Troy-Bilt TB20CS String Trimmer

Great design, good construction, power

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Jul 31, 2009

Pros: Great design, good construction, power

Cons: weak point: upper drive shaft socket

The good design of the power unit sold me. The hot stuff is away from the operator's arm! Fuel lines are not exposed to damage. Unit has lots of power. Idles a little rough and will stall idling but that can be adjusted. The handle and guards are... attached simply and securely such that they should not become a problem after heavy use. Started the first try and restarts were quick. Pull start is very easy. I used the Poulan synthetic oil with stabilizer and there is no smoke. To my surprise, the bump feeder worked very well; but the fixed line head does not lock in the line that was supplied which was .105" but I doubt it will work with any other. It unlocked and flew out as soon as it hit grass. Only negative: The upper shaft end appears to have a plastic insert for the .25" square drive connection molded into a larger square socket for attachments. This should have been a steel socket because the plastic is subject to rounding out. I saw one review that pointed to a high failure rate. This may be a designed in flaw for planned obsolescence. I hope not, but it seems you can not buy a product today without a weak point that will limit it's life cycle. I may be able to install a steel insert if mine fails. Read more Less