At a glance
I’ve had five different petrol strimmers leaning against my shed wall at various points this year, which is more than any one plot needs but does mean I’ve got a fair picture of how they stack up against each other now the season’s calming down. Putting them side by side rather than one at a time changes how you judge them, the small annoyances stand out more and the genuine strengths stop looking like a fluke.
Three of these are full-size 52cc machines built for brambles and proper overgrowth, and two are lighter line trimmers built for tidier, more regular jobs. They’re not really competing for the same buyer, but if you’re trying to work out which category you actually need, having all five in front of you helps more than reading about one at a time.
How I tested these. Every machine here got at least a full season’s worth of use on my own plot, line and blade where fitted, including a proper run at brambles, nettles and overgrown edges, not just a quick once round a tidy lawn.
Quick verdict summary
All 5 petrol strimmers ranked
Out of the three full-size 52cc machines, this is the one with the most pull through actual brambles and saplings, and the harness is the most comfortable of the whole batch, a proper chest and shoulder design with a hip pad rather than a basic strap. It’s also the noisiest of the three, and the spec sheet contradicts itself on weight and power, so read the small print with a pinch of salt.
Both the line head and the 3 tooth blade come included, the shaft is a chunky 28mm with a 9 splined drive shaft, and nothing on mine has worked loose after a full season of proper use.
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This is the heaviest of the lot at 9.1kg, and you feel every bit of it on a long session, but it’s also the one I’d reach for on the worst patch of the plot, the back corner where nettles and brambles fight back hardest. The harness took me a good evening to get set up properly the first time, which is the main thing holding the overall score back.
Line and blade both come included, the line head turns the opposite way to the blade nut, which catches people out, and the cutting width printed on the box doesn’t match the figure given in the manual itself.
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This is the only one of the five that comes with a third head on top of line and blade, a steel wire brush for moss and crusted dirt rather than growth. It’s also got the cheapest feeling build of the three 52cc machines, and the company’s own marketing copy disagrees with its own instruction leaflet on the fuel ratio, which is the kind of thing that should never need a reader to work out for themselves.
Both the line head and blade tighten the same direction on this one, which is simpler than juggling two different thread directions, and for what you actually get included, it’s the strongest value score of the whole batch.
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At 25.4cc and 5.7kg this sits well below the three full-size machines, but it’s the only one of the two lighter trimmers here that still takes a metal blade alongside the line head, which makes it the more flexible of the pair if you’ve got the occasional patch of brush rather than a full plot of brambles.
The single strap harness is the odd one out among the heavier machines, fine given how light this one is, and the full crank engine is genuinely a step up from the cheaper half crank engines you find on a lot of budget machines this size. Build consistency was the weakest mark, the others all scored higher there.
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This is the lightest machine here by a clear margin at 4.2kg, and the loop handle means it never takes a blade at all, line only, so it’s the most honestly entry-level tool of the five rather than trying to be more than that. The tank is tiny next to the others too, a fraction of what the 52cc machines hold.
Tap the head on the ground and it feeds more line out on its own, which works well enough day to day, though line feed reliability was the lowest single score across the whole batch. If all you need is grass and edges rather than brush, it’s still a perfectly sensible starting point.
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Head to head comparison
| Model | Engine | Weight | Heads | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUXTEC FX-PS152 | 52cc | 7.5 to 8.5kg | Line, blade | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hyundai HYBC5200X | 52cc | 9.1kg | Line, blade | 4.0 / 5 |
| BU-KO 52cc 3-in-1 | 52cc | 8.5kg dry | Line, blade, wire brush | 3.7 / 5 |
| Mitox 26L-SP | 25.4cc | 5.7kg | Line, blade | 3.7 / 5 |
| Stihl FS 38 | 27.2cc | 4.2kg | Line only | 3.6 / 5 |
What to look for when buying
Engine size is the first thing to settle in your own head before you look at a single review. The three 52cc machines here will all go through brambles and saplings with the blade fitted, while the two lighter ones are built around the line head first, with the Mitox still managing a blade for the odd thicker patch and the Stihl not taking one at all because of its loop handle. If your plot has proper brambles rather than tidy grass, that decision matters more than any single score on this page.
Weight only tells half the story without knowing the harness that comes with it. A full chest and shoulder harness like the ones on the Hyundai and the FUXTEC spreads the load properly over a long session, while a single strap, like the one on the Mitox, is less of an issue once the machine itself is light enough not to need it. Tank size varies more than I expected too, from the Stihl’s tiny third of a litre up to a full 1.2 litres on every 52cc machine here, which has a real effect on how often you’re stopping to refuel on the smaller end of this group.
Modern UK pump petrol and 2-stroke engines don’t always agree. The increased ethanol content in regular unleaded can damage a carburettor on fuel that’s sat mixed for too long, an ethanol-shield additive or oil is worth using on any of these, not just the one whose own manual happens to mention it.
Fuel mix sits at 40 to 1 across every machine here, with the BU-KO’s own marketing copy disagreeing with its own instruction leaflet on that point, and both the BU-KO and the FUXTEC suggesting a richer 25 to 1 mix for the first tank or two to bed the engine in. Worth checking your own machine’s leaflet rather than assuming the ratio printed on the box is the final word, given how often that’s turned out not to be the case across this batch.
Noise and operating hours barely get a mention across most of these manuals, which surprised me, only the Mitox spells out anything like a sensible operating window, generally 8am to 5pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm at weekends. None of the others give a figure at all, which says more about inconsistent paperwork across the whole category than about any one brand being careless.
Final verdict and recommendations
For brambles and proper overgrowth: the FUXTEC FX-PS152. The engine has the most pull of the three 52cc machines and the harness is the one I’d actually want to wear for a long session.
For the biggest, toughest plot: the Hyundai HYBC5200X. It’s the heaviest here and the harness takes some setting up, but nothing’s matched it for getting through the worst corner of the plot.
For getting the most attachments for your money: the BU-KO 52cc 3-in-1. Three heads rather than two, at the strongest value score of the whole batch.
For a lighter machine that still takes a blade: the Mitox 26L-SP. Noticeably easier to carry than any of the 52cc machines without giving up the option of clearing brush.
For tidy edges and regular grass with nothing more demanding: the Stihl FS 38. Light, simple, and honest about what it is rather than pretending to be something heavier duty.
The FUXTEC FX-PS152 is the strongest all rounder of the five, but the right answer here genuinely depends on the size of your plot. Buy to the job in front of you, not the biggest number on the spec sheet.
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