawacker.  It's twice the price, but you won't regret it.

 



 

 

[WireNut]

rodge827,
I'm curious as to what trimmer gas/battery you decided to purchase. I'm also in the market for a new trimmer. My yard is only approx 1/4 acre.

rodge827,
After you purchase your new trimmer, let us know what you purchased, and how you like it so far.
Thanks,
WN.

[rodge827]

rodge827,
After you purchase your new trimmer, let us know what you purchased, and how you like it so far.
Thanks,
WN.

After going through the pros, cons, pricing, and needs, I wound up with a Stihl FS 45 2 stroke trimmer $159.00. 
My local Lowes, Home Depot and Stihl dealer are all within a mile of each other and the specs of the Sthil made it worth the extra cost.
The build quality just felt superior to the others and being able to purchase Sthil fuel or Trufuel brought a 2 cycle back into the mix.
With my old Featherlite I hardly went through a gallon of gas over the season with the 18cc engine. The Sthil 27cc engine will use more fuel, but the extra cost will be worth it.

So how did it perform?

Start up took a little longer than the manual said, but once it was going WOW! 
There is a break in period, only run the unit a less than full speed, for the first few tank fills.   
The thing is an animal compared to the Featherlite. I have some very mature weed overgrowth due to not trimming them for the last few weeks.
Even at less than full speed the Sthil did the job without breaking a sweat.
I was dripping all over the place due to the humidity yesterday.
So far so good, I will report back any other findings in the future.





Chris

[HsvHeelFan]

I've got an Echo SRM-230:

http://www.echo-usa.com/Products/Trimmers/SRM-230

that I've had for years.  It is always easy to start (the easiest string trimmer I've ever had to start) and it runs great.

Be aware that the Echo SRM-230 runs counterclockwise,   if you prefer to cut at the 9 o'clock position on the cutting head, the grass and weeds will be thrown towards you.  If you cut at the 3 o'clock position, the debris is thrown out in front of you.  I'm fine with that, but it was a deal breaker for my dad.

HsvHeelFan

[thunderbrick]

A quick search for Hynes Ultrawacker came up emtpy   

Uh, read it again slowly.   You've been had. 

[ken]

Chris, good move going with a gas powered trimmer.   Can't comment on any of the battery operated ones out there as I've never owned one but I did have several electric ones and wasn't very impressed.  I eventually bought a used two stroke John Deere from someone moving overseas and wow is this thing a beast! Going on 8+ years now and my only complaint is that it's a little heavy