On some models- if the shaft is a little loose and pulls away from the power head, it will disengage. Simple adjustment fixes it.
I’m definitely on the the Stihl Bandwagon. Better than anything else that I’ve owned.

I have FS56 trimmer, MS250 saw, and a BR700 backpack blower. Bought the trimmer and saw 6 years ago and the blower 2 years ago. All have been excellent pieces. I do mix my own gas using 100% as well.

I’m not too brand loyal, but I got two new husky weed eaters about 8 years ago when I bought a mower and they’re still going.
Get used hard

Blowers, chainsaws, polesaw, trimmer…love them all. One blower and trimmer are pushing 20 years old and still work great

I've got an ECHO weedeater that is 12 years old.....not a minutes trouble. Never drain the gas....just add a dash of SeaFoam in the fall. My saws are BIG Homelites.McCullochs,Pioneers from the 70's and early 80's. You can still buy Carb. rebuild kits and Points/Condensors for the older ones that don't have electronic ignition. And there is VERY little PLASTIC on these Saws!!

Two things whomever invented the weedeater needs punched in the mouth and this thread has a Square sighting.

I have 12 pcs of Stihl equipment in the barn, mostly chainsaws and trimmers large enough to be classified as Forestry Clearing Saws. In the last year, I have bought 3 saws, 2 large trimmers and one sure enough Forestry Clearing Saw. All Husqvarna. They don't have the same vibration dampening as the Stihl's, so they are a little more tiring at day's end, but they start and run every time. The fatique part also has something to do with me being in my 60's now.

You guys do know they make pump sprayers and roundup don't you? My Echo weed eater is 4 years old and probably doesn't have 1 hour on it. Roundup is my weed eater. It will start on the first or second pull though and runs great. I got a Stihl weed eater for a wedding gift years ago. Used it nearly one season and the carb needed to be replaced. Never saw ethenal gas either. My Stihl saw is a beast though.

Always have had good luck with them. I have a very old weed eater and a very old saw I have had several people try to buy from me. I guess I lucked out and bought really good models/year. The saw is a top handle commercial arborist saw I use more than anything else. It is light, balanced and cuts good. You can swing that thing around like a light Sabre lol but gotta be very very careful or more than wood will get cut.

I got one of the new stihl chainsaws the chinese carb didn't last 6 months but at least it was cheap to replace.

If it wasn’t a commercial stihl then the shaft is a flexible “rod” for lack of a better word. That’s about the only thing that can break. Commercial models have a solid shaft. As far as getting away from stihl and getting another brand. Good luck. I have quite a bit of stihl equipment new and old never had a minutes trouble out of any of it.

I bought a T302 Shindiawa. We will see how long it lasts.

I looked at my Stihl Receipt. The weed eater was exactly 3yrs old. The engine runs fine. I just broke the link inside the shaft somewhere I assume cause the head quit turning. I will look at YouTube to fix it and then sale it. It should not have broke. Bad design I guess. It was a little cheap FS56 but non the less, I didn't abuse it. Their new stuff is not great. Their blowers and saws are decent. Commercial Shindiawa or Stihl is still my only choices. Red Max is good I hear.

Stihl has also made me lot of money over the years . Company i work for owns a stihl dealership in Florence. We have a 261, 461, an 250 pole saw in work truck. The 250 two stroke is a weed eater that we put a polesaw head on it . The 4 stroke polesaw won t hold up for us in woods. Valves need adjusted all the time. The carbs off eBay work pretty good on stihl products if u don t run non ethanol gas an let it sit up for awhile an it gums up. I have replaced lots of carbs for $13 . Word of advice : some of the smaller saws have a non adjustable carb an they are not very dependable.most saws have a number like MS261 on side plate . Don t get one that says MSC261. Have hook laptop to carb to adjust for a $50 fee. Any older saw like the farm boss models, the magnum 44 an 440 are almost indestructible if u keep air filter clean. U can buy crank bearings , piston an cyclinder cheap off eBay to rebuild any these saws. I do it all the time .

I had the same problem you are having, after taking it apart I found out the clutch was not engaging, after a little lubrication and a wire brush to knock of some rust off, it started working fine again. This was on a fs130. I’ve been interested in trying a redmax weed eater next. I have a redmax blower and am amazed at the power

It’s a coil like shaft. Take about 30 seconds to fix. Commercial lawn equipment is the only way to go unless you like working on stuff. It’s stihl first and then echo for me. B

If you looked in my magic box of tools..youd see all different brands..because they all do one thing better than another….stihl doesnt make a great weedeater…they make an excellent chainsaw..as oong as its purty big…echo is all i weed eat with..and all i will use