Troy-Bilt TB80 EC

Junk - Waste of Money and Landfill – Immediately after I got it the plastic choke lever broke, it ran for a few hours and then the shaft came lose where it connects to the motor, can't tighten it because one of the screws is stripped. Then it started making a bearing noise, then it refused to start .. it would take 20 - 30 tries ... and the line keeps breaking off, over and over. Its the worst whipper snipper I have ever owned .. I was told it was a good brand ... its junk. Show details

Disappointed – Purchased from Masters who then closed so product not easily returned. Was not a cheap product. Motor often won't start. Less than 5 hours work and 2 repairs just out of warranty. Cord system release rarely works. Hard to start. Would have been cheaper to hire a gardener. I guess this is why they no longer make this item.  Show details

Weak gear box, shredded crown wheels – I have only used this maybe for a total of 3hrs and the crown wheels in the gear box at the end of the machine simply self destructed under what I considered to be normal use...some reasonably long grass was trimmed without engine struggle. The engine seemed fine but I was pretty disappointed overall...  Show details

4 Stroke made in USA for under $200, Cheque Please! – I bought this along with my blower vac and lawn mower. I love the fact that being 4 stroke you don't have to mix oil. The bump head is super easy to use providing you read the manual, so much easier than manually winding! I also love the jump start option, which I usually use the cordless drill to start the trimmer. The whole unit also feels… Read more

really solid but without being heavy. After over a year of use, still going really strong :) 4 Stroke, Price, Fit and Quality, Jump Start N/A

not happy with the warranty service – purchased the trimmer and hedge clipper attatchment, used it once for about an hour and a half on a hedge (worked fine), emptied the fuel and stored in the shed for 3months,hedge needed a trim so i fired it up, 5 minutes running and the machine starts to surge. Take it back to Masters, told to take it down to the repairers, 3 weeks later repair… Read more

shop calls and says it needs a service?? i tell them my story and get told that the machines needs to be run regular (it's a hedge clipper, not lawn mower i say) then they say $44 to view or $77 to fix (not covered under warranty) so now i am the owner of a $400 hedge clipper that has being used for 1.5hrs, not bad dollars TROY.. inexpensive bad warranty service

First Impressions – I purchased to replace a Ryobi Weed Wasp that was starting to show it's age. First impression was that it appears to be a robust unit. To assist with assembly, that is not too difficult, there is a helpful video that can be accessed via the Troy-Bilt web site. Having assembled the trimmer you will have a couple of parts left over, a line spool… Read more

and a pack of heavy duty plastic strips. Although it is hard to find any reference to these in the assembly instructions they are the brush cutter component of the unit ant plastic strips strips are pushed into the spool and adjusted so there are equal lengths of strip either side.

As the instruction sheets are produced for the US market fuel mix quantities are expressed in gallons and fluid ounces but with a bit of hunting around.you will find the mix is 40:1 which means that if you have other small motor tools using the more usual 25:1 mix you will need to keep separate fuel supplies.

Unlike a lot of other similar trimmers there are exposed fuel mix and throttle components that will need to be kept clear of accumulated dirt and cuttings. Another thing to be aware of is that in the operating position the usual hard plastic fuel tank is at bottom so you need to take care the filler cap is tight and when starting with the trimmer on a hard rough surface you don't damage the tank.

When you start your trimmer and it bursts into life you will probably instinctively release the throttle lever, you will notice the spool is not rotating, don't panic, the spool only rotates at full throttle. As this is probably achieved with some type of centrifugal clutch mechanism it will be interesting to see if this causes future problems.

The unit is probably heavier than you are used to, a shoulder strap would ease this.

These are my initial thoughts and with use other observations may emerge. If they do I will add them to this review.

. Robust construction. Ability to add accessories to extend it's uses. Fuel tank positioning seems strange. No protection against possible impact damage.