Hello All,
I had my leaf blower (BG 86) and hedgetrimmer (HS45) stolen yesterday while I was hedgetrimming about 5 metres away. I'm pretty gutted as you can imagine.
I currently have Honda 4 Stroke Strimmer (with hedgetrimmer attached, that I was using at the time). I am very happy with this and runs much cleaner than my HS45.
Having had all my 2 stroke equipment stolen I'm considering changing away from two-stroke completely. Mainly because of i'm coughing all evening after a day of hedge trimming. I have had the aim to replace equipment as needed with 'greener' machines that are healthier to use as and when I needed to.
I have read the disscussion about the honda 4 stroke blower from a couple of years ago. General consensus seemed to be the lack of torque was more of an issue on the blowers. I can't really fault the BG86 for my needs and would buy a new one without hesitation if I was just considering Two strokes. The Honda HHB2 is only 200g heavier than the BG86 and I have been please with the built quality and performance of my honda strimmer. Has any one had experience of the of the Honda blower? A couple of people mentioned a four stroke Makita, are they still going strong?
I 'm considering a 4 stroke or electric hedge trimmer. A corded one obviously doesn't give the flexability of a petrol, has anyone used any battery hedgetrimmers? Do you get a full days work out of them and how well do the batteries fare over time?Any recommendations or advice on 4stroke or battery hedge trimmers would be much appreciated.I'm willing to spend a bit more on the hedgetrimmer than the HS45 say upto £350-£400.
Thank you for any replies in advance.
Nick
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Replies
If I could properly justify the expense then I would.
I use a 4stroke Makita Blower (BHX2501) and it hasnt missed a beat, and saves a full tank of fuel each week over a BG86 on my round. - Its two seasons old this year.
Hedge trimmer - THe Honda 4 stroke Is good but I personally do not like the balence with alittle more weight at the engine end it can tire the wrists on long jobs.
As Brian said - for electric speak to stu.
Thanks for the replies,
Pellenc look intresting but pricey.
I'll have a look at that makita too.
Cheers
The Pellenc hedge trimmer is amazingly good, but as you say expensive. it is the cost that puts most people off. To be honest i got the pellenc tools for health reasons and i sank every penny i had available in to them. i have'nt spent any money on hobbies for two years now.
The Pellenc hedge trimmer weighs 3Kg, vibrations are extremely low, noise levels are vastly reduced and there are no exhaust fumes. I have actually found i can get more done in a day with it than my stihl hs81r because i do not tire as much especially near the end of a day. It is a much more pleasant experience now to trim a hedge - i used to hate it
I guess one thing to consider is tools getting stolen, where we came in to this discussion! Losing a van load of kit is always going to be expensive, and disruptive, but with, say, blower, hedgecutter and strimmer it would be around a grand to replace. The Pellenc does look gorgeous, but would it not be an awful lot more if it was nicked?
I've been lucky for years, touch wood it continues, but I did go through a couple of break-ins with my old van. Lsing an entire Pellenc kit would really hurt!
Good point Paul! It is the cost of the pellenc that's putting me off. Have not got hold of a price list but from what I can gather it's over a grand for the battery. I really like the idea and everyone is very complementry about them but it's not the right time for me. Hopefully they'll come down a bit in price and we'll all be using them in a few years.
I ended up getting another BG 86 today. Did a day without a blower and could not face another.
The Insurance are paying out on the hedgetrimmer that was on the ground next to the van but not the Leaf blower that was in the van, because the van wasn't locked. So remember to unload all your equipment from you van it's much safer that way (or you can just lock your van!).
I still need to replace the hedgetrimmer.
Looking at:
Husqvarna 226HS75S
ECHO HC331ES 23.6cc
Stihl HS86R30
Stihl HS 56CE
Any one got/used any of these? Especially the Husky has anyone used the any of the X torq trimmer/saws. They say they've got much lower emissions than standard 2 stroke.
Low emissions and vibes are a high priority.
Cheers, Nick
The echo has by far the lowest vibes - BUT check your dealer first for spares availablity, some dealers dont hold stock on echo so it can be a pain.
Look at Tanaka - low vibes, and also Makita for a good solid machine made for a beating.
Get the echo you won't be disappointed. I used mine all day today and no buzzing hands. Whilst a fraction heavier It feels much lighter than the stihl because of the vibs difference.
I have had mine 4 years and its been well used (i do about 50% hard landscaping though so not a super hard life) but its never missed a beat. My local dealer now says the spares situation at the really good after much needed re-vamp of their systems etc.
Its light and the cutting deflector is a great bonus. I'm going to buy another this winter and keep existing as a spare. I'm also ditching my stihl combi in favour of an echo long-reach as its half the price of the stihl long reach, although I'm not too keen on my local stihl dealer and perhaps that had also added to my decision.
Local mower guy and two nearest dealers don't stock parts but can get them. There are three dealers about 30+ minutes away.
Very tempted, one of the local places where I go for hire equipment is offering a pretty good price on the Stihl HS86R.
Don't know what to do!