Hey everyone, I need some real advice on picking up a new weed eater. My old Ryobi finally died after 6 years, and the options out there now are pretty overwhelming. I’ve got about 3/4 acre to maintain, with a mix of regular grass edges and some thick stuff growing along the fence line.
It’s $320 but the Stihl FS70 is really really solid for the price. It’s the perfect middle ground for me between the high-end professional stuff and the average homeowner quality.
Stihl 56 RC, been rocking mine since 2017, starts on 3rd pull cold. Zero issues and I have a lot of hours on it since I used to run it on an acre. I expect another 7 years easy without issue based on how it’s going. Imagine spending $230 and being done for 20-30 years other than marginal gas. Those electric batteries wear out in several years and are expensive, let alone the trimmers costing $150+. Electric has its place but I have a spreadsheet that tells me if the piece makes sense to buy electric. If I had a small lawn it’s whatever, still would buy the Stihl 10/10 times though based on it being bulletproof point and shoot.
I just picked up the Makita XGT 40v and it is an absolute beast. I was able to find it on Marketplace for $200 new in box.
Dakota said:
I just picked up the Makita XGT 40v and it is an absolute beast. I was able to find it on Marketplace for $200 new in box.
I would go for a gas with a large yard.
Dakota said:
I just picked up the Makita XGT 40v and it is an absolute beast. I was able to find it on Marketplace for $200 new in box.
I would go for a gas with a large yard.
Usually I’d agree but these new 40v trimmers are no joke. The tech has really come a long way.
Can you get Oleo Mac machines over there?
My friend has 3 acres fenced and a used Stihl FS70. That thing has had regular maintenance but it’s 10 years old since HE got it.
Stihl all day long. I’d go with the FS90. It has a grease point on the gear head that I don’t think the FS70 has.
I love my Ego trimmer. It replaced a Stihl 4-stroke that I really loved until I got the Ego. They are both great but I’ll never go back to gas.
The Echo straight shaft trimmer is $249 as of now. I have one. Very reliable, serviceable, and pretty fuel-efficient. I’ve had one for years now and haven’t had any issues. Echo is a solid choice.
If you have to keep it under $300, I’d get the Echo SRM-225. I think the Stihl FS90 is a better option but it’s going to run you just under $400. Whichever one you go with just take care of it and they’ll last forever.
@Hollis
My Home Depot Echo refuses to die.
Similar post from an hour earlier, so I’m just going to copy the same comment I made there…
Ryobi 40V HP attachment capable string trimmer was EASILY the best lawn-related purchase I’ve ever made.
For string trimmers, the choice to go electric is a no-brainer. Gas just plain doesn’t make sense anymore unless you’re doing commercial work.
- Instant start and stop with the pull of a trigger.
- Very precise and wide range of power control.
- FAR less vibration and noise.
- No mixing gas.
- Battery life is just plain not an issue unless you’re genuinely clearing whole fields. Even then, you can get larger batteries that charge decently fast.
And the attachments open up an entire world of convenience. (Some gas power heads are attachment capable.) The attachments I’ve got:
- Pole saw. Love it.
- Snow thrower. I was astonished by how friggin effective this is. It literally throws snow 25+ feet, makes clearing the driveway very fast… It’s a workout for sure because it’s heavy and you have to actually push it.
- Brush cutter. Thick metal cutter with sharpened edge. My string trimmer has the ability to mount the attachments in a few different orientations, so you can also use this attachment as an edger (but there is also an actual edger attachment).
- Obviously the string trimmer head, which also has the ability to mount 3 brush cutter blades that work alright. The string trimmer itself is solid and I have no complaints.
For all of the attachments, power and battery life is always more than adequate. However, when I’m using the pole saw to cut stuff that is objectively too thick, battery life can be a bit anaemic.