A starter device for an internal combustion engine has a rope pulley and a starter rope wound onto the rope pulley. A rope guide guiding the starter rope from the guide pulley to a rope outlet opening of the starter device is provided. A guide element positioned at the rope outlet opening holds the starter rope in the rope outlet opening. The rope guide has at least one deflection element that is arranged at the rope outlet opening. The deflection element has two tangents which are intersecting each other at an angle of less than 90°. The deflection element has a minimal radius of a length that is longer than a length of a diameter of the starter rope. The starter handle can be positioned relative to the rope outlet opening at different orientations and enables ergonomic starting of the internal combustion engine of a backpack power tool.