Popular Mechanics honored STIHL with a 2010 Breakthrough Award for the STIHL HSA 65 hedge trimmer, the first product with 36-volt STIHL Lithium-Ion battery-power technology. The HSA 65 was one of only 10 products recognized with a Breakthrough Award which celebrates the “most brilliant innovators and products of the year.” The sixth annual presentation event will be held on Oct. 5 at the Hearst Tower in New York.

 
“We are very proud to receive this distinguished award from Popular Mechanics and honored to take a place with so many of the country’s other top innovators,” said Stephen Meriam, national sales manager for STIHL Inc. “The HSA 65 hedge trimmer is the first product in the STIHL Lithium-Ion platform, and consumers can expect to see additional cordless products next year.”
 
STIHL Inc. launched the HSA 65 in July 2010 and plans in 2011 to introduce additional models including  two string trimmer models in the spring and a chain saw and a blower in the fall. The advanced 36-volt STIHL Lithium-Ion battery technology provides a platform for cordless tools that meets STIHL’s high standard of quality and performance.

The STIHL HSA provides environmentally responsible hedge trimming with professional results. With zero exhaust emissions and reduced noise, it is ideal for use in noise- and emission-sensitive places such as residential areas, public parks, roof gardens, hospitals and municipalities.
 
The candidates and winners for the Breakthrough Awards program were chosen by the editors of Popular Mechanics along with members of the magazine’s editorial board of advisers, which includes astronaut Buzz Aldrin and MIT’s Amy B. Smith, along with contributing editors who reviewed the nominations to help choose the innovators. All year Popular Mechanic’s editors tested hundreds of products in a wide range of categories in order to arrive at the final list for the Breakthrough product awards. 
  
For more information on STIHL and the HSA 65 hedge trimmer, visit www.stihlusa.com.