Is Stihl really better? Yeah, in many ways they are. A good majority of their problems are with components they don't make, carbs and ignitions. Most of these are with new products in the first years of production. Since all manufactures are making frequent new model introductions to keep up with emission requirements that means a troublesome amount of problems.

My biggest problem with Stihl is if they did enough R&D and testing prior to releasing new products to the public that many of these problems would be found and corrected. When you're number one in world wide sales as Stihl is it simply means you hear of more troublesome areas then you do of others.

As for made in America. Stihl is German owned but the majority of products they sell here in the U.S. are made here in the U.S. This holds true even more with their consumer grade products that most homeowners buy. Some of the larger commercial chain saws are made in Germany, cut off saws in Brazil. But the majority of the rest are made right here in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Hi Nevada Walrus
Good morning,I hear what you say, only thing is carbs adn ignitions are all show stopper for the engine. Echo and Shindaiwa also have to face the same charlenge but they seemed to handle it better.

Do you mean after the initial problem be fixed under warrentee, the unit will out last the others? Is Shindaiwa and Echo just as popular?

Shindaiwa and Echo aren`t anywhere near as popular as Stihl is so even if all things were equal relating to quality, you still wouldn`t hear of as many problems with Echos or Shindaiwas as you do with Stihl.

Stihl has various and widely disparate levels of quality within their products whereas Echo and Shindaiwa seems to market products that are built similarly in regard to durabilty throughout their lines, meaning no one can honestly say that Stihl is better than the others or vice versa.

Everyone seems to be having problems with ZAMA carbs, including Echo.

I have Stihl and Echo and Shindawa products and all have been very good performers. Next time I buy a power tool, I would buy any one of them if all were similar in power and features.

Shindaiwa uses all WALBRO.
Shindaiwa is the weapon of choice for many commercial users. If you go on any commercial lawncare forums, you'll see that while problems with Redmax, Echo, Stihl & others are posted frequently, it's rare for Shindaiwa.

What commercial lawncare forums??

And I have to say, my Redmax machines have been more reliable than my Stihl machines. I've also had a big problem with a Stihl dealer, who wanted to charge me for rebuilding the same engine twice.

Some people have emotional ties to Stihl, but I just want to get the best quality product - including longevity. I asked a small equipment mechanic which brands are best for rebuilding, and he said Redmax by far.

I'm not deadset against Stihl - I'll probably buy their German-made arborist saw (MS200T) when my little Echo fails - but you have to be careful about which Stihl model you buy, and where you buy it from. But I think Redmax (and maybe Shindaiwa) has consistently higher quality, and Echo is way better bang for the buck.

There might be more complaints re Stihl here but look at the amount of their equipment sold. It is probably the most popular brand.
A lot of problems we see are with uninformed customers who have no idea what to expect from a piece of equipment. Some think they should get commercial performance and longevity from a $150.00 trimmer because it is a Stihl. Others will not read the manual or are lazy with basic maintenance. I recently had a customer wanting an easier way to feed the line. He was shocked when I tapped the head and it worked fine, he did not know to do that and the trimmer was three years old LOL.

Hi Canguy, you work in/own your lawn equipment company? How do you compare Honda 35cc trimmer with something like Stihl FS110, Shindaiwa T3410. I am interest in buying trimmer, 4 cycle for better smell if it does not make a difference on reliability. I choose Honda because it has separate oil so it is easier and not to worry about all the mixing ratio stuff. Do they last longer because they splash oil onto the parts rather than 50:1 oil only?
From your experience is 2 cycle like Echo more reliable than the best 4 cycles as mensioned above?

Have a good Veteran day weekend.

Well all I can say about my Stihl BG85 is that its running great on year three for lawn cleanup. The "HD" backpack blower my neighbor has is down for the count on year two. It has some kind of problem keeping RPMs up.

I am in sales with a large lawn/garden equipment retailer. Cut my teeth in the shop starting in 1975.
The Honda is good but IMHO not well balanced due to a bit heavier engine. Regular oil changes are critical to engine life. I still prefer 2 stroke.

A lot of engineers will tell you a 4-stroke will outlast a 2-stroke due to the theoretical better oiling.

Most experienced users will tell you the opposite.

IMO and experience 2-strokes outlast 4-strokes if all things are equal (service, etc.) Less parts to wear out, less maintenance required, consistent oiling as long as proper gas/oil ratios are used.

The big advantage with 2 strokes is the oil never gets old or dirty. However if the 4 strokes have the oil changed when it should there should be similar life expectancy.

4 stroke hand held do suffer a bit in weight terms. Except for the Stihl 4-Mix. With the weight of an oil sump removed and a fuel tank half the size, its weight is not much more then equal 2 strokes. The fuel tank reduction is not a factor either as it gets so much better fuel economy the run time is still about the same.

Then there is the personal factor. If like me you find the whinning of 2 strokes to be annoying you'll love the purring of a 4 stroke.

"...Then there is the personal factor. If like me you find the whinning of 2 strokes to be annoying you'll love the purring of a 4 stroke."

I have the new Stihl 4-Mix. Yes it purrrs but the RPMs seem to take a split second longer to get to full speed than a 2 cycle. The 4-Mix also idles very nicely without stalling. I still hear that "ring", "ring" sound once in a while at idle that the older commercial trimmers Stihl had. I think it is built into their design.

That is likely coming from the clutch. It is a Stihl
trademark LOL.

I have a bg86 blower that has lasted me eight years of regular use. I had to tighten the muffler bolts and repair the wires to the ignition shutoff...took ten minutes. I'm a fan of the stihl products as a landscaper. I like the two stroke fs94r line trimmer for regular yard maintenance but the "four stroke" fs111rx with a duro cut head for the really overgrown grass and weeds. The two strokes are more versatile and responsive at all Rpms the 4strokes are a little harder to feather the throttle and like to run all (3/4 throttle and above) or nothing but really have torque to tear through tough stuff. I personally think that if you break in a piece of equipment properly and do the maintenance any of the top brands will last years and years of hard use. I stick with stihl because they all use the same mix, I can fix them and get parts locally and they have been very dependable for me and my business.

BG86C maybe 15 years now? Went through 2 homelites in record time, bought the Stihl and still have it. Record for a carb I swear. It leaks a little but I am not one to fix what runs. Also have just rebuilt the FS85X trimmer boight that same year. Have the auger, the back pack blower, the pole trimmer, the demolition saw and yep thats about all of them except the saws of course.