LIHU‘E — John Gandeza was pleasantly surprised to discover why everyone was telling him to wait until Friday. Gandeza was planning on purchasing a new brush cutter and the wait until Friday paid off when he was able to get
LIHU‘E — John Gandeza was pleasantly surprised to discover why everyone was telling him to wait until Friday.
Gandeza was planning on purchasing a new brush cutter and the wait until Friday paid off when he was able to get not one, but two brush cutters at a nice discounted price during the opening day of the annual M. Kawamura Farm Enterprises Farm and Garden Expo at the Pua Loke facility.
“Mine just broke, so I needed to get one, too,” said Chris Gandeza, who joined John in getting a brush cutter. “How’s this? Getting a brush cutter on my lunch break?”
Brush cutter technology was in the limelight for this year’s show designed to bring the latest developments to Kaua‘i’s population of landscapers, farmers, home gardeners as well as landscape and engineering professionals in the resort industry.
Shindaiwa introduced its Hybrid 4 engine technology while Maruyama unveiled its Venon Series 2-Stroke engines which they say are more technologically advanced than its predecessors.
Ken Ahrens with the Shindaiwa firm said the Hybrid 4 engine technology is new this year and spans the company’s lineup including trimmers, blowers, hedge trimmers and multi-tool, although none were available at the expo.
Historically, most outdoor power tools were powered by 2-stroke engines which are lightweight, easy to maintain with fewer moving parts and have excellent power-to-weight ratios, states the Shindaiwa website.
However, starting in the early 1990s, manufacturers have been under pressure to achieve lower exhaust emissions.
Shindaiwa’s low-emissions engineering team believed a “hybrid” engine, blending the best elements of a 2-stroke and 4-stroke technology of much cleaner burning resulting in lower emissions, would provide an ideal solution resulting in the Hybrid 4 Engine Technology.
Mark Dyos, the General Manager of Maruyama who made the trip to Lihu‘e from the corporate offices in Denton, Texas, said the new Maruyama engines are 22 percent more fuel efficient than their predecessors.
“When compared with other 2-stroke engines, it will run an additional 18 minutes on the same 2.8 ounces of fuel,” Dyos said. “This is due in part to the 3-piece hard chrome-plated cylinder and the offset crankshaft.”
Another new addition will be the introduction of a larger 42cc padded and isolated engine to the backpack series which was introduced during last year’s expo.
Ron Pilsner and Jerry Locker of Oregon Chain Saws introduced the Powersharp line of saw chain sharpeners which allows chain saw users to sharpen the saw’s blade “on the saw, on the job, in seconds.”
Using a stone and two guidance drive link on the saw chain, the user simply attaches the Powersharp and while pressing the activating foot on a solid surface, can sharpen the blade in as little as three seconds.
This goes in line with what Echo power tools claim is the lightest chain saw in the industry.
Brian Bress, visiting from Seattle, Wash., joked about bringing over the rain while displaying, in one hand, the latest chain saw weighing in at just 6.5 pounds.
“This is the lightest chain saw in the industry,” Bress said. “It has been out for only about three weeks, now. This is the first time we’re showing it in Hawai‘i.”
The CS-271T features a 26.99 cc Power Boost Vortex engine and is available in 10- or 12-inch bar lengths and carries a consumer warranty of five years. Commercial and rental warranties are also available.
The expo continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will also feature a chain saw class for professionals, Ed Kawamura said.
•Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
