On Thu, 5 Jun 2003 10:15:17 +0100, "Mike" wrote:


"jane" wrote in message

I bought one of the 80 pound 21cc McCullochs from B&Q for two reasons:
I'm not that strong (it's the lightest on the market, just about) and
I'm not that rich... I strimmed two allotments last night (our
inspection's on Saturday!) and another allotmenteer borrowed it to cut
his boundary which was by that time waist high. His new x hundred
pound Husqvarna had literally fallen in two last week and they told
him it would be 3 weeks before he could get it back again. His comment
about the McCulloch was it was a sturdy little thing. And he's had
strimmers and allotments for years, so I guess it's not as bad as all
that!

When I first got the allotment 2 years ago the cheapest petrol one was
over a hundred. I bought a £40 battery one instead, and have lived to
regret it. Battery life gradually but inexorably fell off, leaving me
with no means of doing anything. And this seems to be common to
several makes as I compared notes with another chap who'd bought a
more expensive one. Don't get a battery one, please. It will be fine
for the first year and then...
(They're heavier than petrol strimmers too, and don't have nearly the
power even when fully charged)

For other help, there's a thread we were running last week on usage
and safety etc.


--
jane


Thanks for that Jane.
I think I will give one of those £80 B&Q ones a go.

Just to muddy the waters slightly. I also have a battery strimmer and
need more power and endurance (strimmer needs it too) for the
allotment. I've started looking at the B&Q ones and see that although
they still have the 21cc McCullough strimmers, they now also have an
own-brand (Performance Power) range. There's a 24cc one for 90 quid
and according to their web site (www.diy.com) there is also a 24cc
trimmer/brushcutter for, I think, about 130-140 quid. I can't see the
difference between the two apart from the brushcutter blade that is
included with the more expensive one.

Has anyone tried either of these new models?
--
Stuart Baldwin
news\at/boxatrix\dot/co\dot/uk