Best gas trimmer - Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo or Makita?

Engine power is the main and most important criterion when choosing a trimmer. It can be measured in horsepower or kilowatts. To whom it is convenient, there is no difference. The more powerful the motor, the higher the productivity and, accordingly, the strength of the tool. Weak engines less than 1 hp can only mow small grass. Tall grass is not subject to them, but since we are considering powerful units, you will not feel such problems with them:

The winners of the nomination are visible to the naked eye: these are models of Stihl and Husqvarna. Both nominees have over 2 horsepower. The rest of the participants share the second step of the podium, since their indicators are almost the same and it makes no sense to make additional positions between them.

The volume of the engine has a direct correlation with the power of the tool and, in theory, should fully correspond to it. But in reality this is not always the case, and this is clearly seen in the example of our participants.

The winner in terms of power is the Calm petrol trimmer. He has 2.2 forces, and the engine capacity is 40 cubic centimeters. Husqvarna is slightly less powerful, 2.1 horsepower, but the engine size is slightly higher, 41.5 cubic meters. It turns out that Husqvarna is more “strangled”, and therefore has a greater margin of safety and consumes resources more slowly. The same two nominees become winners in the same way as in the power category, and the rest of the participants go to the second line. There, the volumes of motors range from 35.8 cm³ Honda, up to 33 cm³ at Makita.

Another important criterion that affects several factors at once: convenience, noise, maintainability and performance. Engines are two-stroke and four-stroke. Structurally, they are very different. Without delving into the technical side, you can identify the main difference: for two-stroke engines, you must independently prepare the fuel mixture. This is a solution of gasoline and oil in a certain proportion. This is inconvenient and takes some time. In addition, you will have to get used to the dosage and carefully control it. An excess or lack of oil in the mixture can lead to unpleasant consequences.

But two-stroke motors are easier to maintain and easier to repair, but without a certain skill, it’s better not to climb inside. If you have experience, then you can easily fix a four-stroke gas trimmer. In any case, a four-stroke looks preferable. It is more convenient, since you do not need to make a mixture, and its reliability is much higher. Therefore, there are two winners in the nomination: Makita and Honda. Only they use such motors. All other nominees are two-stroke.

The trimmer has two indicators of rotational speed - these are the revolutions of the engine itself and the rotational speed of the knives. They differ, since the transmission of torque occurs through a gearbox. When choosing, you need to look at the ratio. If the tool has a high-speed motor, but the speed of rotation of the knives is low, then it will cut the grass, even getting stuck in it. At high speeds and low engine speeds, all sections will go like clockwork, and the work will go much faster.

So, we see that the Echo and Honda models use step-up gearboxes. At slower engine speeds, they have a high speed of rotation of the knives. It turns out that they can more easily cope with thick stems and pass them at maximum speed. We give them first place in the nomination.

Husqvarna and Makita, on the contrary, use reduction gears. Their motor spins faster than the knives.Such a gas trimmer will cut more slowly, but it will be easier to cope with larger obstacles in the form of small trees or thicker grass. We will give them second place, because if you have a large dacha, it is more important for you to carry out the work faster. But Calm takes only the third line. It does not use a gearbox at all, or rather, it is here, but does not change the rotation speed.

If you have a large dacha or a house with a large plot, the performance of the tool is important to you. That is, you want to mowing as quickly as possible, and this is facilitated not only by the power of the trimmer, but also by the width of its mowing.

Among our participants, Makita leaves the widest track behind him - 45 centimeters. A little less for Honda, 44 cm, and even less for Husqvarna, 42 cm. But all this is practically on the same level, so we will not share it by the steps of the pedestal. We give everyone first place. But Echo and Calm share the second line. Both are only 25.5 centimeters. This is small, and the track after the pass will be narrow, which means that you will have to make much more walkers, which increases the time and effort spent on mowing.

Since we are considering gas trimmers of the pre-top segment, they cannot but use additional options. Naturally, the more of them, the better. Some options affect only convenience, others affect performance and security:

The best gas trimmer in terms of additional equipment is Husqvarna. It can work as a scythe, delimber and brush cutter, it is enough to buy the necessary modules for it. Definitely first place in the category. We will also place the Makita trimmer here. It differs from Husqvarna only in the absence of a catalytic converter. The Echo and Honda look a little more modest, but both have an anti-vibration system, and this is very important, since vibration is the main problem when working with a gasoline tool. Well, Calm becomes an outsider. There is no anti-vibration, which means that after several hours of continuous work, you will feel severe fatigue in your hands. We recommend taking frequent breaks.

If you have a large dacha and tall grass has completely captured it, then you will probably work with a trimmer for a long time.And the more fuel tank it has, the less often it will have to be refueled. This is especially important for two-stroke engines, where you need to prepare it before adding fuel. But for four-stroke players, this activity takes a lot of time. After all, the tool must first be turned off, let it cool down a little if the engine is very overheated, and only after that fill in gasoline.

Simply put, the larger the fuel tank, the better, and therefore, the winner in the nomination are Echo and Husqvarna. The first has 0.84 liters, the second has 0.94 liters. The rest go to second place. There, the volume ranges from 0.65 liters for the Makita to 0.63 liters for the Honda.

For all our participants, price and quality have a direct correlation, but not only performance is important, but also the overall convenience of the tool. Each model has height adjustments. But it is also necessary that the bar itself be long enough. The dimensions of the motor are also important, but the main aspect is still the weight. A massive tool is harder to handle. The heavier the trimmer, the faster fatigue will set in and the less your personal productivity will be.

As you can see, the size parameters for almost all participants are the same. There is a difference, but it is small and does not allow dividing the models by the steps of the pedestal. Therefore, let's pay attention to the weight, and here the difference is already more significant. The lightest gas trimmer is Stihl, only 6.3 kilograms. Definitely the first place, and the sole one, since the rest of the participants are heavier. We will give the second step to Husqvarna, Honda and Makita.All within 7 kilograms with a slight difference. But the Echo is the heaviest model. She weighs over 8 kilograms. Only third place.

Whatever gas trimmer you choose, if you have a private house, we strongly do not recommend using it in the morning, especially on weekends. You risk incurring the righteous wrath of neighbors from all over the area. The tool is very noisy, and this shortcoming cannot be corrected in any way. Just a design feature.

Of course, the quieter the trimmer, the better, respectively, in this nomination they win: Echo (90 dB), Calm (99 dB), Makita (98 dB). Husqvarna and Honda have the loudest engines, both putting out 110 decibels.

Price is a relative concept, and it may differ in stores in your city or on different marketplaces. For comparison, we will take the average value, which allows us to understand the approximate ratio of prices for different models.

In this case, it makes sense to divide the seats according to the principle "cheaper and more expensive than 40 thousand rubles." Accordingly, we have two winners: Echo and, oddly enough, Makita.The second line at Husqvarna and Calm. they are more expensive than 40 thousand, but not by much. But Honda stands out even against their background. Almost 70 thousand is an absolute record. However, this brand has never been distinguished by democratic price tags, attributing them to high quality and reliability.

It is unlikely that it will come as a surprise to anyone, but the Husqvarna gasoline trimmer won the comparison. As always, price and quality are combined in the model of the eminent Swedish brand. Makita is not far behind the leader, although in some respects it is still inferior, but their overall score is the same.

Do not discount other participants. If their characteristics suit you, they may well become excellent au pairs. But Honda was the most overrated. This is the case when the brand obviously went too far with prices, and against the background of competitors, this trimmer looks the least attractive.Yes, it has its advantages, but all of them are completely eliminated by the price, which, in terms of the totality of parameters, is unreasonable.