The two-cycle implement passed away peacefully in a suburban garage after a long, stubborn battle with bad spark plugs and stale fuel.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Echo SRM-225 gas string trimmer, 12, died Tuesday in a suburban driveway following complications from refusing to start for a fourth consecutive summer. Purchased in 2014 from a local Home Depot, the two-cycle implement enjoyed a vigorous early career decimating weeds, shattering stray pebbles against the siding, and smelling intensely of rich exhaust. It is fondly remembered for its deafening screech and its unwavering commitment to flooding its own carburetor whenever choked incorrectly. The trimmer survived a 2019 shed roof leak and a disastrous incident in which its owner attempted to restring the spool without reading the manual.
He was stubborn right to the end, demanding exact ratios of oil to gas that I was entirely unwilling to measure.
It is survived by a half-empty jug of degraded fuel, a rusty edger attachment, and a newly purchased Ryobi battery-powered unit that the deceased deeply resented. A private curbside service will be held on heavy-trash collection day.