String trimmer

I’m looking to buy a medium duty trimmer. About an hour or two use per week, and heavy use a couple times a season. Budget is 350. I live on 5 wooded acres so it’s gonna get some hot suppers.

Looking at Echo, Husqvarna, and Stihl. In that order. Am I missing any top tier brands?

How are these new two strokes to start? I hear they can be a real PITA. Even still, two stroke is how I’m leaning, but could be convinced otherwisen if the four strokes work decent and are worth the extra weight. It would be nice not to mix gas and my wife is going to be using it too, so ease of operation a big plus.

Also, any value to having one of these units with exchangeable attachments? Other than a pole saw and hedge trimmer, I don’t really see much added value. Seems like a consumer gimmick and more crap to break.

Thanks a mucho!

Do you have any Milwaukee tools/batteries? I have the M18 string trimmer that is excellent. Highly recommend if you have any larger M18 batteries. Never need to worry about starting a 2stroke again.

I got a new Husky 2 stroke, love it and easy to start, buddy just bought a Honda 4 stroke and also raves about it,hard to go wrong with any good brand name.

munchy wrote:

Do you have any Milwaukee tools/batteries? I have the M18 string trimmer that is excellent. Highly recommend if you have any larger M18 batteries. Never need to worry about starting a 2stroke again.

I also have the Milwaukee m18 string trimmer. Never will go back to gas powered trimmer (same as ice auger). Camping neighbor has a Dewalt that I tried and don’t think you could go wrong there either (same as ice auger).

Go with the Milwaukee cordless. Awesome tool I love. I also have a large Husqvarna 2 stroke trimmer that is great and very powerful that I just no longer use. The Milwaukee does the job.

Definitely go with the battery operated trimmer. I got a Black & Decker 20V lithium ion trimmer & love it!!

Get the electric trimmer to match the batteries you have. I went with a Dewalt brushless trimmer this spring and will never go back to a gas trimmer, the thing is amazing.

I find that the batteries on my ryobi only last so long and that is a good thing. Haha.

onestout wrote:

Get the electric trimmer to match the batteries you have. I went with a Dewalt brushless trimmer this spring and will never go back to a gas trimmer, the thing is amazing.

I have the same one and love it. I have a Cub Cadet one as well that runs on regular gas. It’s all right but can be hard to start at times. Thinking about handing it down and getting another DeWalt. I also have the DeWalt leaf blowers. Love both of them as well.

+10 on the Milwaukee cordless M18. I put some metal blades on mine and couldn’t be happier. Oncw your invested in M18 batteries and charger you’ll want to try the other tools. I use a M18 leaf blower to help clean gutters and to clear snow if it’s not too wet. The M18 chainsaw is awesome.

My $.02 Is also the Milwaukee.
Bought mine 2 years ago and will never have anything else.
Extremely Happy.
I also have a Stihl. Wonder if it will still start.

Look at the top Ryobi one too, it’s a beast! Who cares if you have a big yard and need an extra battery for any brand? Get a real one, don’t screw around with Skill, B&D, or other cheapies. Get the brand you have batteries for. Gas is such a PIA, starting is easy till it isn’t, then you might as well toss them out and the buy electric. Eventually you will have an electric!

onestout wrote:

Get the electric trimmer to match the batteries you have. I went with a Dewalt brushless trimmer this spring and will never go back to a gas trimmer, the thing is amazing.

X3 on a cordless string trimmer. I too have a 20volt Dewalt and am extremely happy with it. By the time one battery is dead, the other one will be recharged. I have a Dewalt 20volt chainsaw on order now too. (raincheck on spring special discount).

I have a Black & Decker lithium cordless trimmer/blower combo. It works great for the small suburban yard I have. Bear in mind comparing the use to your 5 acre yard may not be feasible though. If I had a 5 acre yard I’d probably go with a gas one instead of battery/cordless. I feel like battery would wear out before you finished (unless you had more than one and had it charged up already). The thing that sucks with a gas one (especially a 2 stroke) is that its another small engine to maintain but with such a big yard you may not have a choice.

X10 on the milwaukee cordless love it. Last year they had a deal were you bought the string trimmer and got the blower free

I run a 20V dewalt.. It was an easy decision for me because I run 3 other tools off these batteries and have extras. I can beat the urine out of mine and not worry about the battery so much anyways. Have not issues at all with it. Fleet Farm was running a sale on it for 139.00. Couldnt pass it up.

I had a husq for 15years that never needed anything (not even a plug). Only gave it away because I got the Milwaukee trimmer/blower. The mil works great and always goes when I pull the trigger, but I do not like the balancing of the unit. Maybe a strap would help – I only have about 15min of work so it isnt a big deal.

Another vote for the Milwaukee M18 here. Have had mine for at least 3 seasons now and don’t miss the gas version. Also bought mine where I got the string trimmer, battery, charger and a free blower. Blower works great also and gets used year round. I would agree that if you are invested in one of the better quality battery platforms stick with that brand and you should be ok.

