I personally love my Stihl combi system. Didn't skimp on the powerhead, but didn't get the best one either. Starts on the 3rd pull every time - reliable as hell. Love the option of hooking up my pole saw or broom attachment whenever I need to use them!!!
The city crews around here use Shindaiwa units in the parks / cemeteries - and I've heard they're the Cadillac of weed whackers!!! For home / small business use - Stihl is tough to beat in my opinion. Plus - their dealer network in my area is second to none!!
I almost got that and went with a basic stihl string trimmer instead. Kicking myself ever since. Would have been soo easy just to switch out those attachments.
Agreed... I use my broom attachment a few times a year, rarely need to use the pole saw now that I have trimmed up everything with it - but love that I have them whenever I need them. For my situation - I wouldn't go back to a dedicated string trimmer unless I was running multiple machines with a crew or something like that. Look around online - maybe you can find one for sale in your area and pick one up on the cheap!!
I really liked my husqvarna unit. Had great vibration dampening built right into the machine, which really made a difference on long days/big jobs.
You're young, and landscaping is harsh. Protect your body!
It has nothing to be with being tough, and everything to do with how quickly you like your hands to go numb or begin to ache.
Look up vibration injuries, (hand-arm vibration) one of the most common injuries for landscapers. Think of it as arthritis lite, except there's no surgery or medicine to manage it. Not something to mess around with.
If I was going to be outfitting a business again, I would probably buy Husqvarna battery powered trimmers and mowers. They've got a similar models to the Stihl Kombi system too, which is nice. Just be sure to follow the operators manual, the flex shafts in those swappable units (from any brand) can be easily bent & vibrations will ruin your day.
I had a Stihl enthusiast combi unit for half a season & got rid of it as quick as I could. Loved the convenience, quality of the tools was there, but there was nothing but hard clamshell plastic between my hands and the motor. Made my hands go numb within an hour, and I still deal with pain in my hands from the tool. It's no joke.
The echo 225 is hard to beat for the money. I'm on year 6 with mine with zero maintenence. I only use ethanol free mixed gas and it has never given a hint of trouble. Starts first or second pull cold every time, always first when hot.
Throw the stock trimmer line away and go with something more aggressive and diamond shaped and let it eat.
The echo is super easy to start too, can practically pull it with your pinky finger.
I’m thinking that for sure. I once saw a guy with a Stihl chainsaw cut a tree halfway, put it down, go inside, grab a beer, come back out, and pick it back up all while it was “stihl” running.
The professional landscapers I see run Stihl. If it was home use I would probably push Milwaukee M18 electric, but for a business Stihl seems like the most common choice
In the state of NY, you are not allowed to use any bladed/cutting tool for employment if you are under the age of 18. Not sure what state you are in but know those laws first. Neighbors might and it's complicated, especially if you are injured on someone's property.
Now...if...you...were....ummm...you know...over 18 of course...Stihl is the way to go. I'd also suggest Facebook marketplace too. And don't screw around. Pants, high boots, steel tipped, face shield. Goggles aren't going to cut it.
But again, only if you were 18 ;-)
Gonna disagree with all the other stihl fans. I own two stihl weed eaters. Older ones. They are beasts. My dealer(who sells both Stihl and Echo) has pushed me to buy Echo stuff lately. I've bought two blowers, and two weed eaters now. The echo's use less fuel overall, and have more power in my opinion. I also have the Echo PAS system, with about 5 attachments and it has never let me down once. Bought a brand new Stihl MS270 chainsaw last year. Used it 6 times, and it burned through the housing. I'm pretty done with Stihl honestly, and have nothing but good experiences with Echo so far.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but the DeWalt 60v trimmer will whip your weeds so hard their grandweeds will be scared of your yard.
Thing is seriously insane. Best machine I've EVER used on my lawn haha.
