Reading previous posts I see that, understandably, Stihl is the one to have.
I know people will say you only get what you pay for etc but the Stihl is simply too expensive. There are various packages available on Ebay. I wonder has any one any experience of them and what they would recommend in terms of power and weight? I have conifer, privet, hawthorn and bamboo hedge. I would be most grateful for any advice (other than buy a Stihl !) :-)

On 12/03/2012 13:36, Justinthyme77 wrote:
Reading previous posts I see that, understandably, Stihl is the one to
have.
I know people will say you only get what you pay for etc but the Stihl
is simply too expensive. There are various packages available on Ebay.
I wonder has any one any experience of them and what they would
recommend in terms of power and weight? I have conifer, privet, hawthorn
and bamboo hedge. I would be most grateful for any advice (other than
buy a Stihl !) :-)




If it is any consolation I had a Stihl. Despite returning it and getting
a replacement it was a pig to start. I replaced it with a Tanaka. This
is more a system than a hedge cutter as it is an engine to which
attachments can be fitted, I have a hedge attachment as well as others.
The Hedge cutter is on a pole, so I can easily reach my tall hedges,
also I have a chain saw which cuts those branches too thick for the
hedge cutter. The real advantage for me is that it is a dream to start.

--
Residing on low ground in North Staffordshire

On Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:36:19 +0000, Justinthyme77
wrote:


Reading previous posts I see that, understandably, Stihl is the one to
have.
I know people will say you only get what you pay for etc but the Stihl
is simply too expensive. There are various packages available on Ebay.
I wonder has any one any experience of them and what they would
recommend in terms of power and weight? I have conifer, privet, hawthorn
and bamboo hedge. I would be most grateful for any advice (other than
buy a Stihl !) :-)

Be careful buying on EBay. My first multi-tool came from there and it
turned to be an American import. The instruction leaflet, such as it
was, was impossible to fathom. The motor was impossible to start and
the pruner bit (chainsaw equivalent) used a chain of a size that I
could not get in the UK (and the EBay seller gave up trying and
refunded my purchase).

I now have a Ryobi set which I bought from Ideal World (TV Shopping
Channel) on one of their occasional give-away blockbuster type things.
For about £160 I got a pruner (chainsaw thingy), hedgecutter, brush
cutter and strimmer, a bottle of chainsaw oil and one of 2-stroke oil,
8 reels of strimmer cable and a freebie lawn vac. I've since added a
leaf blower attachment.

Motor always starts from cold on second or third pull and runs
reliably from then on. Warm start is a single pull.

The gardening season is starting so they should start having such
offers again. Plus you get UK customer service (not from Ideal World
but from Handy Tools so not a premium rate number to India or
wherever). I had a problem with the pole pruner about 6 months after
purchase and they replaced it without a quibble.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.

On Mar 12, 5:45*pm, Jake wrote:
On Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:36:19 +0000, Justinthyme77

wrote:

Reading previous posts I see that, understandably, Stihl is the one to
have.
I know people will say you only get what you pay for etc but the Stihl
is simply too expensive. *There are various packages available on Ebay..
I wonder has any one any experience of them and what they would
recommend in terms of power and weight? I have conifer, privet, hawthorn
and bamboo hedge. *I would be most grateful for any advice (other than
buy a Stihl !) :-)

Be careful buying on EBay. My first multi-tool came from there and it
turned to be an American import. The instruction leaflet, such as it
was, was impossible to fathom. The motor was impossible to start and
the pruner bit (chainsaw equivalent) used a chain of a size that I
could not get in the UK (and the EBay seller gave up trying and
refunded my purchase).

I now have a Ryobi set which I bought from Ideal World (TV Shopping
Channel) on one of their occasional give-away blockbuster type things.
For about £160 I got a pruner (chainsaw thingy), hedgecutter, brush
cutter and strimmer, a bottle of chainsaw oil and one of 2-stroke oil,
8 reels of strimmer cable and a freebie lawn vac. I've since added a
leaf blower attachment.

Motor always starts from cold on second or third pull and runs
reliably from then on. Warm start is a single pull.

The gardening season is starting so they should start having such
offers again. Plus you get UK customer service (not from Ideal World
but from Handy Tools so not a premium rate number to India or
wherever). I had a problem with the pole pruner about 6 months after
purchase and they replaced it without a quibble.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.


It's still worth asking your local Stihl dealer for a price, and if
you have more than one local to you you may get a better price

On 12/03/2012 13:36, Justinthyme77 wrote:
Reading previous posts I see that, understandably, Stihl is the one to
have.
I know people will say you only get what you pay for etc but the Stihl
is simply too expensive. There are various packages available on Ebay.
I wonder has any one any experience of them and what they would
recommend in terms of power and weight? I have conifer, privet, hawthorn
and bamboo hedge. I would be most grateful for any advice (other than
buy a Stihl !) :-)




I've got a petrol Ryobi power-head (about the smallest they make I
think), a couple of different hedge-trimmer attachments, and a strimmer
attachment. It works reasonably well for my heavy-ish DIY use.

The strimmer requires careful throttle control, otherwise it overspeeds
and breaks the plastic cord.

The hedge trimmer attachments are a bit wobbly, and also fairly heavy,
particularly when used with an extension tube. Using the Ryobi for
hedgetrimming really does develop arm muscles. Make sure you get one
with a shoulder strap.

The overall collection of bits was quite cheap, so I'm prepared to
overlook its shortcomings.