Have had an FS38 for about 3 years. Best whipper-snipper I have had. Starts easily, isles and runs well. The system for wrapping the trimmer line is miles better than the Homelite I had previously. I see lots of negative reviews it I am very happy with mine. I recommend.

Never had trimmer issues until getting the fs38. Starting issues, fuel feed issues & stalling when used on an angle. Idle & full throttle seem to be the only options.  It has 'flat spots', wants to stall & does regularly between idle & full throttle. Trimmer head wont stop spinning when throttle released and wont spin fast enough to do a good job unless at full throttle oh and we cant forget the cord feed issues. How this shonky pos is even allowed to stay on the market with all the same issues reported is beyond me.

Had an old Stihl whipper snipper for years but gave it to s friend and decided to upgrade to an fs38..... well big mistake ! Would take 200 pulls to get it to start! Had it for six months and one day i just lost my cool with it and smashed it to pieces!

I rate the brand highly but these things are just crap. Buyer beware !

Depending on which way you hold the unit the motor can lose power and stall. Seems like fuel feed issues but fuel prime bulb is still full of fuel. Motor runs better if throttle is kept running at high speed, Runs at all throttle positions if cutting disc is kept horizontal. Notice that there is no clunk type weighted fuel pick up like a chainsaw would have, so maybe this is the cause?

The new mates rates Stihl products are all produced in China so unfortunatley the quality has gone. The price is what has become important to Stihl Australia, not the old fashioned build quality we became used to in the seventy,s & eighty,s. Not worth the money i paid for it. Apparently if the serial number begins with 8 it is China made.

It was tough to start from day one. Have a total of one hour running time on it and a couple of days later it won't start. Waste of money for a first time Stihl buyer. Real dissappointment. It's going back to the dealer, and I would be interested to see him start it. Yes, I followed the operators manual exactly.

These people don't know how to make engines. I have a 20+ year old strimmer engine that runs perfectly with just gentle servicing, starts first time most of the time. Only issue was the string mechanism is no longer available. These days with this new stuff they strip everything down to the most basic useless plastics that wear out after a few uses like the membrane. Don't touch this make - they couldn't care less. This one failed to start and got harder and harder - despite clean exhaust filter, good spark plug. The membranes in the carb look warped after just 2 years.

Purchased a whipper snipper for my Daughter - so, of course, you purchase the product with the house hold name. Wrong - one week old, after many attempts to start it failed, back to reseller, who advised they had to replace the carbie. This made no obvious difference, as the machine remained almost impossible to start. My daughter threw it in the back of the shed, went to Bunnings and bought a Talon, which, for the past three years, has started first pull every time. Great buy, and less than half of the price!!!!!

Have owned a Stihl fs52 for 29 years It had a curved shaft but rotated ccw.It continued to play up so decided to update to a FS38.Hate the bump feed and the fact that it rotates cw (old habits die hard) otherwise a good machine, starts easy - enough power - keenly priced although not build to last as long as previous earlier models

I note some people have some issues with the Stihl as I have had. Mine was great for some time and then it wouldn't rev up, kept stalling, trouble starting etc. So I did is what I did to my blower some 12 months ago. Undid the small bolt on the exhaust and removed the spark arrestor (like wire mesh that clags up constantly) screwed the exhaust back in and there you go, works like a charm. Those arrestors clag up constantly, not sure why they are there as I never see a spark and I'm doing lawn edges, green lawn edges, nothing to burn.

Like other reviewers I found the Stihl would only perform well when at full throttle. Sometimes you need slower speeds near wire fences or shrubs you do not wish to risk damaging. This machine was not good for that sort of work. I also found that, because of the high working speed, I was using a lot of line. I have solved the problem by taking a trip to the dump. The disappointment was made worse by the exact opposite experience with my Stihl chainsaw - still going strongly after 31 years, many tons of firewood and worn out chains and bars.

Worked more or less OK for a year though line tended to spool off during use. Then repeated problems with starting - did all the checks, but devil of a job to get enough pucrhase on the nut of the spark plug fitting. Took back for repair, cost me £60 and I thought of ditching it then - I should have! Now it starts (eventually!) but wont rev up and power the cutting disk, stays at idling speed. I suppose I cd try adjusting the carb but why the Hell should I - its been used maybe 2 hours since last in the repair shop! Poor design, poor performance. Try another brand! Im about to....