Tanaka 2390

[BishBashBosh]

I'm looking for a straight shaft brush cutter with the option to occassionally use a hedge cutting attachment .  I tried being cheap (Florabest multi-tool ) but it's a heavy and loathsome machine, the hedging "tool" is particularly awful/useless.

 

 The tiny Tanaka (TBC-2390) has caught my eye. It's  very light (3.9 Kg), from a reputable brand, can have the TPH-200 hedging attachment fitted, and within budget.

 

-So has anyone got any experience of this little weedwacker and/or the hedging attachment?

 

Powerwise it should be ok for strimming duties, I currently have a Stihl FS-50 which is sufficiently powerful for dealing with long grass on fence lines and reeds in my brook etc.

 

-Will the little 24cc (1.0hp) Tanaka have enough grunt to drive the hedging tool reasonably well? It'll be used to trim soft green material like Juniper, conifers, Laurel and the thin extremities of Hawthorn a couple of times a year.

 

Thanks for any responses

Edited September 9, 2017 by BishBashBosh

[jonnygurkha]

I have an old tanaka strimmer that I now use with the hedge trimmer head. It gets very little maintenance but goes on and on. It starts first pull every time. My one criticism is it has high vibes but this may have been sorted on more recent models

[woody paul]

I have used a Tanaka TBC230 for 8 years on a hedge cutter attachment and pole chainsaw attachment great set up. I had a problem last year when my old Tanaka just stopped and would not start, bought a replacement which was 1 of the last TBC230 made and has been back for repair and is in for repair know looking like crank shaft bearing But I have rebuilt my old 1 with new bearings seals and piston ring and it runs a dream.

The TBC240 is the replacement for the ones  I run and they have plenty of go to run hedge cutter even through hawthorn yearly growth.

[GardenKit]

The TBC230 was an absolutely incredible machine which exceeded all expectations in terms of reliability and operation. It remained in production for around 12 years and the quality never dropped and they have been virtually trouble free.

 

But the engine did not conform to the new emission regulations and so the TBC240 was introduced. There were a few issues with the first ones when worked hard, but these have all been attended to and the latest ones are fine, although a little heavier than the TBC230.

 

So for those requiring a lighter machine, the TBC2390 has been introduced in the last year. Its too early to comment on its reliability except to say that I have had no problems at all yet with any that I have sold.

 

However, the 2390 is not really aimed at the commercial market so I always try to sell the TCG27EBS (SL) to commercial users. It is a little heavier but is built to a higher standard and is supported by a 2yr PRO user warranty rather than the normal 90days.  It accepts the TPH200 hedge cutter attachment.

 

Hope this helps.

[BishBashBosh]

16 hours ago, jonnygurkha said:

...My one criticism is it has high vibes but this may have been sorted on more recent models

 After much digging in the manuals vibes look broadly comparable to other manufacturers, although not explicitly stated for the 2390.

Tanaka documentation isn't great and retailers seem to quote randomly from generic manuals when giving specs. For example engine output varies between sites and some retailers bundle a brushcutting blade when the manual appears to state not to use one with the 2390 .

 They get my award for worst website too.

16 hours ago, woody paul said:

...The TBC240 is the replacement for the ones  I run and they have plenty of go to run hedge cutter even through hawthorn yearly growth.

 That's the sort of use I'd be putting it to, so good to hear that 1'ish HP is sufficient.

1 hour ago, GardenKit said:

...However, the 2390 is not really aimed at the commercial market so I always try to sell the TCG27EBS (SL) to commercial users. It is a little heavier but is built to a higher standard and is supported by a 2yr PRO user warranty rather than the normal 90days...

  This would be for my domestic use only, so fairly light use, I doubt I do more that 20 hours strimming a year. The lightweight model appears to be in the Premium line, whatever that means, but has a 5 year consumer warranty.

 

 I did look at the TCG27EBS, decent supplied harness helps with the extra weight, but there's also a lot more competition when you accept a weightier machine, just to cloud the issue.

 

 Might have to seek out a dealer with stock and have a day out. Sometimes there's no substitute for handling the goods.

 

Many thanks for your replies gents.

[GardenKit]

On 10/09/2017 at 10:20, BishBashBosh said:

some retailers bundle a brushcutting blade when the manual appears to state not to use one with the 2390 .

Indeed, the very early TBC2390 models were not CE plated to operate with a blade, but this was soon rectified and all current machines are CE plated to use a blade, and although they do not include a blade in the price, they do include the blade fitting kit. 

This is the lightest brushcutter on the market and is selling really well, particularly with the hedgecutter attachment.

On 09/09/2017 at 17:24, jonnygurkha said:

 

I have an old tanaka strimmer that I now use with the hedge trimmer head. It gets very little maintenance but goes on and on. It starts first pull every time. My one criticism is it has high vibes but this may have been sorted on more recent models

 

I think the key point here is in the wording "old tanaka". As any brushcutter ages, some wear will develop in the shaft bearings which allows the internal drive shaft to whip around causing vibration, so a manufacturer should not be branded by the condition of an old machine, but should be judged by the new machine figures.

The new TBC2390 for instance, has figures of 5.2/5.9, far better than the similarly priced Stihl FS55R at 7.2/7.7 or the more expensive KM56 at 8.5/8.7

 

 

[BishBashBosh]

On 9/11/2017 at 15:26, GardenKit said:

... the very early TBC2390 models were not CE plated to operate with a blade, but this was soon rectified and all current machines are CE plated to use a blade....

