I'm not sure it makes much difference so long as you buy a known brand and Stihl is a good brand. Don't buy made in China crap from Walmart or Kmart. When you buy your line take it home and put it in an icecream pail full of water and store it there. Dry line frays and snaps off, just ask any fisherman.

Questiong about the water pail storage..... I've read that before, but once you load it into your trimmer head, won't it just dry out again?

I found that the fixed-length head I like (Echo I think) will take .155 line, which has MUCH better cutting power and lifetime.

The FS45 won't have the power to turn .155. That is for the wheel trimmers. bas157, it won't be an issue during the summer months when the line is replaced frequently. Any line left on it will need to replaced next spring though.
I like Echo's Crossfire line. IMHO, it cuts better so I use less of it and don't need to reload as often.

i bought some "Oregon" line last week...i think its called 'star line' its .095...cuts like a knife. although it is a little 'soft'. I gave it a good stress test this week its better than any other line i have used.

I have read more than once about placing new string trimmer line in water to make it last longer. Is this true for the Echo string? It seems like it is some kind of plastic that would not be affected by water at all. How does water help the line if the line cannot absorb it? What am I missing? Charles Ranheim

cranheim, my personal thoughts are is that your not missing a thing, I just can't see weed trimmer line absorbing water, if there was anything to it then line would come packed in water. as for which line I like... I use Husky Titanium around the house and a line called xtreame(get it at lowes)when I want to cut some real weeds.

I just purchased an ECHO 230 from Home Depot $279 plus tax. Got it home read the instructions and tried it out. The bump to feed line works Great. although the bump on the head does get in the way with some trimming jobs, like along driveways and between rocks.

I had an 11ish year old HomeLite ST385, manual feed, which dies out after 5 -10 minutes. I tried loosening the gase cap, but no luck.

Home Depot also sells a HomeLite Easy Reach Trimmer Model UT20044 for $110.

Bsed on the good reviews of the Echo 230, that is what I got.

But, If I had to doe it over again I would get the homeLite and save $160ish.

Observations:
The Echo may also have some safty features to keep from getting burned.
The Echo 230 is not quiter than the HomeLite.
The HomeLite came with a strap/harness Which I think is a must have.
The Echo came with eye protection, also a must have.
The Echo had a padded handle, Not a be deal. you can always pad the HomeLitse's handle.

My recommendation is get the HomeLite.

I just got the Echo 230 a few days ago. It will replace a Homelite Hs 20775. I've used it once and am impressed with it's power. I got the bushcutter attachment which includes a shoulder/waist strap, with an utterly rediculous 14 inch diameter sign to be displayed on your back saying "Stand Back 50 feet!" Good advice, but in some neighborhoods would provide an attractive target.
I can't wait to use the bushcutter.
My only complaint is my right elbow sits on top of a very hot engine, when the strap is in use. I hope there's some slack to be let out. Also, it's a challenge to get out of that strap, if you need to in a hurry.
Norm

hoser,

You might have a different opinion after if you bought the homelite and were responding in 1-3 years. There are plenty of anecdotes on this board regarding failure of the homelite units. First blush may not show the worth that use over time would.

You can replace the bump head on your Echo with an Echo head that takes short pieces of string. It is $20.99 at my local Home Depot.

I use Echo crossfire line 0.095 dia. presently and I like it. I purchased a large roll of Stihl line previously and it was equally as good as the Echo. Tried some cheap inexpensive line a few years back and it was terrible, it just kept breaking and breaking and breaking, I wasted a lot of time fiddling and reloading because of it.

I guess you get what you pay for.

As a manufacturer of trimmer line and head I can attest to a few things. Line quality does make a difference in performance on some scale. Soaking it in water does help the line with its longevity. Shaped line has no effect on cutting ability. Tet after test have proven this, but like every industry, perception is reality.
The next statements, while self-serving, are also true:
The design of the trimmer head has more to do with line life than the line itself.
The problem is that with most designs the line exits the head through an eyelet of some sort. This bends it back and forth at high speeds and heads and weakens the line. This is when it breaks or begins to wear more quickly.
We have developed a new design that allows the line to pivot at the attachment point. This enables the mechanics of the head to absorb the major impacts and lengthen line life by up to 20X and virtually eliminate broken lines.
The product is called the PIVOTRIM and was debuted for the 2007 spring seson. I personally guarantee the superior performance of the PIVOTRIM.
Happy Trimming,
Mike Watts
President, Better Heads LLC
800-431-4177

Here is a link that might be useful: PIVOTRIM HOME PAGE

dryndusty and other Echo users. Elbow on top of the hot engine was one of my first impressions after I started using the Echo. So I use an athletic knee pad at the elbow.

I have the Stihl FS45, and have used both the ubiquitous Echo Crossfire .80 (orange) line, and the "GrassGator" Zip Line Pro (green) twisted .80 line. As claimed, the Zip Line Pro is quieter (less whistling noise) and does last significantly longer (less bumping/line-feeding required). The downside is, presumably because of its twisted texture, it also tends to get stuck more often (like at least once every edging use), which requires taking the spool out and jerking the line free. I've tried winding the line less tightly, but that doesn't seem to help. What happens is, maybe due to the strong centrifugal forces involved, a segment of line will get wedged in between other segments of line. In contrast, the Echo Crossfire line doesn' t jam much, but I'd say it "disintegrates" about twice as fast. Of course, I have tough St. Augustine grass, so that might be a factor. In any case, both these brands have their pluses and minuses.