Poulan Weed Eater Featherlite SST

I have owned 2 Poulan Weedeater Featherlite grass trimmers in the last 6 years. I trim alottttt of grass and I wore both of these straight shaft trimmers out. I just loved the easy start, easy string winding and most of all how light it was and not the vibration that I got from other trimmers. But when this one died I went to town and grabbed a new Featherlite in the box and brought it home. Why don't companies leave things alone. I had a weedeater that was outstanding and now I have a piece of rubbish. I tried all day to get it to start. Read and reread the book. Called customer service. Big laugh. They could care less.

Whenever I purchase a product -- any product -- I do my homework first. I read reviews about the Poulan Weed Eater Featherlite SST online, giving weight mostly to customer reviews rather than editorial reviews. Both Consumer Reports and Popular Mechanics gave this 'tool' high marks, and ConsumerSearch gave it a 'Best Buy' rating.

I gave this trimmer 2 stars because it is easy to start. And, unlike each of the electric trimmers I have used in the past, I can control the speed of the hub spinning with its trigger.

However, on the downside:

- After what, 4 decades now(?) it seems that the 'designers' over at the Weedeater division of Poulan have been unable to evolve or design a string spool that is smart, intuitive, a bump-feed system that works! There are small notches on the string spool that (supposedly) will hold the trimmer string you wind in place as one slides it back onto the spring-loaded shaft. These notch-type retainers DO NOT work with either the proscribed heavier OR lighter weight trimmer string Weedeater suggests one use in this product (I was using Official Weedeater brand trimmer line to boot)!

- The string invariably tangles inside the spool cup, and one is required to interrupt trimming CONSTANTLY to untangle the line, and then fumble with the two separate lines as you try to feed the string through the hub feeder-holes.

- The bump feed of this product works inconsistently. Sometimes it feeds just the right amount of string to better trim with, sometimes it feeds out WAY too much, and at other times it feeds almost nothing at all, so that one finds themselves bumping and bumping and bumping the feeder button on the base of the trimmer hub with nothing happening at all!

Like I say, how many years has the Weedeater product been around? And they STILL do not have a decent design in place for the business-end of the trimmer?!

To add insult to injury, I squandered nearly a half hour online and in various pockets of 'phone hell' attempting to get to someone over at Poulan to address these issues, perhaps send me a replacement hub or bumper-spool, maybe tell me what I've been doing wrong in the 'art' of winding line -- whatever. But I kept on being directed down one rabbit hole after the next; the New Millennium's version of 'customer service' I guess.

I am thoroughly disgusted with the WeedEater FLSST25, in every imaginable way, and getting nowhere fast with Poulan itself, I finally decided to call Amazon's Customer Service number to begin the process of returning the product.

Beware! DO NOT waste your time or money on this product! (And by the way, I have been doing my own yardwork for the past several decades. I have used a number of other company's bump-feed line trimmers -- all the others electric models -- and I have NEVER had the sort of problems I have experienced with this one. And really? There is no 'art' to winding string on these trimmer spools. Doh. Just pay attention and wrap it evenly. No problemo -- unless you're using a Poulan Weed Eater product)!