Gas Powered Brush Cutter Weed Whacker

Review update: After a few uses, the tube covering the shaft failed where the two pieces joined. It took over a month to get the problem fixed. First I emailed the company and did not hear back. Later they informed me that my email went into their junk folder. They offered to send me a used replacement part, but I held out for a new one. It worked with the new part, but vibrated a lot. The gasket on the shaft fitting wanted to come out (see photo) I have only used this trimmer about 30 times, and today the vibration suddenly got very bad , like something was out of balance. I looked down, and lubricating oil was coming out of the fitting where the two shafts join (see picture). The only opinion I can offer is that the poor customer service is exceeded only by the terrible quality of the product itself. The good: - Very powerful. I was able to cut through thickets of blackberries, stems up to an inch and a half in diameter, with no problems. I bumped a cedar fence picket by accident, and it cut right into it. - Comes with lots of accessories. - For me it started easily every time. Others have indicated it floods easily. I give the fuel pump two presses, pull it one time with the choke on, and then once with the choke off. It has always started on the second pull - The included fuel bottle makes it easy to mix the oil and gasoline in the proper ratio (fill the two compartments appropriately and then pour the whole thing into the fuel tank. The bad: - The manual makes ikea instructions look like a NASA manual. The depiction of how the handlebars go on was different in different pictures. It took me several tries to get the handlebars on correctly and figure out how to get the nut off the end of the shaft (there is a hole in the housing through which you can insert a small rod or phillips screwdriver and insert it also into a matching hole in the shaft to hold the shaft in place while you loosen the nut). I wasted an hour or so figuring out how to assemble it. Thank you youtube for saving me. - There is foam padding on the shaft above the handlebars. I braced the shaft against my hip or thigh during use, and the padding tore and fell off after an hour or so. - The blade guard can be a hinderance in brush. - It vibrates a lot, which is expected, but be prepared for residual muscle and finger numbness and shakiness after using it for a while. The bottom line: It works great, and for me has been worth the price and hassle. I have only used it with the chainsaw tooth blade on Himalayan blackberries. But it laid waste to the brambles with no hesitation or resistance. I was able to sweep it back and forth through brambles up to 6 feet high and left behind a trail of foot long stem chunks. You definitely want to respect this machine. It can kickback. It can throw debris. It is noisy. And if it hit a body part, it would do serious damage. Heavy clothes, googles or a face shield, and good ear plugs are all musts. The harness has a crotch protector for a reason. The goggles that come with it were too cheap for me to trust.