Long reach hedge trimmer/pruner combi options - anyone used Maruyama? - Forum

Hello. I'm looking at options for a combi system to get me a long reach hedge trimmer and possibly pruner. I've looked at the obvious candidates eg. Stihl, Husqvarna, Honda but thought I'd check on a few others as well. There are no decent Echo dealers near me and the dealer who use to do Shindaiwa has stopped them but suggested looking at Maruyama.

The equipment won't get constantly hammered but I know I'm missing out on a good few jobs that this kit would allow me to do. At the minute I'm either passing these jobs on or calling in other people with the right gear, which makes it harder to price competitively/make money for us all.

The Maruyama gear is considerably cheaper than Stihl and I'm not sure I can justify Stihl outlay just yet. However I'm prepared to be swayed by peoples' experience and understand that it could be a case of swings and roundabouts when it comes to price/reliabilty/servicing etc. Maruyama do a 5 year engine warranty and lifetime on the ignition and driveshaft - I assume that would depend on regular dealer servicing which I haven't costed yet.

If anyone has used Maruyama I'd be interested to hear how it performs. I saw a discussion on it from last year but I don't know if anyone ended up using it.

Also open to other suggestions.

Thanks.

Interesting question is why are you thinking about a combi system?

If you only need a certain machine occasionally then I guess it makes sense to buy a cheap one, but the usual issues of parts and repairs are going to raise their heads.

Most people buy a combi system so they can get the most reliable and powerful engine, and combine that with the odd accessory that might get little use and justify a dedicated machine. Buying a cheap engine, and fitting multiple tools on it, makes no sense to me?

I'd consider going to a full combi set-up, and treating it as an investment that will pay back over the years. Two engines so you aren't stuck when one breaks down: a powerful one for the heavy work and a smaller one for the gentle strimmer edging. With light use things like the angled hedge cutter attachment, or the pole pruner, will last a lifetime if you buy a decent one.

Looking at the prices, the Stihl equivalant is only £50 more, and with a local dealer you should discount that to the same price as the Maruyama. It is more powerful, weighs less, and I'd guess has less vibes and more readily available spares. No-brainer in my opinion.

If you want to save a bit, the Echo is nearly a hundred pounds cheaper than the Maruyama , more powerful, and has good feedback and a 2-year warranty in commercial use. Factor in that your local repairer won't love you as you didn't buy it from him, abut it's an option.

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Harry@VWGS October 5, 2015 at 8:50pm

Hello mate, not sure about their Kombi system but checked out the Maruyama website and their handheld hedge cutter looks like my old zenoah hedge cutter i had years ago, was a good machine, I used them for 5 years before the switch over to Stihl, can't see an issue with going with a cheaper brand other than the usual vibes, weight etc , but if your not going to use it often then personally I would not opt for the bigger brands, they're build quality is slowly getting worse and they are relying on the reputation of the brand to sell the product...
- Austin Campbell > Harry@VWGS October 5, 2015 at 9:45pm
  
  Thanks Harry. I think I'll pop over to the dealer tomorrow and have a good look at it and quiz them on the warranty as well. I'll report back.
Mitchel ingham October 5, 2015 at 9:29pm

Husqvarna are brilliant I don't like the Kombi systems aren't as great as you would think my husqvarna long reach hedge trimmer has never missed a beat and I give it death
- Austin Campbell > Mitchel ingham October 5, 2015 at 9:50pm
  
  Thanks Mitchel. That's interesting - I was at the Stihl/Husqvarna/Honda dealer today and he said if it's combi or straight hedge cutter then definitely go for Stihl over the other two. When you say you don't like Kombi do you mean Stihl in particular or generally combi/multi/versa tools? I fancied the combi for the option of the pruner as well.
  - Mitchel ingham > Austin Campbell October 9, 2015 at 10:38pm
    
    when you say pruner you mean the mini chainsaw? would be quite a short pruner unless you started buying the carbon fibre extension poles for the combi tool
Geoff Norfolk October 5, 2015 at 9:55pm

Out of curiosity, looked up Maruyama and found their website. Perhaps you can get a discounted price from a dealer but certainly on their website where the prices didn't include VAT, there was very little difference compared to a stihl model where you can usually get about 20% discount. In fact, comparing pole hedgetrimmers, Stihl were actually cheaper on 2 of their models.
- Austin Campbell > Geoff Norfolk October 5, 2015 at 10:10pm
  
  Hello Geoff. The dealer was offering discount off list price that brings it in a decent bit cheaper. That plus the 5 year warranty (if the terms are ok) makes it seem like it's worth a look. But I would have liked to hear from anyone who's tried it rather than just go on dealer talk.
Paul McNulty October 5, 2015 at 10:09pm

Interesting question is why are you thinking about a combi system?

If you only need a certain machine occasionally then I guess it makes sense to buy a cheap one, but the usual issues of parts and repairs are going to raise their heads.

Most people buy a combi system so they can get the most reliable and powerful engine, and combine that with the odd accessory that might get little use and justify a dedicated machine. Buying a cheap engine, and fitting multiple tools on it, makes no sense to me?

I'd consider going to a full combi set-up, and treating it as an investment that will pay back over the years. Two engines so you aren't stuck when one breaks down: a powerful one for the heavy work and a smaller one for the gentle strimmer edging. With light use things like the angled hedge cutter attachment, or the pole pruner, will last a lifetime if you buy a decent one.

Looking at the prices, the Stihl equivalant is only £50 more, and with a local dealer you should discount that to the same price as the Maruyama. It is more powerful, weighs less, and I'd guess has less vibes and more readily available spares. No-brainer in my opinion.

If you want to save a bit, the Echo is nearly a hundred pounds cheaper than the Maruyama , more powerful, and has good feedback and a 2-year warranty in commercial use. Factor in that your local repairer won't love you as you didn't buy it from him, abut it's an option.
- Austin Campbell > Paul McNulty October 5, 2015 at 10:39pm
  
  Hello Paul. I see what you are saying - I am thinking combi for the option of long reach trimmer and the pruner. I'm well covered for strimmer and blower. I had considered Echo but the dealers round here who are supposed to be selling it are only really interested in pushing the big brands. I know I can get it if I insist but I've experienced poor after sales support on gear when they "don't really sell much of that" so I thought I'd try to go with what they are happy to sell and fix.
Andrew Midgley October 5, 2015 at 10:26pm

Have you thought of buying a Tanaka long reach combi hedge trimmer. I just bought mine a few weeks ago and it's light in weight and around £150 cheaper than Stihl and Husqvarna.