ECHO GT-225 21.2 cc Gas 2-Stroke Cycle Curved Shaft Trimmer

1 review for ECHO GT-225 21.2 cc Gas 2-Stroke Cycle Curved Shaft Trimmer

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   Deborah Marie – April 27, 2022

   I just purchased my 2nd GT-225 and I know I am going to say a few things that flow in a contrary direction to some of what I see in some of the reviews, but I hate to see folks knocking a good and reliable product when they illustrate by what they say that they don’t know how to use a product correctly. Case in point, if you don’t like changing the trimmer line manually, then why buy a unit with a Rapid-Loader head? Disliking a particular design does not mean there is a problem with the unit. Get a unit with the Speed-Feed 400 instead. OK, on with the review… I use my GT-225 for a home with a yard that is close to 1/2 acre. The lightest duty I use the trimmer for is to trim grass near fence lines. But I primarily use the unit to edge along the driveway, walkways, flower beds and the street. I actually replaced a 5HP metal-blade edger with the GT-225 for this purpose. And when I do edging, I don’t just skim the surface, I cut 1/2″-1″ into the dirt along the edge line (see attached photo). This is NOT light-duty use and I have NEVER had a problem with either of my two units (and the reason I bought a second unit is because the first unit keeps getting borrowed…). I personally prefer the Rapid-Loader due to its simplicity, but you should choose what works for you. If you want to add line with a bump, then get a trimmer with the Speed-Feed 400, or get one of those heads for the GT-225. Echo trimmers are professional grade tools and like virtually any other device in the world of tools, if you take care of your tools, they will typically take care of you. But if you let the head get caked in mud and allow the mud to dry on the head, then you should expect to have a problem. That is a problem caused by improper use, not a faulty product or design issue. One more thing. I pre-measure and pre-cut about 2 dozen lines off a large spool and keep them handy. Each time I get out to do the yard, I make sure I have two good lines on the Rapid-Loader and I put two extra lines in my pocket. I have never needed more than this to do the entire yard – including all the edging when the ground is dry and more firm. Because I know I am using the trimmer to do edging, I use heavy duty .105 line with sharp ridges on the line. I can easily cut several inches into the ground with this type line. I know the GT-225 is not sold as an edger, but this is what I have been doing with my GT-225’s for several years and I have yet to have a problem. So, just wanted to let you know about my experience.