STIHL's new cordless grass trimmer is quieter than other models, with just as much power – it tidied my lawn edges in no time

For cutting lawn edges with precision, comfort and low noise, STIHL's new grass trimmer is one of my new favourites.

In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the STIHL FSA 50 Cordless Grass Trimmer, which you can order for £149 without the battery from Just Lawnmowers, is one of the best cordless strimmers on the market right now. If you’re looking for a powerful grass trimmer that’s a little bit quieter than the vast majority of other strimmers, this is the tool I’d recommend. It does a brilliant job of trimming lawn edges and grass with speed and precision.

This STIHL FSA 50 Cordless Grass Trimmer review will look at unboxing, setup, design, ease of use, performance and maintenance. I tested the trimmer in my own small garden. Have a read, and see if it's the right trimmer for you...

In a nutshell

The STIHL FSA 50 Grass Trimmer seriously impressed me – it trimmed my grass and lawn edges at speed, even reaching underneath low-growing shrubs that regular lawn mowers tend to miss.

It's a robust machine that feels as comfortable as it is high-quality. It's light and balanced during use, and also really easy to assemble. For small gardens, it's a must – but it is quite powerful, so you'll need to learn to control it properly to avoid scalping your lawn.

Specifications

• Type: Cordless, battery-operated
• Cutting width: 2.9kg
• Weight: 2.9kg
• Sound power level: 82dB
• Running time: 25 minutes

Unboxing

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The STIHL FSA 50 came in a slim cardboard box that was light enough to carry through the house and into the garden. There was minimal packaging inside, save for a few cardboard strips and wedges to hold the trimmer in place and a couple of plastic bags that housed the screws and other components.

The battery and charger were enclosed in an inner cardboard box at one end of the main box, the battery wrapped in a plastic bag. If your trimmer doesn't come with a battery, you can buy the STIHL AK 10 battery from Amazon, and the STIHL AL 101 battery charger from Amazon, too.

Setup

The STIHL FSA 50 Grass Trimmer took me less than half an hour to assemble, and the instructions were really easy to follow. The trimmer must be turned off for safety, so it’s crucial that you don’t insert the battery before this stage (more on that shortly).

First, I attached the deflector. I simply had to push the guard into the guides on the housing, and then insert and tighten two screws to hold them together. The guard has to stay on once assembled, and mustn’t be removed.

Then, I had to mount the bump guard by inserting its ends into the holes on the housing. It was as simple as that! There were also instructions on mounting and removing the mowing head, which were really easy to understand.

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I had to install the loop handle, too, and for that, I needed the accompanying star knob nut. Once fitted, the loop handle mustn’t be removed either.

I love that you can adjust the shaft angle to three different angles on the STIHL FSA 50 to suit different heights. It’s really straightforward – you simply have to press the release pedal, move the shaft into the required position until it engages, and then let go of the release again. You can also adjust the shaft length by toggling the clamp nut.

I also had to ensure the battery (which comes with a charger) was charged before getting started (it was!), and then pop the battery into the trimmer. It was really easy to insert, with a satisfying ‘click’ that told me it was in place.

To turn the grass trimmer on, the instructions are a little more complicated, requiring you to press and hold the trigger in a certain way to switch the machine on, but I soon got the hang of that, too.

Design

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Before we dive into how well the STIHL FSA 50 Grass Trimmer performed in my garden, it makes sense to get familiar with its key design features.

It’s certainly ergonomic – the trimmer is fitted with a soft grip round handle that’s easily adjustable without tools. The telescopic shaft is adjustable, too, and the mowing head can be set at three different angles, allowing you to reach trickier areas like slopes and under trees and furniture. You can even rotate the mowing head 90 degrees for easier lawn edge trimming.

I also love that the spacer bracket protects plants and other objects in the garden from damage during trimming.

STIHL always designs its tools with the user in mind, which means the FSA 50, like other tools in the range, has excellent balance. It’s also pretty lightweight at 2.9kg, so it isn’t a slog to use like heavier trimmers on the market.

Performance

STIHL says the FSA 50 grass trimmer offers ‘practically flawless trimming thanks to the new spacer on the tool,’ and during testing, it lived up to those claims. I was stunned by the clean edge it left on the grass that runs alongside my garden border, and it was a lot easier to use than I expected.

At first, I thought the spacer would stop the trimmer from cutting the grass along my raised garden border, but miraculously, it didn’t – in fact, it gave those hard-to-reach parts of my lawn a really good trim. With the mowing head set at the lowest angle, trimming the grass beneath the lower-growing shrubs in my garden, which even the best lawn mowers out there often miss, was a piece of cake.

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The only downside (which can also be a total plus side, depending on the task at hand) was that the trimmer was so powerful, you had to be careful not to scalp your lawn during grass trimming. Luckily, its ergonomic design made it easy enough to hold and control – but it does take a little bit of practice when you first get started.

There’s a variable speed trigger on the trimmer that allows more precision in control of the mowing head, and STIHL says that can help extend the working life of your battery, too.

What really appealed to me about the STIHL FSA 50, though, was that it has lower noise emissions than a lot of other cordless strimmers on the market. It boasts a sound power level of 82dB, which is 7dB less than our previous favourite low-noise strimmer, the STIHL FSA 57. It’s still noisy enough, of course – strimmers will never be as quiet as robot lawn mowers, for example – but it certainly isn’t intrusive. That said, STIHL supplied me with protective earmuffs, which you’re advised to wear during use.

Speaking of safety, you’ll also need to wear protective goggles when using the STIHL FSA 50 Grass Trimmer. Debris does fly up at you as you cut, so it’s crucial that you have eye protection in place to avoid injury.

On a full charge with the AK 10 battery, you’ll get 25 minutes of working time. That’s more than enough time in a small garden like mine – and with the speed and power of STIHL FSA 50, my lawn edges were neatened up in no time at all. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever edged my lawn so fast. You can buy more powerful batteries with a longer runtime if you’re working in a larger garden.

Maintenance

STIHL makes maintenance easy, too – the FSA 50 is supplied with the AutoCut 3-2 mowing head, which can be refilled without using tools. That cuts a lot of the faff, in my opinion.

If you’d prefer to use the Polycut 3-2 Mowing Head (which is sold separately), you can swap it out. Basically, that one is a mowing head with two movable plastic blades that’s designed for cutting medium-height grass, lawn edges and tougher vegetation (it’s a bit more robust for harder jobs), whilst the original AutoCut 3-2 mowing head is the standard for efficient mowing and clearing.

Verdict: Should you buy the STIHL FSA 50 Cordless Grass Trimmer?

If you're looking for a robust garden trimmer that doubles up as a brushcutter and isn't too noisy, the STIHL FSA Cordless Grass Trimmer is definitely worth the investment. It's a solid tool that's well-suited to edging small lawns with precision and enough power to tackle tougher grass and weeds, too.