stick to the straight shaft line trimmers they are moer versatile.
some good brands: stihl, echo, jonsered etc. there are now 4 stroke
models which should make them even more reliable and less smokier and
quieter. for the average yard you will need an engine size of around
25cc's. i've had my jonsered (with a mitsubishi motor) for about 10
years now it is still just as easy to start and just as reliable.

best bet go to a specilaist shop one that sells mowers and chain saws
etc.,. as they also provide after sales service they generally sell
the better brands.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/