Hey guys wondering yalls thoughts on the new 525lst mark 2 trimmer ? Has it been good ? Im thinking about buying one ive owned the 94r and ive owned the echo 2620t but hate how you cant see how much gas is in the 94r just the way its designed and now that ive been in lawn service almost 20 years i want lightweight and low vibration but a few years ago i bought a 525L and had alot of problems with the throttle cable breaking and some random things so should i give the 525 another chance and get the new 525lst mark 2 ? I appreciate yalls thoughts on these things !🙂
mowingrass
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they are great when running. I didnt have 15 of them but I had 8 plus a few of the 323's. They were temperamental in heat and constantly needed adjustment. Yea every company has carb issues these days but am having good luck with Echo pole hedge trimmers so making the switch.
All battery units for light-duty stuff and cannot wait for the day when I can replace the more powerful trimmers with batt. I f'ing hate carbs on these things. Always something. Trimmers are the worst because a lot of times they run less than WOT which these carbs seem to hate. Plus we get wild temp swings. Make guys run WOT at least 30 seconds before racking.
All battery units for light-duty stuff and cannot wait for the day when I can replace the more powerful trimmers with batt. I f'ing hate carbs on these things. Always something. Trimmers are the worst because a lot of times they run less than WOT which these carbs seem to hate. Plus we get wild temp swings. Make guys run WOT at least 30 seconds before racking.
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I might have to buy one then....🤔🤔🤔
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Husky and Stihl seem to have more problems than Echo these days.
It used to be the opposite back in the day.
If your main concern is weight, I would go with a Husqvarna. They're lighter and have more balls than Stihl trimmers.
If your main concern is quality, I would go with Echo/Shindaiwa or a Maruyama.
Personally, I switched to electric trimmers this summer and haven't looked back. I charge the batteries with an inverter on my enclosed trailer that's connected to a large 1200 watt hour deep cell battery in my tongue box that gets charged by the alternator on my truck. For regular rout stuff, I just switch between 2 batteries, and never run out of juice. When one goes dead, the other is at full charge. I still have a 1.8 HP Shindaiwa for big jobs, but my electric trimmer and combi has replaces my other gas trimmer and combi unit. I believe my echo Eforce trimmer is around 10lbs. The battery weighs about the same as a full tank of gas.
It used to be the opposite back in the day.
If your main concern is weight, I would go with a Husqvarna. They're lighter and have more balls than Stihl trimmers.
If your main concern is quality, I would go with Echo/Shindaiwa or a Maruyama.
Personally, I switched to electric trimmers this summer and haven't looked back. I charge the batteries with an inverter on my enclosed trailer that's connected to a large 1200 watt hour deep cell battery in my tongue box that gets charged by the alternator on my truck. For regular rout stuff, I just switch between 2 batteries, and never run out of juice. When one goes dead, the other is at full charge. I still have a 1.8 HP Shindaiwa for big jobs, but my electric trimmer and combi has replaces my other gas trimmer and combi unit. I believe my echo Eforce trimmer is around 10lbs. The battery weighs about the same as a full tank of gas.
Excluding cutting equipment means excluding the weight of the speedfeed/bumpfeed/autofeed/blade that is attached to the gearhead
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yup, my recent Huskys have been problems. I think the trouble started when they got into HD.. Maybe a trickle down from the junk at the big box
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I started using Echo/Shindaiwa stuff a few years ago after one of the mechanics at my dealer said that he gets Husky trimmers and saws about two to one over Echo/Shindaiwa stuff these days. I was using husky stuff at the time and getting ready to buy a new trimmer as he talked me out of it under his breath.
He said that when Echo acquired Shindaiwa, a lot of talent was brought over that resulted in improvements in their engineering and manufacturing.
I have certainly noticed it. Even those little box store entry level trimmers Echo makes are more bulletproof than anything that Stihl or Husky is making these days as far as reliability. That wasn't the case 15 to 20 years ago. Shindaiwa was always incredibly reliable and well made, but Echo trimmers had the most problems out of the big boy brands when I got into this industry. I definitely don't care for their ergonomics but they make a reliable machine. I go with the Shindaiwa trimmers for my gas stuff because I like the ergonomics better even though they're the same machine with a few upgraded parts. Echo's new e-force electric Tremors have great ergonomics compared to their gas units.
