whipper snipper advice wanted please ,

[leonardgid]

Hello raiders , another question,       when it comes to whipper snippers  i dont know much at all ,  ive had this electric Ryobi  with a cord  for quite some time  but ive had a lot of trouble with it,  im thinking about going  for a more reliable one , perhaps a petrol  with a cord head that does not need constant  changing ,  because the cord keep on getting snapped off,  anyone know of a good reliable one  that will not cost me  more then $300  please ,, all advice  will be helpful  including maintenance  of petrol ones  ,  thank you all for your replies .

 

[XD351]

I have a shindaiwa ( jap made ) and it is great but 2 stroke , the junk you buy from the red hammer joint isn’t worth the box they come in . I always buy from a  mower shop - you get better gear and service from them . Depending on how much edging you have to do one of the newer battery powered units might suit . You want a bump feed head . 

[BaitDropper]

All I can say, is in regards to what I have, So, I have a Stihl F80..  I bought it new in 2004, used it to whipper snipper the whole perimeter of a 10 acre block we owned while the 1000 odd trees we planted as wind breaks grew. It got an absolute hammering during that time, I had no issues with repeated cord changes as I recon the cord wears quick when snipping against hard structures lide edging etc. It was stored until 2 odd years ago when we moved north on 3/4 acre, of which I then fired her up on 6 year old fuel and away we went. because of its age and storing time, it quickly needed work, the primer needed replacing and a few other rubber plastic parts that had perished. Much to my surprise, the local Stihl shop stocks every part for the old whipper snipper, of which I was amazed. It's worked flawlessly over the last 2 odd years after the replacement rubber parts.

I put my Stihl whipper snipper in the " bullet proof " class, ya can't kill it.  While the yuppy Neighbour hooks up his u-bute battery model and performs the task in stealth mode and isn't contributing to climate change, he has to re charge half way thru. My old girl lets him know what and when I do mine, it's nice and loud, smells of 2 stroke,  Just how I like it. It's pretty frugal when you consider , the tank is tiny,  I change the cord every 3-4 times.  As the saying goes,, Now that I have a 4 stroke outboard,,  "there's nothing like the noise and smell of a good old loud 2 stroke whipper snipper 😁...

Don't know what they cost now, think I payed $600 odd bucks way back then, I'm sure there cheaper now.

But, Go big as you can, mine was classed as a commercial model back in the day.  There a "mans Toy "   So go Big, go loud and let it rip !! 

It's like a symphony in our neighborhood when we all get them out, it's that working note that we part time gardeners, dribble from the corner of the mouth when using them. 

HTH 

Edited May 21 by BaitDropper

[Steve0]

I have Makita tools and went for a Makita brushcutter that uses twin18V batteries. It has more than adequate guts to do lawn edges with a tristar blade and grass against walls, etc.

@XD351 I borrowed a Shindaiwa once. Brilliant machine. 

 

 

 

[zmk1962]

Well after my 20+yo Stihl FS 2st died I went and did the unthinkable and got my self a RYOBI ONE+ 18V 33/38CM HP Brushless Line Trimmer … mainly because I already had Ryobi batteries/chargers and the mower was 4st so I eliminated the need to store and prep 2st fuel. I fully expected to be disappointed but 1 yr on and I’m a big fan. This unit has 1hp output and easily whips through sir Walter buffalo and does all my garden edging with one 4Ah battery (I don’t have a big yard but about 120m of edges). Comes with a 6yr warranty so if it packs it in I basically drop it off and pick up another. 

Prior to the Stihl I had a hasquarna and a talon … all 2st. 

cheers Zoran 
 

Edited May 21 by zmk1962

[Fab1]

Go to a mower shop and look at stihl,echo,husqvarna,shindaiwa,etc.

youll het something in 2 stroke to suit.Theres bent shaft and straight shaft.For that money you’re looking at bent shaft which is more user friendly(lighter) anyway.

maintenance clean filter and swap out plug every couple yrs or 20 if you are me.

