[chrismahon]

We are considering buying one of these for very small jobs around the place. We've seen the videos and know that one major drawback is 20 minutes running time and 3 ½ hours charging and the battery is built in, so we can't buy a spare. But the head angle adjustments are going to be great for under bushes and edging paths, it's light and quiet. However I thought it worth asking if anyone has one and how well do they rate it, before we spend €120 ?

[Ziggy]

I can't comment on the Stihl in particular but I do have the Black and Decker equivalent which I bought because I already had other B&D tools and could swap the batteries about. If you are looking for a lawn edging tool then this type of thing is perfect but if you were wanting to strim anything but the lightest of grass I think you would be disappointed.

[Rupert the bear]

[member=23925]chrismahon[/member]   20 mins runtime  and only 12 mins with the mowing head on, I would give it a miss myself. the fact that has a fixed battery puts me off as well

[Anke]

As I am struggling to pull the cord on the power tools round here, I have got myself a Bosch electric strimmer and use it with a 40 etxension cord. Easy to use and gets me almost everywhere I need to be but still within reach of a socket (it helps that we have them in the goathouse and the garden shed as well as a couple on either side of the house (outside sockets). Maybe that would work for you too?

[chrismahon]

It's primarily for edging the pathways in the vegetable plot Ziggy, which are done with shears at the moment. Occasionally it would be used to reach under some apple and fig trees, so the grass is very fine.


We have a Stihl electric strimmer Anke, which we now use at the back of the house where we have a power socket. But dragging a cable around in the vegetable plot would be impractical and you can't change the head angle.


Puzzled by the "12 minute run time with the mowing head on" Rupert? It is only running when the head is on and that is quoted as 20 minutes. I do worry about battery life as when the battery fails the unit may be scrap, but I do hope Stihl has considered that and fitted a decent battery. It will probably have to do 50 discharge and charge cycles every year.

[Anke]

We have found that for many electrical goods Bosch just produces the the better piece of kit - from washing machines to handheld kitchen mixer.... just stronger motors, and they last. Sorry, not being patriotic here...

[chrismahon]

We looked at the Bosch range Anke, but they haven't the flexibility of length and angles we need. Great if you have lots of other tools though and batteries ready to swap over. There is a replacement battery listed for the FSA 45- of course you need to take the machine apart to fit it. But it does mean the unit isn't scrap when the battery fails.


We decided to buy the Stihl and went to town to get one. Spanners in the works were none in stock and another unit called FSA 56. That has a detachable 36V battery, longer run time and a 1.6mm spool head with all the features of the 45. BUT it costs €256, so quickly dismissed.


We've ordered a 45 on-line for €109 inc delivery- will report on it's performance in due course.

[arobwk]

Unfortunately, I would say battery technology/battery price (if one can replace) is not advanced/cheap enough right now to make petrol powered equipment redundant for intensive use! 

[chrismahon]

It arrived in 2 days in perfect condition and SoBrico (in France) was rated 5 stars.


Being Sunday we don't use strimmers but, because this is so quiet (and the FSA56 is quieter) I tried it around our new chicken enclosure. Well it's fantastic! Cuts through stuff I wouldn't have expected and I managed 60 metres x 1 metre wide on a full charge. The adjustable handle is a godsend because the balance is completely different to a petrol or electric swimmer and it is nose heavy, although very light. The adjustable length shaft is great for me and is perfect at full extension. It cuts much lower/ shorter than a normal strimmer because of the head and blade design. Sure it ran for longer than 20 minutes. The battery condition indicator is really useful. The guide cage on the head is brilliant for strimming to a soft edge, like a wooden shed or chicken coop. The cutting blades are hardly worn so I'd guess at 5 charges life for the pair and they take seconds to change. Spares are carried under the handle. Has an 'eye in the handle so it can be hung out of the way on the wall while charging.


Downsides. Obviously short run time and long charge time, so on to another job. The triple interlock starting arrangement is very fiddly- you couldn't start it accidentally. The adjustable head angle is great but feels 'flimsy'- the release lever looks foot operated but isn't. The charger gets very hot and is rated at 40C ambient maximum but I think 25C is more realistic.


Tried cutting borders and the guide bar  shown on the video is useless- has to be done by eye, which will take practice, but at least it is possible safely and will save a lot of time. It is not a replacement for a petrol or electric strimmer but is a very useful addition to garden tools. Well worth the money in my opinion.

[Rupert the bear]

I'm glad that it is working out for you, I suppose if it remains robust then you are on a winner , and I will get some cream for my humble pie !!

[gilesm]

Glad to hear it's working out for you.

I have the Makita cordless equivalent, which is very good too.  It takes a pair of batteries, so with 4 batteries I can run for quite some time.

My big petrol strimmer is gathering dust- cordless is the future.

[chrismahon]

This little strimmer is getting an awful lot of use with no noticeable loss of battery time. Encountered a problem with the cutting blades- they are quite brittle, so hitting a stone or an electric fence post shears the end off and they are not cheap. So I've tried the head with some Oregon 1.7mm diameter cord (handbook says use 1.6). It's not an auto spool head so the wire is cut, soaked in water for a day to soften it (it works) and then threaded into the head, pulled tight and cut to length. Sounds long winded but is very quick to do. No noticeable loss in working time because it cuts better/ faster and doesn't break. The cutting blades are redundant.


A friend has a larger battery strimmer that has made his petrol Stihl completely redundant. The Stihl is on the way here as a spare, because don't they always break when you need them most.