Stihl FSE 71
VerifiedMPN: FSE7116 reviews
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If you want to spend more time trying to coax the line out of the spool, constantly re-feeding the line because it’s disappeared inside AGAIN, all the while practising your swearing, this is the line trimmer for you. The tap and release feature has NEVER worked so the line constantly disappears inside, resulting in you having to take it apart and… Read more
re-feed the line several times while trying to work on the garden. Nightmare piece of kit and a waste of money.
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A very, very good corded line trimmer – If you are reading this, it means you must be looking for a plug in/corded/240V whipper snipper or line trimmer. (Otherwise of course you would be after a rechargeable or petrol one!) I spent a bit of time researching plug in line trimmers because for my specific situation, I needed this type. After doing the research, I settled on the Stihl FSE… Read more
71. The usage is for a yard about 20 x 15m, with a central power point. It is a regular grass yard bounded by paling fences with some concrete path on one edge. Given that, here are my thoughts: VALUE: I bought it direct from a Stihl outlet for $199; I thought this was good value. It is a quality, well-made unit, well packaged with good instructions. It even comes with a pair of safety goggles! ASSEMBLY: Straightforward with one exception: the handle has to be pushed over the shaft before a clamping bolt is put in to clamp it in place. The handle is VERY hard to get over the shaft: I had to use multigrip pliers and a rubber mallet to get it on! Apart from that, no issues. The cutting head is very easy to put on. BASICS: The unit is light and well balanced. It is a curved shaft unit, and has a convenient hook to hang it from if you wish. A nice touch is a built in clip to put the power cord into so it will not accidentally unplug if you pull on it. USE: Like most line trimmers these days, it has a safety switch that must be pressed before you use the ttrigger. In summary, it is a ripper! (No pun intended!). Apart from being very quiet, it is light and easy to manoeuvre, and not too hard to hold so the line axis is vertical (for doing path edges). It has a TON of power and chews through long grass very easily. I really liked its ability to "mow" areas that were too tight for the lawn mower to fit, and also its ability to get into corners- some previous line trimmers I have used can only do a left or a right hand corner well, but this one can do both. The bump feed works very well and the line feeds out easily without binding (remembering that this is a new unit). All in all, it chews through the yard much faster than previous units I have used, and no need to worry about running out of battery power or petrol! PROS: Well constructed; good instructions; easy to clean; light and very powerful CONS: Handle is a pain to attach; the unit has a power cord (if that is a problem for you) VERDICT: if you are looking for a corded line trimmer, I highly recommend this model
Absoloute inferior product...keep away from it – Absoloute inferior product...keep away from it The line feeder is useless Show details
Fantastic machine. Rubbish line feeders – I've had my Stihl for 14 years and love it. Lightweight, quiet, very cheap to run and easy to use. The only problem is the line feeders. I've used both styles and the original was better, however this also failed many times. I've never had a positive result when tapping to extend the line. This has always been done by hand. I really would like Stihl to address this problem to make a great machine a fantastic machine. Show details
Poor quality line feeder – The trimmer mostly works well, but the line rarely feeds out when I bump it on the grass, and it breaks frequently. I have to take the spool off, and reset it every few metres. I will try a better quality line, or a different size and see if that helps. So far, I am not happy with the purchase. Show details
Expensive and flawed, but good – Expensive for a 500w corded trimmer. Back heavy w/ fixed controls thus ergonomics significantly compromised esp if you're shorter than 5'7". Line feeder is unreliable, first 1 lasted 2 minutes before a bump feed didn't work, a trip back to the dealer revealed it was broken from new, the genuine replacement was better but still unreliable, a good quality generic line is much more reliable. See image for broken line feeder. Show details
Troubles with line – Overall I don't mind the weight or the cord, you get used to it. And the power is sufficient even for buffalo grass. Perhaps I just haven't figured it out properly, but I just can't get the line to advance sufficiently. Maybe I haven't loaded it properly - but even when I tap it as the instruction booklet says or try and pull it manually I always… Read more
seem to end up with only a few cm of line coming out, which means I have to hold the trimmer really close to the grass to get any result.
Edit* I've loaded in a new line and it is working much better. Seems like the line that it originally came with just wasn't feeding very well.
The best line trimmer – Just purchased trimmer from Urunga, the dealer knew has product, demonstrating how to reload the line, it's quiet, powerful and the line advanced as required, we are very happy and will buy a second trimmer for our other property..... Good product and we will be selling our stihl petrol trimmer if you need some exercise getting it started Show details
Great trimmer - but proprietary fittings – The most frustrating thing about snippers is the trimmer line breaking - and on my older trimmer, it always seemed to break inside the coil, which then required disassembly. I fixed that by purchasing a new trimmer head that at least made it easier to replace the line. However I could not reuse that when I purchased the Stihl. It only accepts… Read more
Stihl accessories (the bolts and fittings for the trimmer head are not "universal" like some other brands).
However, I have had no reall problems with trimmer line breaking inside. It behaves very well and the trimmer is fantastic. The "dual switch" used for safety is very easy to use and offers the right balance of convenience and safety. The moter is realtively quiet and its thrashed through some of the thickest weeds in my garden with ease. I also trim around my brick house, and the line holds up well (obviously it does break off, but so far I've never had to take the line head apart to fish out the broken line).
All and all, a good corded trimmer.
Best line trimmer I have ever owned – Had it over a year now and can't fault it. Love the easy wind line replacement system. I have used all types and brands and this is by far the easiest and most efficient. Tap and go is solid and works well. I would buy another one in a heartbeat!
Easy to use with plenty of power – The staff at the dealer were very helpful. It's a no brainer, really. Just plug it in and go. None of the trouble that comes with a petrol device and with a heavy extension cord I can whiz around the whole yard (tropical summer grass) in no time. Strongly recommend after 2 uses.
FSE 71 motor function – This electric grass cutter is perfectly easy and safe to use. Its light weight makes it easier to move around doing the cutting and trimming of grass and scrub. It comes with a good length of electric cord providing good reach to places away from the power source. It doesn't produce so much noise as the gas models. Its light, easy to operate,… Read more
powerful enough to cut grass and little scrubs in my house compound. After using it a couple of times the motor now stops after running less than a minute. Can be started again after one minute rest but will stop again.
Powerful and very well built – I find it difficult to know how the one review on this forum gives this product such a low score. They must be using another product or were having a bad day because after having looked at all electric trimmer on the market this one outshines the others like day is to night. The FSE 71 is very powerful and does all the tasks one would expect in a… Read more · 1
typical garden with ease. The bumphead feed works perfectly and the handling is very easy. Naturally with an electric cord you have to think ahead so that you do not get tangled up. What I really appreciated was the top service provided by the Stihl dealer who assembled it for me, tested it and showed me how to use it. They even threw in a spare packet of line. Try get that service at Bunnings who have staff who have absolutely no knowledge about the products they sell. I am very happy with my purchase. Powerful, very well built, bumphead feed
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A very good trimmer – Well balanced powerful electric cutter. Auto feed works well, spools correct amount of line every time (spending a lot less time feeding the line than previous trimmer). After having used various other brands the Stihl seems to be of much higher build quality. Easy to use, efficient trimmer
Good – like it a lot , compared to other machines i have used. Loads of power for electric machine and the feed head is great. easy to use and quiet it does not stop and you have to keep working
Good – So far I am very happy. I have never bought a Stihl product before but now I may look at them in the future. Well balanced and quiet. Very neat. Mine did not come with the depth wheel.
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