Stihl HS 45

Bought it after having used Stihl chainsaws and brush cutters for years without any dramas. Very disappointed with difficulty in starting it - should be a piece of cake for such a small motor. Nothing worse than getting all tooled up to trim the garden and the thing won't start, or starts and then stops, or won't start after a fuel refill. Dealer told me it was because the fuel gums up the carby if it is not used for a while, but the brush cutter starts easily after the same period. Once it's going, it does the job fine - plenty of power.

Absolute lemon. I've always brought Stihl, but this and my last chainsaw are shockers.Avoid the blisters and locking up of the blades on a tinny hedge. Not like the old Stihl products ! New gas mixture as the dealership recommended didn't make a difference. It will eventually run and work for 5min then it's all over.

Have used the HS 45-600 commercially, without any issues. Don't forget to lubricate the blades with WD-40 before and after use. If you have the extra money or need something with less vibration output then look at the HS46 which offers significantly lower vibration.

Available in two blade lengths; 45cm/18" or 60cm/24".

Delivered this morning. Started and ran for around about five seconds. Refused determinedly ever to start again. 288 Euros out of pocket. Faced with the hassle (and expense) of disposing of this junk. Back to the hand clippers and a very long metre by metre slog. When will the West ever learn?

I have been using this for a few months now cutting hedges around my property. This hedger is well build, easy to start and use. I would recommend keeping the hedger clean after using and lubricant the cutting blade to keep the hedger in good condition. Stihl offer a good warranty and support

Only did a couple of hours work with this 45 model and it needed a complete rebuild at a cost of $450 dollars. The agent did not tell me that that was the likely repair bill . Stihl must have very dodgy design flaws for this to happen and I would not recommend any Stilh product. Please look elsewhere or you will be sorry! They are just not capable engineers

Hi! Max again from New Pkymouth NZ !
Have above Stihl hedge trimmer I use to trim tops of hedges, shape shrubs and olive trees cut back (prune) roses and trim 25 Feijoa trees along one boundary fence. Starts every time no problems.
Regularly clean out exhaust spark filters in all my 2 stroke garden power tools now ! Is a common problem to performance and power of any 2 stroke power tool regardless of brand. The trimmer is heavy due to its internal metal parts and the motor as a combined weight. Being 70 years old doesn't help either! Despite that it cuts hedges and shrubs up to 30 mm approx. diameter. Doesn't like chicken wire or No8 fence wire hidden in hedges tho! Have to file burrs off cutting edges every time I use it! Use a slim oil stone to finish off . I use moreys oil stabiliser on the arm and blade to make sure it stays lubed in use. I remove the gear box base plate once a year and check the oscillating gears are well greased. Did this from New and it ran quieter than on new start up. Not much grease in there when new. Other than that no problems at all . Like all two strokes have to have clean fuel and correct mix. All mine are 50:1 using super two stroke oil . Great machine. I sharpen the blades with a flat file.
Replace scabbard after use every time. Quality Stihl product performing as it should.

The model I bought is the HS45-7 with a 600mm blade and I bought it over 2 years ago. To view the product on Stihl's web site go to [weblink removed]. I use it around the house where I need to keep several hedging plants trimmed regularly and I have to keep a 'Morea' bush under control. I did have a Bosch electric hedge trimmer with a 45 cm blade before this and it did a great job but the blade was too short for my needs and I tired of dragging an extension cord around (and I cut through it once!). The Stihl is very powerful and cuts through green twigs etc to a diameter of 10mm comfortably. Two things about the Stihl - it is noisy so ear protection is essential, and secondly it's a good idea to clean the blades after every use and lubricate them with WD40 or garden grease - my Stihl agent says that if they are not kept clean and lubricated they can rust together and jam as he has had to repair some. I am very happy with this product and I'm glad I bought the 600mm blade version. Highly recommended.

I love my Stihl HS 45, it’s reliable and easy to use. I got a few Stihl tools, had some > 5 years, no issues with any of them. I always wait until a special to save a few bucks, the shops don’t seem to discount further (or I can’t negotiate well enough!). The best I’ve managed is oil thrown in.

Pros
• Value for money
• Reliable – has never missed a beat. I need to give mine 3 pulls to start from cold normally, but it always starts
• Easy to use
• More powerful than an electric and don’t have to wait for charge and keep additional chargers etc. I’ve got 2 a few stroke yard tools so always have 50:1 ready to go.
• Better than a Bunnings or ebay one in terms of build quality, componentry used but still reasonably priced for a family budget.

