I just bought an Echo SRM210 this season to replace a cheapo Craftsman that destroyed itself internally. I had the dealer install the i starting option on it due to my wife not liking the Craftsman due to it starting so hard. I do not have a big yard, standard city lot, but my back yard has a good size hill that my old cheapo Craftsman could not handle very well. I am 6'4" tall and this unit has been more stable for me to handle than the curved shaft Craftsman which i had to bend over to use. The Echo also handles the .095 cutting line where my Craftsman had .065 when I bought it but even with the .080, which was the biggest it would handle, the line would get eaten up on my hill. Not so with the .095 with the Echo and the unit has extra power to boot. Even though this unit is $210 with the i option, it was worth it with the options and the build quality of it. I also checked out what the big law mowing outfits used around here and it was the Echo models. I would talk to a dealer since most will have test units that you can borrow. My dealer had the unit all together, gased up along with two bottles of 2.6oz Echo two stroke oil and filled out the registration. This weed whacker is awesome and I think you would too.

I have a Homelite ST-275 (25cc powerhead) from the same vintage as your HLT-16. I believe that the manual recommends 32:1 oil/gas ratio. I have used multiple different oils in mine over the years. The majority of the time I have run at a 50:1 ratio. Mine is about 14 years old, and I would estimate has between 100-150 hours usage. I am currently using Mobil 1 Racing 2T at 50:1 in mine.

We have a Ryobi straight shaft gasoline trimmer (weed wacker.) It was 1/4 the price of a Stihl, on the factory-rebuilt equipment site, and IMO just as good. We had to return the first one and the second was the charm. This is common - and worth it! It's worked well for almost two years. (I would never have an electric one, they're just too weak.) Anyway, they have generic attachments available on the market, for straight shaft wackers, and the brands really do seem to be all the same. At least they're compatible. This is the value of a "straight shaft" wacker, even though they're admittedly heavier. They're also more powerful (if you choose carefully.) We went to Lowe's and got the generic small chainsaw attachment, and it came with a shaft extension that makes the shaft twice as long. It's made to go between the wacker (motor end) and the chainsaw, each of which has its own shaft, so the result is quite long. (Although Ryobi doesn't recommend it,) I use the extension with the wacker end (as well as with the chainsaw it came with,) quite often, to reach down a VERY steep dropoff at the back of the yard, going down to the road below at a greater angle than 45 degrees. Wacking or mowing anywhere close to the edge is dangerous, it's such a sharp dropoff. I can reach down much farther with the extension, and it may help you. (warning: it's HEAVY) The little chainsaw (about 8 in. bow) is also very useful for trimming trees. It has a plastic bow, and so is fairly fragile - but if you clean it -each time, use proper notching technique, and don't expect to cut a fat branch, it works OK. They also make a small plastic snowblower attachment which is the next thing we'll get, and after that, there's a small tiller attachment also available. Yes, they're extremely flimsy and light duty, but if you're careful and maintain them regularly, they work. And you get that cool extension with the little "pole" chainsaw (tree trimmer.) I would love to find ANOTHER of those extensions to mow even farther down the backyard "cliff."

Ditto on the problem of the pull cords being too long and I'm 5'5''not 5'1"! I got a Homelite and had so much trouble with the pull cord that I got it off the reel during the first hour of use. Took it in and had it repaired and had the same thing happen the next time. It is a lost cause for me. It is physically impossible to hold it down and pull the cord all of the way out....totally enfruiating and I don't give up easily....I can start my Troybilt and our snapper mower with their pull cords. Everyone I know has told me to get a Stihl and so I'm saving for one. My all time FAVORITE power tool is my DR All Terrain Mower (12.5 hp Enduro)). I call it my full body workout machine and have used it extensively on rough ground for 5+ years......nothing is better on blackberries...it gets into all of the places that are too tight or too scary (tippy) for the John Deere 750. jwww