STIHL AK Vs AP Batteries: What's The Difference?

When you look across the vast landscape of battery-powered tools, every single company has its own battery systems. These systems allow tool owners to use the same battery on a variety of different tools, relieving them of needing to constantly buy new batteries. Ryobi has its 18V ONE+, 40V, and 80V systems, while DeWalt has 12V, 20V, 60V, and 120V systems. It's helpful when a brand labels its systems by the battery's voltage, but not everyone does that. Some just have different names, leaving it to the customer to figure out which system is right for them. STIHL is one of these companies.

STIHL offers three different battery systems for its products: AS, AK, and AP. AS is the easiest to decipher. This system is primarily for STIHL's smaller, handheld tools like small pruners or handheld vacuums. It's when you get to the AK and AP battery systems that things become a bit more challenging to distinguish. Both of these systems are used mostly for larger battery-operated tools, like push lawn mowers, chainsaws, or large hedge trimmers. The difference is that AK batteries are meant for models made more for your average homeowner needing to handle tools like this, and AP batteries — short for ALLPRO — are the ones designed for professionals. While they serve similar products, AK and AP batteries aren't interchangeable. STIHL produces versions of each tool to accommodate each battery system. For instance, AK batteries will work on STIHL RMA lawnmowers with 348, 448, and 460 model numbers, but AP batteries are needed for RMA models 453, 510, 756, 765, and 7. They really are for made for separate markets.

The operational differences between the STIHL AK and AP battery systems are quite stark. Not only do you see massive differences in how long these batteries can last, but AP battery-powered tools are significantly more expensive than AK battery-powered ones. For an example, let's compare each system's least expensive push lawnmower models.

The STIHL RMA 348 lawnmower comes in a set with one AK 30 S battery with an AL 101 charger. With that battery, you can expect about 47 minutes of runtime on a single charge with a maximum area capacity of roughly 275 square meters. The STIHL RMA 453 lawnmower set comes with an AP 500 S battery and an AL 301 charger. This setup can run for approximately 93 minutes on a single charge to cover up to 540 square meters. Basically, an AP model can work longer than an AK. For your average suburban homeowner, those AP battery specs are totally unnecessary. Then there's the price. That RMA 348 set goes for $399.99, including the battery and charger. Meanwhile, the RMA 453 total set retails at a whopping $1,199.99. The most expensive AK-powered mower, the RMA 448 V set, is still $500 less.

These disparities are across the board. The least expensive leaf blower sets for each system — the AK 20-powered BGA 50 and AP 300 S-powered BGA 86 — sell for $199.99 and $609.99, respectively, with the BGA 86's maximum runtime of 150 minutes beating the 50's by 35 minutes. STIHL has a lot of cool products to add to your garage, but make sure you're getting the best models for your needs.