I know I would not mind if I were the dad in your situation to be taken to the store and told to pick out the trimmer I wanted. I would ask how much is set aside and go from there. If that is not possible than a certificate saying pick a trimmer of your choice and let's buy it today. Some possibilities to avoid the dreaded "that is not the one I wanted" scenario" :).

All good questions above. Price will determine alot. I think the best all around trimmer/brushcutters are in the $3-400 range with $400 being high. You can get a really nice trimmer in the $200 range though. It is really a question of what exactly is needed and how much you want to spend.

Your dad may have a preference for makers. I personally like the Stihl and Echo for ease of availability. The Kawasaki's I know nothing about and I stay away from currentl Homelite products although the older Homelite equipment was really good from what I have read. How old or how to spot them I don't know.

I prefer straight shaft and a good harness. Cutting heads can be a personal preference. I like the bump and go, some like the quick insert and some like the fixed plastic blades. At the 3-400 price level, I am not concerned about the 2 vs 4-mix debate. The 4-mix's are young but have good reviews so far.

Your dad could probably do okay with a good consumer grade trimmer with a flexible shaft. A solid shaft will be more expensive but will better handle brushcutting.

I don't have much need for attachments but they make the units more expensive. I did the "cost analysis" of those models and it seemed that they did not pay for themselves until you bought 3 useful attachments. I could see the mini-tiller but an edger was really not necessary for me. A pole saw, maybe. Just little things that I could not really get alot of use from.

All really good questions. Alot of the answers will be personal preference. Best of luck with getting your dad to smile on his bday.

I would opt. for the gift cert. and avoid the big box stores. I hate trimmers and if mine doesn't start thats fine with me :)

I'd been beating my brains out with a weedeater for several years (don't have any kids to by me a new one ;)). I was so used to compensating for it's shortcomings that I didn't know what to expect from a real tool. I finally went to the stihl website and emailed them with the amount and type of work I'd be doing constantly and some occasional "WORST CASE" scenarios. I got an answer the next day that was right on the money. If you don't want a stihl (hard to beat their customer service), you can take their recommendation and compare it with different brands.

Good Luck.

Dave

Just curious if you bought your Mom a vacuum cleaner for Mothers Day...................

Handlebars and a harness make for some real comfortable work. The Stihl guy recommended the FS90 or FS110 (around $320?) for me. I bought the FS130 cause I got a better deal on it at the local dealer. Maybe the FS55 (around $200) is all he needs. The echos, from what I've seen advertised, have a nice warranty. Think I'd go with whoever offers the best and most convenient service (after the sale).

Being a dad who has been given tools as gifts over the years, I can tell you my thoughts. I was usually given
something I could use, but never the model or the make
that had been on my 'wish list'. Of course I was
appreciative and somehow made them work for me, but was
never really happy with the tool. And I also know that
it is nice to hand someone a gift that they really,
really like and watch their eyes light up. I've always
looked down on gift certificates, even though it means
that I could pick out exactly what I wanted, it always
seems so 'impersonal'. It would be great if you got
him a trimmer that he absolutely loved and everytime
he used it he would think of you.
I know I haven't answered your questions, which were
great, but maybe I've given you some food for thoughtl.
Good luck and don't forget, whatever you choose to give
him.....a hug and a kiss must go along with it.

It really depends on how big a yard he has. I just replaced a 3-year old Troy Bilt (won't make that mistake again) with an Echo SRM-210 for $200 and I love the thing. Half the weight, one quarter the noise, double the power--despite 1/3 less displacement. I'd highly recommend it for someone with an average or slightly above-average suburban lot. A rural user would probably want to go a little higher up the line, to maybe a 230S ($280) or 260S ($300), with the solid steel shaft for brushcutter use. But that's way overkill for my needs. The old trimmer had a brush blade that I never once mounted.

Straight or curved shaft is a matter of preference, but generally shorter people prefer curved shafts while taller ones prefer straight shafts. Stihl does make some extra-long curved shaft models to appeal to taller people however. Straight shaft is easier to edge with and generally is the only type that will allow the use of a brush blade.

The head, likewise is preference again. Most people have no problem with the bump head, but some find them a hassle to re-wind. The quick-load heads are easy to load, but loading has to be done much more frequently and string will cost a lot more. Don't know much about the plastic blades, they didn't interest me, and my chain-link fence would make short work of them.

Hi, thanks everyone for your thoughts. Fathers day and Dads birthday are within a month so ususally I lump the two together. Trying to get gift ideas out of this guy is like pulling a dandilion root. A lot of diggin and just when you think you got it it breaks away. So usually I wind up in the store in front of somthing (last year was a small BBQ for their trailer) And forcing Yup forcing him to choose one. He's the type not to have others spend on him. And he can't be trusted with the gift card. He winds up using it but not for somthing just for him. Ie house hold repairs car repairs etc. So this year I really was hoping to get somthing actually wrap it up just like a real gift and give it to him on Fathers day.(I never usually hit either his bday or Fday with his gifts) As for Ma no vacume but I did have to go to the store with her and make her pick out a gift too. But she actualy enjoyed it.
Back to the point- So I think I will look for the bump out if it is cheaper to replace the string.(Dads handy and cheap) And a straight shaft he's about 5'10" He has about an acre mostly suburban with some longer wilder growth. Numerous pine trees cedars hedge, some chain link, and some privacy fence, buildings stuff like that. So any more thoughts?? THANKS !!

Really a dollar amount question then. How much do you want to spend? Does he have any brand preferences? Any outdoor equipment stores that he prefers?

I could easily vote for the Echo 230 or 260, Stihl FS80 or 90. 85's have a solid shaft and no longer made but you may be able to get a good deal on one. Tanaka, Shindaiwa and RedMax are also good machines. In the $300-$350 machines from these makers you won't go wrong with power and reliability. I don't know anything about the Kawa's or Husky's. I like having the harness. If he has some brush he needs to clear, get a solid shaft trimmer and a brush blade kit to go with it.

Does he need attachments? Not my favorite models due to cost and compromises they make over dedicated machines, but they can be very cost effective for the occasional user. I would expect to pay $50-100 more for a powerhead type setup.

Let us know what you get and if you think he liked it :).