Stihl FS 45 / FS 45R / FS 45 C-E
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I'm getting a collection of these. When they run they'll run but don't walk too far away from the house or they'll conk out. The coils are terrible quality and the best thing you can do is change the standard carb to a chinese copy straight away. I'm trying to make one good one out of three and I can't even get enough decent parts together to do… Read more
that. I have an FS131 and for the money that's not much better. Buy a different brand and have a happy life.
an absolute disaster, bought a new auto head and it is driving me nuts. Can't get the cord to wind on. Another 70 km return trip to the dealer now. I should just bin it. Giving that serious thought right now. Show details
Reviews with attachments
Remember when Sthil actually had good products.. just think about this, they have had the same line trimmer (fs45) for the same price for 10 years.. something has to give, and that is quality. Ive been a Sthil buyer for 30 years and I would not buy one of their products again.. cheaper to go to bunnings, buy the same quality junk brand, and just replace it the year after... Show details
Not the brand it used to be! – I have had this for around 6 years now and every time I use it it takes so long to start and is pain. I have just bought a battery charged one with finally giving up on it. Show details
Good gear - terrible support – It is a little difficult - not for someone with out strong arms. Once warmed up, no issue. My main concern, now it is a few years old, is parts and support. It is a powerful machine and great for home use. Stihl Australia (I spoke with them on the phone today as they had ignored online enquiry a day earlier), unfortunately, are living in… Read more
pre-internet times. They only sell through shop front dealers and tell me that you need to order and pick up in person. Given how few there are, for many of us it means a lot of time and travel to get small items that could be shipped and ordered online.
My air filter cover has broken (see photo), easy to replace (I was told) if you can get someone to actually sell you one! I also needed new cord. Our local dealer (Mitre 10) ordered it in for me (they no longer stock any parts or accessories). I had to take my unit in for them to look at to ensure they could order the right one. Over a month later they called and said they had the part but had forgot to order the cord. When I went to pick it up a few weeks later (I was on holidays when they called) they no longer had the part. They said they would get it and call me back, that was a month ago...it is annoying but also a shame they are so out of date with their customer service.
Positive reviews
I have had my Stihl FS 45 CE for about 6 months, I have worked out that if I have the choke fully out and I pull the chord once then I put the choke halfway and pull the chord again, it starts every time. It is a great trimmer in my experience. I had to go back to the store to get a second lesson on loading the string, not having to take the head… Read more
off to load it is great. Although I have found the bump feed isn't great. I have had a few cheap brands over the years but this is the best whipper snipper I have had.Quite happy so far. I definitely would recommend.
Quick start 4 years later – As an old man I wanted a trimmer that would start quickly. That was my absolute requirement. 4 years later and this snipper starts like I bought it yesterday. Love love love this. I don’t have time, patience or energy for something else that pulls and pulls and pulls. I love my Stihl Show details
Sthil was good for me – Had a Victa, lasted me 3 sessions. So went for Sthil. For me it's been a good machine. Not missed a beat in 4 years. The thing with this machine is that it took me a while to figure out how to load the line correctly. Do not remove the spool to do this! as with other machines. Make sure the triangles on the head are aligned, give a slight… Read more
wiggle to make sure seated!! Measure out about four arm pulls of line. Feed through the middle of the head so that 50% of the line is on each side, then twist the head with slight inward pressure using the finger indents. Doing this proved to be the fastest and best line feeding/loading system I have used. If I tried to manually wind the line, it would constantly jam! No jams since I used the correct winding method. During use don't let it get the line get too short otherwise you will have to remove the head, keep bumping so that you have at least 50% of the line span to the cutter. I was using 2.5mm 'star shaped' line. For oil, I used Sthils own brand and added 100ml to 5 Litres of 91. (50:1), motor still running fine.
Negative reviews
Absolute trash, This wipper snipper has had problems from day one. The cord keeps snapping, ans you have to reload every five minutes. I have had clutch problems. Have taken it back to the dealer four times, tried three different cords and different sizes, and still the cord keeps snapping at the top of the head, this is so frustratin.gg . I have… Read more
contacted Stihl and was told to take it back to the dealer. Buyer beware of this company as they are greedy grubs, so I am now stuck with a rubbish wipper snipper. I have two chainsaws a ms261 and a 500i, I will be selling them and buying Huskie out of principle . I have started a small fire wood business, I will never buy Stihl again, they have lost a loyal customer. What a grubby company.
