Shindaiwa 78890-30000 Speed-Feed 400 Universal Bump Feed Trimmer Head

I can’t believe I spent all those weekends wrapping and re-wrapping the spindle only to watch it undo as I tried to reinstall it. I have a Stihl Kombi system, and I use this for my straight FS KM trimmer. I use the green adapter and the spacer and it went on like a champ. With the spacer, the cutter was still in play and the bump feed worked well. A great value for the money as compared to the Echo product, which is apparently exactly the same. Highly recommend based on the fit, ease of assembly, and the time saving capability this device provides.

My old Ryobi Weed Eater, made in 2016, needed an new trimmer head. The Shindaiwa 78890-300000 Speed-Feed 400 Universal Bump Feed Trimmer Head is a huge upgrade. I took the old beat up Ryobi trimmer head off my Ryobi Weed Eater and removed the gold metal adapter from the new Shindaiwa Speed-Feed head (by gently hammering it out using an old tapered plastic solar light stake). Then, I inserted the new Red metal Adapter into the Shindaiwa Speed-Feed head. The install was quick and easy once I figured out that the new Red Adapter was the one I needed to make the new Shindaiwa Speed-Feed head work with my old Ryobi Weed Eater. The new Shindaiwa Speed-Feed 400 makes my old Ryobi work like a new Weed Eater (better than new). It uses much less trimmer line and doesn't jam like the old head. I was able to weed eat over an acre of heavy weeds, black berry bushes, buckeye and scrub oak on a steep hill, with perimeter wire horse fencing, by using only a little over 2 spools of about 20 feet of line each. It only took me about an hour, whereas before it usually took twice as long because of frequent refills, jams and I could never get the original Ryobi head to auto-feed 80% of the time. So far, the auto feed on the Shindaiwa has worked 100% of the time and is so easy to fill and rewind. I'm even able to cut thicker brush with the same trimmer line that my old Ryobi trimmer head could never cut. I'm never going back to the old style bump and jam Ryobi feed heads.

I will start off this review with details that apply to everyone and should have been better explained in the poorly written instruction sheet:Despite the application chart indicates fitness, this head will not work on all or some Stihl curved shaft trimmers. The product description on Amazon correctly states that it will not fit these trimmers. It does not come with an 8mm RH bushing.Here is a better explanation of the parts and how they fit...In essence, the spinning direction determines the thread of the bushing, the core color, and orientation of the spool. Select the wrong core and the trimmer cable will not dispense.Left Hand (LH) bushings must be inserted into the black core while Right Hand (RH) bushings should be used with the white core.The choice of core also determines which side of the spool faces up. Specifically, the white core with RH bushing is assembled with the spool showing the letter "R". The black core with a LH bushing should be joined with the spool oriented so that the letter "L" is visable. When correctly assembled, the core will extend beyond the spool as shown in the photographs accompanying this review. . The spool sides are mentioned in the instruction sheet but I believe this needs to be clarified with photographs.So, how does it work? The trimmer line goes in easily and loading is simple. It may be reloaded in a minute. When you need more line, just tap the head against the ground to extend the stored trim cable. It works well and and can save considerable time.In summary, I highly recommend the Shindaiwa/Echo Speed-Feed® 400 Trimmer Head with one reservation: Do not trust the application instruction sheet chart. Check the list of included bushings and studs to make sure it will fit your trimmer's mounting method.And here is a bonus tip.... Search for the web for "SpeedFeed® bullet proof" mod using a 3/8" bolt, a fender washer and nylon insert locknut. It will extend the trimmer head life.

I have ordered three of these over the past year and they are really good products. HOWEVER when this one arrived today it did not have the correct adapter for my STIHL. I sent a message to SDR and they messaged back and refused to send the adapter that was supposed to come with the product in the first place. SDR said to contact Amazon and Amazon would send it to me. To my knowledge Amazon doesn’t make this product- they just sell it. I don’t want to return it- I want the correct adapter like it is supposed to come with. Not sure where to go from here.