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  Billybop February 17, 2020 at 1:59pm

  Hi Chris ive not tried the Husqvarna to be fair but the Stihl FSA85 is my favourite out of several cordless strimmers that I own, as it so light and controllable for precise work. Definitely it's no brush cutter but for getting a premium finish around lawn edges it is hard to beat. Something like an AP200 battery is the right capacity pack for it for balance and good run time. Much more powerful cordless strimmers are available but they are too brutal for a lot of the regular jobs, whereas the FSA85 can be used at a very low speed if required just to tickle the edges of a nice lawn. But if used in anger at full blast is also very capable for larger messier areas at a push
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    Chris Powell > Billybop February 17, 2020 at 4:12pm

    Thanks Billybop. Would you say the run times quoted in the brochure are realistic..? It says 36 mins for an AP200. And re charge of 40 mins to 80% or 55 mins for a full charge.

    Chris
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      Billybop > Chris Powell February 17, 2020 at 4:52pm

      Sounds about right on the run time Chris, as for charging I tend to use one of the faster chargers which is much more rapid. I like these strimmers so much I have ended up with 4 of them as kept buying when they came up cheap second hand on ebay lol. The only real maintenance is replacing the spool occasionally or just the tap n go button at the bottom of it when it eventually wears out. And after a few years the metal line cutting blade on the edge of the guard. The brushless motors are very long lived and just keep on going, my first FSA85 after over 5 seasons of use still runs like new, they are so reliable in my experience and an absolute joy to use
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        Chris Powell > Billybop February 17, 2020 at 5:22pm

        Thanks for the info, they sound like they last a while then. The reason I was considering the Husqvarna was that the brochure states a longer run time of 1hr 20 mins, so quite a difference.

        Thanks again.

        Chris
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          Billybop > Chris Powell February 17, 2020 at 5:37pm

          hi maybe the husqvarna is quoting a run time with a different capacity battery to the stihl. it depends on how you are using the machine as well as run time on any given battery will vary depending on conditions, so it is hard to quote a definite figure. I don't really notice it as I have several batteries rolling around in the foot well of the truck, when the one in the machine gets down to 1 bar or starts flashing i just slot another one in. But they certainly seem to last well in these FSA85's as just doing bits of strimming on several small jobs i might only use half a battery up
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  PGM February 17, 2020 at 5:23pm

  Hi Chris, I was recently in the same position as you and was weighing up between the two. Initially I was drawn to Husky but found some useful reviews online from a chap who had both. His initial reviews favoured the Husky machines but he updated his reviews after about 12 months use and had quite a few problems with the Husky ones that he hadn't with the Stihl and said he would stick to the Stihl going forward. Hope that's of some use.
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  Sean Clarke February 17, 2020 at 8:19pm

  My local dealer, who stocks both Stihl and Husky, said they've had quite a few problems with some of the Husky gear. Shame, as I preferred the build quality of Husqvarna. Incidentally, I ended up going with Ego Power and so far I've been very impressed.
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    Billybop > Sean Clarke February 17, 2020 at 8:42pm

    it's sad to hear that, as their kit looks good, even the stihl cordless has had its problems with a couple of the original hedge trimmer models being recalled, and a few people have managed to burn out the controllers in various tools; these machines can have a hard life and none of it is unbreakable, as with any relatively new technology improvements are constantly made. I love my Ego 5800 blower and find one of the brushless strimmers useful but am not a fan of their hedge trimmers, that said the ego batteries themselves are amazing
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      Billybop > Billybop February 17, 2020 at 9:05pm

      Truth is there is no one brand of cordless garden kit which has all the answers, they all make out that they're the best but sometimes another tool from a different range is actually more useful or unique. for example the Mountfield 48V tiller is a great piece of kit, saves a lot of back breaking digging, but all the other tools in that range are bettered by other brands offerings. Also the Einhell cordless scarifier is pretty unique and great for small lawns as so light and nice to use. Inevitably this means having several brands of battery and chargers but this is not a deal breaker as far as I am concerned
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  Chris Powell February 18, 2020 at 10:43am

  Thanks for all your input guys, apprecaite that.

  Chris