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Speed Feed Head eats though line 4-5X faster than Ryobi head

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roody2333

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I used a 4 stroke Ryobi 30cc trimmer with a Reel Easy 2 head for a while, good machine but it can't be used upside down for edging being a 4 stroke it burns oil upside down.

Wanted to stick with 4 stroke because it's cleaner burning so I got a Honda with patented splash oiler can be used upside down without burning oil. Got speed feed 400 and 450 heads for the Honda (SpeedFeed doesn't fit Ryobi otherwise I woulda tried it previously).

I noticed the SF burns though line much much faster than the Ryobi. Using the same .95 line.
It also tends to shear of line to the point that the head has to be taken apart when edging really overgrown sidewalk whereas the Ryobi didn't do this as much if at all.

Maybe it's because the RPMs are different although probably similar anyway. I had the same results using the 400 and 450 head on both a 25cc Honda and 35cc Honda.
And the Ryobi head on a 2 stroke (higher rpms but less torque) didn't eat through a lot of line.

Maybe it's because I tend to bump a lot, I usually bump when the line gets to about %75, it just cuts so much better with long line. Maybe the SF feeds out more per bump and thus more is cut off/wasted when frequently bumping but I didn't notice any pieces on the ground of wasted excess. Will check for that though, just though of this now.

Still like the SF better though. It never ever jammed, the Ryobi didsometimes and can be a PITA to wind. The SF feeds when bumped much easier but I checked and it's not feeding when not bumped (not making that sound when the line is longer than the guard and hear the cutter cutting it).
The SF is gigantic compared to the Ryobi but I still think the SF 400 actually holds much less .95 than the Ryobi did, but the big 450 holds about the same 25' of .95 as the Reel Easy claims (or 20' not sure but the 400 SF definitely doesn't seem to hold 20' .95 like it claims).
Plus I can try up to .130 in the 450 whereas the Ryobi maxed out a .95 which is usually good diameter but I've never tried thicker.


Anyone notice speedfeed eats through much more line than other heads? I'm guessing it feeds out more per bump and since I frequently bump to have near max line length it is wasting more line.
 
Discussion starter · #2 ·
I guess the reason the SF breaks line off flush when edging an overgrown sidewalk is the metal inserts (eyelet) where the line comes out of the core. Maybe over time they will smooth out a bit. They might be sharper than the Ryobi outlets.

But I did notice the SF on a 35cc Honda when attacking thick vines etc purposely trying to break line off flush and/or trying to jam the gear head to find the thresholds, that neither of those happen whereas the Ryobi woulda broken the line off flush (and tangled the gear head to the point of needing disassembly and cleaning.

I guess the SF still breaks line when edging though because it's constant pressure against the eyelets vs trimming thick vines is a bit different.
 
#3 ·
I run SF with my echo’s . Some have edgeit’s on them ,some are run sans guard. When I use to run the factory guard and it still had the metal cutter on it my SF went through more line because every time I bumped it would waste cut pieces. I simply removed the cutter off and the waste stopped for me. Then I simply removed the whole guard lol. That lil metal cutter wastes a lot of line!!!. Now running without the guard if I simply let out to much line which is rare I simply grab the SF and click the line right back into the head.

Also if the bulk line you have sits in the sun or is a lil old drop it in a bucket of water for a day and let the filament soak in some moisture. Helps with the line getting dried out and brittle.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
on second thought it seems to go through line maybe twice faster than the Ryobi head, and yea I think it's all because the SF feeds out more line when bumped and thus more waste is cut off by the guard blade.
As noted I like the line max length and I bump often. I checked and it's a good inch or so wasted excess cut off by the guard's cutter. I didn't check the Ryobi cut-off excess amount but it's probably that the Ryobi cuts off less.

The good thing about this is that the SF bumps out very easily as mentioned I never ever had it jam like the ryobi sometimes does.
Bumps out easily = more excess is cut off.
Bumps out so easily I don't have to worry about using it on concrete which I never ever would do with the Ryobi cause the head will get eaten up. They have SF replacement 1:1 clone caps on ebay for like $3 shipped too.

I'll still stick with the set up. I cut back a bit on bumping to max length and I can get it to cut just fine for most vegetation when the line is past the cutter - it will still cut for a while without even cutting off the excess - I think I used to automatically hear the clickity sound of the cutter and give it more fuel to cut the line before cutting vegetation but it doesn't even need to be trimmed to size usually.

I still highly doubt the 400 fits 20 feet of .95 though. Maybe I can get a bit more in there if I push the head spring in while winding but I don't think it can fit 20 feet of the line I'm using which is basically diamond cross section. Switched to the big 450 SF today but I think for some reason I prefer the 400 but it's ok if it holds 16 feet or whatever I can just keep some spare line in pocket.
 
#7 ·
Turf Tracer said:
If you let out too much line w/no guard just spin line against a hard surface.

SF won't eat line any faster than any other head.
Click to expand...
That's what I do, I spin it off on the asphalt street or something, if I got the pruners on me just cut a couple inches off, I'm not gonna worry about an inch or two of waste here & there. Much bigger things to worry about.
The amount of time the SF saves is worth that waste if any at all.
 
#8 ·
roody2333 said:
I used a 4 stroke Ryobi 30cc trimmer with a Reel Easy 2 head for a while, good machine but it can't be used upside down for edging being a 4 stroke it burns oil upside down.

Wanted to stick with 4 stroke because it's cleaner burning so I got a Honda with patented splash oiler can be used upside down without burning oil. Got speed feed 400 and 450 heads for the Honda (SpeedFeed doesn't fit Ryobi otherwise I woulda tried it previously).

