I've had good luck with my Echo, or I should say the boy had, think I've run it once a year since he graduated and moved away three years ago.  But still starts and runs every time.

More Made in China, KRAP !!

I was 'gifted' TWO Stihl trimmers, lightly used, PITA to get going and stay going.After wasting a day ,I 'regifted' them to someone with more patience than me.

I really like my Ryobi battery powered trimmer. Manual string feed. battery lasts longer than me, really need the shoulder strap.

Have no idea why your NEW Stihl, running Stihl fuel won't run,and equally sad dealer can't fix it. Maybe (?) he'll take it back on an battery version ?? If not ask Stihl USA directly.

X 2

 I have a Troy-bilt 4 cycle that you can use a battery powered drill to start the I have had for 6 or 8 years and it has worked great only use it about 3 times a years and use stabilt in the gas.

This guy is all exuberant about it, But Ryobi prolly comped him the weedeater for the review...  Mine I got with 10 other ryobi tools, offa craigs list, for $195...

https://youtu.be/I_6253j7cGU" rel="nofollow - https://youtu.be/I_6253j7cGU

You're wasting your breath.  I calculated his recipe once too and also found it more expensive than roundup.  But that doesn't matter.  You have to remember, Canada sucks. 

I think it's like here and most places around the world.....it's not the people (the country),it's the governments that suck.

The problem with ANY string trimmer, is that the string is always more sacrificial than we desire.

I've replaced my string heads with swinging flail heads... one of my Stihl trimmers has plastic blades, the other are steel, and other than the plastic blades wearing out faster, and not being as effective on saplings, they're a whole lot better than string.  The steel flail on my FS80-something will chew a 2" Mulberry sapling off in 8 seconds.

The one certain thing you'll run into with ANY 2-stroke trimmer, is that the spark arrestor screen on the exhaust will foul, and cause the engine to become constricted to the point where it just won't run.  One of the primary causes of screen fouling, is just simple idling-time... running the engine hard keeps the screen hot, hence, it generates LESS soot deposits, and it's hot enough such that it burns off those that DO accumulate... so running them gently is actually 'hard' on 'em.  Many guys remove the screens and open up the muffler exit baffles to improve breathing, at the expense of a little more noise, and this certainly helps mitigate carbon fouling.  Just so happens that my Echo CS3000 top-handle has a carbon-fouled screen that will be coming out when I get it on the workbench for a goin' through... it's about two years' overdue...

Fuel pickup filters, hoses, primer bulbs, and carb diaphragms are a consumable part- replace them regularly.  Once one of the hoses develops a weak spot, they'll crack, and allow air to be sucked up the line, leaning out the mixture and stalling the engine.  Air filters can plug up fast if the outdoor circumstances are right, and when they do, it's oftentimes not visually obvious they've become restrictive.  Oil settles in fuel, causing the mix going into the engine to be substantially different from what one expected (this is especially true of any ethanol blends, as they're aggressively hygroscopic).

As for recommendations, Stihl, Husky, Echo, Shindaiwa, Dolmar, Makita/Hitachi... They're the most likely to yield 'professional-grade' stuff, but there are more 'homeowner' grade in their lineup, at least they're better than 'big box' brands.

$50, FREE delivery... Home Depot

Yes, more of a rhetorical question really,. . . .And you're mixing very strong actually.  In my farm sprayer, I typically do 20 gallons per acre of mix, and a quart of the 20 gallons is roundup.