Kawasaki KBL 27A / KBH 27A

KAWASAKI KBL 27A – Have owned a KBL 27A for the past 3.5 years now. I am very happy with its easy starting and power to get through the weeds. It starts first (or second time) even when it is cold and even when the fuel mix is " stale". Can't say the same for my ECHO chain saw and hedge trimmer which are difficult to start if the fuel is not "fresh".

Excellent – This unit has the best power-to-weight ratio of any brushcutter or trimmer I've used, it is easy to maintain, easy to use, very light weight, and results in virtually no back pain with extended use (compared with similar line trimmers). Fewer mower shops sell this brand (apparently because of the lower profit margin) but it is worth persisting to buy one. As a professional mowing contractor I have used a lot of different brushcutters and trimmers in my time and I've found nothing starts as easily as the KBL27A; just prime the fuel, push in the Slow Idle Starter button and pull the rope. There is no fiddling around with chokes. It starts and runs in all temperatures even as hot as 42°C in western Sydney and the fuel tank is easy to fill without a funnel. The line trimmer blade can be removed so the nylon can pass under the guard while trimming - this is particularly handy for trimming around a tree without having to walk around the whole tree. The bump feed head holds 7m of 2.7mm trimmer cord, it's easy to load once you know how, and Kawasaki also sell spare cassettes you can keep in your backpack if you service large areas like factory sites or parklands. It is easily one of the quietest machines I've used, and it can also accept 80 tooth saw blades for trimming tree limbs, roses, and branches upto 20cm thick. In the last 10 years we've bought 55 of these for our company, and our employees and franchisees just keep on buying the same unit again and again. They may try other brands but they keep coming back to the Kawasaki. There is no indicator telling the operator how much trimmer line is remaining. This could be resolved by making the cassettes out of clear plastic. An experienced operator knows the line is running low when one side emerges from the head on a 90° angle. The carburettor is not user adjustable, so if you turn up the revs, the head will spin at idle speed. The reverse is that the unit won't trim neatly if the head is still at idle speed. The solution is another trip to the mower shop, or an annual adjustment. If you ever need spare parts, make sure you're sitting down when you get the invoice!

Excellent – The machine ran all day in 42C and was well and truly given a work out through long grass. Fuel consumption was fairly low for a machine that was wide open for hours. Tap and go head needs an explanation in the manual, but its easy to use once you find out how it works. If you want a great machine at the right price this is it $499, I hassled them down a little Very easy to start, light and comfortable. Has little vibration and seems to give good power.Has Kawasakis good name and the machine is balanced and is also well priced for a powerful machine. Users manual a little hard to follow.