I noticed the SF burns though line much much faster than the Ryobi. Using the same .95 line.
It also tends to shear of line to the point that the head has to be taken apart when edging really overgrown sidewalk whereas the Ryobi didn't do this as much if at all.

Maybe it's because the RPMs are different although probably similar anyway. I had the same results using the 400 and 450 head on both a 25cc Honda and 35cc Honda.
And the Ryobi head on a 2 stroke (higher rpms but less torque) didn't eat through a lot of line.

Maybe it's because I tend to bump a lot, I usually bump when the line gets to about %75, it just cuts so much better with long line. Maybe the SF feeds out more per bump and thus more is cut off/wasted when frequently bumping but I didn't notice any pieces on the ground of wasted excess. Will check for that though, just though of this now.

Still like the SF better though. It never ever jammed, the Ryobi didsometimes and can be a PITA to wind. The SF feeds when bumped much easier but I checked and it's not feeding when not bumped (not making that sound when the line is longer than the guard and hear the cutter cutting it).
The SF is gigantic compared to the Ryobi but I still think the SF 400 actually holds much less .95 than the Ryobi did, but the big 450 holds about the same 25' of .95 as the Reel Easy claims (or 20' not sure but the 400 SF definitely doesn't seem to hold 20' .95 like it claims).
Plus I can try up to .130 in the 450 whereas the Ryobi maxed out a .95 which is usually good diameter but I've never tried thicker.

Anyone notice speedfeed eats through much more line than other heads? I'm guessing it feeds out more per bump and since I frequently bump to have near max line length it is wasting more line.
Click to expand...
I have the SF 400 and 450 and don't run guards on our trimmers. I have no issues with it breaking or consuming line, I've ran them for 7 years now. I was running Shindaiwa line and just switch to rotary line. Its black, I think its called vortex or something. Super tough, best line ever used. Cuts 10x better and lasts longer
 
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#11 ·
If running to much line on a small cc trimmer once you have too much line out it never gets rpm up enough to swing the line out to scrub the line off by running against concrete for me. The line just kinda jumbles up around the SF head so I just flip it up and twist the line back in the SF instead of cutting it off. Takes 2 secs.and doesn’t waste anything . Now on my 280 it swings it out no problem but my wife claimed the 280 as hers . I’m stuck with the lil guy which I prefer cuz I’m wimpy lol. Don’t ask my wife to arm wrestle though cause you will lose as she has been swinging that 280 for 6-7 yrs and that 280 has her forearm stout !! Lol. Yeah and that vortex black line is my favorite too. And when it sends the last foot out of the SF the black line disappears in the grass opposed to the green/yellow line that sticks out like a sore thumb and you have to pick up .
 
#12 ·
fatboynormmie said:
Yeah and that vortex black line is my favorite too. And when it sends the last foot out of the SF the black line disappears in the grass opposed to the green/yellow line that sticks out like a sore thumb and you have to pick up .
Click to expand...
Never thought about that, lol, Yea most of the time I can't find it so that's good enough for me.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
true maybe switching to heavier line will make less come out when bumped. And/or the line having a different cross section shape will make less come out per bump and thus less wasted cut off. Could be the opposite too though.

I've always used rino tuff heavy duty 0.95. which is basically 3 point diamond cross section.
https://www.amazon.com/Rino-Tuff-Heavy-Duty-Trimmer/dp/B00I0Z8TBE

The only other line I really tried was echo crossfire (8 point cross section) and I could tell right away the rino was better and just stuck with it but I will delve into the 'best trimmer line' threads and try something new always avoided that debate because I was fine with the rino tuff. Last I checked though seemed like one of the black lines were the best could be that vortex one.
 
#15 ·
On the amount of line the sf400 holds are you using a genuine one or a copy one from ebay as my experience is that the Chinese ones on ebay advertised as 400's are actually the older style 375's
I think the way to tell the difference is the 400 has different eyelets to the 450 the 375 uses the same eyelets
 
#18 ·
I’ve been using .105 vortex line for yrs . I run the 450SF and I run approx 18’ of .105 line in them . It’s actually 3 arm span widths that I cut and roll up into a roll of line that will fit into my pocket and a wrap a lil piece of electrical tape around them to keep them from unraveling . I make up about 25 of them at a time and hang them in the truck so I can reload my pocket easily after I use one. Way more efficient then having to run back to the truck to reload . All 3 of us keep a refill in our pockets. I just leave them in my cargo pocket on my pants and they go right through a wash cycle with zero issues too. When wrapping tape around the rolls of line always leave a tab of tape at the end and fold it over on itself so you have an easy way to get the tape off the roll. This way you have a lil flap to grab and is more efficient at reload time as your not trying to find the flush tape line or having to cut the tape off with a knife.
 
#19 ·
fatboynormmie said:
I've been using .105 vortex line for yrs . I run the 450SF and I run approx 18' of .105 line in them . It's actually 3 arm span widths that I cut and roll up into a roll of line that will fit into my pocket and a wrap a lil piece of electrical tape around them to keep them from unraveling . I make up about 25 of them at a time and hang them in the truck so I can reload my pocket easily after I use one. Way more efficient then having to run back to the truck to reload . All 3 of us keep a refill in our pockets. I just leave them in my cargo pocket on my pants and they go right through a wash cycle with zero issues too. When wrapping tape around the rolls of line always leave a tab of tape at the end and fold it over on itself so you have an easy way to get the tape off the roll. This way you have a lil flap to grab and is more efficient at reload time as your not trying to find the flush tape line or having to cut the tape off with a knife.
Click to expand...
I prefer to use 1in masking tape. No need to find the tape line. Just tug on one end of the line and the tape rips open and the rest is history! Been doing it that way for 10 years.
 
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