5 Battery-Powered Stihl Chainsaws For Your Next Big Lumber Project
When it comes to chainsaws, one company stands above the rest. Stihl is the best-selling chainsaw brand, and it has been rated as the best chainsaw brand by a variety of different publications, including SlashGear. The German company has been around for nearly 100 years, so they have had plenty of time to corner this particular market and make some terrific products.
Traditionally, chainsaws are powered by gas. Just as you would with a lawnmower or a generator, you would normally have to pour in your gas and rev up the chainsaw, but as technology evolves and the desire to use less fossil fuels in our lives increases, many power tool companies have started to put out chainsaws that don't run on gas. Instead, they run on batteries, as so many other power tools do. Not only do these chainsaws have environmental benefits, but they are also quieter, more portable, and are able to start instantly. Naturally, Stihl has gotten in on the action.
If you are someone who finds yourself working with a chainsaw quite often and want to make a change to the battery-powered variety, here are five different Stihl brand chainsaws you should consider purchasing based on your needs. These five chainsaws will give you a wide range of applications and prices for what lumber project you might have next.
MSA 70 C-B
For a good number of people, the only reason they have a chainsaw in their garage or toolshed is that they need it for general yard maintenance, like trimming the hedges in their backyard. Also, depending on where they live, the wintertime could come along to make them want to chop up some firewood in order to keep warm. Though it may not get weekly use, they still need to have a relatively inexpensive — but reliable and effective — chainsaw in their stable of tools to accomplish this.
If this is how you see yourself using a chainsaw, then the Stihl battery-powered chainsaw you should pick up is the MSA 70 C-B. This is the company's second-most affordable battery-powered chainsaw they offer, retailing for $369.99. It should be noted that this price also comes with the AL 101 charger and an AK 30 battery, which allows this particular chainsaw to run up to 45 minutes. The chainsaw is also available at $319.99 if you want to purchase it by itself, but you'll still have to get a charger and battery for it, though you may opt for a cheaper, less powerful option.
With an AK 30 battery in place, this chainsaw is only 9.3 pounds, making it very easy to carry around and use. Using a chainsaw can be a bit of an exhausting task, so having that lightweight feel allows your stamina to keep up. The less expensive MSA 60 C-B is also a good option, though its best performance is with the less powerful AK 20 battery.
MSA 160 C-B
The uses of a chainsaw extends far beyond basic yard work for a good deal of people. There are those who take on larger scale lumber work that requires a substantial amount of solid wood. This could either be for professional purposes or amateurs who just enjoy home woodworking. Depending on your environment, you could also find yourself in need of a chainsaw after a particularly hellacious storm for cleanup purposes. If that is the case, the cheaper Stihl chainsaw mentioned above may not cut it.
This is where you move up to the battery-powered Stihl MSA 160 C-B, which is still a fairly lightweight chainsaw at 11.7 pounds but is able to handle a good deal of heavy duty work. Unfortunately, you are going to be seeing a large spike in price for this chainsaw. The machine itself is actually only $10 more than the MSA 70 C-B, but the two use different battery systems. The MSA 160 C-B uses Stihl's AP battery system, rather than the AK, so if you were to purchase this chainsaw with the recommended AP 300 S battery and the AL 301 charger, you are looking at $739.99. With this battery, you are going to be getting up to 62 minutes of use, which is a good time if you are someone working on larger projects. Lower level and cheaper AP batteries are also available, but for the best usage, Stihl recommends that AP 300 S.
MSA 220 C-B
Out of all of Stihl's battery-powered chainsaws, the MSA 220 C-B is by far the one with the most user reviews on its website. For many companies, this would be because dissatisfied customers want to head to the source and let the company know how much they do not enjoy the product they purchased. In the case of this chainsaw, however, it is the exact opposite, as this has a 4.7 star rating out of five with about 84% of them being five-star reviews.
It makes sense why the MSA 220 C-B would be the chainsaw people have most gravitated towards, being essentially the perfect midpoint among Stihl's battery-operated chainsaw line. In terms of overall design, it falls right in line with the previously covered chainsaws, but this one has a bit more heft at 12.2 pounds, making it good for felling and limbing. Like the MSA 160 C-B, this uses the AP battery system, and with the recommended AP 300 S, you will get up to 40 minutes of usage on a single charge.
Once again, we see a price hike, as the chainsaw itself retails for $409.99. A package with the AP 500 S battery and the AL 500 charger goes for $979.99, a number that can make it a rather daunting purchase for a more casual chainsaw user. The MSA 220 C-B also comes with an option for a 14-inch or 16-inch guide bar.
MSA 161 T
The three previous chainsaws recommended are all good choices for professionals and amateurs alike, but Stihl recommends these next two to only professional arborists and landscapers should really be using. They are also both chainsaws with a top handle, rather than one in the back with a guide handle on top. The first of these chainsaws is the Stihl MSA 161 T. In terms of weight, this is the lightest chainsaw on the list yet, only weighing 7.5 pounds even with a battery attached. Its light weight and top handle make for great usage maneuvering through trees for pruning. Plus, its guide bar is only 12 inches long, adding to is compact nature.
We also get to come down a little bit in price with the MSA 161 T. Alone, the chainsaw costs $449.99, and in a package featuring the recommended AP 200 battery and AL 301 charger, it is only $749.99. For a tool designed for professional use, that is quite reasonable, particularly compared to the consumer-grade MSA 220 C-B mentioned above. This battery will get you up to 42 minutes of sawing time, and if you want to get a higher grade battery from Stihl's AP system for longer usage, you can do that as well. For professionals, this is a decently priced, efficient, and easy-to-use battery-powered chainsaw.
MSA 220 TC-O
If you are a serious professional working with lumber on a consistent basis who wants to make the switch over from gas-powered to chainsaws to battery-powered ones, the most obvious option in the Stihl lineup is the MSA 220 TC-O. In terms of the parts that this chainsaw uses, it basically ports over everything from the company's gas-powered products, be it the 3/8-inch Picco chain or the Rollomatic E and E Light guide bars. The only major difference is that this one runs on a battery with zero emissions.
Weighing 10 pounds, this is still a pretty light chainsaw, but it is the most powerful battery-powered chainsaw Stihl makes with a top handle. It's so powerful that it can only get up to 29 minutes of usage with the use of AP 300 S battery. This also means that this is the most expensive chainsaw on the list, as the package with that battery and the AL 301 charger will run you $1,029.99. Even without those two things, the chainsaw still retails for $609.99. Once again, this is a chainsaw made for professional arborists and landscapers, not for casual use.
Why were these five chainsaws chosen?
Stihl offers eight different battery-powered chainsaws total. In order to narrow that list to five, editorial choices were made to best represent the different varieties of sizes, prices, and applications with which the company's chainsaws could be used. Customer reviews were also used as deciding factors if two chainsaws occupied somewhat similar places within Stihl's product line.
No matter what your needs are for a chainsaw are, Stihl probably has one that will meet them. If your top priority is to reduce emissions, the company has certainly provided a good number of options, both mentioned here and not. If none of these are to your liking, there are a number of high-quality electric chainsaws out there as well.