Purchased in Jan 2017 the T226 ran flawlessly for 18 months until May of 2018. It was taken to a local Shindaiwa dealer from whom it was purchased, where a kit of parts was fitted and allegedly tested. It was received back on May 29th.

I did not use for a day or two after it was "repaired".When I did try to start it the unit would not rev, only idle.
I returned it to the dealer to get them to complete the job they were paid to do. I heard nothing for a week and when I went there they said they had claimed warranty on a part-I understand it w...Read more

Mine has gone in the bin after 5 years.
The first 4 years of service was great and the Shindaiwa spool feed system is the best I've seen.
The problem was the reliability of the petrol engine after 4 years. The final year was terrible...it would only start on occasion.
I striped down the carb, new plug, fresh fuel...nothing...took it to the shop and it stated first time for him.
And that summed up the machine, it started sometimes, and to get it professionally pulled to pieces for a thorough diagnostic check was going to cost to much.
My B&...Read more

The auto feed spool like any other is prone to damage. The instruction book is poor on information such as length of cable on the spool and even the diameter required. Auto feeding spools ail sooner than later and are costly to replace.
I had a aftermarket aluminium bolt on unit - from an old line trimmer-that takes heavy duty cut to length line.

This suits me far better than farting around trying to load the auto spool in terms of time and fiddling around, plus the fact that the alloy spool is nearly indestructible.

The 22T unit is q...Read more

Don't be fooled by the small engine capacity. I have had entry level line trimers with larger engines and they did not stack up against this machine. The 22cc 2-stroke engine has ample power for home use & even the engine note has a lovely 2-stroke crackle to it that sounds like a high performance engine.
Very easy to start. Reasonably light weight. Line head is easy to refill. Value for money machine.
I have a large block and in my opinion this would suitable for large urban blocks up to an acre.
In thick 2 foot high lush grass it can strugg...Read more

Got this from my old man as he doesn't have much of a garden any more so didn't need it.
Before that I had a homelite and ryobi but they had rotted away rubbers but that's something I could compare it too when they were running.
The Shindaiwa isn't as loud as them for sure and does a very good job, easier to start and better control.
It's long though, which is a plus for tall guys, but also that adds a lot of weight.
It seems my old man never used it at all though, because I quickly ran out of line and no attempt to feed would help. Seems ...Read more