26cc string trimmer

I'm clearing a creek trail. Our lightweight Stihl trimmer wasn't up to the task, so I bought this one. The Stihl has a 27cc engine which runs great but the trimmer cord is too weak. The 52cc Wild Badger does the job. I've been cutting 2.5' high oat grass and similar height reeds and tussock grass. Using the string trimmer, both the Stihl and the Wild Badger jam up on the oat grass if cutting at the base. To prevent jamming I have to make three passes. Using the Stihl, the string cord lasts maybe five minutes before I have to stop and manually extend it (bump tech doesn't reliably work in the field). Using the Wild Badger, in the oat grass I don't have to stop and extend the string - it doesn't break. Down in the tussocks it's a different story, and this is where the metal brush cutter is needed. I've also used the brush cutter in the oat grass. Using the brush cutter I can cut the grass at its base without jamming up. The issue with the brush cutter though is equipment balance. The Wild Badger is factory balanced for the string trimmer, which has a heavier head. Using the brush cutter I've had to shorten then harness, bringing the clip up to about waist height. This solves the balance problem and enables a better cut, and you don't feel like you're wrestling with the machine. I've thought about attaching some extra weight near the head, but raising the harness clip works well enough. Today I broke the clip holding the trimmer head together. I only have about five or six hours with it so far, and maybe three tanks of fuel, so I'm less than thrilled about this. I felt more vibration in the machine, so checked the head and there it was. How I broke it, I think, was prizing the clip with a screw driver so I could take it apart and add more string cord. In my view this shouldn't have broken so easily, and I'd happily pay an extra $10 for a higher grade plastic. Overall though, I'm happy with this purchase. It's made my path clearing a lot easier, and I recommend it without hesitation. Considering it's about the same price as the Stihl with only half the engine capacity, this is much better value for money.

I am genuinely impressed with this trimmer. I've been using it with blades to get rid of two to three inch branches and weed stalks. This has power enough to get through everything I've thrown it at. Doesn't use a lot of fuel, either, which is nice. Fuel ratio is 50:1. Has an easy-start pull that takes some getting used to if you're used to drop pulls. I've never had it miss. Using it a few times a week on a farm and it has proven to be one of the more reliable trimmers I've owned. Only complaint - The handles. Wish they could be mounted farther down for better control. As it is, they're perfectly usable, but I'd like them in a different position. I have no qualms buying this exact model again. Also, invest in a different harness. The one it comes with is functional, but not the most comfortable.

It seems that Wild Badger no longer stands behind the product, as some reviews state. I could not find any type of “online ticketing system” for customer issues. My options were to call or email customer service. I purchased the 52cc 2 months ago. I used it once with the blade. It took over an hour to get it started. When it finally did, the blade was OK. Not amazing but seemed to get the job done. I followed the directions to switch to the trimmer head. The directions online and the directions on YouTube were not specific. They simply stated I should remove the blade and “flange” and screw on the trimmer head, which I did. When I turned it on, the trimmer head did not rotate. So, I tried to remove it and see if I did something wrong. The head would not come back off. I tried for days to remove that head and finally contacted the customer service via email. I received a response about 24 hours later. They were able to tell me, just from my description that I attached the head without the “spacer/washer” in place. I reread through the instructions I had and found no mention of that anywhere. I am not mechanically inclined which is why I closely follow instructions. Had those instructions been there, i would not have the issue I have. They told me to buy a new lower shaft and spool. When I responded and pointed out that the instructions were not clear and this appears to be a common issue, the response was “hopefully you can uninstall the attachment”. I could not get the head removed and, in fact, the metal on the head began to easily chip away. So, I ordered the piece as instructed. Had to pay an extra $10 for shipping. It has been 5 days since I placed the order and according to the tracking website, it still hasn’t even left the warehouse so…so much for overnight shipping and all of that. I think that great customer service review is likely untrue and paid for or they got rid of that department. My experience has been very disappointing and I do not recommend purchasing if you need clear instructions and prompt customer service.

UPDATE: Support got me working and I am updating the review to 4 stars because the product itself is a beast. The bush blades takes out all kinds of brush and the 52cc engine is strong. Losing 1 star because of support taking a bit long I can only give this a 2 star review because after initially working, the machine won't start anymore. I tried all troubleshooting in their documentation and even some on my own. I emailed and called Wild Badger support and it took them 5 days just to get back to me on initial contact. It gets one start strictly for the value on the price. I responded, and it has been 3 business days since I've received a response. During this whole time, my machine is not functional, and I am unable to use it. Luckily, Amazon was able to give me a refund.

