Stihl FS 85 / FS 85 R

Fantastic Reliable Robust Brushcutter has never let me down – I love this STIHL Brushcutter it is extremely robust and extremely reliable has never let me down I am currently paying my STIHL BG 86 Blower that I put on layby last Tuesday and once I have finished paying off my STIHL Blower I am going to put a STIHL FS 91R straight shaft Loop Handle Brushcutter with STIHL 4 MIX Engine or a STIHL FS 94R-CE … Read more

Loop Handle straight shaft Brushcutter to upgrade my STIHL FS 38 Curved Shaft whipper snipper which is too small and short of a person of my height I use my FS 85 Brushcutter in my creek and it is extremely powerful it is a bugger that they don't make these STIHL FS 85 Brushcutters anymore but Mark from Camden Mowers told me that they stopped making these FS 85 Brushcutters because they don't comply with the new emission laws but these FS85 brushcutters are replaced by the FS94 Brushcutters and these are awesome machines I read reviews on these FS94 Brushcutters and they have a 5 star rating I would for sure put a STIHL FS 94 R-CE Straight Shaft brushcutter on layby once I have finished paying my STIHL Blower off Thanks Juan

Great trimmer for large block – I replaced a small Hitachi 2-stroke trimmer with this Stihl one after I threw the Hitachi one into the paddock in frustration. It was a horribly underpowered machine attached to a very complicated head and line system. Happy to say the Stihl FS 85 R is neither. Plenty of power and a simple auto-dispensing line system. Get yourself some decent… Read more

trimmer line and this will go all day. I use it to tidy up around garden beds and grass borders in our 1 acre garden, very happy with it.

Bought the R model with the loop handle as I wanted to be able to turn it over for edging rather than just brush-cutting with the bike handle model.

Stihl FS 85 R – Have used the FS 85 R in a commercial setting with no issues. If you use the correct fuel ratio, then you shouldn't have any issues. I recommend buying a Sure Tap 2 head and using it in place of the Stihl Auto Cut head that comes with the unit. It is easier to load, gives you more time between reloading and wastes less line trimmer cable.  Show details

The best no doubt – The best there is ! faultless performance over many years. Used regularly sometimes all day. Very comfortable with a harness. Can’t fault this gem of a brushcutter. Easy starting. Strong motor I can’t recommend this tool highly enough for anyone looking for a serious brushcutter at a reasonable price. Buy one  Show details

More trustworthy than my cattle dog – Big names have turned me off lately but after owning my Stihl FS/85 it has changed my faith. It has never stopped and always ready to go. 2 years ago bought an opponents brand and with in days regretted it and just bought cheap throw away brands but was told to and buy sthil. Faith restored and never let me down. Always ready.  Show details

Brilliant, tough, reliable and easy to use – Fantastic - use it regularly on our acre block. Easy so start, easy to use and very effective. I also have Stihl branded Blower and Chain saw and find both these items also to be excellent. I see negative reviews and cant understand what the difference can be. My local Stihl dealer is also very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this product.  Show details

Very good – Had for 3 weeks. 7 hrs straight hard work cutting down 6ft tall Johnson grass with 2.7mm Stihl round line. Trimmer is powerful and good compromise between weigh and power. Used on 6 lawns to edge and blend grass with 2.4mm round cord and it loves it. This was an upgrade from my FS45 and am very happy. I have always mixed fuel oil ratio at… Read more

43:1 just to keep cooler than 50:1 and keep her lubed up nicely. Honestly, maybe the people with negative reviews got lemons? Stihl is good stuff in my experience with 2 whipper snippers and 2 chain saws, I’ve had zero problems.

Great addition to the Arsenal – The power in this machine is undoubtedly more than i had expected. From owning a little bent shaft makita to this thing WOW!! It's halved the time on a couple of jobs iv done i recommend this to anyone in the lawn care biz or anyone with a bit of land and long grass to clear. This will not disapoint  Show details

Just bought another one! – Just bought another FS85R which I will use exclusively as a hedger. It replaces my 11 year old HT75 engine (same engine) - which I have used as a pole saw for 10 years & as a pole hedger for the last year, after the internal workings of the pole gave up the ghost. This one is made in Brazil & replaces the one mentioned above. I had another made… Read more

in Brazil that I used as a hedger before that one, between 2010 - 2015 & I flogged the daylights out of it daily. No complaints! It made me a living for those 5 years & was very low maintenance.

