On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 09:23:23 -0500, "Paul R."
wrote:

My 31cc Craftsman line trimmer crapped out on me, so it looks like I'm in
the market for a new one.

Took a look at Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, and the local small engine shop.
Not in the business, so I don't need an Echo or any built for commercial
use, just a reliable quality trimmer that can be used for 20 minutes or so
once a week.

I want a straight shaft model, and like the theory of the trimmers that have
different attachments (edger, brush trimmer, etc), but don't know how
reliability factors into these.

I'm trying to stay near or under $150.

So far, I've looked at:

Homelite
Toro
Craftsman
Troy-Bilt

Troy-Bilt looks the best so far, but I was hoping to get some opinions.

Any input?

Whichever you get, DONT get Ryobi. I swear at mine everytime I use it.
It starts fine and runs reliably, but it absolutely wont bump feed new
trim string... I've tried everything and judging by all the comments
on google, others have this problem too.

In my opinion the replaceable attachments arent a good idea. Mine has
them and i consider it to be horribly underpowered for anything but
weed cutting... I just cant see it edging or snow-throwing without
bogging down. It also seems to introduce a mechanically unstable
connection point on the main shaft that seems to create a resonance
that sets the whole unit wobbling horribly when pressing the
throttle.

dickm