Great product! When I got the box, it was heavy, but then, you aren’t going to be lifting this thing during use. It’s got a harness system for that, and it’s wicked comfortable! In fact, I’ll get the only negative out of the way right now. The instructions that come in the box leave something to be desired. The cord for the controller isn’t depicted and there is no instruction for how to route it on the device when you assemble the handles. That said, a little common sense know how goes a long way if you’re in possession of that sort of thing. I’m in IT, so this stuff isn’t really in my common sense wheelhouse. So from some who has, as one of their primary functions, the job of writing instruction sets, I feel qualified in saying these instructions were… meh. There was a single picture of the harness for the thing, and it mostly spent time on the quick release safety feature (which is wicked cool and works fantastic). But I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out how to get it together and put it on. Eventually I had the wife come over to help me and in 17.5 second she had it on me perfectly. So naturally instead of thanking her, I gave a proper cussing for not taking longer and protecting me ego. She just laughed at me and so I had to play it off like I was joking. But whatever. The harness system itself was fantastic (once properly worn and fitted). The whole unit weighs a good bit, but you’ll never notice it when it’s hooked up to this shoulder harness. And the power of the thing. We got the 25cc version (the larger of the two models) and honestly it’s the best $180 I’ve spent on tools! It comes with the string and a blade head (with a nice, easy to use blade guard for storage. The blade attachment comes about as sharp as a marble, but it’s nothing a proper sharpening wouldn’t fix. I used it straight up out of the box just to test and WOW! The power of the thing was blasting down 2” thick chunks of brush easily. Pretty sure it could have done even thicker, but I didn’t feel like trying chainsaw lumber with it just to test. Can’t imagine how good the thing will work when properly sharpened! The whole thing rests comfortably while using. Easy to swing around and you can go for days with it, I’m sure. Eager to try it, I didn’t put on any gloves as I (and any sane person) would normally do. Wasn’t a problem at all! A few minute test turned into an hour of getting carried away and only then did I start thinking I should have worn gloves to protect from blisters. I never did get blisters, and even though the unit is indeed that comfortable to use, I would still recommend using gloves. Anyway, great product! I’m very happy with it and highly recommend it! (And yes, of course I was joking with the wife. Don’t be ridiculous!)

I bought this weedeater back in March of 2020, and I never really care to write product reviews. But after 6 years of use, I have to write a review on this one. This thing is awesome and a beast. I have never drained the gas after the last use at the end of summer, in fact never even changed the sparkplug. And never fails to start in the spring with no more than 3 pulls. I do run premium non-ethanol gas in it like all my other power equipment. I lost it one time off my trailer going down the road, and scuffed it up pretty good with road rash and broke the air cleaner housing off. Ordered all the replacement parts that I needed directly from the manufacturer, and were super cheap. Still cranked within 3 pulls. I decided to try to use the brush blade this year to cut some sapling trees about 3" in a heavy growth patch, and couldn't find the brush blade that came with it. So I ordered a universal fit 9" 20 tooth brush blade kit than had like chainsaw teeth that you can resharpen with a round file like a chainsaw. Worked like a dream, this thing is amazing, I highly recommend. I'll never go back to the overpriced, overrated, super name brand orange weedeater that takes an act of congress to get started every spring.

I don't think you will find a better deal on a Bush cutter. I thought I wanted to an Echo bush cutter since my Echo string trimmer has been so reliable but at nearly $600 and with a significantly smaller motor home depot cured me of that. My experiences so far are as follows: I have a commercial lot that I have to maintain to certain level to avoid citations that has several areas that have deep rusts or old hidden stumps I dare not venture with my mower and my string trimmer constantly gets weeds wrapped around the spindle which need to be cleared and needs an adapter for brush clearing blades which is a hassle getting the right components so I decided to buy the right tool for the job. First attempt I loaded up and as a precaution I tried to start it and made many attempts to start it following the supplied instructions but was unsuccessful and wasted an evening thinking it must be old gas which ran fine on my string trimmer. Apparently there are 2 sets of starting instructions, the one that comes in the box and one online here. The next time I tried to start it days later according to the online instructions i started it without issue. Mine however does not or has yet to start on 2nd pull as it claims and is actually almost difficult to start cold. I am using it strictly as a brush cutter and have used 3 different style blades. The supplied blade does an ok job however the guard needs to be removed or modified as mine has been to make it of any use because the curve of the guard goes down so far it hits the groud several inches below the blade not allowing a very close cut at all. This can be remedy with a heat gun or torch bending the guard upwards as in the attached photo. I can't speak to the level of safety this modification provides but any guard is better than no guard. The circular saw blades work good but with those the fewer teeth the better and buy a heavy or thick one. The kind I used are a bit flimsy since the first collision with an unseen obstacle warped it beyond any quick fix I could make. I next tried the blade with the chainsaw teeth,, a 2 pack cost about what a 3 pack of the flimsy blades did, and it cuts like a dream in open areas but forget about edging or string trimmer work. I cut through thickets without effort and at times when weeds would seem to be wrapped around the blade and spindle which would need to be manually cleared before, only required the application of throttle and a brief shaking to sling it off and work resumes. I also cut a few oak tree branches, the largest cut was 4 to 5 inches and it handled it with ease doing the work of a pole saw. You will need a harness of some type, and adjusting the handle bars to your preference will take some time but easy to do. The supplied harness is not good quality and I bit and bought the Amazon recommended harness which is slightly better garbage than the supplied harness and didn't last an entire session before requiring some in field repairs. I bought a much simpler, better padded over the shoulder type of sling and found it performs as well or better and far less complicated and cost the same $15 as the harness that the front clasp kept separating on although was not overly tightened or under stress and has a quick disconnect that is a joke and far more dangerous than not having a quick disconnect at all. So forger about the quick start, buy a chainsaw tooth blade And a padded sling you will have a powerful brush clearing, limb cutting inexpensive beast in your tool arsenal.

