10 Of The Most Useful Stihl Kombi Attachments

Stihl makes many of its tools in the U.S., with its other factories dotted across the world, from the Philippines to Brazil. The brand is best known in the U.S. and abroad for its professional tools, in particular its chainsaws. However, the company also makes a wide range of other tools, including many that might be particularly useful for keen home landscapers.

Buyers looking to stock up on multiple Stihl tools might want to consider the brand's Kombi system, which allows users to swap multiple attachments between the same power head. The brand offers a broad range of attachments that cover most common home landscaping needs, from trimming grass to blowing leaves from pathways and, unsurprisingly, a pruning chainsaw. Stihl's lineup is always changing, but for now, we think these 10 top picks are among the most useful of the bunch for home landscapers looking to whip their yards into shape.

One of the most reliable ways to get an idea of how useful any tool is going to be is to see what buyers who actually purchased the tool have to say about it. Buyers of Stihl's leaf blower range are largely positive about it, with some of the most common complaints reserved for the brand's gas-powered range. That extra reassurance from existing owners will no doubt be welcome for many buyers, since the brand's tools aren't an insignificant investment. However, the Kombi-compatible BG-KM Blower is one of the cheaper attachments in the range, with a retail price of $149.99.

Its exact specs vary depending on the Kombi power head that it's used with, but Stihl advises that it should offer a peak air speed of anywhere between 121 and 157 mph. That's a little short of the most powerful electric leaf blowers on the market, but it's still enough to deal with all but the most stubborn piles of debris. Since it only weighs 4 pounds, it should remain comfortable to carry around for longer periods, too.

Many of Stihl's tools are appealing because they're capable but straightforward, and the FCS-KM Straight Lawn Edger is no different. It retails for $199.99 and is designed to make edging a lawn as painless a task as possible, with an open guard that stops debris from clogging up the blade's path. Like all Kombi attachments, it can be used with all compatible Stihl Kombi power heads. However, Stihl does not advertise it as being universal-attachment capable, so it's not advisable to use it with power heads from other brands.

The Stihl Edger might not be the cheapest tool in its class, but it's comparably priced to similar tools from other top-rated brands like DeWalt. Like all the attachments here, the most cost-effective way of switching to the Kombi ecosystem is to buy multiple attachments with a single power head. If you're considering buying an individual tool and don't already have a Kombi power head, you'll need to buy one separately. Power heads vary in price between models, but at a minimum, you'll be adding several hundred dollars to your final bill.

There are some yard work tasks that always end up being more enjoyable than others. Even if you're otherwise a keen home landscaper and enjoy most other tasks, it's likely that soil preparation ranks towards the bottom of your preference list. Nonetheless, if a flower bed needs cultivating, or you're looking to spruce up a previously forgotten corner of your yard, you might not have much choice. The Stihl BF-KM Mini Cultivator is a reliable way to make soil preparation less of a chore, with dual tines and a durable guard to protect you from debris.

It retails for $209.99, and can be bought both from Stihl's website and from select national retailers like Ace Hardware. When paired with other attachments such as the brand's brushcutter, it should make creating and maintaining new flower beds or planting areas much less strenuous than using old-school manual tools. Since the tool's gearbox is sealed, there's no need to worry about lubricating the tool either, with the only necessary maintenance being replacing the tines when they wear out.

In our ranking of every major grass trimmer brand, we placed Stihl at the number one spot. The brand scored highly for its wide range of products targeting both professionals seeking the most capable tools and home landscapers looking for a balance of price and power. The FSS-KM String Trimmer falls into the latter category, being less powerful than the brand's toughest trimmers but also notably more affordable, with a retail price of $119.99. That's low enough to make it one of the cheapest priced Kombi attachments on the market. Yet, if you've got awkwardly shaped corners in your yard that a mower struggles to reach, it might just be one of the most useful.

The trimmer offers a 17.7-inch cutting swath, but it only weighs 6 pounds. That makes it not only capable of slicing through larger patches of overgrowth in one go, but also light enough to remain comfortable to use for long periods. The only downside is that some potential buyers have noted on Stihl's website that the trimmer isn't available at all Stihl authorized outlets, so it's worth checking the stock of your retailer of choice online before you go.

Even if you already have a string trimmer, a brushcutter might be a useful addition to your arsenal of tools. A brushcutter can tackle tougher, more overgrown areas of a yard, and comes in particularly useful if you're trying to clear a large area quickly. For home landscapers with pristine, perfectly manicured yards, it won't be necessary, but if you're looking to overhaul an overgrown yard, it may well be worth the investment. Stihl's Kombi-compatible version of the tool is called the FS-KM Brushcutter, and it costs under $120.

