Jeff Cartwright demonstrates the precision of the HSA 25.Photo: Jill Odom
Stihl is now offering its first battery-powered garden shears, which are designed for precise cutting around ornamental plants.
The HSA 25 garden shears are part of Stihl’s Lightning Battery System and runs two different attachments – a grass blade and a shrub blade. The HSA 25 weighs less than two pounds and can run up to 110 minutes on a single charge.
Photo: Stihl“The HSA 25 is the first Stihl power tool designed for detail-oriented trimming tasks,” Brian Manke, product manager at Stihl. “Its compact design and easy-to-change blade attachments allow users to swiftly switch between trimming projects.”
The dual-action blades have a laser-hardened diamond finish and create clean cuts with 2,000 strokes per minute. The different blades can be interchanged without the need for any tools and the machine has a very low noise output.
The HSA 25 comes complete with the two blades, battery, charger and carrying bag for easy transportation and storage. The complete kit has an MSRP of $119.95
Jeff Cartwright, owner of Cartwright Landscaping based in Richmond, Virginia, demonstrated how the one-handed nature of the tool helped with detail-oriented trimming jobs during GIE+EXPO.
“It’s a tool that you can use it for things you can’t use any other tool,” Cartwright said. “I think it it’s very versatile, very user friendly, awesome price point, very powerful for the task at hand.”
Another product that Stihl has introduced is the TS 440 as the newest member of the company’s Cutquick cut-off machines.
Photo: StihlThe TS 440 is designed to help professionals dealing with difficult cuts such as the bottom portions of walls, cutting in corners or the underside of in-ground pipes made of concrete by extending the guard adjustability.
In order to protect operators from kickback while exposing the top portion of the wheel, Stihl developed the sensor-activated Quickstop wheel break technology that stops the rotation of the cutting wheel if a kickback occurs.
The spindle speed has been reduced by half in order to have smaller wheel break in the machine, but it does boast a higher torque so users can press harder into the cut. One of the disadvantages of the TS 440 is that it is heavier and requires more maintenance, but for the applications where one has limited cutting access with a traditional cut-off machine, the TS 440 can be a useful tool.
“The toughest of cutting operations will be performed more easily than ever before,” said Thomas Techow, a product manager for Stihl.
The TS 440 also has the features other Cutquick machines share such as the electronic water control, which allows for easy water flow adjustment while cutting. It also stops water flow automatically when the machine is idling.
Operator fatigue is reduced with Stihl’s anti-vibration system and the ElastoStart starter handle has a built-in shock absorber that helps reduce the effort when pulling the starter cord.
The MSRP for the TS 440 is $1,279,95.
Stihl has also expanded into the automated mower market with the new iMow RMI 422 P and iMow RMI 632 P. These robotic mowers can handle up to 24 degree slopes and thick, rough grass. Depending on the model used, the machines can handle from ¼ acre to one acre.
The mowers are quiet and have an intelligent charging system so they know how to balance the amount of work they can do with their remaining battery charge before returning to their stations to charge.
iMow RMI 632 PPhoto: Stihl
The iMow has a built-in rain sensor so it knows to go back to the docking station until it is dry again. Users can tell the mower when they want it to work and the machine knows how to compensate for lost time either due to a manually skipped mowing or because of weather.
To protect the iMow from thieves, it comes with a security PIN that prevents a change in settings and can only be reset by a Stihl branch or distributor. The iMow will also stop automatically if it is lifted or tipped over.
The RMI 422 P has a 7.8-inch cutting deck and can cut yards up ¼ acre in 17 hours per week. The RMI 632 P has an 11-inch cutting deck and can cut yards up to one acre in about 40 hours per week.
The MSRP for iMow RMI 422 P is $1,299.95 and is $1,999.95 for the iMow RMI 632 P.