Trimmer head issues: Some users have reported that the stock AutoCut head is not ideal and can be difficult to use, with some suggesting it is "garbage". It is possible to replace it with other models, but this can be complicated with bent-shaft models.
Above is on Google. Stihl has known about this problem, and has done nothing. All I want is my money back. This company makes it do hard to get your money back, just keep going around in circles until you just give up. Terrible customer service.
Update. I have tried to ring Stihl corporate, all you get is a answering machine. Left a message, no response, why does that not surprise me. What a disgraceful company. All I want is my money back so I can buy a trimmer that actually works.
Be very careful buying anything from Stihl, if you have any defects in there products they make you go around in circles and ignore you, no customer service what so ever. Going to try and sell back to the dealer. Or through it away as it is useless. Should have bought a echo or Honda like I was advised, ever disappointed. Stihl won't last if they keep ripping people off.
Waste of money. I will never buy another Stihl product after owning this piece of trash. Never started properly since new. Start it with the choke on and it immediately dies. Turn the choke off then have to pull the start cord another 4-5 times while holding the trigger for it to start. Never ran solidly. Felt like it was always missing. The… Read more
weight balance is such that you can't adjust the handle to balance it properly so you end up with a sore shoulder and sore neck after half an hour. The line feed mechanism never works so I have to carry a pair of pliers around to extract the line every time a piece breaks off. Tapping it on the ground never feeds the line like it's supposed to do. Here's the clincher--you have take the whole damn thing apart just to remove the spark plug because there's not enough clearance around the plug on the shroud to get a socket wrench around the plug! Are you freaking kidding me??? Seriously Stihl. Who did you hire to design this piece or rubbish? Now, just today I went out to use it and it won't even start at all. Fresh petrol, proper 2-strok mix, clean air filter, etc. That's it for me. Never Stihl again! TOTAL RUBBISH.
Absolute crap, if you can get it to start. Which is hit and miss even if follow the intricate start procedure to a tee. When running still hit and miss even if can rev without stalling. Line always jams in the auto feed head. I'm never buying stihl again Show details
Recent reviews
Mine is an absolute saint. It goes like a trash out of a shanghai and will smash through anything. Like everyone else here the head had teething problems but only because I didn't understand how to feed line into it properly so it wouldn't feed any line out when I bumped the head. I also put line on that was too heavy because I got sick of the… Read more
trash 2ml line that came with it snapping all the time and the head melted and stuck together. my local stihl shop where I got it put a new head on it and didn't charge me and they gave me 2.4ml line and said this is the only line you should use on these and they showed me how to spool the new head properly.
Since then I haven't had a single problem with it besides the spark arrestor getting clogged up a few times but I know how to fix that no worries. My stihl fs45 is a saint. I use it all the time and it has plenty of grunt in it. It does everything from getting bits of grass the mower can't get to knocking down mountains of tall thick grass. It doesn't care. It does struggle a bit because it isn't as powerful as stihl's commercial grade whipper snippers but it still gets the job done very easily. I have owned it for 2 and a half years now and I love it to bits.
If you are thinking of buying one of these make sure you understand how to start it properly, make sure you know how the mowing head works and how to spool it properly and make sure you get 2.4ml line for it instead of the standard 2ml line. you will have so much fun using it if you do these 3 things. with the 2.4ml line it will get through more grass and be more powerful and trust me and it will go like a cut cat.
Another great thing about it is that it is very light compared to a straight shaft model such as the fs55r. this one is easier on the back because of the curved shaft and less weight. If you have a crook back the fs45 is perfect. you can also get one with an easy start feature (fs45c) in case your shoulder is knackered too.
