I never used electric one, so I can't comment on that.
mine is vista 4 stroke. pretty good to use. as for the noise, it's not a problem for a woman like me--of course you can buy earflaps,5-star ones are good. We have a pair, but only my husband use them when the trimmer is on--that can be called noise!
Believe me, after you have used 4 stroke one, you don't want to try electric ones.