Cons
• Uses loads of fuel – I’ve been through a whole tank on 4 hedges!
• A bit heavy – especially compared to electric models.

Bought this hedge trimmer about 2 years ago from a local shop in Oak Flats. Got it at a time that Stihl was offering a rebate on them ($60 or $100, can't remember) so thought I would give it a go as Stihl has such a good name in chain saws. Convinced them to throw in a bottle of 2 stroke oil too so don't feel ripped off but I do think that this hedge trimmer is nothing special. For such a small engine it is not a quick starter, not super hard but takes a couple of pulls. Certainly nothing like a Tanaka which starts first pull every time. It has a painfully low fuel capacity - will not even last an hour of flat out trimming. And the thing will often stall at idle. At first I thought it needed a service (after a year of pretty intermittent use), but even after the service will do the same thing.

Have had that problem with cheap crap but never with another name brand thing like Tanaka or Honda. I will say it does a great job of trimming and has a nice long reach to it. Also it has a very high quality feel, for example the fuel cap is almost a bakelite plastic which has a great weight to it (a little thing I know but nice). So all in all it does the job (except when it stalls) but I think it is over-rated. It would really annoy me if it had these drawbacks and was a tool I use all the time like a whipper snipper or a chain saw (seasonally). So given I had high hopes you can say I was pretty disappointed. I would probably recommend a Tanaka instead, no I am not a Tanaka rep but if my Tanaka whipper snipper was a woman I would marry it.

This is a reasonably compact hedge trimmer, perfect for trimming all our shrubs. It starts first time every time. We also have a Stihl brushcutter, and were confident a Stihl hedge trimmer would be worth the money, and we were right. It makes light work of an otherwise tedious job.
Reliable, easy to use, not too heavy
Can't think of any

I use one of these nearly every week, and I have to say for what it is structurally sound it has to be one of the worst tools of the trade I've used in regards to human design ever!

It is hard to start and jumps around, you have to put it on the ground and this can cause issues with dirt getting into the blades. The safety mechanism is a good idea but starting it single handed while off the ground makes you feel like your going to loose your inch worm somehow!!

This trimmer is a fish, and that it drinks like a bloody big fish! One tank will last you about 15 mins of hedging, and while doing that you will literally gas yourself with the exhaust! It has to be the worst design, where it vents into the hedge and then you get flogged with it as you walk behind it.

Otherwise it's a hard worker in the stable of tools that we use, with it doing hundred's of meters of hedging a week and that's done every week of the year!
Well made and hard working, blades stay sharp, easy to fill, easy to disassemble.
Exhaust port is terrible in its location! Noisy and dangerous to start single handed...

I find this machine easy to start and operate. It runs smoothly and is economical on fuel. It has great cutting capacity and cuts through the branches like butter.Great value at $450 for a machine with a 600mm cutting bar length.I would recommend the Stihl HS45 to anyone.Great product from Stihl
Great value, fast and easy to use.

STIHL does not have any product customer service in australia.
All numbers by phone are to authorized dealers. Most of them just wanna sell u something and don't wanna know you after attitude

Its actually hard to start in comparison to other STIHL products ...especially their new EASy2START models.

its also really loud compared to the other 0.75KW motors in STIHL range.

and my main problem is that its difficult to start, its harsh on your arms with the pull...(doesn't feel smooth when cranking... Very lumpy feeling)
and chuggs a bit at the start and likes to stall until it warms up. but when its running for a while and warmed up...there's no problem.

I wishhhhhh the exhaust pipe was pointing to the front corner away from the user.

Instead (for right hand user) iit points to my right leg when holding it downwards to trip the side hedges.... Leaving my clothes smelling revolting like oil and fuel. ...This is a deinate let sown

I kinda regret buying this model, you know the feeling of just wondering if you should've spent an extra 100 -200$ on the next model up? That's how I feel
Decent price, light weight & aesthetically pleasing.
Drinks juice, hard to start, loud, bad positioning of the exhaust pipe, no product support & runs poorly when cold

I prune hedges & trim trees for a living & I've had my HS45 since 2002; it's easy to start & is a strong runner. The anti vibration has never been too great on it though. Anyone who prunes hedges daily will tell you that no hedge trimmer can do it all & this unit is no exception! It fails miserably on fine hedges such as conifer & diosma because it has single sided blades. However, it will cut through the heavier going with ease! It's nice & light & almost bullet proof.
Very strong unit, especially the engine. Great for cutting up prunings to fit more into the trailer.
It's a loud unit, louder than any of my other trimmers. Also, the position of the exhaust means that you end up breathing 2 stroke exhaust.