Gas powered lawn trimmers?

[John Doe]

I'm hoping to buy a four stroke gas powered lawn trimmer "weed eater".

Are they mostly variable speed? In other words... Do they include a speed control lever, or is it just an on/off switch?

Thanks.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Yes. Usually trigger on the handle.

[hrhofmann]

I thought they were almost all 2-cycle engines

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Yes. Trigger on the hnadle.

[John Doe]

Mostly, but not all.

The question is whether they are mostly variable speed.

[EXT]

My Honda 4 stroke has a throttle on the shaft handle along with the on-off switch.

[Doug]

Well I don't know about mostly but the ones I see around my home by the pros are variable speed.

[krw]

I have a 4-cycle Troy Bilt trimmer with interchangeable heads (edger, blower, etc.). Not the best brand but it works quite well. It has a (variable) throttle trigger but I always use it full bore. Not sure why you'd want to slow a string trimmer down.

[Art Todesco]

Mostly 2 cycle, but there are 4 cycle unit out there. I bought a Ryobi (don't know who actually made it) unit on wheels. It was only $100 (refurb) but is a great unit. It has a 4 cycle engine and a throttle/clutch on the handle. When you squeeze a little the string head starts to turn. Squeeze more, and it revs up the engine. Very quiet compared to my 2 cycle, hand held Homelite.

[John Doe]

Because I'm planning to use it for something other than yard care.

[John Doe]

Yeah, quiet (or less noisy) is very important.

[krw]

Sounds like a Darwin moment in the making. ;-)