Multi Purpose power tools

This is only based upon my personal expereince but might be useful to someone.

I do a lot of basic grounds maintenance work so wanted a set of these for ease of use.
e.g. 2 stroke powered strimmer, brush cutter, hedge trimmer, chain saw.

I've tried
Ryobi - the 2 stroke power unit is unreliable but nice an light
Echo - power unit reliable but the hedge trimmer is very heavy and only cuts 1st year growth (same as Ryobi).
Makita & Stihl - Both very reliable and reasonable weight
It's a pity the attachments aren't easily interchangeable between the various makes.

The tool I am realy impressed with is my battery powered hedge trimmer from GTech. It does everything the Ryobi and Echo units do and is very light.

Has anyone any other thoughts on these "multi tools" or any other machinery reviews they would care to share?

HTH
Bernard

 

Ok for occasional users and weekend gardeners.

For professional use a waste of time, the work of two tools on one engine unit eg premature wear. A simple fault can cause you to lack two or three basic power tools. Personally I wouldn't buy one.

other aspect is dust getting in to the exposed drive mechanism during transit.

 

Hi Invicta,
I know they're expensive but I would always go with Stihl. I use a long reach and standard hedge trimmer, petrol strimmer/brushwood cutter, and chainsaws, all by Stihl. I know there's a lot of outlay (luckily mine are supplied in one the gardens I maintain), but they feel solid, are easy to use and realiable. (I was using a Tanaka chainsaw today and it felt flimsy and was gutless). I'm not a fan of interchangeable heads - even changing the strimmer line for a brushwood head is a faff.
I agree with Pro gard about premature wear and the interchangeable heads are not really man enough for professional use. Maybe start with a good strimmer/brush cutter, then move on to the others.
Anyway, that's my advice, for what it's worth.
Good luck:thmb: Chris www.chrisodonoghue.co,uk

 

"I know they're expensive but I would always go with Stihl"

Ditto, or Husquvarna

 

Hi all,

I invested in a set of Stihl gardening tools shortly after moving into my new home last year. I have the chainsaw, strimmer, brushcutter, and hedge cutter. Yes the outlay was expensive but they have just about payed for themselves already. If I had had to employ a gardener to do the jobs that they have done I would have spent just about the same, at least I have them and they are readily available when I require them.

Regards

Drew

 

As I am 80 next month I find that petrol engined tools are too heavy to use. I have now changed to using electric tools. My garden has sufficient power points to cover the whole quarter acre. My range includes Strimmer, Chainsaw, Rotary Mower, Hedge Cutter and Mantis Electric Tiller. My land is heavy clay and the Mantis manages it very well. I always use 13amp rated extension leads for the heavy demand tools like the chainsaw (1850watts). I have had one or two occasions when I wanted to use the tools away from home, I may get a generator which can support a 2000watts load.

 

If you use a long extension lead make sure it is of sufficient size i.e. cable diameter.

If use us a cheap lead then you may get a voltage drop of 10% - 15% maybe more depending on its length.

This will make a big difference to the performance of the machine.

There are a number of good battery machines now, but you need to get one with a Li-on (lithium Ion) battery.

These charge quickly (depending on the charger - 30mins to 80%) and do not lose charge over time so you can fully charge and leave in the shed. They can also be topped up if only partly discharged without a memory effect.

Bosch are leading manufacturer in this technology.

 

I prefer the Honda powertools. My Lawnmower is so good and so reliable I cannot fault any Honda equipment. My local Honda dealer is always happy for me to field trial any tools and I have never been disappointed.