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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 12 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 35 found the following review helpful:
Next-generation trimmer Jun 22, 2008
By Nature Man
I previously owned a professional-model Shindaiwa trimmer, which was great and nearly indestructible. This one by Swisher has an advanced type of Shindaiwa engine, is lighter weight, and due to its higher RPM cuts unbelievably well. Vines, twigs on tree branches, tall weeds, all are practically vaporized. The self-feeding spool works as advertised-- you can restring it in 30 seconds, without tools-- once you know how it works and what to expect. The manual does a very poor job of explaining how the spool works. It only provides an illustration with arrows and symbols, and no text explaining how you're supposed to thread the replacement line. I did it wrong the first time, then had to use up the line by trimming, with only one feed instead of two, because I couldn't figure out how to remove the line once installed. Now I know what to expect and can load new line in no time.
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Can't go wrong with Shindaiwa trimmers Apr 08, 2010
By Ollie
I bought my first Shindaiwa trimmer in about 1986, I believe a model T20. It was a pleasure to use, always ran strong and started quickly. Many years later I decided to give it to my landscaper who has since taken care of the lawn. I recently bought the Swisher E4-S3000 (same as Shindaiwa T2510 but Speed Feed head is standard) to take care of a one acre property. Before ordering this unit from Amazon I had concerns about buying the Swisher label as I was not familiar with the brand. I contacted both Swisher and Shindaiwa to ask about the connection. Swisher said "they make them for us" and Shindaiwa replied "The units made for Swisher are the same as the Shindaiwa products." That was good enough for me. Shindaiwa will do any needed warranty work.
The S3000 has started easily every time and revs up smoothly. Although they recommend cutting weeds at full power I do most of the work at about half throttle as most weeds don't seem to slow it down at all. I had chosen the 25cc unit due to it's lighter weight vs the 34cc model. I think the larger model has a straight shaft about 3" longer which might be appreciated if you're over about 5' 11"; less bending. Be sure to buy extra trimmer string before using it the first time as the included string will get used up in about 5 minutes. The S3000 is equipped with the Speed Feed trimmer head which is very easy to re-string. If you're doing some extended trimming it's easy to keep a 12' length of string coiled in a pocket and ready to go if you run out. If you're trimming an area with lots of rocks/pebbles you would be wise to wear long sleeve shirts and face/eye protection or you'll get stung repeatedly.
I've always preferred buying higher quality products for their reliability, rather than skimping, being less than satisfied and then having to buy again. I recommend this Shindaiwa product to others.
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Great Machine Jun 04, 2010
By Wayne E. Clark
Since this machine isn't cheap, I expect it to be perfect. There are two things that drop this from a five star. First, it doesn't start easily. I admit my gas may be on the old side but it takes many pulls to get her going. That's one reason I finally replaced my 16 yr old Makita. Secondly, once its starts, it takes a couple of minutes to warm up, it's useless until then. Now once this puppy has warmed up, it cuts like nothing short of a steel blade. It has power to burn. I have to cut a lot of stuff that has stems and it takes it all down. The performance of this machine is top notch. The weight and balance is good but I'm used to a little lighter machine. There is little vibration so my hands don't tingle after I'm done. A tank of gas lasts just about right (time for a rest). The rapid stringer feature does take some time to figure out since the manual explaining it doesn't really.
I moved this to a five star now that I know how to start it. Here's what not to do. Don't put hearing protectors on your ears before starting. This is where I went wrong. I couldn't hear the motor try to start. I just kept pulling until it started. Hence I was flooding it and that was also why the motor took a long time to warm up. Now, I just lock the throttle, set the choke, prime the gas and pull a couple of times. On the second or third pull it quietly fires a few times. At that point, turn the choke off and it starts on the next pull. With the ear protection on I couldn't tell it was trying to start. I'm now a happy camper. If you can afford this machine, buy it.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Unit reeks of quality May 14, 2011
By Mark D. Schnittman
"mschnit"
I have owned a number of throw-away string trimmers in addition to some high-quality ones. My last trimmer was a Stihl, which was the best-rated unit at the time, and wasn't cheap. The Stihl ran like a champ, but was cold-blooded and finicky getting started. After 2 seasons of moderate use (1 have 1 acre), the carburetor needed a rebuild. After season 3, the carburetor needed another rebuild. After season 4, the unit wouldn't run at all. I got fed-up with the ongoing trouble and sold it, planning on getting another throw-away unit after my experience. I spent weeks doing research on my own, and then I consulted with my friend, who is the chief arborist for Central Park. He told me to spend the money and get a Shindaiwa. I'm glad I took his advice -- this thing is built like military equipment. He said that his team has units that are over 15 years old, being used and abused 24x7. I believe him. The unit is well-balanced, medium weight (I'm going to attached a hanger for a shoulder strap), and the controls are well placed. It consistently starts on the 1st pull (requiring very little effort), has tons of power, and holds a decent amount of fuel. The bump-feed head works well, and is a breeze to reload (before using the unit, take the head apart and look at how the string is loaded for future reference -- the instructions are useless for this). Most of the time half-open throttle is enough. The engine has very little vibration, and the shaft is longer than that on the Stihl. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for one of the best string trimmers on the market.
** Update **
I just finished my first day of hard use with this unit -- started on the 1st pull, and had a half a tank of gas left after 1 hour of use. Took down some major weeds and trimmed the grass. Never had the throttle past 50% except when working on the weeds. Has tons of power, very little vibration, and the throttle response is great. The quick-load head is awesome. I purchased a harness with a hanger for the unit from a local power equipment dealer (apparently Echo recently purchased Shindaiwa, because it was cross-listed as an Echo part #). The harness works well for me because I have a lot of land an a bad back. This will probably be the last trimmer that I buy.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Swisher Shindaiwa E4-S3000 String Trimmer Jul 28, 2011
By Jerry Mason
Alass! A string trimmer that functions. Powerful, Lightweight, Perfectly balanced, Smooth running, Easy to start, and a trimmer head that a two year old could reload.
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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