Took the plunge and bought the Stihl KM90R power head and a straight-shaft string trimmer attachment. I had favored a Honda string trimmer based on good experience using a borrowed trimmer from my father but decided to give Stihl a try.
The new Stihl engine is awesome, responsive throttle, a little touchy, but I'll eventually get used to it. It has plenty of torque and grunt. The Stihl grip, throttle, switches, and rotating harness attachment point are ergonomically superior to the Honda. The Stihl is so balanced even when the trimmer head is turned vertical for sidewalk edging. I am stoked with the sound of the engine. At idle, it sounds like an Harley with open pipe with some metallic ping ping to it. Some people call it noise, some love the sound.
The Honda engine is significantly quieter and smoother, at any speed. The throttle response linear and easier to modulate trimmer head speed. The Honda trimmer is definitely heavier, in part due to a heavier construction and more complex engine with oil reservoir. This can be a deal breaker for some if someone was to operate a Honda and Stihl back to back. I don't do landscaping work all day so the weight difference is not an issue.
The jury is still out in terms of whether I prefer no maintenance of mixed gas versus changing oil. I think it may be cheaper to change oil than buy 2 cycle oil. The Honda 4 stroke engine is efficient and really sips gas.
Overall, I am happy that I got the Stihl. I had done a lot of comparative shopping between Echo, Shindaiwa, and Honda. If I can sum it up with an analogy, the Stihl is a Mustang Cobra and the Honda trimmer is a Corvette ZR1. Raw viscereal versus finesse.
This message was modified Jun 22, 2009 by aa335
