Shooter Dude wrote:

I have a Homelite string trimmer I bought at Home Depot. It uses
0.080 line fed from a bump-feed head. In 20 minutes of trimming
(mostly walking around), I have to feed line out at least 10 times,
usually requiring several bumps each time. When trimming against an
obstacle such my foundation or even a wood fence, the line lasts about
20 seconds or less before it's mostly gone.

I've seen "fixed line heads" for sale that use pre-cut lengths of
heavy line. Before I waste $10 - $15 on one of these, are they any
better? They seem wastefull, since once the line is about halfway
gone (or as short as you can stand it, I guess), you discard the rest
of it.

Thanks for any tips!


I have an Echo line trimmer (SRM-2200) that I bought almost 20 years
ago, and I believe it uses .095 line, which lasts pretty well. But for
when I'm cutting tough weeds and brambles, I replace the head with a
lawnmower blade.

[pausing to let that mental image sink in...]

I have no idea what kind of mower would take such a small blade; it's
about 8 inches long, like an edger blade. The lawnmower blade works a
lot better than a saw blade unless I'm trying to cut saplings. Just
last weekend I bought a 9" edger blade that had the right size arbor
hole and I'm experimenting with it. I've sharpened about 3/4" of the
leading edge and it seems to work pretty well, but the steel is softer
than the mower blade so I don't know how well it will stay sharp nor how
long it will last.

A metal blade does a good job around a wood fence because you can see
exactly where the blade is and cut right up close to the fence without
hitting it. I wouldn't try it with a chain-link fence though.

Bob