Weed Whacker

[jjsbasmt]

My cheap Poulin siezed up today and I am looking at the Echo Model SRM 225 trimmer as a replacement for about $220 at Home Depot. I have read thru dozens of reviews on the HD website and came away favorably impressed. Was wondering if anyone here has personal experience with the SRM 225 or Echo brand of weed whackers in general. Thanks in advance.

 

[lxskllr]

I use an Echo my friend has. Dunno the model#, but it works well.

 

[Greenman]

I have an Echo that replaced a pos Riobi, good weed whacker. Starts every time, runs well, and it has the quick load spool which is very slick.

 

[bbhaag]

The SRM 225 looks like a sweet little trimmer especially for home use. I've been talking to my local dealer because I need a new one to replace my Craftman and it really seems nice for the price.

Have you checked the pricing at your local Echo dealer yet? Mine has the same price as Lowes but I like to keep my dollars local.

 

[jjsbasmt]

No I haven't checked for any local Echo dealers yet. Thanks for reminding me to do that first. I especially like that 5 year warranty for home use on that model.

 

[Gardener]

It is an entry level professional quality line trimmer. It replaced the SRM-210/2100 which was the most popular trimmer with maintenance crews for a decade. Cheap, light, reliable, easy starting, easy to get parts.

They usually have the 265 (245?) in stock too, its a little longer shaft and probably has a felt air cleaner and more robust air cleaner assembly, but that unit costs about $300. For a homeowner, the 225 is more than adequate.

I run a big Shindaiwa unit which handles a brushcutter blade, but I prefer the lighter Echos for weedeating and occasional edging.

 

[jjsbasmt]

Thanks Gardener and everyone. It's nice to get confirmation of all the good things I read in the reviews on this trimmer. Getting one in the next couple days and expecting a quality reliable product. Again, thanks everyone for your time and comments.

 

[W.C. Nimoy]

Even coming from a stihl guy, that echo would be my best value recommendation too. Unless you're willing to pay a huge premium & have a small yard with no heavy duty stuff, then I'd have another.

Btw there are pros & cons with going dealer vs. lowes too. With echo especially, dealers' prices aren't far off, sometimes even less. And long term, buying from a local dealer is better for warranty issues, because you're not having to take it somewhere, asking someone to fix your trimmer who you didn't give your business to in the first place (end of the line). A big box store is better if there is a problem initially. Instead of fixing it, being without your new trimmer for any length of time, you just instantly get a new one. Or if you just don't like it, unforseen design issues, ergonomic incompatibility etc. you won't be stuck with it.

 

[jjsbasmt]

A followup for all of you if I may: Would you recommend getting just the Echo brand of 2 cycle oil or do you think that any brand of 2 cycle oil would be adequate? I have used various brands of oil in the past. Also, one person on the reviews mentioned that instead of the recommended 50:1 oil ratio, he uses 32:1 for better lubrication and he gets no plug fouling at that ratio.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Another vote for Echo, it's what both of my friend/neighbor landscapers recommended.

Had it for 4 years/no problems (got it at Home depot)

 

[edro]

I only own Stihl lawn care products (weed whacker, chain saw, leaf blower).
I am very happy with all 3. They all start very easily and I have had no problems with any of them.

 

[iamwiz82]

I have the Echo SRM225. It is awesome. Easy to load, the head has not failed on me ever (unlike the POS Ryobi I had) and it always starts right now.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I also have an Echo gas powered edger. It is a 4 stroke so I don't have to mix gas/oil and it starts up easily and I've never had any trouble with it at all. I bought it years ago to replace the crappy electric trimmers that just break every year. I've probably had this trimmer for 6 or 7 years now.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I just picked up some 4 stroke, it is awesome

 

[railer]

A followup for all of you if I may: Would you recommend getting just the Echo brand of 2 cycle oil or do you think that any brand of 2 cycle oil would be adequate? I have used various brands of oil in the past. Also, one person on the reviews mentioned that instead of the recommended 50:1 oil ratio, he uses 32:1 for better lubrication and he gets no plug fouling at that ratio.

Just use a good pre-mix designated 2 stroke oil and you'll be fine. I snowmobile, so I hear all of the ridiculous pitches about oil that I can stand. One of my sleds happens to be a direct injection sled that uses oil in about a 100:1 ratio, and even on that sled I just use regular old 2 stroke oil. Particularly in a pre-mix application you will have no issue going with a generic oil. If Echo is recommending 50:1 I'm sure you don't need any more oil than that, but if it makes you sleep better at night it's certainly not going to hurt anything to go 40 or 32:1.

And good lord I didn't realize weed wackers were so expensive. I think my last Toro or whatever Lowe's had on sale was around $80....but it's a pretty light duty, throwaway unit.
I actually thought about picking up one of those B+D Li ion wacker/edger units to have as a spare. That comment might get me kicked out of the ATG for a while. Something about just pushing a button and having it work, quietly, gets more and more appealing to me as I get older.

 

[bruceb]

Any 2 stroke oil will be fine to mix with the gas. Just be sure you get the ratio of oil to gas exact for the engine it is going into. Also be sure the oil and gas are well mixed before using the mixture. On my garden tools, I prefer to run premium gasoline. They seem to run just a bit better with it.

 

[Mandres]

The Echo is better than the Stihl/Husvarna options simply because of the speed-feed head that comes on the 225 and 230. The only other trimmer I know of with this style head is Shindaiwa, and they're hard to find and service. Winding the line around a spool is a pain in the ass and I don't ever want to have to do it again.

You won't be disappointed with the 225. The Echo orange trimmer line is some wicked stuff too.

 

[Meghan54]

Darned fine trimmer, the SRM-225, and Echo overall as a brand.

Interestingly, that Echo you've chosen OP has a motor certified to meet emissions requirements for 300 hours--or more than six years if you ran it an hour a week year-round--compared with the usual 50 hours. Longer certification periods also suggest a more durable engine overall.

 

[franksta]

I've had my SRM 225 for 3 seasons now. Previously I had some electric craftsman model. Needless to say it's a huge improvement over that and I actually enjoy weed whacking now. From the reading I've done there are 2 different heads and mine may be the older less desirable one but it's still pretty easy to load the string.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I can't justify spending over $70 on a weed eater considering I purchased a $60 homelite unit 10 years ago that I've used regularly since then and even let my brother borrow it on a weekly basis for over a year till he got his own. The homelite has needed nothing more than a single spark plug the entire 10 years. It's harder to start these days but I will continue to use it until the day the motor sputters and dies. When the time comes I'll buy another $70 unit and use it until it dies.

 

[ino uno soweno]

It has been my experience to increase the longevity and easy starting of any edger or motorized blower, ect,,

I put in fresh oil and fuel into the tank, then I may use one or more tanks to do the edges around the hole place, when I am finished, I stop the edger, and carefully empty out what ever fuel is left in the tank, into a container, replace the tank cap, and start it again and leave it suck out any remaining fuel in the carby, usually runs for a full minute,

Never fails to start next time with 2 pulls, 3/4 choke, half throttle, like clockwork,​