I bought this based off of existing reviews both comment and video. Let me say upfront, I have not tried the brush cutter yet, I have used it just for trimming. First off, even with the harness, this unit heavy and bulky. If you have a field that is overgrown and it needs weeds cut, and that field is relatively level, it would make quick work of it. If you have areas where you have to reach down and try to cut, the ergonomics make it difficult to cut at that angle. Even though it's 52cc, to me, it doesn't act like it has that much power. Maybe it's just the one I got. Starts very easy. It comes pre spooled with trimmer string, but my medium sized yard, I used up most of the spool in one cutting. I am 57 years old and used this and not in the best shape, so take this next statement with that in mind; The weight of this machine wore me out. I am going to continue to use it as i hope it gets me in a little better shape, but muscles in my lower back were hurting by the time I was finished. The trimmer line broke off on one side flush with the housing twice, so I had to take it off twice to fish the line out. Once, I was able to do it by hand. The second time, I could not get it off, I had to use an adjustable jaw oil filter wrench that you use to change oil filters on vehicles to press the the two tabs in, and it popped off easily. Get one of these or something similar to make this much easier when adding new line. My take, if you want a trimmer just for trimming your yard, this isn't the trimmer you want, but if you are in fair shape and have alot of somewhat level ground you have to maintain and you dont have a tractor with an attachment to maintain this land, then this would work. I dont think I would buy it again, but I will keep it in the event I have to cut brush, or may continueto use it just to see if i get in better shape and can use it without much stress. Its affordable for what you get, just know what applications it is better suited for and if you dont need it for those, look for another choice.

good

This 26cc is powerful enough to handle a variety of backyard trimming. Great machine, used all the attachments in first week and worked like a charm. The engine started right away using 50:1 high octane fuel/oil blend (I would recommend.) There was only one issue when installing the handle, one of the bolts broke through he plastic but contacted customer support and they are sending me a new handle. Still worthy of 5 stars No need to pay hundreds more! Great value for the price.

The blade attachment causes extreme vibration. I am of normal height, weight and strength, and was not able to control it. The vibration caused the trigger to burn my hand through heavy gloves, caused grease to leak from the attachment head and caused the pin that holds the shaft together to come out after mere seconds. Had that gone unnoticed, the blade and lower portion of the shaft could have easily gone flying to kill or maim someone. Not just crap, but wildly dangerous crap. The seller refuses to issue a refund, saying that I have to return the item first, but neither Amazon nor any other shipping company will accept items that have held fuel. This essentially equates to refusing to provide a refund for a defective product. Amazon's automated response is telling me that I am not eligible for an A to Z refund because I have to contact the seller, which I did four days ago, with him giving me a nonsensical response. I am disgusted with the product, the seller and Amazon. Stay safe, stay away from the Wild Badger trimmer!

I own a lawncare company and I need my machines to work 100%. The only reason this trimmer got a one star is because it comes with detachable shaft. Other wise this trimmer dies out when it gets hot and I have trouble starting it back up. I only had it for a couple of weeks and it's a contestant problem. It came to a point that if I didn't have a backup trimmer I would have lost out a lot of money. And the funny part is that I was hoping to make this my go to company. But definitely not anymore. Sad to say. I really did have high hopes. Don't buy. Save your money.

Love its wild badger . Hedge trimmer cuts 3/4 inch branches no problem. The trimmer is awesome too its a speed winder . Polesaw looks good . Have not tried it . Hard to get parts. I wore the upper shaft out. And they don't offer it on the website. I had this trimmer for over a year I put on roughly 6 hours A-day whole time using this and the engine rums liking new . has lots of power..