Owned a FS90 Stihl which after 5 years the motor broke a valve. Stihl said it wasn't repairable so I decided to go Echo.
I live on a 7 acre ranch and trimming is an 8 hour job done about once every 2 months. The Echo SRM-280T has torque to spare when blasting thru brush. The only issue I have is the bump head will not support heavy twine, (.105 or anything larger). The .95 is a bit light for what I use this trimmer for and I cant use a brush attachment since there is a lot of fencing on the property and metal blades would not do well against fencing.
Starts nice, lower vibration that the Stihl but a bit heavier. Quieter and better balanced. Once someone comes out with a heavy duty bump auto feeder , this trimmer will be a perfect machine for ranches and farms. I am sure for 99% of home owners this will more than do the job.