seezar

Thanks everyone for the welcomes and the helpful info!

After reading all these replies I can see I'm not yet any closer to picking out the exact trimmer for me, but I've gained some knowledge.  That was my intent in the original post was to understand the difference in the 2 types of engines, it just happened that the reason I wanted to understand was I'm in the market to get a trimmer.

I think its going to come down to just going out and looking at a few different models, and as what was mentioned, try some out and use the return policy if needed. The last time I used a trimmer was about 15-20 years ago so I'm sure things have changed quite a bit since then.

Thanks again everyone, this is a great forum and I'm glad I've stumbled upon it.

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, those wind gusts today are making it downright frigid today. I think the fact that  I have lawn care on the brain is my subconscience saying "cant wait for spring to get here!" :)

I think the convience of having one gas can for both my mower and trimmer is the best reason for me to go with a 4-stroke engine. After doing some google searches I can see that the topic can be quite debatable so I didnt want to start any arguments either way but wanted to determine what was best given my situation.

I apologize if this is an elementary question but I am a new homeowner and do not have alot of knowledge on engines in general.

I have a 1/4 acre lot and plan to do my own lawn maintenance. I've already purchased my mower and am now looking at getting a trimmer.

I've noticied the big difference in gas-powered trimmers seems to be 2-cycle or a 4-cycle engine but I'm not clear what the pros and cons are of each. Also in some of my research I see that some units take straight gas whereas others require a mixture. I'm just completely confused at this point at what to even start looking for. I dont have a large lot that requires a tremendous amount of trimming but I want to purchase a unit that will be durable and most fit my needs. Maybe my needs would be better suited with an electric model?

Any explanations and advice would be greatly appreciated.