Topic: petrol strimmer advice

[staris]

i've been wondering whether to buy a petrol strimmer for the allotment, i've got a couple of small grassed areas the biggest is around 10'x6' would a strimmer with a nylon line cut the grass fairly short and still look decent, i thought about a small lawn mower but there are some tight spots that i wouldn't be able to get into so i would still need something else to finish it off  :)

[ChrisBro]

I cant se any reason why not, I have a petrol strimmer and they are very good, a bit vicious at time and it can be difficult to get the lawn look but if its just a case of keeping them tidy rather than creating a bowling green you should be fine.

[staris]

yeah i'm not interested in having a bowling green but one of the areas is somewhere to sit in the summer so as long as it lokks tidy i'm not fussed.

[siandc]

It just takes some practice, you'll soon get the hang of it, but be careful to check for slugs, they're not nice splattered across your face!!!

Wear some safety glasses. ;)

[landimad]

It maybe an investment but how many times are you going to use it.
You may wnat to hire one for a weekend then return without the fuss.
Cheaper in the long run.

[lewic]

I see loads of people on our site struggling with strimmers which have cord-pull starters. Was thinking of buying one a few months back and was advised to go for the electric start ones, as they are a lot less hassle. B&Q recommended a Ryobi one with changeable heads, I think it was about £140.

It doesnt make sense to pay £30ish a day to hire one if its only a small patch of grass you want to cut once a week. You might get away with a cordless grass trimmer that are about £50, have heard some of them only last 15 mins, but you'd probably have the job done before that. And if you buy one and its cr@p just take it back for a  refund..  probably easier than bringing something back that stinks of petrol!