Trimmer - Stihl FS-50 2 Stroke or Honda UMS 425 ELE 4 Stroke?

um7y1h83ge06nx

Looking at two similarly priced trimmers

2 Stroke Stihl FS-50

4 Stroke Honda UMS 425 ELE

They are both coming in around the same price - €300-330 depending on where you buy.

Any opinions? To me they are both good brands, similar spec, biggest difference being the 2 stroke versus 4.

CJhaughey

Why limit yourself to just those two brands?
Are you specifically looking for a bent shaft trimmer or would a straight shaft one work for you as well?
Lots of decent trimmers out there with good backup.

um7y1h83ge06nx

I was zoning a little in on these and was curious as to the practical difference of a 2 stroke versus a 4.

The shaft doesn't bother me and would have a max budget of roughly €350.

Want something reliable that will last, so any other suggestions would be appreciated.

CJhaughey

Personally straight shaft trimmers are more reliable, the power transmission is through gears not a flexible shaft.
They tend to be a little more expensive but not that much.
I'd have a look at Maruyama MX series as well, Good quality Japanese made trimmers.
Tanaka aren't as good as they were before Hitachi took them over.
Marunaka can be had with the Honda engine as well.
I find the 2 strokes better, simpler but have heard from people using the 4stroke Honda that they are torquey enough little engines.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Thanks for that. Was keeping an eye too on Maruyama and Tanaka as well. Must pop into a few places at the weekend.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Anyone know much about the Efco brand? One of the local shops sell these but I've never heard of them

CJhaughey

They are a big Italian company, I had a chainsaw made by them and it did a pile of work and has continued to do so for my friend that I sold it to.
Well made and good enough backup for spares as well.
I'd have no problem with them.
That said the Japanese stuff just seems that little bit better finished.

fox0512

Efco not a bad machine at all...you would prob do better for your money if you steer away from "Top name brands" but if it has to be one of those id be going for stihl...

um7y1h83ge06nx

In the end I went for a different one - a Tanaka TCG22EAS. Straight shaft with a handy 22cc engine. Had a quick go yesterday and it handled the type of ground I needed it for easily.

Got it for €265, not too bad.

CJhaughey

Kendall Shy Hearse wrote: »

In the end I went for a different one - a Tanaka TCG22. Straight shaft with a handy 22cc engine. Had a quick go yesterday and it handled the type of ground I needed it for easily.

Got it for €265, not too bad.

Well wear, you should get good service from that machine.
Just make sure you have the whole fuel oil mix thing sorted.
I have a separate 5l steel can for mixed fuel and never ever have just straight petrol in the can, always have the oil in before I fill it.
Too many people have seized stuff by filling the can and forgetting to put oil into the can then running it on straight petrol.
Buy quality oil with a strong dye red/green/blue so that you can always tell it contains oil.
Oh and despite what the manual tells you mix it at 40:1 and you will never have any problems with good oil. 50:1 is borderline IMHO.

um7y1h83ge06nx

CJhaughey wrote: »

Well wear, you should get good service from that machine.
Just make sure you have the whole fuel oil mix thing sorted.
I have a separate 5l steel can for mixed fuel and never ever have just straight petrol in the can, always have the oil in before I fill it.
Too many people have seized stuff by filling the can and forgetting to put oil into the can then running it on straight petrol.
Buy quality oil with a strong dye red/green/blue so that you can always tell it contains oil.
Oh and despite what the manual tells you mix it at 40:1 and you will never have any problems with good oil. 50:1 is borderline IMHO.

Good to know about the 40:1 mix. I have a 1 litre mixing bottle, so I won't have too much mixed at anyone time.

Thanks for the advice and tips!

CJhaughey

Kendall Shy Hearse wrote: »

Good to know about the 40:1 mix. I have a 1 litre mixing bottle, so I won't have too much mixed at anyone time.

Thanks for the advice and tips!

Oil is a funny topic, but I have been running two strokes for many years and always followed the advice of an old mechanic who told me to run the best oil I could afford at 40:1 and I'd never have any problems.
I followed that advice even when the now popular 50:1 started to be commonly recommended and never had any issues.
More than a few two strokes have died running 50:1 on hot days as its a borderline lean mix, good for emissions but not so good for a hard working air cooled two stroke.

NIMAN

Would you run 40:1 even if the manual tells you 50:1 ??

Surely the manufacturers would recommend the best mix for your machine?

CJhaughey

NIMAN wrote: »

Would you run 40:1 even if the manual tells you 50:1 ??

Surely the manufacturers would recommend the best mix for your machine?

Yes I run 40:1 in everything, bikes aircooled and watercooled.
Chainsaws, strimmers, leafblowers, anything that has premix gets 40:1
The reason manufacturers specified 50:1 was to do with emissions not engine durability.
I haven't yet seen a premix two stroke fail from too much oil in the mix but have rebuilt plenty of them that have been run on too lean an oil mix.
50:1 was commonly specified in the last few years but I notice that manufacturers are now advising more oil in the mix because it has cost them so much in warranty work.
Aircooled two strokes are funny little things, they need a fair bit of oil to keep them running right the smaller the engine the more oil should be used.
I have a friend that sells lots of garden equipment, he tells his customers to mix at 25:1 because there has been so many failures at 50:1
The worst that too much oil will do is smoke, too little and you are looking at piston/cylinder/rings and maybe a crank if the small end gets fried.
Its your choice but I know what's worked for me for over 20 years.

One exception is my trials bike which gets 80:1 of top quality ester oil, it rarely gets over idle.
excerpt from Tanaka Manual:
Use Tanaka two-cycle oil or a quality two-cycle
oil at mixing ratio of 25-50:1 (Gasoline (A) : Oil
(B)), only for the state of California at 50:1.

um7y1h83ge06nx

The manual with my new Tanaka stated a mix of 25:1 to 50:1, talk to the dealer for confirmation. Also mentioned California state law.

Particularly with the mention about California, it does appear to be environmentally driven.

If the only negative is slightly more smoke/emissions and a tiny more expense in oil it would make sense to go with 40:1 to avoid expensive issues.

fox0512

CJhaughey wrote: »

Oil is a funny topic, but I have been running two strokes for many years and always followed the advice of an old mechanic who told me to run the best oil I could afford at 40:1 and I'd never have any problems.
I followed that advice even when the now popular 50:1 started to be commonly recommended and never had any issues.
More than a few two strokes have died running 50:1 on hot days as its a borderline lean mix, good for emissions but not so good for a hard working air cooled two stroke.

good advise it was too...

At OP...those 1lt plastic mixing bottles are a no no .... 1. they not accurate 2. they plastic....always store fuel in a metal can...some like to add that extra shot of oil so they can clearly see smoke...not a good idea either as it causes carbon build up and in time will score up your piston and cylinder...good luck with new machine!