Echo Trimmers

[stugots]

Last week-end I was wandering around Home Depot and observed a cart with 5 Echo model 200R's in it they had all been used and were marked as used for $120.00. I was contemplating buying one and wondering why they had all been brought back, appearing to all be about the same with wear and tear, as if they had all been bought at the same time. An older gentleman walked up to me and said he had been the owner of one of these rejected trimmers and the trouble he had with his was that the 10" pieces of plastic string kept flying out of the head.

Has anyone else had problems with their Echo?

I'm looking for a new one because my old Craftsman is a pain to disassemble just about all the way down, when ever the pull cord breaks.

Tom

[Jim Ledford]

in 1991 I decided it was time to get a real sting trimmer, so I did some research and learned about Shindaiwa and their T260 looked to be what would suit my needs.

I like how the replacement string head can be purchased as a unit or as separate individual pieces. since I bought the Shindaiwa T260, string trimmer problems have no longer been an issue. restringing the head is easy enough and you can use either the 105 or the 095 string sizes. I've worn out three of the bumper buttons and replaced them for around $2.00 each. the motor is over powered and the unit is underweight, WOW what a strange combination, but that's how it is.

I've used mine in my lawn care business and on some jobs the T260 gets run for hours being used to clear out creek ditches. I'd thought for sure by now the Shindaiwa T260 would have died like all the other CHEAP pieces of crap I'd thrown money away on. the Shindaiwa T260 starts just as easy and runs just as strong today as it did the day I bought it.

Echo, they do make a good little top handle chainsaw, it's the Echo CS300 I bought about 3 years ago. cold natured, but once it warms up it'll do.

[Eric in North Texas]

I gave away my last one recently, I found it inferior to the cheaper brands like Ryobi. The top of the line professional models may be OK, but the home owner models are cheap plastic crap. I've come to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter whose name is on a string trimmer, they all bite the dust after 3-4 summers & the cost of repair usually exceeds replacement.

[Mike]

We had some echo blowers for a while and they were terrible! I avoid their products like the plague now!

[Mick Falkenhagen]

Wow, interesting. I've had nothing but good luck with my echo combination edger,trimmer and my blower/vac. Home use only though.....