Victa 25.4cc Swift Start Straight Split Shaft Trimmer

Don't waste your money – Overheats.on off switch does not always work which is dangerous...only one year old now won't start.. Show details

Unreliable – Cord wouldn't spin but did it q momth 5 days after full guarantee return so got that fixed. Tool ages for bunnings to repair. I don't use it often but 8 months 16 Nov it syarted to lose its power. 5 days till Xmas and I'm still waiting for it to get repaired. Show details

Poor quality. Bottom of the heap – Fuel cap leaks ,hard to start and when it does start runs maybe 10 minutes before overheating..poor in every respect. Bought a Tanaka instead. Much more reliable. Show details

Won’t start – State 3!pulls and a swift start after priming 10 times on a flat surface. It was purchased on the 24th of September so just over a month old and will not start. Had to give up with a shoulder dislocation and blisters on my fingers. Terrible product. This was in 25 degree weather in spring in Sydney. Shattered Show details

Pretty crappy - buy something else – I have had constant problems with the Victa Swift Start from pull line seizing, to pull line not retracting, not starting, overheating.....you name it. Nothing but problems. Bunnings has replaced it once and still I have operational problems. Show details

Not Happy Jan – Bought Victa Swift Start line trimmer back in 2019 from Bunnings. Have tried many times to start it as per instructions. Looked for ideas on the net on how to get going - ones I found were all negative. On each occasion I managed to get it to run for a few seconds and then its stops. I ended up buying a Tanaka - a great little machine!! The… Read more

Victa now sits in my shed gathering dust as I don't know what to do with it - maybe an anchor for my tinny? So don't waste your money on one of these. Think Victa should stick to something they do very well - lawn mowers

Such a good whipper snipper – I bought this from Bunnings on the weekend, and very happy with my purchase. I was easy to assemble, fuel was easy to mix and I was up and running within 20 mins. I followed the instructions, and it started first time. I was using the trimmer for about 30 mins to complete my lawn with no problems. I was reluctant to purchase based on reviews… Read more

on here, but I purchased based on advice from my brother who also has one. This is a great whipper snipper !

Unreliable at best – Brought from bunnings and has always had issues cutting out when gets warm. Can use 10mins before overheats. Always hard to start. Unreliable, poor quality. Won't purchase Victa brand again.  Show details

Don't buy – Victa 25.4cc Swift Start Straight Split Shaft Trimmer What a pity Victa is so different to now to where is came from. Purchased the Whipper Snipper about 11 months ago from Bunnings. Biggest mistake ever. Hard to start, has such low power it is nearly useless, over heats and cuts out/or burns the operator. Victa I am sorry that you have ended up… Read more

making this cheap rubbish. I bought this product on your reputation and wish I had stuck with the cheap Aldi brand, theirs works as it should

Updated model not a pinch on the previous one – Heavier, more cumbersome to use than the previous model. The spark plug & lead location on the top of the engine, is of poor design, which causes the operators elbow to regularly knock the lead off the plug, stopping the engine. The previous model was, and still is, much easier to operate. The cartridge type line feed is not economical. The… Read more

bump feed head wears out rapidly. Unable to ascertain if the bump feed head can be replaced with a single line feed head unit. If so, it may be a little more economically efficient to operate. Only purchased this model as the previous model failed, however, sourced a new carby for the old model, fitted it, and it runs like new. I use it now, and this new model gathers dust in my shed.

Brand new, won't start – Purchased new from Bunnings yesterday. Took it out of the box today and it won't start. I know line trimmers get harder to start with age, but this thing is brand new. Show details

Not bad for price – I like how everyone is saying used 3 times won't start. As a carby the fuel goes stale in jets, bowl and perishes seals. If you run them dry upon after use you will find you do not have these issues. A little under powererd but I use the edger also and it's mint!! Only had it for 2 weeks so far and I only know 1 speed which is flat out. It suits its purpose for a yard of 700sqm. If you have a farm buy an industrial whipper snipper Show details

Cuts through almost anything. Easy start – Purchased this nearly 3 years ago. Have cut both short and very (and I mean very) long tough grass. I use a thicker orange nylon in the self-feeder head without problems. Starts very easily and doesn't miss a beat. Slightly on the heavier side, but it's solid. Highly recommended. A little loud, but probably no different to most line trimmers. Always use goggles / ear muffs / solid boots. Show details

Victa 25.4 Swift start from Bunnings – A waste of money. Very difficult to start, poorly designed catches your finger trying to start. Only had it about 4 months already will now only throttle at max revs. Doesn’t seem to be compatible with standard whipper snipper line. Appears to require a proprietary line so it won’t slip. Won’t touch the Victa brand again. Show details

Very disappointed, though it would have a place in the market for some people – Have owned a Victa Tornado straight-shaft whipper snipper and edger attachments for many years. I live on acreage and I have been extremely happy with it. It has been well looked after; though has worked hard and done a great job. It has finally got to the stage where it was giving me too much grief... Naturally, I went and bought its… Read more

successor, being the Swift Start model.

