Lawn Care Pro Review: STIHL Weed Eater vs ECHO SRM-3020

Hey guys, I'm Paul Jamison, host of the Green Industry Podcast here in Atlanta, Georgia, and owner of the Jamison Management Group. We do lawn care and landscaping, and for the last nine years, we’ve used STIHL weed eaters. A few months ago, ECHO sent me their weed eater—the SRM-3020—to give it a fair compare-and-contrast against the STIHL weed eaters we've been using.

There are several things I look for in a weed eater. Number one is how easily it starts. Both of my shoulders hurt, so I want to pull that cord and have it fire up on the first or second try. That’s important to me. I also consider how it feels in use. We’re going around garden beds and trimming all over the place, so I want something that’s comfortable and performs well.

Next, I look for durability and reliability. I don’t want this thing in the shop. I don’t want to be fixing it in the garage. I want to put it on the rack, grab it, go, and trust that it’s going to work. And lastly, I look at how easy it is to restring. We're constantly having to restring, so I want a process that's smooth and hassle-free.

So, let’s get into some comparisons.

When it comes to which weed eater starts the easiest, I’d have to give a slight edge to STIHL. Now, the ECHO weed eater starts 100% of the time—no issues there. But because of my shoulder problems, I pay attention to how many pulls it takes. With the ECHO, I sometimes have to pull it a few times before it fires up. With the STIHL, in those first few months, it usually started right away.

I really like how the ECHO weed eater feels. It’s super comfortable. We’ll hit eight or nine properties a day, and I genuinely enjoy using the ECHO throughout the day.

This is probably the most important factor for me when considering new equipment. Of course, we stay on top of basic maintenance like spark plugs, air filters, and fuel filters, but I don’t want to be dealing with constant repairs.

So far, I’ve only used the ECHO weed eater for a few months, and we haven’t had any issues—just like we didn’t with our STIHLs in the first few months. However, with our STIHL units, we started needing repairs by year two or three. I haven’t reached year two with the ECHO yet, but I have had problems with STIHL weed eaters in the later years.

I’ll add that I’ve used other ECHO products, like their blowers—the PB-770, specifically—and even into year three, they’ve had no issues. We just do the regular maintenance, and those things fire right up. That tells me ECHO might have a slight edge in long-term reliability.

With the STIHL weed eaters, I can restring them almost without thinking. I’ve done it for nine years. Pop the head off, insert the string, and get back to work—it’s muscle memory at this point.

The ECHO, though, comes with a Speed-Feed® head, and that’s a game-changer. You just thread the string through, twist the head, and it’s ready to go. That saves a ton of time. It's not really apples-to-apples here since I’m new to the Speed-Feed system, but it’s impressive. It adds efficiency, which makes a difference when you’re in the field all day.

Both STIHL and ECHO make great weed eaters. You're not going to go wrong with either brand. But the most important factor might just be what your local dealer carries. Let’s say a part breaks and you need a replacement fast—you don’t want to wait for it to ship. You want to walk into your dealer and grab what you need.

For me, I’m lucky. My local dealer, Howard Brothers, carries both STIHL and ECHO products, so I have access to parts for either brand. But depending on where you live, that might not be the case.

So my advice is: do a little homework. If the dealer closest to you only carries STIHL, that might make STIHL the better choice for you—or vice versa. When something breaks, and you need that part same-day, proximity and availability matter. You don’t want to waste hours driving around just to get what you need.

Both brands have their pros and cons, and I hope this comparison was helpful!