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Others might disagree but I would suggest an FS 50 is a 'domestic' machine and not intended for the extra rigors of even light Pro use.
That said you should still manage several years out of one. It sounds like something else is wrong if you have used several in that time. Correct fuel mix? I still have a fully functional FS 56 that did 5 years hard graft - it has cow horn handles which I find cumbersome to transport and was replaced with an FS 94 now at least three years in possible four and has never skipped a beat. I have never found the weight of the 94 to be a problem and use it quite happily without a harness even for big jobs.
Correct it's certainly a domestic machine , I do a lot of lawn maintenance and edge every single one , day in day out , mainly shafts and clutch problems and I don't want cow horns so maybe 94 it is , do you edge with this? How easy to refill line ? Cheers
Yep. Every single one day in day out. Plenty of adjustments on the loop handle to get it comfortable for use. The 94 has a throttle which does help a little with control. I use autocut heads and they are as easy to fill as any other.....think I prefer the 25-2 but the 26-2 is perfectly adequate. Worth mentioning, but I have noticed that Stihl's square trimmer line doesn't tend to throw stones nearly as far as Oregon cord, which can save an accident.
I can only think that the curved shaft on the fs 50 gets loaded in a different or the bearings are much lower quality. I have only ever used straight shaft trimmers as I find the curved shaft ones a little small and make me bend my back which is less comfortable.
That's me sold on that one then thanks buddy , I've put a window threw with the fs 50 , but I use the 52 as you just cut 2 metres of line and wind in so it's very fast loading
I just use my FSA 130. Yes, it does have cow horns, as I find the cow horn strimmers are much better for accurate, fine finish strimming. You can weave from side to side whilst doing the strimmer walk/waddle.
They are very light as the battery is on your back, but it is a pro machine. I find the handles don’t get in the way of using it as an edger. It is so light that you hardly know it’s there.
Of course, there is the FSA 130R, the same machine but with no handles.
The FSA 130 has been the best strimmer I have ever had and I’ve owned many different makes of strimmer over the last 37 years.
They can be had for well under £400 now. Of course, you have to have the battery and charger.
I've used the fsa130 and used 4 battery's with 2 Lawns left to cut so battery for me isn't an option quite yet
Cheers
I use an AR3000 backpack battery. You really need the large backpack battery if you are using the FSA 130. The AP batteries won’t give enough run time.
I get about 10 -12 minutes out an ap 300 with my kma 135 when strimming. Its not enough but the same machine is an amazing long reach hedge cutter which will go all day on two ap 300 batteries.
I can see the point of the backpack batteries for keeping all the weight manageable but you do have to carry ALL the weight all day. The AR3000 is basically equivalent to 5 of the AP300s batteries which would be slightly cheaper to buy and you only need to carry a fraction of the weight. Have I missed something here Vic? I was planning on a chainsaw and hedge cutter purchase next because of battery life with the strimmers. Should I re- think this and get a backpack and adapter?
I personally would not use the backpack for hedge cutters or pole hedge cutters. I always use my ‘Easy Lift Harness’ for hedge cutting, so I effectively have a weightless hedge cutter anyway, including an AP200. The hedge cutters will do two and a half hours of trigger time on an AP200, so for me there is no reason to use a backpack as I don’t need the extra lightness this would produce. I think that the AR3000 would be an encumbrance if needing to bend and stretch with a hedge cutter.
The AR3000 really comes into its own with a strimmer, as there is no bending or reaching such as there is with a hedge cutter. With a strimmer you are standing upright and so you feel no weight on your back at all. All the weight just goes straight down through your legs and you don’t notice it. It’s odd really because when you pick up the AR3000 to put it on, you can feel just how heavy it is. Yet once it is strapped on your back, you feel no discernable weight. It merely moves your centre of gravity forwards just a little.
The AR3000 is supposed to do up to seven hours with a strimmer. In my experience you won’t get anywhere near that. Maybe it is because I use Stihl 3mm square line [which is indestructible and lasts way longer than any line I have ever used] and I have plenty out to strim a wider area. Both the extra thickness and the amount of line causes much drag. I think if you had 2mm line and less line out, you would get more run time. As it is, I get a solid two hours from the AR3000 with the FSA 130.
The beauty of the AR3000 with the FSA 130 is that, you don’t feel the weight of the battery and the strimmer weighs almost nothing. This makes strimming much less of a strain than using a petrol strimmer. If you are strimming a slope, you can move the strimmer about with absolute ease.
This is the best thing I have ever purchased. It is a life changing bit of kit.
I find the Stihl battery FSA85 (or newer FSA86) is best for lawn edge type strimming. I have FSA130 and FSA135R and find they are difficult to get the fine finish with, for this task
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