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Thread: Which stihl hedge trimmer

  1. #16
    MEMBER Fred's mowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Hi kakegc, unfortunately i don't think a vid would do anything to resolve it one way or another.
    All you would see is 2 machines that are both doing a great job hedge trimming. they both do a fantastic job at this.
    The difference is in the USABILITY.
    At the end of the day on the hedge cutter you'll really feel the difference.
    Press the trigger, it starts. Release the trigger, it stops.
    Very little noise, no fumes, no vibes, & its stone cold.
    The reliability has been fantastic.
    I rarely exhaust 1 battery, never would you need more than 2 for a full days work (Stihl hla's).

    Could you tell us about All of the battery stuff u tried thus far that has not been up to what you need at work ?

  2. #17
    Member of forum ASTRO's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by kakegc View Post
    G'day ASTRO,

    I'm not knocking Shindi, I love Yamabiko/Kioritz 2 stroke gear.

    But I'm just wondering what you're going to do for dealer back up now that Allpower have ceased trading? My experience with B&S thus far for Echo gear hasn't lit up my world lol!
    Hey kakegc,

    I get dealer support from trinity mowers they are very reliable at sourcing parts - with B+S we will see how it goes but has to be an improvement on the last distributor.(8 week wait for air filters).

    I use shindawia solely for the profile of the blades, IMHO opinion they give the most accurate/precise cut available. Coupled with neutral balance of the machine.

    Cheers Astro.

  3. #18
    Senior Member geoff's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Fred is the king with hedges and has being doing it for more years than most..not just hedges but big mothers at that..so when Fred only uses battery thats good enough for me and when he says the shindy is locked away his advice should be noted...Put your head in the sand or listen to the experience..after 30 years i still learn and this man i learn aloft...we do share a bad habit though we follow the SAINTS lol

  4. #19
    MEMBER Fred's mowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by geoff View Post
    Fred is the king with hedges and has being doing it for more years than most..not just hedges but big mothers at that..so when Fred only uses battery thats good enough for me and when he says the shindy is locked away his advice should be noted...Put your head in the sand or listen to the experience..after 30 years i still learn and this man i learn aloft...we do share a bad habit though we follow the SAINTS lol
    Thanx Geoff, cheques in the mail .... lol.
    Yer I think Hannebery will give us a lift this year but, we're still a fair way off, I think.
    GO SAINTS !

    Kakegc & Beetle, could you tell us what battery gear you tried that fell short, & why, so that others can take that info on board when considering battery gear.

    Cheers Fred.

  5. #20
    Senior Member kevinsuzanne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Hi Fred,l to use battery stihl hedgers most days to . l also wouldnt go back to petrol

  6. #21
    Senior Member 4 Gardens's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by geoff View Post
    Fred is the king with hedges and has being doing it for more years than most..not just hedges but big mothers at that..so when Fred only uses battery thats good enough for me and when he says the shindy is locked away his advice should be noted...Put your head in the sand or listen to the experience..after 30 years i still learn and this man i learn aloft...we do share a bad habit though we follow the SAINTS lol

    Freds feedback and reviews converted me about 18 months ago
    I used shindys prior to that
    now stihl battery only
    would not consider using petrol again

  7. #22
    Senior Member kakegc's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by Fred's mowing View Post
    Hi kakegc, unfortunately i don't think a vid would do anything to resolve it one way or another.
    All you would see is 2 machines that are both doing a great job hedge trimming. they both do a fantastic job at this.
    The difference is in the USABILITY.
    At the end of the day on the hedge cutter you'll really feel the difference.
    Press the trigger, it starts. Release the trigger, it stops.
    Very little noise, no fumes, no vibes, & its stone cold.
    The reliability has been fantastic.
    I rarely exhaust 1 battery, never would you need more than 2 for a full days work (Stihl hla's).

    Could you tell us about All of the battery stuff u tried thus far that has not been up to what you need at work ?
    Hi Fred,

    I bought my first Metabo electric hedge trimmer in March 2010, so I get usability. At the time, I posted about them on the forums & copped heaps of ridicule about using electric trimmers from "seasoned contractors"

    So far. this subject has been discussed very subjectively here. You think that battery power is great (which for you it likely is) & I disagree, as for me the battery powered gear is light years away from what I want.

    Objectively;

    1. I have a Stihl FS85R with a hedge trimmer attached that generates 900w of power. All I have to do is keep the fuel up to it & it'll do that all day & all night. It's light in comparison to any other pole trimmer that comes close to putting out 900w. It's kind of the Stihl 200T of hedge trimmers. The 200T WAS the best top handled saw ever made, but emissions laws saw it become a dinosaur. That is about to happen to the FS85R too. Do I need 900w at every hedge I do? No! But it's very handy to have when I do need it. Going from my experience with the Metabo's, 600w would be the bare minimum that I'd need. The 900w does come in very handy for hedge height reductions on Lillipilly etc.

    2. My Metabo's pull around 600w from any 240v power plug. They're great for the finer stuff like diosmas & conifers. But 600w just doesn't cut it for height reductions etc. So, I'm already loosing money, by not being able to quote on those jobs unless I have a 900w machine.