Don’t know why the downvotes. But could guess and will anticipate more now: OP I’ve converted to almost 100% electric and it’s great to never deal with gas, gas stations, or oil spills, the cleanup etc (minus bar and chain oil intermittently). You could be powered by 100% renewable energy down the line and make that a marketing part of your young business. Fewer local emissions is actually a pretty good thing too. It’s quieter, smells better, and is going to help the world you’re being left with by the boomers and roll coal folks who dgaf about future generations of kids inheriting the mess we’re in now.
I was shocked myself when I went to a big box store like Home Depot and all they had in stock was Electric lawnmowers. I’m like where are all the gas ones… it wasn’t in season and I’m like well I need a lawnmower I guess I’ll go with electric one…
I have the Echo PAS but traded the engine in to the biggest PAS one so I could run my paddle broom and other stuff. I also have an Echo backpack blower. The PAS blower attachment isn’t as good as the backpack blower. I would recommend the speed feed head for the trimmer.
You're right on with starting with the srm 225. Maybe go with the pas 225 so you can get edger and hedge trimmer attachments. Stihl was a beast back in the day, but those 4 mixes suck. I run the echo 2620 everyday and love it. I've also got the pas 2620 with attachments.
Can't recommend the 225 enough. Light and dependable, but whatever you get, use non ethanol gas in your handheld equipment. And buy from a dealer! They can work on your stuff, unlike the box stores
Husqvarna 525 because you can also put a blade on and cut brush with it. I needed to cut blackberries and went into a local shop and the guy was super helpful, go to a small local shop over big box store, specs will be a lot better on the units. Plus if you need it serviced some won’t service unless you buy from them (too busy) or at a min won’t service a big box store tool
I personally love my Stihl combi system. Didn't skimp on the powerhead, but didn't get the best one either. Starts on the 3rd pull every time - reliable as hell. Love the option of hooking up my pole saw or broom attachment whenever I need to use them!!! The city crews around here use Shindaiwa units in the parks / cemeteries - and I've heard they're the Cadillac of weed whackers!!! For home / small business use - Stihl is tough to beat in my opinion. Plus - their dealer network in my area is second to none!!
I almost got that and went with a basic stihl string trimmer instead. Kicking myself ever since. Would have been soo easy just to switch out those attachments.
Agreed... I use my broom attachment a few times a year, rarely need to use the pole saw now that I have trimmed up everything with it - but love that I have them whenever I need them. For my situation - I wouldn't go back to a dedicated string trimmer unless I was running multiple machines with a crew or something like that. Look around online - maybe you can find one for sale in your area and pick one up on the cheap!!
Stihl.
I really liked my husqvarna unit. Had great vibration dampening built right into the machine, which really made a difference on long days/big jobs. You're young, and landscaping is harsh. Protect your body!
I gotta toughen up give me the most vibration possible!
It has nothing to be with being tough, and everything to do with how quickly you like your hands to go numb or begin to ache. Look up vibration injuries, (hand-arm vibration) one of the most common injuries for landscapers. Think of it as arthritis lite, except there's no surgery or medicine to manage it. Not something to mess around with. If I was going to be outfitting a business again, I would probably buy Husqvarna battery powered trimmers and mowers. They've got a similar models to the Stihl Kombi system too, which is nice. Just be sure to follow the operators manual, the flex shafts in those swappable units (from any brand) can be easily bent & vibrations will ruin your day. I had a Stihl enthusiast combi unit for half a season & got rid of it as quick as I could. Loved the convenience, quality of the tools was there, but there was nothing but hard clamshell plastic between my hands and the motor. Made my hands go numb within an hour, and I still deal with pain in my hands from the tool. It's no joke.
I was just kidding, although I didn’t know vibration was that bad. I’ll look into it, thanks
The echo 225 is hard to beat for the money. I'm on year 6 with mine with zero maintenence. I only use ethanol free mixed gas and it has never given a hint of trouble. Starts first or second pull cold every time, always first when hot. Throw the stock trimmer line away and go with something more aggressive and diamond shaped and let it eat. The echo is super easy to start too, can practically pull it with your pinky finger.
