I bought a new Roybi straight shaft weed eater and a blower/vac and now have a Roybi 4 stroke pro model and Mac chain saw. all pull starts

they all suck!!!

Not a single one will start and run. all had the same problem, fuel lines. I gave up on all but the 4 stroke pro. I went to the local power tool shop the specializes in these and wanted to buy some fuel line. Guess what? they don't carry it and can't get it.

One thing that really pisses me off is when I pay hundreds of dollars for tools that don't work and are so hard to get SIMPLE parts to fix. I've even tried to pull fuel lines from the others and they are brittle too.

And when they did run, you spend way to long getting them to start (and yes I did use fresh fuel)

What ever happened to making a tool that LASTS ??? It seems like once they sell the product and have your cash, they just don't care anymore.


sorry, but this just really bites me!

 

There are plenty of companies that still make great two-cycle equipment. It's not the cheapest, you probably won't find it in the same store you buy your lumber, and it certainly does not carry a name like Ryobi Companies like Shindaiwa, Redmax, Tanaka, Stihl, and others. They all make reliable equipment. I honestly have a hard time figuring why people still buy the cheaper brands. It certainly is not value. Most of the big box store brands have a life span of 50 hours. And trust me, 50 hours is over estimating. They generally start having problems that lead them to the dumpster way before that mark. Yes, you will spend over $200 for a good straight shaft trimmer. You might even get dangerously close to $300 even for 21cc model in certain brands. But 21cc of high-quality cannot be compared to cheaper stuff with a bigger engine, these little engines overpower them. You also will have something that will last for years and years. Would you rather spend $250 on something that is going to run when you want it to, or spend $100 on something that might go one season before it gets tossed?

Don't take it as me being critical of you I have a good friend who has a garage full of brand new, cheap, junk equipment that he bought last week for his son to do their yard. If anyone should have known not to buy this stuff, it was him. I thought I had beat it into his head the last time they bought a garage full of new, cheap, junk equipment for his son to take care of the lawn with. It all broke down and they hired the neighbor to do it. And it will happen again this time. I guess maybe he figures his son will break down before the equipment...that's a tough call

 

I kmqw the feelimg. I don't mind spending the money for something good but I haven't found anyone that can tell me what is good. I was reluctant ot spend three hundred on a weedeater amd have it die like the hundred dollar ones.I was waiting for them to make one with a blue oval on it .I guess it is save to try a stihl

 

The biggest mistake I constantly see done is people "throttling" their 2-cycle motors. Most are made to operate wide open. A short period of throttling operation will foul the motors to the point they will not operate or start. My 2-cycle weed eater has been operating for three years with no problems and it is a cheapo. I don't even remember what brand it is but it was from Home Depot.

 

Over the past few years I've bought a few Ryobi gas-powered tools (chainsaw, weed whacker, leaf blower) and after three attempts at Ryobi I learned my lesson. I returned all three items within a week of acquring them and bought something else, mostly honda, though the chainsaw I forget what it is but it was also a cheapo and I can never get it started, but that's my fault - I put it away last winter "as is" so the carb is all gunked up.

While you probably don't need to buy a commercial-grade gas-powered tool the really cheap stuff tends to have starting problems. The honda tiller we have starts on the first pull, every time, no matter how warm, cold, sunny, not sunny the weather is and I've done nothing other than put gas in and pull the cord.

If it's not starting, it's probably the carb, or something carb-related. That's always been the problem for me when something doesn't start, and sadly, my ability to fix small-appliance carbs is limited to excessive swearing and spraying gumout.

 

Like Kieth said, you get what you pay for. The first and only 2 stroke weed eater I bought was a commercial model in 1994. Had exactly one minor problem with the machine that they fixed for free even though the warranty had expired a couple years back. Been serving me trouble free for years since. The only catch is the $470 initial price tag. I figure I could have been through several cheapo models by now though.

 

Just to chime in here... I have a weed eater blower from 96. A weed eater weed wacker from late 90's?, a polan wild thing from 02 and a new ryobi trimmer. I use all of them hard since I bought them. Not one has left me down or been hard to start. All except the ryobi has triple digit hours on them. They all still have the original plugs in them. I clean and gap them when they don't run right. As well as clean the carb too. Someone mentioned about wide open throttle, that is how I run all of them.(they don't have power otherwise) With the exception of the Ryobi. It's the brush cutter model with the expand-it 2 piece shaft. The only time I need full throttle is when I am cutting thick tall grass.
Dave

 

I agree that you should spend a little more an get something better than a Ryobi, Poulan or Craftsman.
Ive owned Echos and Stihls in the past and they worked great.
Ive got a 4-cycle Honda trimmer now that has been good so far. The Honda was kinda pricey, but I think that moving up to a 4-stroke was worth every penney it cost me.