Throw the trimmer in the bin – Absolute rubbish , auto cut function is terrible , gets clogged with sand so it is impossible to take the head off so you can put new line on it , I have had for 2 days and think I might throw the grass trimmer in the bin Show details
Find out how Stihl FS 45 / FS 45R / FS 45 C-E compares to other Petrol Whipper Snippers
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Worst Auto Feed cut head design – Worst ever cutting head design, bought unit 3 months ago to use on 1 1/2 acre land, I have to reload head manually by hand twice each time around yard. Pull the whole head apart and re-feed new line into - not an easy job. Unit itself overall not bad but has developed a rattling fan sound at idle now. "Read the Reviews and don't buy it". Show details
Poor quality, Hard to start, hard to use – This is the biggest regret of my life, I had a decent Makita unit and thought I'd treat myself. Even with the easy start function and easy load function I've treated myself to 45mins to start it and hours of pulling the easy load head apart yo get the line to feed out without breaking off inside or tangling. Show details
DONT BUY STIHL – Its really good, for about 19 seconds, and then the wire gets retracted in the reel. Ask stihl for help, hahaha don't be stupid, its been used maybe 3 times, for total of 10 minutes. Which has equated to about 4 hours of me reinsterting line for every 2 minutes of use. No help, crap product. Show details
This brand has gone downhill – Previously had a Stihl which lasted 20 years and was fantastic. Bought this one and have had to have it repair because the fuel was too old apparently . Have had to buy 2 new heads because the line was stuck . The line breaks every 5 mins and have to remove the head to fix or replace the line . It’s rubbish Show details
Horrible – It is most definitely NOT an easy start! Stalls constantly. Stihl dealer is hopeless, it has been back to the dealer numerous times since new. I’ve only used it 4 times in a year as I cannot get it to start or stay on. I did get it swapped out with another one and the same issues. I told stihl I want my money back and they said no. Tried to tell… Read more
me it was the fuel mix, the way I was starting it and maybe I wasn’t strong enough to start it… it’s an easy start. The stihl dealers were so condescending. I absolutely hate this thing and I’m so disappointed in the lack of responsibility the stihl dealer has.
Horrible is a compliment – I have had this model for a few months, however only tried using it for second time. Horrible is a compliment. I would achieve a better result cutting my edges with a butter knife. Will not run at full throttle. Can not get the bump head to feed line through. And the cord itself is weak. a tuft of buffalo grass is causing the cord to break off. I… Read more
highly recommed against purchasing this terrible product. I had heard good things about stihl, however it might be wise for me to buy something else.
No warranty! – Mother in law bought a fs45 ,used it twice and the nut that engages the trimmer head broke loose from the shaft. Took it to the local stihl dealer and they said yep we have seen that problem before but would not warranty the part even though weedeater was still new. Emailed stihl about the problem and they said no warranty so i said ill just buy… Read more
the part itself but what i didnt know is you cant but that part separately so i had to pay 90.00 for the complete tube assembly all the way to the motor, what damn junk.
Rubbish, stay away – It was bought as an upgrade for a little Ryobi battery snipper due to the larger yard. Admittedly the snipper is powerful and will get through fairly thick grass roots., but that's where the good things end. Firstly the easy start isn't that easy, it takes multiple attempts. Secondly, the cord constantly snaps requiring the removal of the head to… Read more
reinsert the cord length, which will take a good couple mins. The 'tap' mechanism to give more cord is stiff and often doesn't work.
Do yourself a favour and stay away!!
Absolute rubbish – Do yourself a really big favour and keep away from this trimmer it is absolute rubbish the cord breaks every metre or so . I wish I had of done my research on this model before I purchased it because it seems to be in ongoing problem from the other reviews that I read so if you want to live with misery go ahead and buy one Show details
Find out how Stihl FS 45 / FS 45R / FS 45 C-E compares to other Petrol Whipper Snippers
Know better, choose better.
Old reliable – I’ve had mine for about 18 years. It just won’t die. Sure it’s smelly, loud, over-revs a bit but it is a great little workhorse and I really have thrashed it. I suspect from the other reviews the newer ones may have issues but I can’t fault mine. I have worn out several heads over the years but never had trouble feeding line in. YouTube is your… Read more
friend people. When feeding out I always do it manually. Bumping it during operation does tend to let too much out. I recently had a weird experience at a Stihl shop when I went in for a simple small part, trying to tell me it was going to be a massive job, begrudgingly selling me the $20 part. I’ll go to my local unbranded family mower shop next time.
