Tanaka Commercial Grade Lightweight Gas Powered Straight Shaft Grass Trimmer / Brush Cutter 21cc 1.1 HP 2-Stroke (CARB Compliant) TBC-225

I used to hate the thought of using my old Toro trimmer. I knew it would take about 40 pulls to get the thing started then about 1/2 way through the job it would just quit never to restart until the next day.

This Tanaka starts on the first or second pull and keeps running. I still don't look forward to doing the trimming but at least I have no excuse to get the job done. This is a mighty fine piece of equipment even if a little hard on the ears.

Very lightweight, easy to start, very low vibration. Well balanced.

A real pleasure to use.

You won't be disappointed with this trimmer.

Works great. Probably the seventh one I've owned..wish it would have been the first. Highly recommend.

I have a 3 year old Echo Straight shaft trimmer that I bought from Home Depot for around $220. (SRM-211) I was the only one who used it and always kept it in my shed, so it wasn't exposed to the elements nor was it abused. Well, it kept getting harder and harder to start, and now if I do get it started, it won't run for very long. A local shop will charge me around $50 per hour in labor to look at, but it probably needs a new coil, so total repair costs will be close to $100. :(

I started looking at the cheap, under $100 trimmers, but then I came across this Tanaka model and read the reviews. Did I want to spend close to $200 again on a string trimmer? Well, I took a chance, and I am glad I did.

I have had this Tanaka for a couple of weeks now, and I am very happy with it. It is very similar to the Echo that it replaced, but is NOTICEABLY lighter. It is very easy to start and does not have the fuel primer bulb that a lot of small engines now have. I also like the fact that the guard does not surround the cutting head like it did on my Echo - it's about a foot away and allows you to see the head while your cutting. The unit came fully assembled in a long box. All I had to do was loosen the guard and handle and position them where I wanted them.

I had never heard of Tanaka before, but it seems to be a well built, quality product. Time will tell.

As promised this trimmer starts easily and runs great. Is also lightweight. My former trimmer was an Echo and was always very hard to start. This Tanaka is a joy to use. Highly recommend.