Weed Whacker Kwik Loader or Bump Feed Head?

[troverman]

I have three trimmers - a 2004 Honda 25cc 4-stroke, a 2013 Husqvarna split-shaft with Honda 25cc 4-stroke engine, and just yesterday, a new Honda 35cc 4-stroke with the bike-style handlebars. So you can see what my trimmer preference is, anyway.

That aside, every trimmer I've owned has either had the usual bump head, or some kind of a fixed blade, be it plastic or steel.

This new Honda has a Kwik Loader head with two little pieces of string hanging out of it. I'm totally confused. Do people use this? I had to go online to even read what the company thinks the advantage is - they say, it saves time over winding up a bump head with string. That may be true, but a lot of my trimming jobs simply eat through string. Trimming gravestones at a municipal cemetery, trimming along concrete walls, or chain link fences...its just inevitable to need more string advanced. With the bump head, it take me 5-8 minutes to unwind new string, rough measure it, cut it, wind it on to the spool, and then start trimming again. A fully loaded spool will get me through a whole cemetery, or quite a few other "normal" jobs. The Kwik loader seems like I'll be replacing string every 5 minutes! The string is the same and will get eaten at the same rate, yes? So I have to shut down, disconnect from harness, stand trimmer up on its engine, and then replace the string with pre-cut new string. And then throw away the excess. Seems like the bump loader is a lot less of a hassle. The Husqvarna head is easy to load and spool out string than the Honda bump head.

 

[Will_C]

I did not think I would like the bump head I got on my Stihl 13 years ago, but I swear by them now. I have worn out several through the years- I keep the spool and load those. When I am out of line, I just replace the spool with a pre-loaded one from my toolbox.

Will

 

[bikerdib]

I have a John Deere trimmer that is about 25 years old (and still going strong). I have both a bump head and the type you thread a short section of line through. On mine the thread through type allows a much heavier line. The bump head takes .095 line while the thread through uses .155 size. I use Oregon Gator Line in .155 and it really lasts. I even knock down a lot of brush up to 3/8 inch diameter or more.

 

[Scooby074]

Shindawa/Oregon/Echo SpeedFeed head is what I use. Super easy loading.

Those ones that take the pre-cut line are supposed to be the newest greatest thing, but I thing Id spend too much time replacing short pieces of line vs tapping the head on the ground/ Dealer was pushing them when i bought my last Speedfeed

 

[chim]

We tried a head that sounds like the Kwik Loader on a trimmer at work and the guys didn't like it at all.

I recently bought a different trimmer for here at home because of some heavier cutting that was taxing the string trimmer. It's a Stihl Kombi with what they call a power scythe. It really does the trick on the heavier stuff. It cuts woody things at least as thick as your thumb. Since it shears the weeds like a sickle bar it doesn't throw the clippings all over you. Whenever I use the string trimmer it looks like I was doing battle with a food processor.

 

[Streetcar]

I do not have experience with the new heads, but in trimming around hard objects .the thick string will break whilethe narrows string will bend and last longer

 

[troverman]

That's a nice setup. I looked at the Stihl Kombi but went with the Husq mainly because of the 4-stroke Honda. I wanted a power broom; combined cost for the trimmer and broom was about $800.

 

[meos1]

Those fixed line heads are money makers for the consumables suppliers. They don't last as long and they cut poorly. The bump head is the way to go, but I am going to go check out the power sickle. I like it immensely....If it does what is said that might be my new weed eater.

 

[dusty3030]

Shindawa/Oregon/Echo SpeedFeed head is what I use. Super easy loading.

Those ones that take the pre-cut line are supposed to be the newest greatest thing, but I thing Id spend too much time replacing short pieces of line vs tapping the head on the ground/ Dealer was pushing them when i bought my last Speedfeed

This!! I have used mine hard on an older John Deere commercial trimmer and it works great. Just cut off about 10 feet of line and twist the head to roll it in. Easy and it has held up for me and I'm hard on stuff.

 

[Bird]

I've owned and used a variety of gas powered and corded electric string trimmers, but all with the bump head except one. One of my daughters bought an auto feed; just keep going, no stopping to bump the head and the first time I used it, I thought I wanted one . . . . until . . . . it ran out of string. Every time I used that thing I went through an entire spool of string.

So my current Stihl is more than 10 years old, still using the original bump head. I thought I would like one of those that you don't have to take apart to put new string on it. But my Stihl dealer told me I wouldn't be happy with any of those heads except the one I have.