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Echo/Shindaiwa make a good running trimmer but the feel and balance is horrible. Husqvarna has the best balance and feel of any brand, Stihl is next. This is string trimmers
Now for blowers, hand held I run Stihl. light, great feel and power good. Backpack blowers again Stihl, most confort, lighter and good power. Echo 9010 has more power for sure but feel not to good and heavy feeling. Husky hand held blowers are my last pick in feel and power. Redmax backpacks feel better than Echos but not as powerful.
Hedge trimmers, Echo. Great balance and feel, good enough power. Huskys great power but heavy feeling.
I am NOT brand loyal, I would be if they start giving me free equipment
but when it comes to string trimmers Husky is the best overall.
Now for blowers, hand held I run Stihl. light, great feel and power good. Backpack blowers again Stihl, most confort, lighter and good power. Echo 9010 has more power for sure but feel not to good and heavy feeling. Husky hand held blowers are my last pick in feel and power. Redmax backpacks feel better than Echos but not as powerful.
Hedge trimmers, Echo. Great balance and feel, good enough power. Huskys great power but heavy feeling.
I am NOT brand loyal, I would be if they start giving me free equipment
but when it comes to string trimmers Husky is the best overall.If you would like to go with the Husqvarna 525LST, take a look at the Redmax equivalent: BCZ260TS. Specs are below:
RedMax Trimmers BCZ260TS
10.8 lbs, very well balanced and light weight as well. It has a different carberator than the 525LST which I think is much better than the 525LST. I bought this trimmer last spring and have also owned the 525LST in the past. The Redmax has been very reliable...starts easily, good power, and pretty good on fuel. The only drawback is that since it's a high torque model, it's geared lower so the head doesn't spin as fast as the non torque version. This works well in thick grass but for everyday trimming, it doesn't lend itself to quick clean cuts like a standard head does. This drawback is way more noticeable on the 525LST but not as much on the Redmax version.
I also purchased a Sthil FS94 last summer and it has been suprisingly really good so far. I had an early version back in 2015 but didn't like it as it seemed to have no power. This past summer, my dealer convinced me to try it again as he claimed Stihl had upgraded the carb. From my experience so far, it seems like he was right. This unit is lightweight, quick, strong in power, and quite good on fuel as well. I swapped out the standard auto cut head that it came with for a speed feed head. It's been great so far.
Echo/Shindaiwa are also excellent trimmers as well.
RedMax Trimmers BCZ260TS
10.8 lbs, very well balanced and light weight as well. It has a different carberator than the 525LST which I think is much better than the 525LST. I bought this trimmer last spring and have also owned the 525LST in the past. The Redmax has been very reliable...starts easily, good power, and pretty good on fuel. The only drawback is that since it's a high torque model, it's geared lower so the head doesn't spin as fast as the non torque version. This works well in thick grass but for everyday trimming, it doesn't lend itself to quick clean cuts like a standard head does. This drawback is way more noticeable on the 525LST but not as much on the Redmax version.
I also purchased a Sthil FS94 last summer and it has been suprisingly really good so far. I had an early version back in 2015 but didn't like it as it seemed to have no power. This past summer, my dealer convinced me to try it again as he claimed Stihl had upgraded the carb. From my experience so far, it seems like he was right. This unit is lightweight, quick, strong in power, and quite good on fuel as well. I swapped out the standard auto cut head that it came with for a speed feed head. It's been great so far.
Echo/Shindaiwa are also excellent trimmers as well.
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I’d go with the 525lst mark 2. I have a Fs94r and a 525L, also have an echo 2620. I much prefer the 525 over the others. I do wish I’d bought the lst or ls over the L model though. I believe it’s well worth the money for what you get in upgrades. My 2620 and 525 are going on year 4 and my Fs94r Ive had 8 years. The Fs94r was a love hate relationship. I liked how light and balanced it was but it was my least reliable trimmer I’ve owned. I’ll probably not buy another 94r, in fact I sold it yesterday while it’s still running good. Figured it’s only a short while till it has another issue. In my opinion the 525ls or 525lst is the best trimmer for daily trimming out right now. Much better than the 2620 and more reliable than the 94r. Also the 2620 falls short and many categories. Lots of things need changed on the 2620. I do believe echo 2620 has the superior air filtration design though, but pretty much everything else needs redesign or engineered.
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avoid anything with a zama carb
Again another 2 year old thread.......good grief.....
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