Shindiawa T242 Stihl FS90R Red Max BCZ2401S

[MileHigh]

Own both the stihl and the shindy..I will never buy any more Stihl products.

I prefer the shindy...lightweight and has some balls...For $279...you just can't go wrong with the t242

Plus it comes stock with a Speed Feed head.

But don't count out the RedMax...there stuff is real good.

[justanotherlawnguy]

Originally Posted by mowerdude777

Yeah my trimming is pretty light too. I only do 15 yards on average per week, and my 2007 echo trimmer is a piece of crap.

I also own both the stihl and the shindaiwa, if all you do is light trimming then get the shindaiwa.

The stihl has more power for going through the thick stuff, but the shindaiwa is lighter. I had a bunch of problems with the stihl (4 mix blows and i wont buy another). Bought the shindaiwa to replace it, in fact it ran so smooth and nice I went back later and bought a new edger...

[mowerdude777]

bump bump bump

[Dan85]

I have experience with both the Stihl and Shinidiawa. I Agree with the above posters, the Shinidiawa's are definitely lighter.

Personally, I would opt for the Stihl for a couple of reasons; first I don't particularly care for the Shinidiawa head assembly. Also, the STIHL seems a little more solid built - for example on ours the choke lever is built into the housing whereas the Shindiawa one has a lever that simply sticks out - it broke almost immediately. (admittedly to rough handling by the crew) One small annoyance I don't like is that the starter handle on the recoil tends to get caught between the housing for the engine and the air filter, nothing major but just a little annoyance.

- Dan

[mjealey]

Shindaiwa T242 trimmer and LE242 edger for me. They can't be beat. Stihl makes great products and I am never affraid to buy their pruducts, but on this one the Shindaiwa 242wins for sure. They are light weight, powerful and very comnfortable to use. Specs will make you think the motor isn't enough at only 23cc, but it is strong. Always starts on the first few pulls and I don't even need to choke them. For the money these are great trimmers. I paid $279 for mine also. I haven't had the problems some people have with the 4mix, but I would still be a little cautious of them based on what my dealer and other people have to say about them.

Shindaiwa for sure on this one!!!!

My next trimmer will be a Redmax to compare to the Shindaiwa.

If you get a Stihl, immediately go to your dealer and get the 375 Speed Feed head to for the FS90.

[mowerdude777]

Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump

[mowerdude777]

bump!!!!!!!!!!

[kaferhaus]

The FS90s are great trimmers, easy starts, plenty of power for even tall tough weeds, they don't even know grass is there..

And we've never had an issue with the 4 mix engines even with owning over a dozen pieces of equipment that have them.

The Redmax/Kaw dealer here also runs a lawn service, so those products are out of the question for us anyway.

The Sthil/Echo/Honda dealer here has been in business over 50yrs. There's a reason, pleasant folks, excellent service, huge inventory and always a fresh pot of coffee.

Years ago they sold appliances and a little lawn equip, the big box stores slowly put them out of the appliance business and they slowly moved to becoming the major player in this area for pro grade lawn/landscaping equip.

Talk about a company re-defining themselves!

[mowzilla]

i love redmax and based on my blower's performance was going to buy a redmax bcz2401 but i went with the m242 w/shears a trimmer. i like the four mix, but i have spent 100's of hours using a st261 shindaiwa and if you take care of it and use opti-2 oil, the shindaiwa feels like a custom piece of equipment and does well in a variety of conditions. the four mix has a lot of torque but gets heavy quickly.. the st242 is a good pick as is the redmax, but go with the st261/bcz2601..worth it.

[mowerdude777]

I have narrowed my choices down to the Red Max And the Shindiawa