The grass is always left long under our old apple tree because it’s planted with bulbs. Long grass is also really good for wildlife. Normally, it’s mown in September but life got in the way this year. So, the chance to trial a cordless Stihl brushcutter came with perfect timing as the grass was far too long for a lawnmower and I was beginning to contemplate a scythe. (Ad. I was sent a brushcutter to test but am not paid to write this post.)
I was sent the new FSA 80 R, which is aimed at homeowners, as opposed to professional gardeners. It’s fitted with a mowing head – the mowing line often seen on strimmers – that’s designed for cutting grass and weeds, although it could be fitted with other Stihl cutting tools if you wanted to tackle different jobs.
My cordless Stihl brushcutter came with safety glasses and gloves – these have to be ordered separately – and they are essential as pieces were flying everywhere when it was in operation. We already had a helmet and visor.
Putting it together wasn’t entirely straightforward as some of the instructions were less than clear and the accompanying images fairly small. I’ve since found out that Stihl have produced a useful guide on how to assemble the tool. However, once assembled it was easy to use, well-balanced and far lighter than our old Stihl petrol strimmer. As with all the Stihl products we’ve used, it’s robust.
A harness helps hold it steady and the loop handle can be adjusted so that it’s at a comfortable level – important if you’re going to be using it for any length of time.
There are two speeds: level one that uses less power and is suitable for small tasks such as cutting lawn edges; level two for thicker grass but which runs down the battery quicker. The battery fully charged in about three hours and was more than enough to finish the job we had.
My OH was eager to test the new toy and, to be honest, like the cordless Stihl hedge trimmer I trialled, it was bigger than me! The long grass, assorted wildflowers – and the odd weed – were felled in minutes, far quicker than it would have taken with a lawnmower. It was also mercifully quiet – nothing for the neighbours to complain about – even when on the faster setting.
Once the debris was raked off, we did give it a once over with the Sthil battery lawnmower (reviewed here) just to neaten off the grass.
Then it was time to add a few more crocus – I try to plant some new bulbs every year. The display starts with snowdrops and moves on to crocus, daffodils, tulips (old ones from my containers), cow parsley and ox-eyed daisies. Some of the garden plants, such as scabious have self-seeded, there are masses of buttercups and, best of all, this year we had the first pyramidal orchid. Now all we need is some rain for the grass to green up again.
The cordless Stihl brushcutter FSA 80 R is priced at £289 for just the tool or £439 for the set with an AK30 battery and AL 101 charger. Safety glasses, a face shield and gloves have to be ordered separately. For more details, visit the website.
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