pull starts are good but any will eventually break the pull starter that came on my st-15 broke the first day i had it running i use a yank eliminator and a 12 volt ryobi drill some people say that there bad but iv never had problems with mine the things you have to remember with it is put it on the shaft and then tighten the drill on it then take it off and run it to make sure it doesnt have any wobble that way it wont get misalined and tear up wen you go to start it and if youve run it and it shuts off and you have to start it again always clean the shaft off before you put it on there that way it wont get any dirt in it and finnaly about every 2 weeks or so you will want to clean it out with a paper towell and alcohol and then applay some one way bearing lube because the alcohol will dry up the lube thats already in it thats about it if you do that it works great every time oh and dont forget to keep the batteries charged on the drill if it gets to low it wont be able to start it.