Purchasing Equipment

[Fresh Cut]

I suggest you look into Redmax!!! They are light, the power to weight ratio is great, and they last with very little maintenance. I was sliding mine in the back of my truck for a while then I got a box truck and installed a trimmer trap so now it's racked and out of harms way. I bought mine new in 2008 from a dealer that has since closed down, I paid around $360, but its SSSOOOO WORTH IT! I then found out about Redmax blowers being the top of the line and found one in a pawn shop for $265, EBZ8000. All my lawn service buddies swear by redmax as well. Echos just don't measure up?

Lawn care business tips

jcloss, Reasons to buy from a servicing dealer are manifold but here are a few. -The servicing dealer CARES ABOUT YOU and selling you the RIGHT machine. -The box store only cares about selling units. The more the merrier. -With certain brands, the models are not created equal. The unit you will buy at the box store is of a lesser quality than the servicing dealer model, though they may carry the exact same model designation. Things like cheaper quality materials, etc. The so called "professional" in their lawn and garden dept will deny this, but I know from experience of servicing these machines. -The servicing dealer wants to create a business relationship with you that is beneficial to both of you. -Many times box stores definitely only carry consumer models or "pro-sumer" models. Though they will tell you their models are Commercial, they are very likely not. They stock their models for "price point", rather than quality and durability. As with anything else, compare, compare, compare. Compare the power to weight, the balance, availability of parts and service, warranty, etc. As I recall, Echo has a rather healthy warranty at this time. Steve, As far as what I like about Kawasaki, they seem to have a "no fluff" attitude with a track record of high quality products. They even manufacture products for several other brands, including trimmer models. Stihl and Husqvarna seem to have a decent chain saws (though some of their models are little better than the box store junk). Recently I have seen some Stihl Trimmers that I had to work on and was VERY disappointed in their design. Among other issues was the way things are put together making it hard to take apart. Serviceability of a machine means a lot to me. There are some trimmers where you can have the carburetor off in just a few minutes. This specific model of Stihl Trimmer you have to disassemble almost the entire trimmer just to get to it. All the new Stihl Blowers are the same way, including the BR500, and BR600 that everyone just LOVE.... It is ridiculous. Fresh Cut, Now regarding Echo vs Redmax, I can't help but wonder why you don't like the Echo models? I know Redmax is good, I am not certain though that I would put Echo down to that level. Most manufacturers have a consumer model line and Professional or Commercial model line. For anything more than trimming your own lawn you need the Commercial models. None the less, Redmax is a great machine. And you are so right, it is so worth your time and money to buy the best quality machine the first time. I could go into great depth on the benefits of buying the right machine the first time but I am sure we can all get the idea. One reason that comes to mind is that you get to spend that money only once so you better make sure you spend it the best way you possibly can!! Good luck all! Eli