Man of Stihl

Did I mention that my boyfriend is a December baby?

He sure is.  

And this year Pastor Dad gave him a great early birthday gift….money.  Money to put toward a weedwacker. 

You remember how Pastor Dad helped lay down our new sod?  Well, I guess he figured that now Jeremy would need the right tool to keep the sod in check.    

Jeremy did HOURS and HOURS of research.  He’s like that.  A total overachiever.  Love you honey 🙂

And he came to the conclusion that STIHL brand was the best.  He asked everyone.  Yard-care professionals, DIYers like us, even internet research left him with the same result.  Jeremy was officially a Stihl lover.  That’s when he discovered the KombiSystem.  It’s basically a multi-task tool that has several attachments which are sold separately.  And it is designed with the occasional yard guy in mind.   

It’s basically the little black dress of the yard-care-tool-closet.   

So with a skip in his step, Jeremy put his birthday money towards the KM 55R KombiMotor.  (It usually runs around $200 for all you yard gurus with Christmas money to burn.)  And even though it is WAY more than what we would normally spend on a lawn-care item, (heck, I suggested getting out there with a pair of kitchen scissors) it was my darling boy-toy’s money…so I let him make the decision.

In the end, he was right.

Dang it.

It was worth it.  I knew that after he weedwacked the first time.  You see, after he bought the motor – he started saving his pennies (let’s just say he ate a whole lotta PB&J for lunch and dinner) to buy the grass trimming attachment.

Let’s not say I was wrong outloud though.

I still have an image to keep up. 

(OH THE SHAME!  I WAS OH SO WRONG!  THE AGONY!)

And for all you Before&After folks – here is our neighbors house before a little weedwacking action:

Jeremy goes over there to help out. 

I told you – total overachiever.

She is like 129 years old though.  and a total flirt.  She really does need to give that a rest.  I am not above pile-driving a geriatric.  I’m just sayin.

Anyway – the weedwacker works great huh?  And the best part is that Jeremy doesn’t have to bang the thing on the ground because the string never gets hung up. 

So now that you got a little background info on our weedwacker situation, it comes as no surprise that whenever we go into our True Value store, Jeremy often wanders off into the STIHL section.

You see, not just anyone can sell you a Kombi system or a Stihl backpack blower…only approved dealers can sell them.  And it just so happens that all three True Value stores in our area carry Stihl products. 

So of course, when we were chosen to be part of the Blogsquad, Jeremy was salivating at the mouth.  He really wanted to get a second attachment for his KombiSystem…specifically the lawn edger.

And after seeing the weedwacker in action, I was quick to jump on the edger-bandwagon. 

So we ran down to True Value and picked up a Curved Lawn Edger Attachment.

Where I got attacked by a bear: 

Just seeing if you were still paying attention 🙂

And Jeremy picked up his new fancy second attachment.  To get this thing in the motor, all you have to do is pop off the little black cap,

insert the attachement into the shaft of the motor and turn the black knob to tighten it down.  Then you just rev that engine and go!

And because I know you wannna see this thing in action, I decided to time Jeremy to see how quick he could switch it from one tool to another. Here is the video:

[vimeo vimeo.com/8428458]

We gave it a go with our front sidewalk – to clean up the edge a bit. 

Sparks flew.

Both figuratively and literally.  We both love this thing.

As you can see with the before & afters, the edge wasn’t so bad previously.  It is winter afterall.  But afterward, you can tell it looks cleaner and a little more like a professional is taking care of our grass.

 

And the other side, well, it really made a huge difference even with dormant grass.  The lawn had been creeping onto the sidewalk and after we used the edger, I had to get a broom to try to get the dirt back into the yard and off of our sidewalk.

 

The best part of this product is that it helps girls like me when it comes time to purchase gifts.  Since my boyfriend already has the motor, I can pick out an attachment for a birthday or christmas or anniversary present (which range in price from $90 to $320) and know that he is gonna love getting a whole new kick-bootie tool.  And I am gonna love it when he does any yard upkeep.  It’s like a gift that just keeps giving.

So thanks True Value.  I will forever walk around with your name on my forehead.  Afterall, you made my man of steel a man of Stihl.  And making my boyfriend the happiest one on the block is the best gift you could ever give.  Oh yeah, it doesn’t hurt that my yard looks ahh-mazing either 🙂

“I was one of five bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program and my DIY project as well as my posts about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”