My current HT75 is a year old & was also made in Brazil, no complaints with that one either.

The clutch is sound on these units! The most I've ever had to replace is a clutch spring every 5 years or so (around $1 each & easy to do yourself)

When the clutch fails, all that happens is that the line/blades keep spinning, as they are a centrifugal clutch. So, at idle, at worst, your whipper snipper line (or in my case, my hedger blades) would move at idle speeds. I've had it happen on a job & was still able to finish the job before I repaired it, without any issues.

I have no association with Stihl & am seriously not a brand fan. I just really like these & they like me back.

Great machine – Just bought an 85R to replace the Victa Tornado that I used three times and returned to Bunnings. The Stihl is light, powerful, easy to use/start and the auto feed line head is easy to load and economical on line consumption. A very very impressive unit that makes edging and rough clearing a breeze.  Show details

2 hours of use...clutch and throttle problems 1st day of use – I purchased my Stihl yesterday...after reading the generally positive reviews on this site. I got two hours of use out of it before the throttle stopped working and the engine would stall. Returned the product to dealer...they diagnosed a faulty clutch. My product had a sticker on the side saying made in Brazil...perhaps the Brazilians should stick to making pina coladas and mojitos.  Show details

Love my new FS 85 – Great powerful whipper snipper! Lightweight Easy to start and super strong. Cuts through everything on our bush block. I love the bull arms when using for hours! Long shaft is s bit awkward but the harness that came with it makes it easy to use. I'm only 5"7 and I love it! Hope it lasts forever.  Show details

Love it – Love this machine very good would recommend this product to any one it gose though the toughest weeds in its path runs good when i got it home i did the whole yard in 1tank of petrol changing the cord is a bit tricky you can put a brush cutting blade on it  Show details

After only 2 years of light domestic work - the clip broke off the hook on the harness of my Genuine – The Stihl FS85 is no better machine than any of the many other brands that are all less than half the price of stihl and their parts are much less expensive and much more easily available than Stihl are. Many tricks and traps to be careful of when dealing with STIHL. Stihl is not any easier to maintain than any of the other cheaper and often much… Read more

better value machines. Simple parts are not available for STIHL but they have traps to catch you in like a broken hook & clip - Stihl's answer - pay another $127 for a complete new harness (I can have the clip & hook locally custom made for $22) I would never buy any STIHL product ever again. They got me once - that's once to much.

Love it! – This thing could cut down a tree! It starts so easily, packs a punch and is worth every cent. It's the most money I have ever spent on something like this but I am so glad I did. I got the optional blade attachment and it's pretty good too. I have a lot of woody weeds and it blasts through them.

Excellent – Have been using this for years, it's still running and never had an issue, even me wife can use it no worries. Its never faulted on us and its cutting abilities are schmick! The yard looks a million bucks after I mow and wiper snipper. I did have one instance where it cut out on me and I had to replace a part but for 12 years running I think it's great. It's still going strong! I would recommend to everyone!

15 Years of no problem performance that even my wife enjoys using – One of four Stihl products I own. The others are two handheld leaf blowers and a backpack blower. Never a problem to start. Other than the string head and spark plug, everything is original. Takes great care of our 3 acre parcel with about 100 trees and many rocks. Replaced the head with an aftermarket unit that uses pre-cut lengths of .130… Read more

line. I prefer that to the OEM bump head. Also replaced the spark plug with an E-3. Always use Stihl 2-cycle oil. Wish I had purchased a Stihl chain in the 70's instead of a Homelite.

Best Trimmer on the market – Mine is at least twenty years old. While I'm not a commercial landscaper I have a large yard with over an acre that has wooded borders. So I'm weedwacking Poison Ivy, Virginia Creeper etc..., using it as an edger along the driveway and the expansion joints. The only complaint I have is getting line tough enough to support my misuse of the machine.… Read more

I've replaced the plug every year and cleaned the filter but nothing else. The primer bulb just sprung a leak yesterday so I'll have to replace that now! and best machine I've ever had. The best has been my 034 Stihl Chain Saw that just turned 30 years old!

