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Garden strimmers - talk to me

I've got a pretty ancient Husqvarna petrol strimmer. I only use it a handful of times a year but it starts every time. About twenty or so years ago I bought a special line holder at a country show that uses two lengths of square chord, clamped. The reel of chord I bought at the time will probably last me out.
 
I bought a cordless Bosch for light duties mainly because I have some batteries for other things. I wasn't expecting much but it's actually very good - a pleasure not having to drag a mains cable around. Not sure if it qualifies as lo-cost thought (unless you have the batteries). It lasts a good while as well
 
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One of triplets, Bisch, Basch, Bosch.

Re the strimmer, I have an ancient electric Flymo for small weeds duty back in Spain.
It can't manage the more serious growth, it's no brush cutter but has done well to last so long. The auto line feed is a little temperamental but a new cartridge would fix that.
 
On the other hand I used a Husqvana (petrol model) at our community farm and it was fantastic - never jammed - always fed correctly, and a piece of cake to reload without having to buy disposable cartridges.

Unfortunately I think the husqvana might be rather pricey - but if you have the cash it's worth it for the lack of aggro.

I don’t know about strimmers, but the Husqvarna lawnmower I have used is a stonker.
 
Yep, mine too. Honda engine. Stick with Stihl or Husq and you can’t really go wrong.
Maybe these days. However I remember a Stihl brushcutter from the 80s, it was a pig, bought new. Even fresh from a pro service it was hard work to start, you had to get everything absolutely right. If your fuel was more than a week old, forget it. Misjudge the choke, forget it. Think you can just give it a few tugs with the choke off and the throttle wide open to clear any flooding? Yeah, good luck. My dad and I spent bloody hours and no small amount of money keeping that thing sweet, it was always serviced and never left full of fuel to evaporate and gum up the carb (look, we're not fools), yada yada. Nobody was sorry when it eventually wore out and the service guy pronounced it dead. I wouldn't have another like that as a gift.

In sharp contrast came a Flymo mower that got hammered mercilessly for years, 2 hours twice a week in summer, on and on. It was my teenage job, mowing a big garden. That thing must have had 1000 hours on the clock, easily. The body got so battered that my dad had to find a used cowling from a dead mower, it then did another few years, still on the same 2T motor. Eventually it was so tired that it had no power and left a cloud of blue smoke behind it, but by this time it was over 20 years old so it had done the work, and it still started and ran. My dad didn't even give it away, it got left by the bins. Shame.
 
I use Aspen 2 stroke fuel in my Husqvarna. Over four years old, still works fine. I think it has a recommended life of five years.
It isn’t cheap, but it’s well worth it for me.
 
Oh, and in answer to the OP, I'd get an electric job. It's not getting used for hours, no maintenance, just sort out the line and bzzz, you're off. Much easier than edging shears.
 


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