Just bought my first house and now it's time to get to work on the lawn. Definitely will have a couple renos coming up over the next couple seasons but for now I need to take care of what is here. That said, I'm looking for a gas powered trimmer/edger, middle of the road. I've seen some that you can get multiple attachments for and Im curious about those as well. Any suggestions/testimonials would be much appreciated.

Stihl combi system is very nice, but not really middle of the road. Only gripe I have, and it may apply to all carbureted small motors, is the carburetor diaphragm goes bad and the carburetor needs to be replaced every 2-4 years depending on usage patterns. The repair shop claims it is from the EtOH in the gasoline that causes the diaphragm to turn brittle.

I have had the John Deere XT105SB for about 8 years now. I have the line trimmer and edger attachments and love it. I use it weekly from April through most of November. John Deere stopped making this unit several years ago, however, you can still find it, and the attachments, online easily. I would highly recommend it.

I know Stihl makes something very similar. It's called the KombiSystem. I believe the KM 55 R STIHL KombiMotor is $189.99 and the attachments are $99.00 each. I've never used it, but the specs seem to be pretty good and Stihl is a very reliable brand.

I've got both Stihl Kombi and Echo PAS; and although the Stihl is supposed to be a better engine, I fnd the Echo PAS stuff easier to use and the motor is a bit lighter and easier to handle.

I have a Toro and paid $60 for the edger attachement. Had it 8 years, always starts, fine machine!

I have the Stihl Kombi system and have been using it for almost two years now. I have the KM 130 with the straight shaft trimmer and edger. I love it and swapping out the tools takes less than a minute. I have been using them weekly from March-November and have had no problems, starts up really easy.

Interestingly, the Stihl low emissions motors (the KM130 is one) are different from most small equipment motors. Stihl calls them 4-mix motors. Though they use two stroke fuel (oil and gas mixed), they are a four stroke motor. Not sure exactly how they do it, but it gives you the some of the benefits of a four stroke without the need for a separate oil lubrication system.

After going thru two ryobi motors in just a couple of years I switched to the Stihl Kombi system. It is one of the best purchases I've made. If you decide to go with ryobi let me know, I've got a bunch of attachments I'll sell you cheap.

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Thanks for the suggestions, I think I will look into the Toro and the Stihl Kombisystem.