Allotment - strimmer recommendations please

Just amended the title of this one to make it clear what the subject was and moved it here into Equipment Shed.

There is no buying or selling allowed on the forum, but mdjlucan is also asking for recommendations for a strimmer.

Congratulations on your new allotment mdjlucan 

Definitely not a battery one.  Buy the best quality one you can afford as the cheaper ones don't seem to last very long.  I got a Stihl one fairly reasonably from a local hire shop who were selling off some ex hire equipment.  You could also try eBay or Gumtree.

Stihl FS50CE.  I got it for less than half of the retail price.

If you get a decent battery one day they are fine - you get what you pay for! I did a lot of research and ended up with a black and decker one - the dearer version with more powerful battery. It cost about £130 on special offer but I now see it is cheaper still on Amazon. I got mine elsewhere with spare cords.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BLACK-DECKER-GLC3630L20-GB-Cordless-Strimmer/dp/B00IJEEGHW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1438519206&sr=8-3&keywords=black+and+decker+strimmer

 I get a good 40-45 minutes out of it which is more than enough to do my whole plot which is a large one. It is powerful enough to trim down plenty of big weeds (nettles, ragwort, brambles and Ivy) as well although if they are very thick/mature versions I put it on the more powerful setting and get about 25 minutes of this but it isn't often I need to cut down that many huge weeds.

I didn't want the hassle of going to get petrol/storing petrol all the time so for me battery was the best option and I have no complaints at all 3 months on

Stihl FS50CE.  I got it for less than half of the retail price.

Yup - and me! I paid about £140 for mine new. It comes with a 2mm nylon, but I can easily put a 2.4mm nylon in it, and it does a much better job. Highly recommended, and well worth the expense.