It packs a blade with four cutting teeth that can be replaced as needed if they wear out. For most home landscapers, though, even those who have particularly overgrown yards, it won't get used often enough to wear out. It might be one of the less commonly used tools here, at least for most buyers, but as anyone who's cleared even a small overgrown patch of yard with manual tools will know, it can be back-breaking work. Having a brushcutter to slice through overgrowth, even if it's just occasionally, is arguably worth shelling out for.

It might be one of the priciest Kombi attachments, at a retail price of over $350, but the Stihl KW-KM PowerSweep may be a worthwhile purchase for some home landscapers. It's designed to remove debris of all kinds from pathways without scratching the paving surface, and can tackle small stones and water as well as the usual mud and mulch. Stihl says it can also be used to tackle light snowfall, removing it from driveways and paths without the need to bring out the shovel.

It's also capable of removing sand from turf, and can be put to work cleaning liquid spills if necessary. It's a versatile tool, then, even if it is still a pricey one. If you're knee-deep in Stihl tools and want to add another attachment to your arsenal, it's well worth considering, but if you're new to the brand and looking for the essentials only, it can probably be left off your shopping list for now.

Despite being well-known as a chainsaw brand, Stihl didn't fare too well overall in our ranking of the best pole saw brands on the market. It was beaten by rivals, including Makita, Milwaukee, and DeWalt, and lost points because of its limited availability in leading hardware stores compared to the top-rated brands. However, if you're already a Stihl fan, or already shop somewhere where the brand's products are sold, that won't matter.

What will matter is that the brand's HT-KM Pole Pruner offers all the same capability as its other saw products, and it's compatible with the Kombi power head system. It retails for between $199 and $249, depending on whether you prefer a 12-inch blade or a 10-inch blade. Useful features include a side-access chain tensioner and an Oilomatic chain, the latter being a name that should be familiar to owners of the brand's chainsaws. It's designed to prioritize the lubrication of high-wear areas of the chain, with the intention of giving it a longer life than other, rival saws.

Alongside the PowerSweep, another Stihl tool designed to keep pathways clear is the KB-KM Bristle Brush. It features nylon bristles and spins rapidly to disperse dirt and debris much faster than a manual broom could ever hope to. The sweeping head can cover up to 24 inches of pathway at once, making it a useful companion for clearing large stretches in a hurry. It can also clean artificial lawns, although Stihl notes that using it on a real lawn will damage the grass.

Much like the PowerSweep, the Bristle Brush isn't a cheap attachment, retailing for over $300. That's an order of magnitude pricier than a simple manual brush, and also far pricier than Ryobi's similar Expand-It sweeper attachment. Whether it's worth the money is down to personal preference, but if you're willing to spend the cash and are already committed to the Stihl Kombi ecosystem, the bristle brush should come in handy all year round.

Powering through foliage with a brushcutter might be satisfying, but it will leave behind a trail of debris. You might even end up covered in some of that debris, but for areas where precision is needed more than pure power, it might be worth considering the Stihl RG-KM Reciprocator instead. It allows for precise cutting with minimal debris spray, making it a good option for areas that need neat edges but feature tougher foliage than a trimmer would effectively be able to tackle.

The edges of ponds, areas near trees, or banks near paths are just a few areas that might be easier to keep neat with the reciprocator, although its price tag means it will only be a worthwhile purchase for the most dedicated landscapers. At a retail price of $429.99, the reciprocator is the priciest attachment here, and despite it being a potentially very useful addition to many home landscapers' collections, it's too pricey to be a worthwhile purchase for many.

A wide variety of brands offer hedge trimmers, from big-name, professional-grade tools down to entry-level trimmers that are best suited to occasional users. The HL-KM 145 Degree Adjustable Hedge Trimmer will suit even the most demanding home landscapers, with its adjustable head making it a more versatile option than the brand's Kombi-compatible fixed hedge trimmer. Trimming hedges of all shapes and sizes is easier with an adjustable hedge trimmer, and the Stihl trimmer is particularly light too, so it's less strenuous to use over longer periods.

The 20-inch trimmer retails for more than $280, and a 24-inch trimmer is listed as out of stock on the Stihl USA website. Add in the price of a Kombi power head, and this isn't a cheap tool — but then again, none of Stihl's tools are. Buyers pay for the capability and quality associated with the name. With the Kombi attachments, they also pay for the added versatility that comes with having a wide variety of attachments at their disposal.