I was told by a staff member at Bunnings that both the straight-shaft and bent-shaft had the same engine, so he advised to go with the bent one as it is $50 cheaper. I examined the bent-shaft display model and found it had a similar attachment fitting that would work with my old attachments, whereas the straight-shaft didn't, so bought the bent-shaft.

Firstly, upon opening the box, it had a different attachment fitting to the one on display. Though frustrated, I thought that later down the track I would just buy a new edger to fit it.

Secondly, on first start, which I was very careful with, part of the receptacle of the pull cord broke straight off (or was already broken). Though not a major issue - it certainly demonstrates the comparable quality to which this new version is made.

Thirdly, this machine had about half the power of my old one. Tried different fuels and oils - no difference. After taking the machine back to Bunnings for a refund, I was told the straight shaft version rotates twice as fast at the head. They also tested it and said it was in perfect mechanical working order - that I was correct that it was somewhat different in quality to the older version.

Fourthly, I would have used it for no more than 5 minutes to try to get through a few fairly high tufts of grass that my old one would have chewed through in seconds.

Fifthly, though only used for a grand total of no more than 5 minutes, its paint started peeling off.

Considerations if you are thinking of purchasing this whipper snipper (trying to honestly give its pros and cons): 1. It does start very easily - which I was very impressed with and is worth a mention. 2. If you have prob up to an 800sqm yard where your grass doesn't grow much higher than 30cm before you get to it, this whipper snipper should be fine; however, go for the straight shaft one - the bent shaft would be more for people with a very small backyard/unit. If you only have about 10 minutes of whipper snipping to do, then the bent shaft would be fine and a lot cheaper than a Stihl/Shindaiwa. 3. Compared to the old Victa Tornado though, it would easily take double or triple the amount of time to do the same work, which for me meant it was effectively useless. Based on my brief usage, I'm not sure that it would be wise to use either version of the Swift Starts for more than an hour at a time. 4. Be very careful which head each individual Swift Start whipper snipper comes with. Mine came with a head that required you to purchase a specific type of cord that is pre-wound/glued together and only comes apart as you use it. This was not advertised on the box. If I had known before purchasing that this was the case, I would not have bought it, as I have a specific type of cord that I use. One 30cm length of my old cord does c. 1 acre of solid whipper snipping. The stuff that the Swift Start came with was rubbish. 5. On the one I had, the heat level of the shaft near the motor got extremely hot - and that was only after a couple of minutes of use. They should really have it covered with a plastic shield of some sort. This could be a worrying factor for older or less physically able users if this section of the whipper snipper touches their skin.

Pros: Relatively light compared to other whipper snippers, very easy to start, suitable for smaller yards, inexpensive price Cons: Lack of power, poor quality of build, high heat level of shaft near motor, big drop in quality and power compared to previous version

rubbish – I used 3 times and now it wont start no matter what I try. The machine is also badly designed and catches on your finger while pull starting. SWIFT START MY Rs.

Victa Swift Start. More like Victa no start – If I could give zero stars I would. Will never buy a Victa again. Used five times. It stopped. Now just cannot get it started any more :( :( :(. Very very disappointed customer Show details

Disgraceful – Poor old Victa, Used to be an Australian icon built on reliability and loyalty since 1952. Now they can't even design a reliable recoiling pull start. I am sure after a few years it is to be expected that it would fail but for it to fail after the third start just tells me that they are actively designing it to fail. This brings great shame and… Read more

disgrace to all whom sell and manufacture these abominations. I could give advice on how to run your company to be successful but you already know it and have decided building these pieces of crap is the best for your Briggs & Stratton and Honda brands. I will be keeping clear of your deceptive company.

Victa, stick to lawn mowers, Trimmers is not you – Bought a Victa swift-start trimmer just on 13 months now. At best it was used every alternate month. So here im firing it up for the 7th time and the cord mechanism (starter) starts playing up. Within a couple of pulls it completely ceases. Disappointment is understatement. This was a $250 machine that i was about to add on hedge trimmer and… Read more

power saw attchments. WELL THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN NOW, I was advised by the store to take to a repair agent. i saw two and they both told me i should have purchased a more reputable brand...and if i want it fixed that it will take about 2 months because Victa service parts are a mess at the moment. So anyway back to the store ...left with their repairers...lets see what the luck is for this unit. In the meantime i'll trim the grass with the secateurs...they never let down. VICTA LETS YOU DOWN