First, it really depend on what attachments you want, they don't have the same attachments But be aware of the price of those attachments, they can cost a lot.

I put my bet on the Honda. It is quieter, easy to start and the best of it all, you don't have to deal with Honda for warrantee issue!!!

Husky is lighter and there are a lot of good comments on them. They have the short reach articulate hedge attachment that Echo don't have. I think that is a very important tool to have.

I almost bought the Husky 326LDx instead of my Shindaiwa M242 because of Shindaiwa's promotion and dealer don't have Husky in stock.

First of all, I want to let you know that I took your input on getting different machines for each job seriously. But due to my lack of space, I think that this is going to be my best option. That being said, you would go with the four cylinder honda engine right? I am guessing that I would be lacking a few rpms, but I am sure there is plenty to spare! The weight is not an issue, cause I held both of them and can't freakin tell. It sounds like a no-brainer, but I figured that there has to be a catch!

I don't think you'll be lacking rpm on the Honda at all. Honda is a pretty strong engine....so is the Echo. Like you said, it is a 4 cycle with separate oil. You can run it in all position, but you cannot store it in all position because when the engine is not running, the oil go to the lowest spot. If you let it sit with cylinder sideways or upside down for a day or two, oil will sip through the rings and go into the cylinder. The next time you start the engine, it will smoke for a while. You have to watch out how you hang it. That is all I can think of. I have this engine on my Mantis and I have the big Honda trimmer, the engine runs good and it is quiet. Don't let the sound fool you, the power is there.

RC model plane people use Hondas to fly their planes, it is strong. You have to change oil though, but you don't have to mix. I have half 4 cycle and half 2 cycle stuffs. I have problem with Honda warrantee which don't apply in your case. So I don't have any reservation in saying this.

As I said, other than some complains about oil into the air filter and exhaust due to sitting in wrong position, I have not heard of any complains. Even my Honda's problem is from the Wabro carburetor which Honda have no control, the engine have absolutely no problem.

Oh yeh, I forgot, you do have to adjust the valves occationally.

One thing I still have a little reservation on the PAS265 is that the engine is fairly new with only one compression ring. People said it makes no difference. But I prefer the two ring Honda engine.

Thanks for the info! Does anybody have anything discouraging about the husqvarna with the honda four stroke?

I've owned the husqvarna 324ldx with 4 stroke honda engine for about 3 years (bought from wisesales, although they don't carry this line anymore).
I have the trimmer and edger attachments.
Has worked well and always starts in the first few pulls. It will drip oil from the air filter after a few days if it gets tipped over. I can quick-edge with the trimmer on its side and it works fine.
The edger has a black rubber flap behind the blade that will get chewed up if you move the edger backward.
I used the thickest line I can find and it will cut through everything I encounter without any problem.
The straight-shaft trimmer attachment seems to throw the grass back at me a lot. Legs are usually covered with grass after using it; may be normal, i don't know.
Edger blade has a hole in it to help tighten the nut. Lowes doesn't sell a blade with the hole in the proper place, so I have just drilled my own hole it it when changing it (it's VERY hard to drill through). Lowes sells the right size, just not with the hole in the right place.
Has lots of power, and no mixing oil/gas. Just make sure and wear eye protection!

Both my Honda and Shindaiwa trimmer throw grass back to my legs too. I don't think you can avoid it. In fact I wish they make the guard narrower like the Echo since it really doesn't help much in shielding the clipping. A narrow guard make it easier to tilt the head at different angle for trimming without the shield get in the way.

Alrighty! Honda four stroke it is. I will let you guys know if anything pops up. Thanks for your great input guys.