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Stihl or Echo weed trimmer?

chumchum
HI, anybody have a suggestion. I was looking at an Echo or a Stihl. They are both $200 and about the same in spec. I'm not sure which one is the best?

Thanks
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Comments

39 comments

Date Votes
  • p3skyking
    Either would be a good choice, but I lean toward the Echo because I know how to spell it.
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  • Captplaid
    Stihl all the way. I have an FS 350. They call it a brushcutter instead of calling it a weedeater. This sucker has a decompression button for starting. It's a gas hog of a weedeater! It's awesome on weeds and under electric fence.

    If you live in the country I would recommend the FS 95 with the bicycle handle bars. In the city I would recommend the FS 90 with ether the conventional J-bar or the bicycle handle bar. The 95 and 90 have the same motor. The 95 has a stronger shaft.

    All the dealers charge the same price. You might find a sale at a county fair.
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  • Captplaid
    Don't get the plastic fingers. It's a gimic. Get the sting.
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  • Nwcid
    My family sold power equipment for about 20 years. If you want the best Stihl is the best. My brother sill works for a compay that sell Stihl equipment. If you need any parts or accessories I can hook you up on those. Polycut Blades (plastic fingers) on the Stihl trimmers are great if used for the correct cutting. Each style of cutters, string/poly blades/metal blades, have a certian use pick the right tool for the job.


    http://www.stihlusa.com/trimmers/blades.html

    My 3 favorite heads are the:

    Autocut, string for light cutting or around hard objects.

    Polycut, poly blades for heavy grass and light to medium vine type material.

    Brush knife, metal for heavy vines, thisle style weeds, shrub type wood up to about thumb size.


    For the stuff I do I dont see a need for the saw type blades since I would use a chain saw (Stihl of course). They could be very handy for comercial thinning.
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  • Captplaid
    I prefer the Autocut with oversize red, .105 I think, string. On the FS95 I have to widdle the string down to fit it into the hole as I start wrapping it.
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  • chumchum
    I wasn't going all out. I was looking at the FS 55. It's $200, I'm just tired of these junk $70 ones that you have to fuss with every year to get them running decent to use another season.
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  • Captplaid
    FS 90, and you won't buy another weedeater.
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  • brutalconversions
    kind of wierd for gun site, but I have used Echos. They are "economy" trimmers. Its like a nissan. The motor is great, everyhting else is great till it breaks. The stihl is a bad mother, but the parts are going to be more. Like the other guy says, use .80 line for normal yard, .105 for the rough stuff, and if you need a blade, try to get burn permits instead. Get your leg with those and you can die, and they burn up your motor if you don't retune the carb.
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  • Mossbergboogie
    stihl products are built to take a lot of abuse.
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  • sothere
    Stihl FS90.With the blabe type cutter.I use the plastice blades with great success and also have the steel 10" blade for suckers around the maple trees.I've cut down trees 4" across with it and have even split the steel blade in half.Fotunatly I did'nt amputate my foot in the process.I wear steel toes with baseball shin gaurds now when i use it.Had it for 12 years with 0 problems.Great product
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  • shoff14
    stihl. Great engines with walbro carbs. They just can't be beat.
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  • chumchum
    Welcome Brutal, This is the general section of the site. You see everything here from one's first born announcement. To someone greiving a death of a loved one, and everything in between. If you want to get into the gun stuff, check the expert page. That is all they talk about. Thanks for the input, I hope you enjoy the site. I hardly ever come to the general section. But when you have a question or need a friend it's great to have.

    Thanks
    Glenn Martz
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  • cmd66
    Neither. I have a Husqvarna, it eat's Stihl's and Echo's for dinner.[;)]
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  • chumchum
    Well, let me throw this in the mix. I have a Stihl fs 80 av that was my father in-laws. My mother in-law gave it to me when he passed away and was cleaning things out. It runs just not right. I strongly supect it's a carb problem. Is it worth spending a few bucks on? I think it's pretty old, but it seems to have good compresstion.
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  • Captplaid
    I forget exactly, but I think the 90 and 95 replaced the 80 and something else. No major changes. I think the parts were mostly interchangeable. Yeah it's probably repairable,
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  • David Nunn
    Echo, but not the $200 one. Spend more and get the solid shaft model. It will last forever.

