REEL EASY+ Bump Feed String Head with Speed Winder

I bought this trimmer head thinking it would be an easy swap out for my Ryobi trimmer. Turns out, it is easy to break if you don’t get everything seated properly. Now I can’t get it off to return it. Frustrating.

During first use the bushings that are used to attach to the arbor melted and the head fell off.

Was easy and convenient. I thinks that Ryobi Reel + Bump Feed String Head is a good brand.

Cost $30 for a replacment head that last one year or less with use and is a complete rip off needs to be a class action suit against these defective heads they keep selling. This is my 3rd head in 3 years, and never have ever had this issue on other weed eaters..... Complete joke.....

REEL EASY+ Bump Feed String Head with Speed Winder Cannot recommend this replacement head at all. Had a literal melt down the first time I used it rendering it questionable to use for safety reasons. Don’t know if the destroyed parts are necessary or just waiting to throw plastic shrapnel in all directions. I used this head only once and other than the winding mechanism, it’s a complete failure in my opinion. Bought this because it looked like a good option for loading the line on the head. Put it on the trimmer without much difficulty. I watched the video and that was easy to follow. The instructions are not really precise, and the print is small for my less than perfect eyes. Winding mechanism worked well. There is some wobble as the speed winder does not lock onto the knob and has to be wound on a single plane. Started doing my yard work and noticed immediately that the trimmer wasn’t cutting as expected. I had to tilt the head more than normal to trim the grass from my sidewalks. Looking closely at the new head compared to the old, it appears the knob and housing raise the distance from the surface about ¼ inch more than the older head. The spacer may also add a bit more distance, but overall, it is definitely taller than the original head. So now I have to tilt the trimmer a bit more to get a closer (shorter) cut. Ran out of string and saw that the line had actually jammed inside the reel. The outside string had worked itself into the ‘bump’ gap. Couldn’t pull it out so disassembled the head. Looked inside and found the string had actually fused itself to the spool. You can see the orange remnants of the string I cleared off and how it actually melted a groove into the spool. The white line guide actually tore/melted itself apart. Those are the two white pieces on the bottom of the picture. I can’t be sure, but it also appears the alignment tabs on the upper housing were also worn down and possibly tabs on the lower housing. Can’t be sure because I don’t remember what it looked like before I used it and nothing to compare it to. I don’t know if the white line guide is critical so I did not remount this head. I still had the original head and put it back on to finish the yard. The string jam (string getting caught through the bump gap) never happened in nearly 30 years of use of the older system. This new head has some definite durability issues. I would have returned it, but had already tossed the packaging and it’s not worth the time or effort for $31. For now, I will stick with the older head. It may be inconvenient to load, but at least it lasts and I don’t have to worry about any safety issues. String trimmers with Expand-it, convertible feature: Ryobi 990r, Craftsman WEEDWACKER GAS TRIMMER 316.791970, generic Black Max

A 'qualified' yes to recommendation. Everything works well until within 1 year the plastic parts start to wear down where you then need to spend $30 to replace the entire assembly. The knob wears which allows the housing to wear and break off... and then it is useless. And the design is changed so that you MUST replace the entire head assembly. It lasts approximately 1 year.

My third one. Works great new but the soft plastic bump head wears down quickly to where you can’t see the markings and you can’t use the crank handle.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Has a lot of different adapters, it’s very easy to use and light

Although this appeared to be a great Ryobi product to replace my Ryobi head with this universal Ryobi head. It appears it's not for all Ryobi gas-powered trimmers. Basically there is a bolt that is supposed to go into the trimmer. My Ryobi trimmer shaft is male so the bolt that is in the kit to hold it onto the trimmer does not work.

I have to return it because it doesn't fit my weed eater. It has a screw and bolt and the one I have does not