Another vote for cordless! I’ve got the Dewalt 20V, but whatever tool brand your batteries are for I’m sure you can’t go wrong.

5 years ago I bought an Ego 56 volt trimmer from Home Depot. One the best purchases I have ever made. I just went off reviews at the time and was reluctant. I have since bought the hedge trimmer and leaf blower too. Still using the same single battery for all units. highly recommend. will never go back to gas. (1.5 acre lawn with lots of edging and shrubs/trees to go around) Have Never run out of battery power before finishing the job.

Well, it sounds like maybe I need two units. Gasser for the heavy days and a cordless for the light days. Most times I only trim around landscaping and the driveway, and I’m done in under 45 minutes. But 6-8 times a year I hit the pasture and cut back the brush from from the yard. That’s a 3-4 he job and I doubt that any cordless trimmer has that type of chooch.

Thanks guys.

Bought the ego battery trimmer and will never go back to gas. Works great everytime and putting in new cord has an auto load that makes it a snap. Go electric.

I have a stihl that I have had great luck with but it hasn’t been started in 2 years since I got a Milwaukee. Figured I would still use the stihl when I go out to the farm but the Milwaukee with M18 12ah battery will go just as long as a full tank of gas. Never thought electric would take down waist high grass but has no issue. Stihl and Milwaukee both have auto winding string don’t know about the other brands but that would be a deal breaker for me if they didn’t. I know my dads Dewalt is take off the head and wind it yourself.

Do you all run the original stringer heads on your Milwaukee or Dewalt? On my old gas trimmer, I ran a couple of those seen on tv with the plastic blades. I liked them until I had to buy replacement blades. They would snap right away and did not cut hardly anything.

I use the very expensive premixed 2 stroke gas in my blower & trimmer, both Huskys and they start right off. I have found it is cheaper that the headache of bad 2 stroke gas. I even make sure that my ladt tankfull of chsinsaw gas in my old (40+ y.o.) 451 EV Jonsered is premixed & my starting problems are gone.
I would only get a straight shaft trimmer vs one with a curved cable. Yoo much power loss and stress with the curved in my experience

Stihl 4 mix is my preferred trimmer but I do some lawn care work. Non ethanol gas is what you need to be using in any small engine.

tindall wrote:

I do not like the balancing of the unit. Maybe a strap would help

I find that all my M18 tools balance better with the large 12AH batteries.

Doug M wrote:

Do you all run the original stringer heads on your Milwaukee or Dewalt? On my old gas trimmer, I ran a couple of those seen on tv with the plastic blades. I liked them until I had to buy replacement blades. They would snap right away and did not cut hardly anything.

The plastic blades usually last me 2 years. I had to replace them about a month ago and at my local Farm & Fleet I found a set of 3 small metal blades that fit just like the swinging plastic blades. So far these metal blades have been great.

The_Bladepuller wrote:

I use the very expensive premixed 2 stroke gas in my blower & trimmer, both Huskys and they start right off. I have found it is cheaper that the headache of bad 2 stroke gas. I even make sure that my ladt tankfull of chsinsaw gas in my old (40+ y.o.) 451 EV Jonsered is premixed & my starting problems are gone.
I would only get a straight shaft trimmer vs one with a curved cable. Yoo much power loss and stress with the curved in my experience

Use non-oxy gas and you will achieve the exact same. Much more economical than using pre-mixed.

chamberschamps wrote:

Well, it sounds like maybe I need two units. Gasser for the heavy days and a cordless for the light days. Most times I only trim around landscaping and the driveway, and I’m done in under 45 minutes. But 6-8 times a year I hit the pasture and cut back the brush from from the yard. That’s a 3-4 he job and I doubt that any cordless trimmer has that type of chooch.

Thanks guys.

I was thinking the same thing. I am on 5 wooded acres also, and clear some serious brush and weeds from time to time, don’t know if an electric would be up for that task?

lindyrig79 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>chamberschamps wrote:</div>
Well, it sounds like maybe I need two units. Gasser for the heavy days and a cordless for the light days. Most times I only trim around landscaping and the driveway, and I’m done in under 45 minutes. But 6-8 times a year I hit the pasture and cut back the brush from from the yard. That’s a 3-4 he job and I doubt that any cordless trimmer has that type of chooch.

Thanks guys.

I was thinking the same thing. I am on 5 wooded acres also, and clear some serious brush and weeds from time to time, don’t know if an electric would be up for that task?

They seem to have just as much power as an average Stihl. Runtime only depends on battery size and number of batteries on hand. If you went with 2 12ah batteries and a rapid charger I imagine you could go all day. Maybe have a 5ah and standard charger in case the 12ah charger can’t keep up. Obviously these big batteries are spendy and will quickly surpass the price of the average gas powered trimmer. But once that initial investment is placed there are hundreds of additional tools available.

I typically leave mine on “Turtle” mode and feather the throttle to about half and it does just fine. No need to go balls out with most use.