Are Stihl Battery-Powered Tools Waterproof? Here's What You Need To Know

While Stihl Tools is widely recognized for its gas-operated products, the company has also expanded into the cordless tool market, like most other tool brands. It now offers a range of residential and professional battery-driven outdoor equipment, from lawn mowers to leaf blowers to even chainsaws.

Compared to their gas counterparts, cordless tools are much quieter and more environmentally friendly. They don't need tedious and frequent maintenance either. The downside, though, is that Stihl battery tools (like any other cordless tools out there) don't generally run for the entire day. Your outdoor activities will heavily depend on how long your battery will last, or how many spare fully charged batteries you have on hand.

Besides worrying about the runtime of your Stihl battery chainsaw, hedge trimmer, or what have you, there's the matter of the tool's weather resistance, too. You'll be working outdoors where the tools and their batteries are exposed to the elements. It's natural to be concerned about whether it's okay to use the devices out in the rain.

Fortunately, some Stihl battery-powered tools are waterproof. But the catch is that most of these water-resistant tools aren't exactly meant for residential use and may not be as affordable.

Like major cordless yard tool brands, Stihl's cordless outdoor tools are grouped into three battery systems: AS, AK, and AP. Both the AS and AK systems are ideal for your home landscaping needs, while the AP system is specifically made for professional, heavy-duty use.

As such, Stihl designed the majority of the AP battery tools to better withstand the weather. Except for the edgers and sprayer units, the rest of the equipment belonging to the Stihl AP system is splashproof. This includes some lawn mowers, cut-off machines, pole pruners, chainsaws, and grass trimmer models and all the blowers, hedge trimmers, KombiSystems, wet/dry vacuums, pressure washers, and shredder vacs the company currently offers. The AP batteries are also built with splashproof materials.

All of these devices are rated at IPX4, meaning they're safe against splashing water in every direction. This, however, doesn't make them completely protected against all forms of water exposure. You cannot use an IPX4 tool or battery near water jets or submerge it in a bucket of water; otherwise, it will malfunction or, worse, be permanently damaged.

Other than the AP battery system tools and batteries, Stihl does have a few available splashproof models from the AS and AK battery systems. For the AS system, the RCA 20 Pressure Washer, KOA 20 Cordless Air Inflator, and AS 2 Battery come with the same IPX4 rating. In the AK system, the IPX4 tools include the SEA 60 wet/dry vacuum, RMA 448 V and RMA 348 lawn mowers, REA 60 PLUS pressure washer, and FSA 70 R Trimmer.