Hot problem – Incredible, the engine drop down from the tube because of hot of the engine. Was totally insane. Poor quality. Don't buy this one. My Stihl said made in Brazil. Horrible!

Great brushcutter – I cant understand these negative reviews - I 've had mine for around 8 years now. I'm not a contractor - just a landowner so it doesn't get a thrashing but it does cut a lot of thick grass for up to a couple of hours at a time. Never had a problem with it - never had it serviced for that matter. She runs perfectly and the line refill is fine - a bit fiddly but nothing much once you get the hang of it.

Save your money....Stihl is terrible – Used the brush cutter for 3 months. Maybe 10 hours. Now it won't start. Rebuilt the carb, new fuel, new spark plug and nothing. Very poor device if productivity is important for you. I have a Stihl hedge trimmer with the same problems. I'm switching to Husqvarna....I have two chainsaws that always start and take a lot of abuse. Not impressed with Stihl! Wont start.

Coil stuffed & carbi problems only 10 months old ??? – I purchased a Stilh fs85r brushcutter last year , I have only actually used it for about 6 months & have owned it since new about 10 months ago. I am a mowing contractor & use several different makes of brushcutters & so when I use them, they get quite a bit of use. 5 months after using my Stihl Fs85r the coil stuffed up, it was replaced under… Read more

warranty, but now 1 month later has other problems . It now has problems with sometimes starting , & if it does start it will run ok for a little while & then just wants to cut out. I have always used stihl 2 stroke oil & premium unleaded petrol. I purchased this brushcutter as I was recommended that contractors like using this model from the Stihl dealer. Maybe this is just a one off problem brushcutter that I have as Im not sure if all FS85R brushcutters have these same issues, but Im not that impressed with the one that I have I would think twice about ever purchasing another brushcutter from Stihl.. When I first purchased this brushcutter it worked great, but must admit that the autofeed head that feeds the line out had problems from the start.t Coil stuffed up after 5 months of use & now has other problems with starting & running .

Good – Very good tool the only complaint I have is the line feeder requires attention a lot. This means you will be spooling the line on a lot. I am not sure whether this is the line I am using, which is Stihl and I have used others with no better result or it is the nature of the tool. Very powerful and easy to start. The line holder doesn't hold very… Read more

much line and the 'feeder'system doesn't really work so have a pair of wire cutters and a lot of line in your pocket as you will be using them a lot.

Terrible – My machine broke down 3 times in the first year. The second time, my service agent(Tas Chainsaws and Mowers of Launceston) charged me $75 to fix it and it still (Stihl??) broke down. The point is that THEY decide whether or not it is covered by warranty (and it is not in their interest to do it for free!) relatively easy to use service providers are very dodgy: warranty not worth the paper it's printed on

Excellent – Its got some absolute balls. I slashed thru some grass that would been 5"ft tall and as thick as your baby finger like butter. I use the harness takes the load off which isnt a lot . I think its one of the lightest on the market in its field.I tossed up between this and the honda as it was replacing a smaller stihl.. If you want something that can… Read more

rev hard and slash the job in half this is the one. Easy to start. I mean starts everytime as long as u follow the correct method doesnt hold as much line as my other one. Have to becareful not to get an exhaust burn on right side arm..

Excellent – This trimmer is replacing a light duty one that did not cope. This new one cost a bit, but it is worth it. For the strength it must be the lightest trimmer on the market, I guess. It's easy to start and operate and it's strong! Changing the cutting tool can be awkward.

Excellent – Do yourself a favour and buy you and your family one of these trimmers. They are unbelieveably powerful and cut the thickest of grass like it was soft butter. A very good trimmer with great performance. I definate must in the tool shed. What a powerful machine! I just bought one for y small scale mowing business and I thought I'd invest in a good… Read more

trimmer. I didn't know until I bought one how good these really are. Very easy to start. Just one pull and it is away even on a cold start. Nothing what so ever