Petrol Strimmer advice please

LindsayT

Hi All

Thinking about getting a petrol strimmer but know nothing about them.

Any advice on what to look for greatly appreciated.

MattMattMattUK

LindsayT said:

Hi All

Thinking about getting a petrol strimmer but know nothing about them.

Any advice on what to look for greatly appreciated.

How much strimming do you need to do? Unless you have a huge garden that needs a lot of strimming, or you are using it a lot for work you are almost certainly better off getting an electric strimmer instead. 

prowla

I looked at getting a petrol strimmer a couple of years ago and was leaning towards a Stihl.

However, I ended up getting a DeWalt 18V one, as it takes the same battery as my other power tools.

I'm pleased with the purchase.

ButterCheese

As above, a petrol strimmer is not necessarily better for small to mid-size gardens unless you have a lot of heavy brush.  Even then, modern electric ones are now very very good.

I have this one https://amzn.eu/d/cePMVnK

It is fairly light, no bother with filling with fuel, quieter, and has a proper thick cord (more like power cable thickness) which I have yet to break or replace.  It also comes with a blade attahment, and I also bought separately a wire wheel attachment which is great for weeds.  It also has a shoulder harness.

The only thing I'd say is, if you want the "handle bar" type grips the you might need to go petrol after all.  This is preferable if you're going to spend hours strimming, but the normal straight shaft grip ones are fairly comfortable with the shoulder strap.

The only reason I'm against petrol for small domestic use is that

a) they don't work very well at an angle and can be starved of fuel if you are cutting stuff at an angle or above waist height.

b) they are noisier

c) you have to keep petrol and 2 stroke mix (unless you buy a 4 stroke) which is messier and more expensive

d) you have to ensure that the carb doesn't get gunked up with old fuel if you don't use it often.

That said, I've just seen a 2 stroke petrol on Amazon for £111 (unbranded).  This will be fine if you don't have laods to do or if you are just dead set on petrol.  It has wide handle bars and a harness and comes with a brush cutting blade.  More expensive branded ones may well start easier and last longer, but if you keep it dry and serviced, many chinese knock-offs are very good these days

Dustyevsky

If you need a petrol strimmer/brushcutter then I can recommend Honda models, which work at any angle (even upside down!) They aren't messy and don't suffer any fuel problems, provided you strain all petrol through a suitable filter, which you should anyway, judging by what I find in mine.

It won't be cheap in the short term, but mine's 15, and I've failed to kill it. It started first time on Monday after laying (empty of fuel) in the barn for 6 months.

I agree with those who say battery models have improved. I might even buy one, but I have to kill the Honda first!

QrizB

LindsayT said:

Any advice on what to look for greatly appreciated.

Ear defenders, decent gloves, eye protection, long trousers, stout shoes (or safety boots).

And a hat if it's sunny.

LindsayT

Thanks for the replies guys.

I only wondered about petrol because it's what someone used on my garden last year and he was so quick with it.

A cordless one could be another option, maybe even a better option from some of the comments.

ButterCheese

LindsayT said:

Thanks for the replies guys.

I only wondered about petrol because it's what someone used on my garden last year and he was so quick with it.

A cordless one could be another option, maybe even a better option from some of the comments.

A good cordless one will be more expensive.  A cheap cordless one will be less powerful and less effective.  The one I linked to was 240v electric.  yes you have a wire to consider but mine worked fine on a 20m extensino lead (ensure to use a breaker). 

Battery ones in my opinion have all the cons and none of the pros of a petrol so I'd probably choose petrol over battery.  You can fill up with petrol quicker than fully charging a battery.  And it will be more powerful and cheaper to buy.  So in that case, anything Japanese will be good.  Things like the cord shroud and other breakable bits will be better made on a branded one, but cheap ones will last if looked after.  Depends how much you will use it

QrizB

I bought a cheap (£100-ish) Qualcast-branded 2-stroke petrol strimmer about 15 years ago, as my mains electric one wasn't really up to the job (we'd recently moved to a house with a much larger garden). It's still going strong.

As a guide as to how much use it gets, I need to refill the string spool a couple of times a year.

If you've only used electric tools before, do keep in mind that small internal combustion engines do need a bitore TLC and you need to learn their quirks. Mine has a manual choke that needs careful use when the engine's cold, and (as mentioned above) 2-stroke fuel can cause problems if left in the tank for a long time.

-taff

I have a cheap battery strimmer and I would say it's fine for a small garden or an allotment [ only edging though, I have beds] but I wouldn't be able to use it for any tough stuff or very long dense stuff. It does have a decent amount of time on the battery though.

Also have a battery mower now [ again, bought for the allotment] which is now being used in the back garden. It did cope with a bit of dense tall grass but again, the battery will only last so long so I have to do the allotment over two days bringing the battery back to charge.

It's definitely a case of you get what you pay for so decide whther you do actually need something that powerful or you just want one I'm a !!!!!! for deciding I want a specific thing even if I don't truly need it.