Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer

Introduction

Compatible with the AK range of batteries, the Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer combines raw power, with a lightness and versatility that you might not expect.

It’s big enough to cope with larger hedges, but small enough to store. This is a brilliant utility hedge trimmer for even tougher jobs.

Design and Features

• Rotating handle
• Compatible with AK batteries
• Only one power mode

As the name suggests, the Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer has a 60cm cutting length. It’s a fine size: long enough to make short work of most jobs, but short enough that the hedge trimmer is easy to handle and store.

As with most of Stihl’s products, this one is made out of high-quality plastic, which is strong and durable but lightweight. Unloaded, the Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer weighs just 3.5kg, with a battery adding around another kilogram in weight.

That’s light for a device such as this, and the weight is well distributed so that the hedge trimmer is comfortable and easy to pick up.

This device uses Stihl’s AK series of batteries, which powers a wide range of the company’s other tools, such as the Stihl RMA 248.3 lawn mower. A 36V system, AK batteries provide plenty of power yet are relatively compact.

Battery life depends on the type of battery that you use: an AK 10 gives up to 70 minutes, an AK 20 (which I had) up to 140 minutes, and an AK 30 up to 175 minutes. For most typical jobs, an AK 20 will do the job.

Each battery has an LED indicator on the back. Hit the button and the lights show the rough charge remaining. With the battery installed in the unit, the indicator faces you, so it’s easy to keep an eye on battery life while cutting a hedge.

I’m a big fan of Stihl’s two-position battery lock, which features in the company’s other tools, such as the Stihl FSA 57 Cordless Grass Trimmer. Fully pushed in, the battery makes contact and the tool is live and ready to use; press the button on the side and the battery pops out into the second position, where it’s locked in place, but doesn’t make contact.

In this second position, you get secure storage, but the tool isn’t live, so it can’t accidentally be triggered. That’s great for storage and transport.

It’s good to see the eyelet on the back, which lets me hang the hedge trimmer up when I am done using it.

There’s also a robust blade cover that slides into place, and locks there. I’ve had hedge trimmers in the past where the guard would fall off once the trimmer was hanging up.

The Controls are intuitive and safe. Both the trigger around the large forward handle, plus the two-part trigger on the main handle have to be depressed to spring the hedge trimmer to life. If either switches are released, the Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer stops working, so it can only be used with two hands.

A common issue with hedge trimmers is that they’re mostly used with the blades turned around, pointing towards the hedge, which involves some tricky hand positioning. With the Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer, there’s no problem, and the handle can rotate 90° in either direction, so you can hold your forward hand more naturally for an easier cut.

And, as the ring handle has the second switch running all around it, the holding position is comfortable with the handle rotated in any direction.

This system really does make a big difference. I found this hedge trimmer far more comfortable to use than any other that I’ve reviewed.

There’s only one full-power mode, and no slower eco mode to extend battery life. Given the long run time, that’s not necessarily a problem.

The blade has teardrop-shaped cutting teeth, designed to bring branches between the blades, neatly covering them, and it can handle branches up to 16mm in diameter.

Performance

• Cuts quickly and efficiently
• Deals with thicker, tougher brances
• Excellent battery life

I found the Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer extremely easy to use. As mentioned above, the rotating handle and lightweight body made it easy to hold the hedge trimmer to tackle the growth at the front of my house.

I started with the hedge, which was quite overgrown. With this kind of growth, the STIHL HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer sliced through the branches quickly and efficiently, working at my pace. At no point did I have to slow down while it slugged through thicker growth.

With the 60cm cutting length, I could quickly deal with large sections of hedge, getting a neat finish to them.

For working on top of the hedge, I found it easy enough to lift the trimmer up. Its length should mean that most hedges can be neatly trimmed side and top easily enough. Deep hedges will benefit from a pole trimmer or a longer-reach hedge trimmer.

My hedge also had sections intertwined with thick blackberry brambles (as pictured below), but the Stihl HSA 60 Battery Hedge Trimmer sliced through these with no problem.

My conifer tree needed some of the smaller branches cutting back and the trimmer easily cut through these without jamming.

Outside, I measured a top loudness of 84 db. In an open space, it’s not that loud (certainly the noise isn’t annoying), and there’s no need to wear ear defenders.

Battery life will depend on the thickness of hedge you cut through, but Stihl’s assessment is about right. My hedge runs for around 25m, and there’s enough power from an AK 20 to tackle the lot on a single charge.

Should you buy it?

FAQs