    3. This is where it get's interesting with batteries! Your 36v battery only ever has 360w in it, at an hour, at best. Seeing that you're into batteries, you'd already know that any battery only ever has about 80% of use before it's flat. Ergo; your 360w battery just became a 280w battery. That would fuel a 280w tool at best. BUT, Stihl reckon that you can get 3 hours out of your 36v battery, which of course means that they've set a motor in your hedge trimmer to pull significantly less than 280w.

    Let's not forget that all batteries have a finite number of cycles - the more you draw the battery down on each cycle, the quicker it dies in the end. But it dies a slow death, giving up available power along the way.

    Whether Stihl, or whomever make the battery; 36v = 360w hours.

    Petrol tools can & are engineered to make power & just pull the necessary fuel from the fuel tank.

    Same with 240v stuff. But once it passes a certain level of draw, 3 phase power would be required.

    The battery powered tools are engineered oppositely. They are designed around the wattage available from the battery.

    Sorry if anyone found this boring! I sort of thought that on a professional forum, that the above would be taken as a given.

  8. #23
    Senior Member simo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    I’ve got a Aeg and yes it’s from Bunnings but it has 6yrs Commercial warrenty
    I’d give it a 7 out of 10. Pro’s It gives a really nice cut, quiet and heavy duty well built owned it 2yrs no faults. Con’s it’s heavy, awkward to operate on its side, has 3 safety buttons to operate which is hard to do with only 2 hands ( tape one of the buttons on is the third hand)
    ....Nothing like a good whipper....

  9. #24
    MEMBER Fred's mowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Hi Kakegc,

    My Ego pole hedger is rated at 2000w, so technically twice the power of your petrol hedger.
    Also, the torque curve of an electric motor is entirely different to the torque curve of a petrol.

    Anyhow, thats not the point I was making, Im more interested in real world applications rather than the figures.
    The battery hedgers that Ive used have MORE than adequate power to efficiently handle ANY hedge TRIMMING job that Ive pointed them at.
    Hedge reduction is a totally different ball game. When I substantially reduce a hedge, I use pole chainsaws, lopers, etc that are better to suited to this type of work than a hedge TRIMMER.
    Respectfully, have you ever owned a BATTERY pole or small hedge trimmer ?
    If so, what was it, & how did it fail to live up to your expectations ?

    If you lived closer, Id invite you over for a beer, then we could go out & cut a hedge or 2

    Cheers Fred.

  10. #25
    MEMBER Fred's mowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by kevinsuzanne View Post
    Hi Fred,l to use battery stihl hedgers most days to . l also wouldnt go back to petrol
    At least you could use it without the fear of accidentally causing a fire, but I wouldn't.
    Whats coming your way is ABSOLUTELY NUTS !
    I reckon u might hit the 50 mark this summer ?
    How any plants/lawn survive in that, I don't know.
    Take care & try to keep cool.

    Cheers Fred.

  11. #26
    Senior Member kevinsuzanne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Hi Fred, Abnormally very hot for december this year in December yesterday 45 degrees [28th]dec
    last 5 days 40 plus lawns still looking good.

  12. #27
    Senior Member RSM-Gazza's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by kevinsuzanne View Post
    Hi Fred, Abnormally very hot for december this year in December yesterday 45 degrees [28th]dec
    last 5 days 40 plus lawns still looking good.
    Heat is Madness along the Murray, struggling to cope, actually not coping with it. I've properties where petrol whippers/hedgers would be a no go zone not that I use them anymore.
    Have to carry a 9kg water self rechargeable fire extinguisher with me now some days and back up water.
    Noticed 9.4amp batteries are behaving a little different in run time as the built fans are working near non stop in this daily 40 or+ heat (Husky). Also carry the reserve batteries in a cooler box with large freezer pack within wrapped in towel.
    Cheers Garry

  13. #28
    Senior Member kevinsuzanne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by RSM-Gazza View Post
    Heat is Madness along the Murray, struggling to cope, actually not coping with it. I've properties where petrol whippers/hedgers would be a no go zone not that I use them anymore.
    Have to carry a 9kg water self rechargeable fire extinguisher with me now some days and back up water.
    Noticed 9.4amp batteries are behaving a little different in run time as the built fans are working near non stop in this daily 40 or+ heat (Husky). Also carry the reserve batteries in a cooler box with large freezer pack within wrapped in towel.
    friday 4th jan topped 46.4 degrees

  14. #29
    Senior Member steveo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    I think my Sthil HLA65 may have packed it in today. I notice they are no longer available. There is now a HLA66 and a HLA86. What is the difference between the the HLA65 and the 66? From what I could see the blades seem to have changed, is this for better or for worse? Also what is the diff between the HLA66 and the HLA85, is it just the telescoping pole?

  15. #30
    Senior Member Chris B's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which stihl hedge trimmer

    Quote Originally Posted by steveo View Post
    I think my Sthil HLA65 may have packed it in today. I notice they are no longer available. There is now a HLA66 and a HLA86. What is the difference between the the HLA65 and the 66? From what I could see the blades seem to have changed, is this for better or for worse? Also what is the diff between the HLA66 and the HLA85, is it just the telescoping pole?
    66 and 86 are very similar to the 65/85 and yes the diff between 66/86 is just the telescoping feature

    I would skip those models and jump to the new HLA 135K .... it is in another league , you wont regret it
    the 'K' is the short shaft which I'd recommend. I've got both the short and long but rarely touch the longer one

    also the blade length is 500 i think compared to 600 for the longer version... the website specs have 600 length for both which is incorrect

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