 

if its just the fuel lines go look in the phone book for hobby shops find one that sells parts for gas powered planes and cars. i get 1/8'' and 1/16'' silicone hose for my small engines for around 1.00 a foot. it will also outlast the engine you put it on.

or try www.towerhobbies.com

 

all they look at is dollar amount.

Speaking of different brands and what not, What do ya'll think about echo trimmers? my 8 year old weed eater featherlight s on its last legs.

 

Yep, if you have a 2 stroke run the thing like it's your neighbors, lol. I't run better in the end. If you put the stuff away for the winter dump the gas out and fire it up until it out, this will keep your carb from gumming up quite as bad. It'll still get gummed up eventually but it will help.

I remember my dad having the same Weed Eater trimmer for like 15 years and the thing was never taken apart, not even the carb and it was used for some commercial use when he was younger and trying to get ahead with some side jobs. I know that thing had to have had 250hr on it because when I was 16 I was doing about 8 lawns a week myself and still used that same weed eater. It finnaly craft out about 5 years ago but I have to say I was always impressed how long that thing ran. It was a bear to start though and always took like 8-10 pulls with the right choke settings each time.

I, on the other hand, bought a 4 stroke brigs trimmer. It starts on 2-3 pulls the first time and then 1 from then on. It idels nice, is half way quite and has TONS of power. I can say I am very impressed with it and I would be hard pressed to buy anything but a 4 stroke from now on. There are like 4 trimmer companies that use the same engine and just put their shaft on it and I don't think I would hesitate to buy any of the four. I can't remeber what brand mine is, but I know that craftsman used the same engine and has a better trimming head then the version I bought. The other thing is they're pretty resonable at $200 (I bought mine for $160 shipped from somewhere off of the net). My only complaint is they are a little cold bloded, once you start it you have to let it warm up for a minute or two before it'll run really good, I gues its the down fall you get since it's not a honda but then again it was only $200.

 

Echos are second to none but tend to be a little pricey.

 

We have an Echo trimmer at work. I really like it. Starts easy, light weight, low vibrations, good power. I think my boss picked it up at Home Depot for around $220.

We have an Echo blower, too, but it is crap. The handle is designed all wrong, so that if you hold it so you can reach the throttle, you aren't holding it where it is balanced, and it is extremely tiring to use.

 

I used Echo SRM-2400 trimmers, PE-2400 edgers and some 2100 based trimmers, tree saw and hedge trimmers over about a 6 year period. These totalled about 14 units between them. They ran great when new, but almost all of them developed carb problems within a year in commercial use. I had a bunch of thefts during this period so I kept buying them. They were light, relatively powerful and durable other than the carb problems. I thought this was the norm for a commercial trimmer. I am not going to say the stuff they are making now is not better, but I had some problems with those series, that only became clear after using other brands. A lot of people still use them and swear by them. My opinion is they have not used the elite of the elite to compare them to

In early 1998 I wandered into a dealership that was closing out Shindaiwa and I bought a T230 trimmer. I quickly replaced all my Echo stuff when I discovered how good they were. I still have T230s with 1000+ hours and 8 years old running good. Some have needed carbs, some have needed recoils, but they have been the most durable I have used.

A few years ago Shindaiwa started bringing in the T231, T261 and T272's with catalytic converters to replace them. I don't have any of those and have since started using Redmax equipment due to dealer availability. They too have been perfect running machines. In the next few weeks I may pick up a couple Tanaka's to run. I have had nothing but good luck out of the hedge trimmers and you can get into a commercial unit for about 2 bills through Russo's in Illinois. So I might give them a shot, I always like trying new stuff when the price is right

Speaking of the price and why people buy cheap, I know, that's how things work today. People like price, durability is not in the top three as far as the reasons they purchase a particular item. They see a price of $100 and think that sounds cheap for something like that. It is in their favorite store, so they don't have to make a special trip to a mower shop to buy. I think you are doing yourself a great disservice by doing this though. Don't buy lawn equipment from big box stores. The third reason is because they have a credit card for whatever store with a "great financing offer." Durability comes after all these.

 

My dad has an Echo (model # ?????) straight shaaft dual string trimmer and in the 13 years he has had it we have had no problems with it whatsoever. In high school I used to use it when I had 7 yards over four summers I was maintaining.

I almost bought a Stihl not long ago but since I still mow a few yards that he has picked up to pay for hs new Zero turn (and then I do mine afterwards) I just use his Echo.

Now the leaf blower thing still baffles me, why in the world he decided on buying a Craftsman leaf blower is beyond me?