[ellied]

OK my next purchase is a strimmer as my friend (who borrowed one occasionally for his work and brought it round after) is moving to Devon and then abroad I think..

He said any petrol one but not one with a bent end  but I really could do with a bit more specific advice

It is for rough grass, nettles, dockens, thistles and whatever other weeds are infesting the orchard and garden..

Recommendations or dire warnings away from any particular makes/sizes?

I'm female, middle aged and not that fit so was thinking of a smaller one but I don't want a lightweight if it won't do the job, I'd rather do it a bit at a time and rest

[bloomer]

at last something i am able to comment on properly

i use big strimmers for my work as a gardener including doing some very large areas with one.

if your thinking of doing large areas you want a good quality one ideally with a 4 stroke engine cowhorn handles and a harness

the handles and harness take all the weight off your arms making it easier to do large area, 4stroke is more powerful than 2 stroke.

honda make some very nice ones as do stihl you are looking at £300 to £400 but it will be the last strimmer you ever buy as you can get them serviced and repaired which with a lot of the cheaper ones you cant they're considered disposable and spares other than cutting heads are hard to get.

if you have to do any areas with a lot of brambles you also want one that can take a metal cutting blade as the wires won't do brambles.

lastly don't forget the PPE face mask and eardefenders are worth having!!!

any questions feel free to ask.

[lazybee]

The one with the bend in, as your friend describes is driven by a flexi cable like an old style motorbike speedo. The week point is the bend as it rubs against the inside of the tube. They are plenty good enough for garden use and will last for years. The straight shaft models are heavier duty. Actually the 2 stroke has more power than a four stoke of the same cc but 4 stroke are more reliable and will last longer with no smoke or messing about with 2 stroke oil.They are usually higher in cc to compensate for the performance shortfall. Just to make it complicated some makers (like Stihl and Husqvana) make a two stroke that fires every 4 strokes but it's still a two stroke (no valves)

If you only want one for occasional use as I do. I bought a two stroke brush cutter/strimmer (interchangeable heads) It's made in China I think It's been good so far it has the handles and the harness , but I don't have to earn my living with it. Then for the garden a small Stihl 8yrs old, no problems with that either.

[Castle Farm]

You need to get a Stihl brushcutter fs450 and fit it with an Oregon jet fit 4 line head with Oregon square nylium 3.75mm.(available on www.abbygardensales.co.uk.
This lot isn't going to be cheap but you can cut anything down with this set-up.

Don't fit a metal blade they are dangerous unless your very used to using them.

Buy a professional double harness (around £25) but worth every penny.

I have run strimmer gangs on contract cutting and this system will last a home/farm user a lifetime.

[Rosemary]

We've got a Husquvarna - Dan used them on the forestry. It's a beast of a thing, but with the harness, I can use it fairly comfortably. Unfortunately, the harness is designed for men not women, if you know what I mean.

[Norfolk Newby]

A couple of small points.

The weight of the thing can become tedious over a long session so judge the alternatives on their weight.

As far as I know, these devices all have a recoil starter - basically a length of string that you pull to start the thing. This is fine when they are new and start first time but gets harder once the machine isn't new. If you haven't got reasonably strong arms, this may be a problem. My wife isn't feeble but cannot start any of our machines this way.

By the way, if these small machines won't start, a can of Easystart (Holts or Bradex) sprayed into the air inlet gets most things (strimmer, chainsaw, generator etc.) going. The spray is mostly ether which can get engines going easily as it burns when compressed in air (like a low pressure diesel engine). A can is worth gold!

If you buy a strimmer, get a protective helmet for using a chainsaw (Stihl, Husqvarna). This has a mask to protect your eyes and ear muffs to protect your hearing. A strimmer may not be as noisy as a chain saw but 20 minutes use will leave you dizzy and deaf. With the helmet, you will be 'fresh as a daisy'!

If you haven't used a strimmer, hire one first to see how you get on. The experience will give you a lot of points to look for and possibly save you money or at least ensure you get a machine that you can work with rather than one you hate.

NN