In keeping with the rules of the internet I must disclose that I sell Stihl. I once worked at the Stihl factory in Germany, nearly forty years ago; they’ve since recovered. That doesn’t make me an expert on all things Stihl, but I did learn to like warm beer.
I woke up with Lithium Ion batteries on my mind. It’s probably because I’d mowed at the farm and at home the day before and had gone to bed with a dehydration induced headache.Or maybe it’s because my ears were still ringing and I was wishing my tractor was electric rather than diesel. Anyway, there’s much talk about run time and power of the Stihl battery powered units, and that got me thinking. The talk is all positive, but I’m concerned that too many miss the boat on the convenience of the battery. There’s plenty of discussion about the performance of the units and not enough about the danged battery. Stihl produces very little literature on the subject because to do a comparison between a Li-Ion product and a gasoline product is subjective and difficult. Did someone say lawyers?
So, I did my own unscientific test. It’s amazing how many scientific tests really aren’t scientific at all. For example, consider the global warming debacle. I digress; get used to it.
I have both an FS45 and an FSA65. Selling Stihl has its privileges. The FS45 has a gasoline engine and the fuel tank holds about eleven ounces of fuel mix. The FSA65 is powered by a Li-Ion battery. Stihl offers two; I have the smallest and cheapest, that’s me. I have an FS550 as well. It’s a beast but not part of the test. That’s the one that hangs prominently in my garage, next to my poster of Stan Musial; the trimmers are in the garage closet.
I normally use about two tanks of fuel per summer in the FS45; I’m not a heavy user and prefer to scrape trees with my rider rather than trim with a trimmer. This delights my wife. This summer I’ve been alternating between both trimmers and have yet to use a full tank in the FS45 or deplete a single battery charge in the FSA65. So I decided to accelerate the test. They’re both test units; that means I don’t have to pay for them.
My laboratory was the side of my yard, a mulched area. I carefully chose that particular spot because it was in the shade. I filled the tank on the FS45 and was careful not to spill any fuel in the mulch. Spilled gasoline works even better than round-up for weed control. I charged the battery on the FSA65. I scrounged around found some twist-ties. I used the twist-ties to carefully lock the throttles on both units into the full wide-open position. The FS45 ran for 24 minutes, I was really glad when it finally stopped. The FSA65 quietly hummed along for another 5 minutes.
My findings?Neighbors stare when I conduct unscientific tests.
What does all of this mean? I’m glad you asked. Try to keep up; the following involves math. The FS45 ran for 24 minutes on 11 ounces; it would have required 13.3 ounces to run as long as the FS65A on one charge – 29 minutes. One battery is supposed to be good for over 500 charges before it begins to lose capacity. So, let’s go with the 500. Now remember, the battery lasts longer, but I chose 500 because that’s the conservative estimate.500 x 13.3 = 6650 ounces or 52 gallons of gasoline. 52 gallons at $3.5 = $182. Add in the cost of 2 cycle mix and the total fuel cost exceeds $200.
Now consider the time it takes to go to a filling station, the hassle of the mix, the flora and fauna destroyed from fuel spills, the odor in your trunk…hooboy, the list goes on. Does anyone say ‘filling station’ anymore?
One last thing – the Li-Ion trimmer is really quiet and anybody (hint, hint) can start it.
That battery is a danged good deal! And now I’m thinking the battery will probably last longer than the trimmer. And now you’re probably wondering if that same battery will run on other Stihl units. Uh-huh.
