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Bought a new trimmer

4K views 40 replies 25 participants last post by  McCarty'sLawncare 
#1 ·
Howdy all.... Well I finally had it with my pos echo 261 weedeater thats 4 years old. I was using it maybe 5 days a week 6-8 hrs a day. The carb on it went to hell, and Ive been a die hard echo fan since i was a kid when they built decent machines. Before they went on the shelf at home depot. So I said ok the next step is. Talk to my dealer where I bought my dixie from that sell redmax and echo. I asked the mechanic I know away from the sells dept. I gave the guy 20 bucks and said which piece of equipment should I go with. He said Stihl, as I can see everybody has them. So today I went down to a Shindaiwa and a Stihl dealer so it was a tough choice but to keep it short I wanted to go either with the Stihl 110 or the 130. For 40 extra dollars I went with the 130 drove it home hoping I made the right choice. I fired it up and my jaw dropped!!! This bad boy sounds like a motor cycle lol, and I gotta tell ya I love it. For the first time I said I cant wait to go to work tommorow and give it the test. I was kinda unsure about the 4 strokes with adjusting the valves and all but man. This piece of equipment is a beauty... Takecare all happy cutting...
 
#5 ·
You paid someone $20 for advice...? O-my headache is back:hammerhead:....
 
#7 ·
i have both the stihl fs85 and the redmax 2600 strato charged.... i and the guys who work for me love the redmax.... they fight over who's gonna use it... a LOT lighter than the stihl and just as powerful, if not more... the stihls i've had (3 of them) all have a kinda vibration to them that i dont like... but i also have a 110 stihl and it is a powerhouse... but very heavy, and a gas drinking sucker... and the fs85 drinks a lot more gas than the redmax.... whatever u do dont buy a shindaiwa 231.... COMPLETE JUNK. will never buy another... no power at all.
 
#8 ·
dont most carbs last about 5 years of full time use, i dont think thats bad at all, why were you so disappointed ? who cares if you have to buy a new $200 trimmer every 5 years (40 bucks a year) ???????????? , the only advantage i see of buying a more expensive one is power and weight ........ correct me if iam wrong (and i bet i will be corrected)
 
#14 ·
You know, I almost said something in the first post about why you are unhappy with 4 years of SOLID use out of your trimmer? It seems like alot of guys on here have trimmers that last more than 4 years but then again I dont think they are trimming 40 hours a week either... I think thats pretty good if you are truly using them alot. Hey, if you would have bought a redmax in the first place, it would still be runnin and you would have saved that 20 spot. Good luck with the new trimmer.
 
#15 ·
Makes me wonder what types of morals and ethics the salesman at the dealership has if he is going to take $20 under the table to give an opinion. You could have done a search on this website. There is a plethora of info on here about that EXACT SAME SUBJECT. That question has been asked hundreds of times. I dont think 5 years of use is all that bad. You didn't mention if it was a commercial model or not. Or at least I didn't notice it. Oh and btw, the question on the "which commercial brand should I get" its all preference. Anyway, enjoy your Stihl.
 
#16 ·
I don't like the way redmax trimmers feel either. Stihl fs85s for me. Perfect balance and 2 cycle no 4mix stuff.
It's a little ironic that ya have the Stihl caring for nautre logo because they only use that on their electric and 4 mix products. The 85(and 80 still is) was one of the dirtiest units they produced from a pollution standpoint and is why it was discontinued.
 
#17 ·
Makes me wonder what types of morals and ethics the salesman at the dealership has if he is going to take $20 under the table to give an opinion. You could have done a search on this website. There is a plethora of info on here about that EXACT SAME SUBJECT. That question has been asked hundreds of times. I dont think 5 years of use is all that bad. You didn't mention if it was a commercial model or not. Or at least I didn't notice it. Oh and btw, the question on the "which commercial brand should I get" its all preference. Anyway, enjoy your Stihl.
I agree about that
 
#18 ·
Makes me wonder what types of morals and ethics the salesman at the dealership has if he is going to take $20 under the table to give an opinion. You could have done a search on this website. There is a plethora of info on here about that EXACT SAME SUBJECT. That question has been asked hundreds of times. I dont think 5 years of use is all that bad. You didn't mention if it was a commercial model or not. Or at least I didn't notice it. Oh and btw, the question on the "which commercial brand should I get" its all preference. Anyway, enjoy your Stihl.
I also agree. he's a jerk to take ur money. giving advice and knowledge is his job :hammerhead:
 
#19 ·
Makes me wonder what types of morals and ethics the salesman at the dealership has if he is going to take $20 under the table to give an opinion. You could have done a search on this website. There is a plethora of info on here about that EXACT SAME SUBJECT. That question has been asked hundreds of times. I dont think 5 years of use is all that bad. You didn't mention if it was a commercial model or not. Or at least I didn't notice it. Oh and btw, the question on the "which commercial brand should I get" its all preference. Anyway, enjoy your Stihl.
All toro, it was not a Salesman he slipped a $20 to it was a Mechanic, also he said clearly that the previous model he had was an Echo SRM261 and that he was a die hard Echo fan, but went with Stihl.
 
#20 ·
For all you tightwads on here complaining about money for advise, did you
not notice that he said the guy was a mechanic? Mechanic's make thier money by the hour per service, a little of thier time is precious indeed. The money was well spent in my opion. Not to dislocate anyone's perception of
themselves, but you must remember, this business of lawn care is still a "Business", and as a businessman you sometimes just have to do the right thing for the other person.:hammerhead:
 
#23 ·
Well I got a another story for ya. On that echo weed eater and yes it was a straight out commercial. The reason why I was comparing the echo and me thinking if I spent a little over for a 300. Problems started happening Id say 3 years when I had it. Loss of power, engine running rough. Guy basically told me it had a carb leak or something like that. Here is an amazing story.... I bought a echo stick edger its around 11 years old. I been abusing it digging it into the ground and my employees also. As for daily maitence I should do better on that subject but its 11 years old and still running strong. I have had friends that had Shindaiwa's and lasted around the same time and still going strong till this day. I will say they dont make them like they used too. Im not sure if thats with all brands. But only using the machine 35-40 hrs a week in the grass growing months for a straight raw commercial trimmer in my eyes to last only 4-5 years with a major issue... Is a pos
 
#24 ·
Ok about the whole 20 dollar deal??? Wow thats alot of money huh? 1 mechanic that works at a redmax and echo dealer. When the 2 owners are in the other room close by. To stop what hes doing and this gentleman is in his 50's so hes been around the block and has been a mechanic for 25 years working on lawn equipment. He walks me outside tells me for atleast 30 mins. Why he would choose Stihl. 1 of the reasons everybody I see in the Orlando area are using them, because most dealers are selling them. That are close by. Including the fact its kinda important to be on good terms with the mechanic you take your equipment too because everytime I need something or need something fixed Im always the 1st one out. I gotta tell ya its worth my 20 dollars... Compared to some of these lawn maitence guys that expect a 60 dollar per hr. On lawn maitence... Uhh ok..... With all the competition here in Florida you'll be lucky to get atleast 30.00 an hr depending on what your doing...
 
#25 ·
It's a little ironic that ya have the Stihl caring for nautre logo because they only use that on their electric and 4 mix products. The 85(and 80 still is) was one of the dirtiest units they produced from a pollution standpoint and is why it was discontinued.
I don't give a crap how much it pollutes, the fs85 is a rock solid kick a$$ unit and lasts a long time. It is very comfortable to use and is balanced perfectly.

And with the stihl av, I just like it even though it only includes those wacky 4 mixers.
 
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