Shindaiwa pro engines are rated in Category A, 300 hour emissions compliancy (Extended).

Don't get a Husqvarna...

All the Shindaiwa professional models have a 2-ring piston. Some say it doesn't matter and doesn't make any difference, but I say that two is better than one.

The C4 engines are high torque and deceivingly quiet. Only thing with them is that they need a little more maintenance than the 2-strokes. But they use half as much gas, and are more environmentally friendly.

Shindaiwa recommends 50:1 in all their engines. There are people that say it's better to run 32:1 or 40:1 but that can lead to damaging carbon build up and short engine life, all you're doing is putting more exhaust into the air.

Get a Shindaiwa, you will not regret it. And if you do, for any reason, you can take it back in seven days for a full refund - if you don't like the color, if you dropped it off your truck and drove over it - you can take it back within seven days.

Thanks, Is Husqvqna bad?

I have been reading this forum and I notice a lot of people mainly like Echo and Stihl. Are they better or just cheaper? I have an Echo hedge trimmer HC150 with Power boost Vortex engine which have only one ring, that's the reason I asked about the durability of some of the Echo units( looks like all Vortex engine have only one ring, even the ones over 30cc.).

I believe any of the 3 brands you are looking at would serve you well, if they're in the same price range. You may want to let "dealer support" decide for you. Or which one feels better in your hands.

I have no concrete data on the oil mix question, but my gut tells me the 50:1 ratio is a factor of the EPA regs. I have 2 Tanaka manuals that contradict themselves by saying 50:1, then have a cartoon showing a range of acceptable mixes going from 25:1 to 50:1 with "50:1 for California only". Oil is cheap so I split the difference at 40:1.

If you have a dealer nearby that handles Kawasaki or Tanaka look at them too, you may find a better value.

Thanks for your comment. That what I think about the oil and gas mixing ratio. Common sense tell me that even 20:1 ratio is very very little oil. I think I just use higher octane to compansate for the difference. I remember in the 80's I put a little 2 cycle oil in my car every fill up ( 3oz for 15 gallon) for over 15K miles and it ran just as good. I totalled the car( that's another story!!!)after that, so I cannot say whether it hurt the engine in any ways, but it was runing perfect until the last day. I did check the spark plugs regularly and they were not fouled at all.

I am putting about 30:1 in my 2 cycle stuff and I'll update you all in the future.

Why would you add 2 cycle oil to your car's tank?

I have had very good experience with Echo power tools dating back to 1984. Now that they offer a 5 year warranty, that makes Echo even a better buy. Thankfully, Ive never had to use their warranty and I have several of their tools. Their dealer network is pretty big too so that helps if you should ever need parts or service.

The EPA and Calif air resources board are whats driving the 50:1 fuel mix. Even the hybrid four stroke engines like the Stihl 4mix and Shindaiwa 4 cycle trimmer and blower require a fuel mix.

I run all my two stroke engines at 32:1, with the best 2 cycle oil I can find and havent had any problems. Just remember to change the filters and dont leave stale gas sitting in them and you should be good to go.

Best wishes,
Bob

The thing is, lot's of people run their 2-stroke machines at 50:1 and never have any problems. It's cleaner.

Thanks For all the info. It turn out the last few days I have a lot of leafs falling and I need a blower more than a trimmer and I did went out and bought a Shindaiwa EB3410 and 34cc 4 stroke hybrid. I did put a little more than 50:1( more like 40:1). It works good. The noise is reasonable. The tone is kind of low frequency rather than screaming type and it does not smell. I don't know about gas saving, I use up about 1/3 a tank in 20 minutes. I didn't go for Echo because their hand held type has very small engines with only one compression ring ( Vortex engine vs Tornado ) and weight just as much as the Shindaiwa I bought. The smallest Echo back pack (25cc)is $269 where I only paid $259 for my 34cc EB3410.
The sales person actually did a demo on the Honda 35cc 4 cycle. It was quiet!!! I actually like the separate oil and gas so no controvercy on mixing ratio!!! I think I might go that except the Echo SRM 260 is soo soo much lighter.

The problem with the separate gas/oil tanks is that using in multi-positions (i.e. upside down) can decrease engine life. Also, most homeowners (I'm not saying that you're like this) don't even bother to check the oil in their lawnmowers, much less a blower/trimmer etc. And those are more critical because the amount of oil they hold is so small.

In australia, firefighting crews have bought Shindaiwa EB8510 backpack blowers (to blow the fire back). Even though the initial cost is higher, (over a traditional 2-cycle backpack blower) the difference is soon paid off in fuel savings alone.

To Kylaba
Thanks. I was on the web and found a link that someone had done a control experiment on carbon buildup with different oil gas mix ratio and different brands of oil. I am new at this and I don't know the brands. Take a look if you are interested. Looks like 50:1 is not that bad!!!

http://www.geistware.com/rcmodeling/articles/oil_test/index.htm