Loop handle grip vs bike handle
The Stihl FS-90R trimmer/weed eater has been with us for about a year
now and still starts on the first or second try. We made a bit more
progress on reclaiming
the gully today thanks to its power.
I recently considered
upgrading the grip to what Stihl calls a "Bike handle". I heard
there was a conversion kit, but our local Stihl dealer said that for an
extra 40 dollars from what the kit cost you could buy a whole trimmer
with the bike handle installed and ready to go.
She also told me that bike
handle grips are good for level situations where you find yourself
"mowing" for long stretches of time, but if you've got hills then the
two handed grip tends to wear on your back more than the loop handle.
We've got plenty of elevated weeds here, which is what convinced me to
forget about the bike handle.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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I have an electric trimmer (Ryobi) with a loop, and my Tanaka with bike handles. I love my bike handles. The throttle is right at my right thumb, and the wide open arm stance makes it easy to swing in any direction. The loop makes me tired.
And I agree, full harness is the best, but even with just the strap, it is easy.
But everyone is different- since I started with bike handles, maybe that is why I like them better?
As a farmer and orchard manager, I have cleared weeds, brush and small standing timber in orchards and meadows up to 50 acres+. Used both Stihl FS90 with a loop handle and FS130 with bike bars. I've spent hundreds of hours, 8-12 hours a day brush cutting every type of terrain possible. The bike bars and harness are.... hands down, bar none the only way to go if you value your body. Recently spent 2 months straight clearing brush from an orchard 6 days a week with little to no fatigue....considering. Slopes to 60 degrees. Choose your cutter head type wisely, it makes a big difference.