Craftsman 33cc Full Crank Gas String Trimmer Straight shaft Convertible Review

Craftsman 33cc Full Crank Gas String Trimmer Straight shaft Convertible — 

Once upon a time a few weeks in the past when trimming my grass, I blew out my electric cheap B & D Grass Hog, third one kaput (JUST trimming grass!). I threw it over the hill and went to sears which is close to my house. Picked up this weedwacker combo for $169.99 on sale. I decided that I needed a much more powerful machine to tackle another job besides some lawn trimming ... cutting a steep hillside filled with a spring/summer growth of throaty weeds, vines and grasses.

Brought home my new purchase after stopping at the gas station and mixing the required amount of fuel with the oil in a new can and purchased extra craftsman oil for the 50:1 ratio mix. Used 87 octane. Unboxed and assembled the unit in ten minutes. Started in a few pulls after priming it six times. Started fine, but would not spin! The spindle just sat there, even at almost full throttle. Disassembled and reassembled. Double-checked, triple-checked the manual and the unit. The piece on the head shaft that the attachment fits into seemed to be loose and move back and forth. It dropped down into the shaft. After calling the 1-800 tech support number, they were useless and said the shaft or cable is broken. Might be the clutch. Duh!!

Took it back to Sears the next day. No more in stock. I had them swap me the head unit on display, as that was all I needed. Took it home, went through the process again and got it fired up. This one finally would spin so I could "weedwack"!

My observations:

• The Start position and idle is useless on my particular unit. After pulling it starts for a second or two and dies. I remedy this by placing the unit on the ground to start, have it in the run posiion, and depress the throttle lever SLIGHTLY (about 1/4 way) to increase intake. I start it this way. Leave it run for up to 30 seconds, and slowly release the throttle. It then will idle. I believe the Low idle jet needs adjusted higher as I seen in previous posts, will mess with this sometime maybe.
  
• The trimmer line is pretty strong. I've seen posts with people complaining about the line constantly breaking, however my experience has been that it is MUCH stronger than the spooler type line I had in my cheap weedwacker. I trimmed a whole hillside about 30 feet down by 60 feet across of woody weeds, vines, grass and junk with no problem and still have about 3-4 inches of line left per strand. If you are trimming against a pole, rocks, etc. I would suggest not using full throttle but only what is needed for the cut at hand. Still, at mid to full throttle I hacked a lot of **** down that I wasn't sure was possible! The line does eventually wear and break, I plan on looking into a cheap spool as I read somewhere and cutting myself.
  
• I have not tried the brush attachment that came with this unit. The attachment looked really appealing to me, and was a major deciding factor. I was going to use it on my hillside of thick overgrown weeds, vines, brush, grass that was up to five feet high. I tried the string on it instead, and it performs way beyond my expectations.
  
• The unit is somewhat heavy compared to electric, it is a gas unit! It's really not bad, 20 lbs, and as long as it is balanced and used correctly you don't need to be hercules, I'm a slender man. I highly recommend a shoulder strap if using for more than 15 minutes ... the one supplied or craftsman sells one. You will feel it the next day after a lot of use (1+ hr) if you're out of shape like me.
  
• Trimmer head runs counter-clockwise spraying clippings, rocks, dirt etc at or near you and motor is hot if you rest your arm against it (where exhaust comes out) ... these items also mentioned in previous posts and confirmed.
  
• Noisy and messy (see immediately above) ... DEFINITELY need eye protection, ear protection a recommendation.
  
• I have noticed folks saying you have 30 days to return the unit, but my Sears keeps telling me I have up to 90 days to return it. I will see how truthful that is if the time comes to return the unit (I have until end of Nov almost). I am afraid of having the problem I did with the first one, or not getting it to start at all at some point, or the pull start mechanism breaking as many people said has happened to them. At least I purchased the three year warranty on this, which I normally don't do.

Conclusion:

This is my first gas trimmer, for years I used cheap electrics and probably spent a small fortune. The first one, brand new, didn't work. The second unit works, with some caveats (see above - starting, idling). I was extremely impressed at the power and short work it made of hacking down 30 ft x 60 ft hillside of 5 months of weeds, vines, growth completely covered up to 5 foot high in a matter of a few hours (with breaks). This work was performed with the original line supplied with the unit as well as edging a driveway and walkway.

I am pleased that this unit has exceeded my expectations as far as power and utility for the jobs that I need it for. I have only used it two times, so time will tell how well it holds up and if it suffers from other effects mentioned in previous posts. I will have to try and adjust the low idle jet for the carb to smooth out the idle and increase the rpm speed for startup. I would also recommend, giving the cheap pull mechanism, that when starting the unit, after pulling hte cord, let it down slowly back to the body, and don't just let it go. I hope to adjust and break this thing in, and make it my own. If it lasts through the year and starts in the spring, I may consider trying a tiller attachment.

I have awarded this product a three-star rating because there was no 2.5 . I think it is exactly average or a little under. Considering the problems it has confirmed by many customers, and myself, I think this model needs some serious deficiencies rectified. Sears, are you listening? The only reason for a 2.5 - 3 star rating is because once I had a functioning unit, could get it started, and get some useful work accomplished, the work performed and power of the unit exceeded my expectations greatly. It would be a 5 if not for such poor Starting, idling, broken pieces (in original purchased), and other defects and poor design as mentioned above.