    And don't buy it at the Home Depot if you can help it. You can probably get it at a locally owned mom & pop store for the same or less money, with more appreciation for your business, serviced and test run. I was going to mention service, but it is highly unlikely your Echo will need any servicing, beyond normal maintenance.
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  • hisbigbootygirl
    Echo
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  • phillip
    Stihl,I have a chain saw and a weed eater.I have had problems lately at the beginning of the season,But the service guy said to use only stihl oil and run it out of gas at the end of the season.These units are several years old.FYI I also have a husky thats turning out to be a preaty good saw for the smaller chores.
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  • David Nunn
    Please don't use the term "weed eater" to refer to an Echo trimmer.

    "Weed Eater" is the registered trade name of a VERY inferior product, which by the way is almost exclusively sold at Wal*Mart.

    I will never call my Echo a "weed eater."
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  • Captplaid
    My old John Deere chainsaw was made by Echo. It's a good one. It at least 25 year old. I've ran it so hard that fresh gasoline actually boils as I fill it back up.

    Dad has another John Deere that's the same vintage but a couple of sizes bigger. It's a butt-scratcher. The oiler has never worked well.

    The new John Deere weedeaters brush cutters were created when John Deere bought Homelite a few years ago. They're supposedly an industrial version. The price is comparable to a good Stihl, but Stihl has a long reputation in 2 cycles.
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  • David Nunn
    Look at the landscape service trailers in your area and see what sort of trimmers are hanging thereon. That's what I did. Those guys aren't going to waste time on something that doesn't work.
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  • Jacob2008
    Stihl chainsaws, and everything else if avaliable. Echo feels like your running a hunk of junk
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  • David Nunn
    quote:Stihl chainsaws, and everything else if avaliable. Echo feels like your running a hunk of junk

    HAH! I have a Stihl chainsaw I will give you if you will come get it. You would have a tough time talking me out of my Echo chain saw or weed trimmer.
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  • shoff14
    quote:Originally posted by chumchum
    Well, let me throw this in the mix. I have a Stihl fs 80 av that was my father in-laws. My mother in-law gave it to me when he passed away and was cleaning things out. It runs just not right. I strongly supect it's a carb problem. Is it worth spending a few bucks on? I think it's pretty old, but it seems to have good compresstion.


    The walbro carbs are very simple you can probably do it yourself. Carb kits for walbro run about 12.00 bucks. You will get more gaskets then you need, just use what you take off. Change the pump side first and clean it out, then change the other side and make sure you clean the little screen on the needle side with a pocket knife. Little gunk gets caught on that screen. Then set the needles untill it runs properly. You might have two a High (H) and Low (L) or just a High. Adjust the low untill it idles correctly, then adjust the high so that it has enough fuel to run properly at full throttle. Low will be about 1/4 to 1/2 turn out, the high should be bewteen 1.5 and 3 turns out. Also make sure your using fresh gas mixture. Gas will evaporate out of old gas mixtures leaving you with more oil then is neccesary.
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  • Captplaid
    I've spent more on buying a weedeater than buying a lawnmower.

    I've spent more on parts for the lawnmower than parts for the weedeater.
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  • shoff14
    quote:Originally posted by nunn
    Look at the landscape service trailers in your area and see what sort of trimmers are hanging thereon. That's what I did. Those guys aren't going to waste time on something that doesn't work.


    We used all stihl stuff, never had any problems with them when I was working for the city. Growing up on a farm, we always used Stihl chainsaws, we had a 10" a 14" and 18" they would cut anything. My mom had a stihl weed eater, thing must be 15 years old now and runs like new and is used at least once a week.
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  • dolfan
    I'm with Nunn.

    I have an Echo chainsaw, blower and weed whacker.
    All are over 4 years old and run excellent.

    The chainsaw got a real work-out after Katrina and Wilma. No problems, just messed up a few blades.

    Stihl, Echo and Shidawa(sp?) are what the pros use.
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  • Colt Super
    Is this like a "Ford vs Chevy" discussion ??

    Doug
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  • shoff14
    quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
    Is this like a "Ford vs Chevy" discussion ??

    Doug


    No thats like apples and oranges, Ford doesn't stand a chance against Chevy. [:D]
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  • JustC
    My Echo chainsaw has quite a lot of hours on it and runs like a top. It has never been outperformed by another brand,.....they may perform the same, but certainly not any better. best chainsaw I have used in my life.
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