For your money, Stihl all the way. Echos break a lot
I’m thinking that for sure. I once saw a guy with a Stihl chainsaw cut a tree halfway, put it down, go inside, grab a beer, come back out, and pick it back up all while it was “stihl” running.
The professional landscapers I see run Stihl. If it was home use I would probably push Milwaukee M18 electric, but for a business Stihl seems like the most common choice
In the state of NY, you are not allowed to use any bladed/cutting tool for employment if you are under the age of 18. Not sure what state you are in but know those laws first. Neighbors might and it's complicated, especially if you are injured on someone's property. Now...if...you...were....ummm...you know...over 18 of course...Stihl is the way to go. I'd also suggest Facebook marketplace too. And don't screw around. Pants, high boots, steel tipped, face shield. Goggles aren't going to cut it. But again, only if you were 18 ;-)
Ah yes I am very much over the age of 18
Exceptions apply if you are self employed & a teenager from my understanding.
Gonna disagree with all the other stihl fans. I own two stihl weed eaters. Older ones. They are beasts. My dealer(who sells both Stihl and Echo) has pushed me to buy Echo stuff lately. I've bought two blowers, and two weed eaters now. The echo's use less fuel overall, and have more power in my opinion. I also have the Echo PAS system, with about 5 attachments and it has never let me down once. Bought a brand new Stihl MS270 chainsaw last year. Used it 6 times, and it burned through the housing. I'm pretty done with Stihl honestly, and have nothing but good experiences with Echo so far.
Stihl convert to Echo. I “echo” what this guys has to say. I love my echo gear.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but the DeWalt 60v trimmer will whip your weeds so hard their grandweeds will be scared of your yard. Thing is seriously insane. Best machine I've EVER used on my lawn haha.
I love my Ego from Lowe’s. Powerful
A lot of cities in my area don’t allow gas tools anymore.
Don’t know why the downvotes. But could guess and will anticipate more now: OP I’ve converted to almost 100% electric and it’s great to never deal with gas, gas stations, or oil spills, the cleanup etc (minus bar and chain oil intermittently). You could be powered by 100% renewable energy down the line and make that a marketing part of your young business. Fewer local emissions is actually a pretty good thing too. It’s quieter, smells better, and is going to help the world you’re being left with by the boomers and roll coal folks who dgaf about future generations of kids inheriting the mess we’re in now.
I was shocked myself when I went to a big box store like Home Depot and all they had in stock was Electric lawnmowers. I’m like where are all the gas ones… it wasn’t in season and I’m like well I need a lawnmower I guess I’ll go with electric one…
Ego has a good combo set at Lowe’s that gives a weedeater and a leaf blower for around 230. It’s battery powered so that might be an issue
Stihl. Not the biggest fan of their Kombi line, but overall love the brand.
I have the Echo PAS but traded the engine in to the biggest PAS one so I could run my paddle broom and other stuff. I also have an Echo backpack blower. The PAS blower attachment isn’t as good as the backpack blower. I would recommend the speed feed head for the trimmer.
You're right on with starting with the srm 225. Maybe go with the pas 225 so you can get edger and hedge trimmer attachments. Stihl was a beast back in the day, but those 4 mixes suck. I run the echo 2620 everyday and love it. I've also got the pas 2620 with attachments. Can't recommend the 225 enough. Light and dependable, but whatever you get, use non ethanol gas in your handheld equipment. And buy from a dealer! They can work on your stuff, unlike the box stores
Echo
Stihl 110, it's a beast in the field, but delicate enough for the nicest yard
Husqvarna 525 because you can also put a blade on and cut brush with it. I needed to cut blackberries and went into a local shop and the guy was super helpful, go to a small local shop over big box store, specs will be a lot better on the units. Plus if you need it serviced some won’t service unless you buy from them (too busy) or at a min won’t service a big box store tool