junk product – It has all been said in previous reviews. More fool me. Went in looking for a head replacement, opted for this piece of junk. Does not run smoothly and feed is always breaking inside the head. Also very unwieldy when trying to maintain even throttle. Bogs down then high revs. Should have been a product recall. Goodbye Stihl. Show details
Goes great and light – I had this given to me by an elderly lady for a spare and to see if i could get it going. It was her late husbands and in pretty good condition. Some fresh fuel and it fired up quite easily. I rewound the cord and it releases fine.What i love most about it, is that it is super lightweight. A very underrated feature when using a wipper snipper. Show details
It just doesn’t feed line – It’s powerful enough but I struggled with the line. I returned it three times to shop and they fitted line but no success. Now I unscrew the head wind some line through and hope it lasts the time I need. Often I have to redo that more than once. I am saving up for something else. If I could get a new head that worked the motor good. So annoying because I brought my son one too same problem. Show details
A awesome Workhorse – I’ve owned my FS45 for 9 years. I bought it used. The Previous owner had used it for a half of season and was moving and no longer needed it. The unit starts on the 3rd pull every time and never fails me. I’ve used it hard while mowing and weedeating 25 yards. I Also do a lot of straight weedeating jobs using it 6 to 8 hours at a time on a… Read more
weekly basis. I replace the head an average of 4 time a year. I’m sorry to say yesterday I had to put it down after 9 wonderful years because the head quit spinning. Still runs though. I’ll miss you. I’m buying another used year old unit Saturday.
Absolute Rubbish – I have had this unit for 20 months, it has been back to the reseller twice for repairs, once was for it running rough and I was told I put the incorrect oil in the fuel mix, which I did not, the second time the pull start had no tension, so it was unable to start, , I just pulled it back out after 4 months without use and it does not even sound… Read more
like it will kick over, it is hard to start at all times, most disappointing, as it is advertised as easy start, one of the reasons I purchased it. I had a McCulloch for 15 years it never missed a beat. Time to cut my losses and walk away from this absolute piece of rubbish and buy another brand I wish I had read these reviews before I made my original purchase
Extended warranty is false advertising. BEWARE – FREIND GOT extended warranty. NOT AVAILABLE FOR ME .SUX sux sux Show details
Cannot complain – I've used these for years and used them for hundreds of hours on a rural property on a recurring weed problem each season. I've run them for hours on end and never had a problem. The negative reviews here therefore perplex me. Maybe a combination of the operators, bad fuel/fuel mixes and lack of maintenance ? Show details
Was not a good purchase – Bought this as an upgrade from a Bunnings brand line trimmer. After two uses struggling to keep it running I took it back. I was told to leave it with the suppliers. A few days later I was told I had run old fuel through it. The fuel was purchased the same day as the line trimmer but I was willing to accept it. Bought fresh petrol and it ran well… Read more
for one use and ran poorly again after that. I have ascertained I need to buy 500ml of fresh fuel every time, fill the tank and discard the rest if I want to keep this machine running. It went on the hard rubbish after three or four months.
STIHL EASY START – I have had this whipper snipper for almost 5 years and it has not missed a beat. It loves too run hard and I rarely use the whiper snipper chord but much prefer the plastic blades, (which are much cheaper on the internet than at Stihl stores). It has only been serviced once in this time. Best whipper snipper I have ever owned. Show details
This is an expensive, poorly engineered toy - do not buy this product – I bought this to replace a Ryobi that I had had for about 10 years. I have other Stihl products (combi) which are fantastic, which is why I trusted that the FS45 would be high quality as well, however... The line breaks repeatedly and sometimes melts together inside the head, Rewinding is not simple and is a frustrating interruption to what… Read more
should be a simple task Worst of all, it doesn't start easily, but when it does get started, it will not rev properly after about 5 minutes of use.
I have taken this back to the dealer for assistance (GYC Castle Hill) to be fobbed off and told that I am using it incorrectly. It is a whipper snipper, not a space shuttle. I've also had a few line trimmers in my time, and they aren't that difficult to work out.
I will try and get this fixed through GYC again because it was made plan to me that a refund would not be offered. It is too expensive to throw away, though I am very reluctant to throw good money after bad.
It is junk and I can only assume that Stihl have chosen to get some VERY cheap OEM manufacturer to build this to fill a spot in their product range. This is not worthy of the Stihl brand, and the company should be ashamed to but their name on this poorly made, ineffective, unreliable, flimsy toy.
Definitely not easy start – It's almost impossible to start. Promoted ad easy start. It's good when you finally get it going, but if it was simple as money back, I'd take it back. Not what I expected from stihl. Show details
Worst whipper snipper I have ever used – Putting new cord in is a nightmare, not as easy as the sales pitch that was given. Cord breaks often, and most of the time at the inside of the hole so have to pull head apart every time to re thread it. Then a nightmare to screw back on. Will not even look at another Stihl product. Waste of money. Show details
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Finally I gave up and gave it back to GYC. I didn’t bother asking for a refund or exchange, I just… Read more