[riveRecon]

I ended up paying extra and went for a Stihl commercial unit. That’s because I’m on acerage and have a lot to do. I now go through far less fuel (and batteries from trying electric) and the right cord last multiple rounds in my bump head feeder. So it really comes down to how much and how often you have to use it. Smaller areas I would still go electric, acerages the ease and power of petrol.

[BaitDropper]

16 hours ago, zmk1962 said:

Well after my 20+yo Stihl FS 2st died I went and did the unthinkable and got my self a RYOBI ONE+ 18V 33/38CM HP Brushless Line Trimmer … mainly because I already had Ryobi batteries/chargers and the mower was 4st so I eliminated the need to store and prep 2st fuel. I fully expected to be disappointed but 1 yr on and I’m a big fan. This unit has 1hp output and easily whips through sir Walter buffalo and does all my garden edging with one 4Ah battery (I don’t have a big yard but about 120m of edges). Comes with a 6yr warranty so if it packs it in I basically drop it off and pick up another. 

Prior to the Stihl I had a hasquarna and a talon … all 2st. 

cheers Zoran 
 

Hi Zoran,

           Commiserations on your Stihl FS departing this earth ( as belated as this is), Mine to is an FS model.

One only hopes that you disposed of your O'l Stihl in a humane way, with the respect it would have thoroughly deserved.....

But it has to be asked Zoran, Did you really try to revive her, fit it up with the many available parts still available ?   I'm praying you did.  😁..

I can't help myself with the way I revive any of my old gear, it's almost like an excessive compulsive personality I portray with my toys 🤪..

I'll probably go down the path that you did, when. dare I even utter the words,, my O'l Stihl fires up no more...  It is good browsing the local Stihl shop though, some of the new stuff is great to have a play with I must say...

  

[zmk1962]

16 hours ago, BaitDropper said:

But it has to be asked Zoran, Did you really try to revive her, fit it up with the many available parts still available ?   I'm praying you did.  😁..

Hahaha @BaitDropper ... as someone who held onto a boat for 26 years ... trust me I know how to make things laaaaaaast !  The clutch had gone, the engine needed another change of gaskets, compression was shot so complete strip and rebuild to change rings, the plastic shroud had started to deteriorate from memory it sort of formed a chasis onto which the some of the components bolted -  etc etc. When I priced up the parts it just was not worth it.

I forgot to mention I also at one stage had a GMC 25cc 2-stroke that I purchase to keep at our holiday house at the time - that bugger was hard to start (no clutch so the pull start turned the head as well)... anyway it snapped in half where the shaft met the plastic body ... a robust engineering design that was ... and I managed to repair that with metal bracing and kept it going for another 4years 🙄.

Cheers Z

[Green Hornet]

I’m another fan of Stihl equipment that I used throughout my career for its reliability, performance and ease of servicing.

Interesting side note that modern day Stihl equipment use 4 stroke motors that run on premix, 2 stroke style fuel.

[noelm]

Just got back from holidays and saw this, most whipper snipers are a curse, difficult to start, cantankerous evil devices, produced to kill healthy fathers……..that said, years and years ago a bought an Echo straight shaft, and (touch wood) it has been the best one ever, starts like a dream, idles well and with the aluminium head that you just put a single piece of line through, it works a treat, no idea if I just got a good one, but, it’s a dream to use.

[leonardgid]

4 hours ago, noelm said:

Just got back from holidays and saw this, most whipper snipers are a curse, difficult to start, cantankerous evil devices, produced to kill healthy fathers……..that said, years and years ago a bought an Echo straight shaft, and (touch wood) it has been the best one ever, starts like a dream, idles well and with the aluminium head that you just put a single piece of line through, it works a treat, no idea if I just got a good one, but, it’s a dream to use.

thank mate ,ive been reading reviews on all the so called good ones ...  its just like you said and more ,, i really dont know what to do 

 

[zmk1962]

1 hour ago, leonardgid said:

i really dont know what to do

Suggest you start with what are your requirements. 
How much whipping do you need to do ? ( you mentioned you previously had a corded unit - so from that I conclude it’s not a very big area)

 How often do you use it? This will help you decide what convenience features you may prefer - ease of line feed, 2st storage and prep vs battery recharge etc

Your budget? Warranty. Etc etc. 
cheers Zoran