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• PRO

  Seth Burgess May 25, 2014 at 1:58pm

  Do you mean the KM-56? Because that's a domestic tool not a professional tool.
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  Peter Davis May 25, 2014 at 2:09pm

  Yes. I can get one for a third of the price of the 90. All my other Stihls are 2 stroke.
• PRO

  Seth Burgess May 25, 2014 at 2:29pm

  What don't you like about the 4-mix? It requires marginally higher maintenance than a 2 stroke and still runs on 2stroke fuel.
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  Peter Davis May 25, 2014 at 2:33pm

  Old habits :-) I know the two strokes so well. I have found a price for a 90 that is £120 more than the 56 so I might go for that.
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  Geoff Norfolk May 25, 2014 at 5:25pm

  Having just bought a 2-stroke strimmer as a back-up for my aging 4-mix FS130,comparing the 2, I'd really recommend the 4-mix to people. Has a lot more low down power..... torque....... and at lowish revs, will cut through vegetation that the 2-stroke needs to be a full revs to cope with. As Seth says.... the extra maintenance is absolutely minimal...... setting the valve clearances every few months....... once you've done it once, it really is a 10 minute job. On the minus side, the 4-mix engine is more pricey and a bit heavier however with the lower revs, I would expect it to last longer......... mine's certainly as good as when I bought it 5 years ago.
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  Lawncare-4u.co.uk May 25, 2014 at 6:23pm

  always buy next model up you think you need.

  my km100r? was stolen so i got the km130r 4-mix

  i think it is actually over 8 years old now . never serviced and is fine , strimmer and hedgecutter attachments. used more hours by far for tall hedges.
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  Paul McNulty May 25, 2014 at 6:32pm

  I would go for the smaller 4-mix if you want the combi. I was told the smallest engine wouldn't be up to the other attachments even for very light use commercially. Interesting about the strimmer, Geoff, as it was not wanting a powerful strimmer that made me consider the smaller engines!

  I only use it for strimming, and occsional long-reach hedgecutting. I ended up with the ordinary FS90, and a hedgecutter attachment. Cheaper than the combi system, and it's two minutes to change the heads over.
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  Peter Davis May 25, 2014 at 6:34pm

  My old km is around 14 years old. So are the attachments. The only one that needs replacing is the 0-90 hedge cutter. The gearbox is dying.
  
  I wouldn't buy the next model up. The 90 or the 56 have sufficient power & importantly light weight.
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  Peter Davis May 25, 2014 at 8:03pm

  The oil is much more critical with a 4 stroke - burning oil means grief :-)
  
  The carbon deposits from bad oil will wreck the valves. I remember seeing lots of the early Hondas in workshops.
  
  I couldn't get any Stihl oil locally so I used Husqvarna. I suspect that this finished my machine off.
  
  It's tricky if you have old & new machines as they may need different oil.
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  phil@gardenchief.co.uk May 25, 2014 at 8:17pm

  I have a km56 engine it was the first one i brought, i have since brought 2 km130 engines and can say theres no competition, they are superb. Get loads of abuse and never miss a beat, loads more powerful than the 56.
  
  Use it as a spare now.