My initial review is below. Scroll to the bottom to see the update a year later:5/13/2010: This is the third Ryobi four-stroke trimmer that I've owned, and this one seems to be as good, or better actually, than my previous ones. I picked this one up on Amazon (factory-reconditioned) for half of what a shiny new new one would have cost. It came in a plain brown box, but I can't see any obvious signs of use on it, so I think it was a fantastic deal (hint: get it while you can!). I purchased my first Ryobi four-stroke trimmer several years ago because I was intrigued by the idea of a four-stroke trimmer plus being able to use different attachments. It was a good decision, for many reasons. First, if you have only one engine and multiple attachments, then there is only one engine to maintain. This is important. I remember the (not-so good 'ole?) days of having separate tools; a weed eater, leaf blower, edger, etc, each with it's own two-stroke engine. The tool that was used the least always took the longest to get running. This is typical of small two-stroke engines. If you don't drain the the unused gasoline back into the gas can and then run the engine until the carburetor is dry, the unused gas/oil that is left in the carburetor will sludge up in a few days. If you don't use the tool again before this happens, you'll end up having to take the carburetor apart and clean it before the engine will run again. I haven't had this problem since since switching to Ryobi four-stroke trimmers. It's still a good practice to pour the unused gasoline back into the gas can and run the engine until the carburetor is dry on any small engine, but since you don't mix oil and gas with four-stroke engines, the sludging problem takes longer to happen and thus isn't as big of a concern. In fact, during the summer mowing season, I don't always bother with doing this, since I am using the trimmer every couple of weeks or so. Also, since you don't mix gas and oil, the engine produces less smoke, and also less noise. Plus, you have only one gas can, not a separate "special" gas can with oil mixed in it just for your grass trimmer.As I said earlier, this is my third Ryobi four-stroke trimmer. I've gotten around five to six years of hard use out of each of the previous models before I chose to replace them, generally due to overall wear and tear and increased maintenance time. About every year or two, I've have to replace the fuel line and the fuel primer bulb. The fuel tends to cause these items to dry rot. I think this is a common issue with all weed trimmers and should be considered routine maintenance. With this model, the engine has plenty of power. The attachments that I use are the grass trimmer, edger, blower, and garden tiller. My blower attachment is a Poulan brand ($40 at Wal-mart), and yes, you can often use different brands of attachments with this, since several brands of grass trimmers use the same type of attachment connection. The main "shortcoming" with this model, and all of the previous models I've had is this: I'm 5'11", and the shaft "feels" like it is too short for my height. I've really, really wished the shaft on this trimmer as well as my previous units was about a foot longer, like a commercial-grade trimmer. I suspect this would be an issue for me with almost any consumer-grade trimmer, but if you're taller than 5'6", I'd recommend buying a trimmer with a straight shaft instead of a curved shaft. Straight shaft trimmers have a longer shaft that will feel more comfortable to use for a tall person. This one has a straight shaft and my previous models had curved shafts, and yes, I like the straight shaft better due to the extra length. Other than the shaft feeling a little short for my height, it's a great trimmer.Update: 6/27/2011: I had to take it to a chain saw shop last year after a couple weeks to have the carburetor adjusted ($10), then this year, I noticed that it would not run at full speed, so, I bought a "pac-man" style carburator adjustment tool ($20) to adjust the carburetor mixture myself. Unfortunately, I found that it wasn't the mixture that was wrong. The engine didn't have any power, and had burned up the crankcase oil. When I refilled it with the proper oil, it smoked. When I tried it a couple days ago, it smokes, had no power, and leaked oil all over my hands. I suspect that the rings are damaged. I searched the Internet for a set of rings, and they are not available. I would have to buy a "short block" (basically the engine crankcase with piston, etc pre-installed) for over $100 to repair this Piece of ...(explitive deleted).. So, I'll have to revise my rating and take off a couple stars. Bottom line: if you bought this, check the crankcase oil frequently, and buy a carburetor adjustment tool, since it takes a special tool instead of just a screwdriver.
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