 

 

Many thanks for that info GK. Whilst I very rarely use a brushcutter blade it's nice to know that the capability is there. I'll seek out a dealer this weekend and report back on performance if I make a purchase.

Edited September 15, 2017 by BishBashBosh

[BishBashBosh]

Update: I ended up buying the 2390 sight unseen (!), as there's no dealer with stock anywhere remotely near, always a bit of a risk and I'm in two minds about it.

 

 Firstly it looks well made in the main, some good quality "plastics" are used, GF35 for structural parts for example and fit and finish is pretty good. A few little things let it down, the air filter cover looks and feels vulnerable, the filter itself is a budget foam affair and the on/off switch is the type found on the cheapest of machines. A better quality momentary off switch would be better and a virtually zero cost item for the manufacturer.

 

 After I'd run it once that switch made me look at it more carefully. The hedge trimmer attachment is really nicely made and the box marked "Made in Japan", the engine unit packaging didn't have any such markings. Beneath some of the suppliers packaging tape I found the importer's label and then you find the engine unit and shaft are made in the PRC. It's miles away from the usual chinese quality, and lacks that special smell!, but still it should be made clear as most of the literature is written to mislead imo.

 

Next: Model designation. As far as I can tell there is no such model as the TBC-2390. The engine unit is marked TCG-24ECP, the shaft marked 2390-series. Confusing.

 

Next: Tech Specification. Low weight is the headline grabber for this model, at a stated 3.9kg in "strimmer mode". Which is incorrect.

 Engine + shaft + handle weighs in at just under 4.4kg (4.7kg with the guard) excluding the supplied line head. Whilst all weights will be nominal in documentation that level of variance isn't acceptable. It is still a lightweight machine, but such differences are misleading. The supplied manual gives a weight of 4.1kg for both the TCG24 & TCG27 models.

 

 I did briefly use it and performance was ok, and it had enough go to power the hedge trimmer and neatly cut new growth. The strimmer will do for most domestic jobs, although on longer grass it'll bog if you get too ambitious. There's a rotary carb which would make user adjustment tricky,  WOT was 8800rpm (strimmer) which sounds reasonable, but the documentation is so poor that max rpm isn't clear.

 

 The TCG27 model appears identical from the supplied manuals, just having a different P&C and presumably carb jetting. If so then weight should be the same, as the manual states, and the extra power would be welcome.

 

 So whilst the machine is decent for the money, it's hard to recommend given the inaccurate specs and dubious descriptions. HTH

[GardenKit]

Wow!, thats a fairly deep appraisal of the machine, fair in some points and unfair in others.

 

It must be appreciated that the TBC2390 is the smallest power, lightest weight and cheapest of the Tanaka brush cutters. But in fairness it does have the makings of a good machine and if it lives up to its predecessor, the incredible TBC230,then it will be probably the best the machine on the market.

It is well put together, just as Bish says, with good plastics. The foam air filter has been used on Tanaka machines for many years, just as it has on Kawasaki, Zenoah and Makita machines and is perfectly good at doing its job. Its easily cleaned and cheap to replace, so no concerns there.

The ignition switch is now a small rocker switch, and yes, it does look small and  cheap compared to the earlier slide switch, but its no different to that used by Stihl on many of its machines. As yet there have been no issues with the switch, and at least when its off, its off, unlike the momentary switches which have to be held down long enough for the engine to stop.

 

The machine is a Japanese engineered product, assembled in PRC, once again, no different to many other top brands, including Stihl, and clearly labelled on the packaging as such.

 

The TBC2390 does indeed exist, I buy them by the pallet load. Although the Japanese designation is the TCG-24ECP, all models for the UK are labelled in the more logical format of TBC 2390 (Tanaka Brush Cutter 23.9cc)

 

Bish's comment on weight is very interesting and I will be weighing one in the shop tomorrow. To be fair I often find errors in weights, on many brands, and usually ensure that I weigh them in their working state and only state that weight on my signage in shop, and on my website. I don't recall doing that on the 2390, so thank you Bish for reminding me.

 

With regards to it bogging in long grass, well yes, of course it may. It is after all only 24cc. The rotary carb however need not cause concern, they are more reliable and easier to tune than any other type of carb and have been in use for decades on Tanaka kit as well as others. Max revs will be controlled by the load, and therefore vary with the type of cutting attachment fitted, as well as diameter and length of cord, so is impossible to state on any brush cutter.

 

The TCG 27 machines are totally different, with aluminium clutch housings and tougher shafts, as well as heavier duty gearboxes, so they are a fair bit heavier. They also come with a 2yr pro warranty as opposed to the 90 day warranty on the 2390.

 

I look forward to Bish's ongoing reports as he uses it over the next year or so. And as he says, the hedge cutter is really nicely made, with very high quality castings and Japanese steel blades.

 

[GardenKit]

Having checked the weight of the TBC2390 today, on some very accurate scales I agree with Bish's weight of 4.7kg. This is indeed a far cry from the stated 3.9kg in sales literature and the 4.1 kg in the operator book. But to be fair, it is still a nice, light and well balanced machine.

 

I stated in the earlier post that the TCG 27 was a totally different machine and could not be compared to the TBC2390 (AKA TCG24ECP(SL). My statement was a little bit wrong as well as being a little bit right!

 

It appears that there is another version of the TBC2390 (TCG34ECP) known as the TCG27ECP. However, this lightweight 27cc machine is not available on the UK market.

The 27cc machine that is available in the UK is the TCG27EBS(SL) which, as I stated is a totally different beast.

If you think these numbers are confusing, try being a dealer!