There's a reason why those Jap two -stroke engines like Tanaka, Shindaiwa, Robin, and Honda are so expensive: they LAST for YEARS. The cheap Chinese copies are just copies with little or no adherence to top quality. Even if you find an expensive one, beware, because it (price) could be a ruse.
BTW, Echo is good, but Shindaiwa is better. Their sales pitch is accurate: first to start, last to quit. I don't go do a lot of lawn service, but I know from the use I have gotten out of mine that it is better than a Honda trimmer. Guys I have talked with who do it big time and have a rig with three Shindaiwa trimmers and two Lexmark mowers don't have to buy new ones because the old one gave up. It's because they left one unlocked and someone coming by stole it while they weren't looking. All lawn service types lock their equipment on the trailers now and leave nothing lying around, for that reason. THEFT!!! I have one of those gensets with a 4-stroke, and it's the same thing, only it's not starting after one tank of fuel. Cheap Chinese engines. Stanley ________________________________ From: paul annen <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, July 26, 2010 6:45:00 AM Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] tool theft i havent had any issues returning crap epqupment to HF... i bought a pair of gensets from them a few months ago (yes i bought there replacement plan too).... those little 2hp 2 stroke gens werent worth crap and would all die on there 3rd tank of fuel.... so i would swap them out and take the bad one to the store....10 mins lateri had a new one... problem was that i got tired of swaping them out and returned them both for cash, no questions asked... and i love the kobolt tools On Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 11:03 PM, Kyle Munz <[email protected]> wrote: I no longer do PC repair full time so I've gone back to a regular magnetic screwdriver. For the majority of my tools I usually go to Harbor Freight because it's cheap, or Home Depot because it's close. I don't expect much out of the HF tools, but I've been surprised by some too. Cheap and they've lasted longer than I expected. I picked up a gimicky wobble headed ratchet from them a few years ago. It didn't look very sturdy but it was cheap so I gave it a try. That's the first one I reach for each time and it's still going strong after several hours of wrenching on the cars and bikes. >I traded in the old weed eater and bought an Echo. Straight shaft and it >starts >on 3rd pull. I picked up spare heads for it at the time I bought it so I'm not >worried about it anymore. The lawnmower I've still got but I've torn it down a >couple of times and rebuilt it. Underneath that Craftsman badging was a cheap >tecumseh engine which isn't very stock anymore. I keep threatening to buy a >toro >or honda mower but instead I keep rebuilding this one... > >-Kyle > > > > >On Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 9:17 PM, stanley/ Randolph <[email protected]> wrote: > >Being as I buy commercial line trimmers, I don't have that problem. I go >to one >of the local shops to replace or repair what I can not do myself. I can get a >new head for my Shindaiwa trimmer for around $40 and replace it myself. I >have >two heads now, one which feeds the line automatically without the bump thing; >and the other, a bump head, which is the original and is starting to exhibit >an >imbalance, which means time for a new one. >>My Shindaiwa is like over 20years old and still starts on the third pull, and >>I >>have used it for doing lawns commercially. I have an Ariens 30" hedge >>clipper >>that I bought in 1988 and it still starts the third pull. Of course, I use >>Amsoil two stroke oil for lawn equipment... >>Other things, I usually buy commercial grade because I know that almost all >>of >>the merchandise they sell today is made mostly for the homeowner to use on a >>single job or two around the house and then sit and collect dust, until out >>of >>warranty, and then you use it maybe a year or two down the line and it gives >>up. >>WallyWorld does sell Stanley hand tools, which are good and reasonably >>priced, >>but the warranty thing is still the problem. I do not wear out tools like I >>used to, so the best bet for the money is the Stanley sets at WW or Pittsburg >>at >>Harbor Frgt. >>If you want a good small driver for working on computers all day I would get >>a Makita, Bosch, or Rigid, the latter which you can get guaranteed for life >>free >>online after purchase. Bosch makes some of their stuff in China now, but it >>must meet the German specs or gets rejected. A friend of mine who ownd a >>fastener business sell mostly US made, but deals with suppliers who buy >>Chinese, >>but to their specs. They have to inspect every shipment and if it doesn't >>pass >>muster they reject iot and send it back. Their Chinese suppliers have >>learned >>not to try to pass something off on them. In those cases, Chinese is >>grudgingly >>acceptable to my friend. >> >>I have broken off or rounded out many screws or screwheads from Lowe's or >>home >>Depot, or WallyWorld until I found out he sells sheetrock, wood, and sheet >>metal screws: no more broken screws or rounded out heads.. And that's not >>mentioning the poor quality and ridiculous price for bits at those places... >> >>Stanley >> >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________ From: Kyle Munz <[email protected]> >> >>To: [email protected] >>Sent: Sun, July 25, 2010 5:33:30 PM >> >>Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] tool theft >> >> >>Bad customer service is usually the first sign that a nat'l chain is about to >>go >>under. They used to sell a small electric screwdriver. I've never seen >>another >>one that small and handy. Not much power, but perfect amount of torque for >>working on PCs. I was using one 8hours a day but they would only last around >>4-5 >>mos. I'd take it back and swap it out. The third one they decided not to >>replace >>for me. They decided I was being too rough on it. I guess I wasn't supposed >>to >>use it to turn screws. >> >>I also had a Craftsman brand lawnmower that essentially was crap. Again same >>customer service problems, trying to get them to own up to their own faulty >>products. >>My favorite is that you can no longer get parts through their retail stores. >>You >>have to find one of their warehouses or repair centers which are always >>inconveniently placed. Why the !#$% can't I order another head for my weed >>eater >>where I bought it? Would it kill them to have it at the store the next day >>for >>me to pick up? Really? >> >>-Kyle >> >> >> >>On Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 4:34 PM, stanley/ Randolph <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>Was it Sears or was it K-Mart? Or did they just do a mutual merger? I >>never >>heard the whole story. But you're right, it's not the same, and they >>outsource >>their appliance repair now, and have sold off their fleet of trucks and vans. >>>I see now that you still have a choice between made here or made in China, >>>mostly in self-defense. But the China goods don't have the lifetime >>>warranty. >>> >>>Stanley >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ________________________________ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >>> >>>To: [email protected] >>>Sent: Sun, July 25, 2010 8:43:16 AM >>>Subject: Re: [Nighthawk Lovers] tool theft >>> >>> >>>Sears is not what it once was. Keep in mind they were bankrupt just a few >>>years >>>ago and now are part of Kmart. >>> >>>Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry >>> >>>-- >>>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>>To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>[email protected]. >>>For more options, visit this group at >>>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >>> >>> >>> >>>-- >>>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>>To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>[email protected]. >>>For more options, visit this group at >>>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >>> >>-- >>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>[email protected]. >>For more options, visit this group at >>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >> >> >>-- >>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >>To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>[email protected]. >>For more options, visit this group at >>http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. >> >-- >You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >"Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. >To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >[email protected]. >For more options, visit this group at >http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en.
