Stihl HSA 94T review

EE Day & Sons kindly lent me a demo Stihl HSA 94T and AR1000 battery to have a play with. And what an awesome machine! I wish the 30fps of the video didn't make the blade speed appear so slow, but at 5000 cuts per minute, these things are faster and smoother than any machine - cordless/petrol/240v - that I"ve ever used. Pretty light weight, well balanced and well built, they're an impressive bit of kit. Not what I"d call cheap at $750 plus battery/charger/battery adapter but I"d take them every time before a petrol machine.

[@b0ris360]

Thanks for the review. You explained a lot of the differences between the machines that are not clear on the Stihl website.

[@bulldogboy3127]

Great review cobber. I bought the 86 trimmer a few years ago but am after something with higher blade speed for diosma's etc. Going to buy the 94t this arvo. Never going back to petrol. For my health and the planet's.

[@quedecree]

Cheers Bulldog Boy. The little one does ok on diosmas providing the blades are nice and sharp. Otherwise they’re like cutting hair with blunt scissors!

[@50450720]

Good review, very helpful.

[@derekgrimes6544]

Thanks for the video, if the hedge trimming picks up more I might consider a hsa 94 r for the autumn. I couldn't afford more than one machine for the time being so that would have to reach far enough I guess..

[@briansmallshaw7243]

Good review. I want one.

[@mikelee3016]

It’s all good when the blades are brand new.

[@bigdonkeyballs6041]

Same as all hedge trimmers hey buddy

[@TheFullyChargedGardener]

😀 Great review 😀👍🏻

[@thomasl.4349]

Both of ye are bloody awesome at your reviews

[@brendanbarker2095]

good review, just went and brought one to replace my Honda HHH25 which weighs about 7kgs, its too heavy for me as I have alot of hedges to look after.

[@quedecree]

The days of two/four stroke hedge trimmers are definitely numbered. Cheers.

[@DunningsMillLawnCare]

Can you use the al500 quick charger in the backpack battery or is there a separate battery?

[@quedecree]

Matt, both the AL300 and AL500 are the recommended chargers for the AR series of batteries. No other chargers are listed for the backpack batteries. Cheers - J.

[@chip7646]

Have you used the kma 130r with the backpack? If so what were the run times like

[@quedecree]

Sorry Tim, but I haven't used the 130r. Even with the 94T, I really didn't have it long enough to get a handle on how long the backpack battery would last.

Great! 👍 ✌

[@chip7646]

Have you used the hsa 94 off a ladder? Looking at getting one but worried about the difficulties of moving a ladder with a backpack, trimmer and cord.

[@quedecree]

Hi Tim. Briefly, yes. I seem to remember having to disconnect the unit everytime I moved the ladder which was a bit of a pain. Stability is ok as I use a platform stepladder with a waist high railing that helps with any of the trimmer/harness combo's.

[@mattcastelli150]

Nice review, very impressive bit of kit. Been keeping an eye on the battery gear for the last year or so and looking to upgrade in the future. In the next 5-10 years they will out do the petrol equipment.

[@quedecree]

Cheers Matt. I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've fired up the petrol machines in the last 12 months since owning the battery stuff. This morning I was cutting the tops of some cypress 'domes/pencils' where I was dealing with 2-3yo growth - I aimed the HSA94's at some branches about 15mm thickness - hardly slowed them down. They chewed it a bit before it actually got through it but I'm pretty sure my Shindaiwa's or Stihl KM130's wouldn't have been any faster. Shame I had to give these back :) Although having to unplug the machine every time I moved a ladder was a little inconvenient.

[@MrGardener18]

i been look for a review of this machine i am very tempted but its just the prices. thanks for putting it up very helpful to see it in action ps have you tried any of the pellenc tools?

[@quedecree]

Cheers! Sorry but I haven't seen any pellenc gear around here or heard any reports that I can recall. The Husqvarna gear is also excellent.

[@mugget]

I've used the Pellenc gear, it's bloody awesome! Their big focus seems to be on ergonomics and operator comfort. Pole hedgers will always be awkward, but their hedge trimer and blower are fantastic, I would love to have them! Of course you need to use the backpack batteries with all the Pellenc tools as well, I'd prefer to have stand alone machines but taking the battery weight out of the tool really help keep it all really light as well. Currently have all the Husky gear.

