How Long Do Stihl Battery Chainsaws Last?

Stihl has long been one of the most respected names in the arena of powered cutting devices. And if you're in the market for one of the better eco-friendly devices available, you'll almost certainly have a look at those made by Stihl, which now makes a full line of battery-powered chainsaws that are ready for your next big tree-cutting project. But before you run out and drop a Benjamin or five on an electric Stihl chainsaw, you might have a few questions about how long the device will run on its electric power source.

That depends largely on which battery you've equipped the chainsaw with, as well as what chainsaw it's powering. At present, Stihl lists nine different chainsaws on its site over two different power systems, the AK and the AP. There are three AK batteries, including the 10, 20, and 30, which last 18 minutes, 40 minutes, and up to 55 minutes, respectively, depending on the chainsaw they're powering. As for the saws, the AK line includes Stihl's MSA 120 C-B, MSA 140 C-B, MSA 60 C-B, and MSA 70 C-B. 

If you're looking at Stihl chainsaws powered by pro-level AP batteries, the options include the MSA 160 C-B, MSA 200 C-B, MSA 161 T, MSA 220 C-B, MSA 220 T, and TC-Os, as well as the SA 300 and 300 C-O. As for the batteries, there are many more options to choose from, including those in the AP 200, AP 300, AP 500, AP 1000, AP 2000, AP3000, and AP5000 lines.

It should go without saying that runtimes can vary pretty dramatically for the batteries that power Stihl's AP line of chainsaws as well. But according to the company, on a full charge, those power sources can last anywhere between 16 minutes and 300 minutes based on the pairing of the battery and chainsaw. Given the range of runtimes, we'd advise any buyers in the market for a Stihl chainsaw of the AP variety to do a little more digging to see which best suits your needs.

It will likely come as no surprise that charge times can vary as widely as runtimes based on which battery model and which charger you use. Among the AK batteries, charging times for the 10, 20, and 30 require 95 minutes, 180 minutes, and 205 minutes for a 100% charge using the AL101 charger. Those numbers drop to 40 minutes, 50 minutes, and 60 minutes, respectively, if you upgrade to the AL301.

In the AP battery line, charge times vary just as widely between the 200, 300, 500, 2000, and 3000 models, with the AL101 charging the first three to 100% at 200 minutes, 250 to 300 minutes, and 355 minutes, respectively. The AL101 will not charge 2000 and 3000 batteries, which take 150 minutes and 220 minutes to charge on the high-end AL501 charger. And yes, that charger will also greatly reduce charging times on the other AP batteries listed here.