"Mark" wrote in message
...
I'm swimming against the grain, here, but have been beating the crap
out of 2 Ryobi trimmers for years, now, the latest one (because i wanted
the 2-piece shaft to add roto tiller attachment) from harbor fright for
under 100.00.

I'm generally not a Ryobi fan, but I've been using one I bought for $79 at
Costco for about 5 years with zero problems, and I do a lot of trimming. We
even had one at work we got more than a few years out of.

I recommend the echo head (from most dealers) into which you stuff
pre-cut pieces of line, like the chinese finger-cuff.

I recommend the shaped (not round or square) line, which has sharp
cutting edges. Some don't like this, as it has higher wind resistance
than round stuff, but I love it.

just my 1.6 cents / mark


Lane wrote:
I'm tired of nursing along my 10 year old Homelite string trimmer. The
plastic choke rod broke last summer and you can't buy another one without
buying a whole carb. Yea I could probably make one, but....



I can get it started with starting fluid, but even then it isn't as
powerful as it used to be. Besides, I hate the head that holds the
string.. Bought a replacement one that you manually put the string
through, but it's almost as much a PITA as the original head. Here are
some Brands that I know are supposed to be good, Jonsered, Stihl,
Husqvarna, and Shindaiwa.

I'd like to stay under $250 or so in price. I want a head that works
reliably, even after several years of use if that is at all possible. It
will be used around the house and yard, occasionally on green
blackberries, not the hard woody stuff. But would like to be able to
change heads to something stronger for that capability too.

Would like to hear about your experiences with any models of the brands I
mentioned above. Or if there is another brand you think I should look at
feel free.

Thanks
Lane