[@outandabout100]

very nice

[@billystewart91]

Thanx for a great review, looks an awesome machine power wise but, for anything that requires reach, a pole hedger would be far more comfortable. ATM, I have the hla65&85 which I find great but, they dont have that kind of power.

[@darrengarlough5121]

I would like to know how thick of material they would cut?

[@quedecree]

Bit of a tricky one, that. If you can get it between the blades, they'll gnaw their way through it - if it's green and not overly hard. They should be able to chew their way through a 25mm branch (again, depending on how hard it is). But, if you pointed them at a whole hedge of material like that, I think you would quickly destroy the gearbox - I think that would be true of any hedge trimmer. I have destroyed gearboxes and clutches of petrol machines cutting 2-3 year old growth on cypress which on average may have been 15mm thickness. If it's much over little finger thickness, and there's a lot of it, I fire up the chainsaw (and sometimes use a hedging attachment fixed to the chain bar).

[@iginio3G]

Stihl backpack battery packs AP3000 with with hedge trimmer for all day ( morning to night)

[@5555kipje]

And what's about the ap2000 howlong does that one go?

[@chip7646]

Do you find the backpack cumbersome or heavy after a days work? Have you tried the AP300 battery with the 94t?

[@quedecree]

I probably only used it for a few hours and can't recall it being a problem. I didn't have the attachment/adapter to try it with the AP300. This was a demo unit that I only had for a few days - couldn't quite justify buying one at the time.

[@bigdonkeyballs6041]

They work fine with the 300 batteries, I'm running both the 94t and 94r using the AP300S, can run them almost all day without charging them

[@cloudwalk4566]

My only problem is that the backpack battery costs a fortune, but maybe.... someday ..Good review tho, thanks !!

[@integratian3927]

Who are you going to call? GHOSTBUSTERS! That's what comes to mind when you wear a backpack of batteries. lol

[@kurt.wilkinsongardendesign]

If Stihl made their pole trimmers with these speed options I would consider them. The husky li536he3 is superior in my opinion. No cords, no back back.

[@quedecree]

I use the Husky's on pretty much every job atm and would agree they're the best tool so far for my job. I was however, and still am, very tempted by the 94T's. Stihl have brought out the long combi version of this - I haven't tried them yet. I don't need the capacity of the backpack battery - I get 2 - 4 hours out of the std batteries and that's heaps for me. If I needed to use an electric blower or brushcutter for several hours each day, then the backpack battery would be very handy.

[@quedecree]

@Ki Thomas I was referring to the longer pole Husky's - and for 90% of my work, the longer reach, better balance and not having to bend down to prune low stuff wins out over any of the shorter hedge cutters like these Stihls. I also have the HL65's and 85's in the Stihl. The Husky have a better gearbox (proper bearings) and are smoother to use overall. But you pay a few hundred extra bucks for that and while the Stihls' are a bit more 'clattery' in the gearbox and not as nice to use, they still represent very good value for money.

[@kurt.wilkinsongardendesign]

@@quedecree have you had any problems with your husky li536he3. I have bought 3 so far and they are the best trimmer, although the 2 most recent have been problematic. My original one that is 10months old, which I have pushed very hard, is still going strong. 10% to 20% more torque would be all i could want for it to be perfect, and for Husky to secure the motor better. The main difference between the stihl pole and the husky pole is about 20% more rpm for the husky which I a sure your aware of.

[@kurt.wilkinsongardendesign]

@@quedecree the 94t is tempting but the ergonomics are all wrong. I as you presumably, trim hedges all day everyday and this design is only suitable for hedges and topiaries at waste height. I love the specs but unfortunately power equipment companies dont know what is best for the end user. If they only put this motor in their pole hedge trimmer I would buy it in a heart beat.

[@kurt.wilkinsongardendesign]

@@quedecree the battery stihl kombi does not look like a winner. Sure it is less noisy than the petrol but the vibration of a drive shaft and the extra couple of kilos means it is not an option I would ever consider.

[@adailsongeraldodasilva8634]

Não tendi.