For the last couple of years both Trent and I have been using a couple of Stihl battery-powered chainsaws. These have been getting a hell of a workout on the guided trips and recces we’ve been doing through the outback, cutting wood for our nightly fire, clearing fallen timber from tracks in the Victorian High Country, or cutting out overhanging branches in the Gulf Country.
I bought a Stihl MSA200-C saw, while Trent bought the next size up and the biggest in the battery-powered Stihl range, the MSA220-C.
Why did we buy Stihl, when we have used many other brands of electric chainsaw in recent years? Well, they come with an impressive reputation and on our travels around the world they seem to outnumber any other brand used by full-time workers and professionals. And maybe the TV show, Stihl Timbersports, added to the attraction!
Both machines offer the Stihl EC Motor which is extremely energy efficient, lightweight and compact, while it runs quietly and generates very low vibration. Both also have what Stihl calls its Ematic system which consists of an Ematic guide bar, chain and Oilomatic-chain, and a reduced flow-rate oil pump. The special design of the bar and chain causes every drop of chain oil to get to where it is needed for lubrication, with oil consumption being reduced by up to 50 per cent over a standard saw.
There’s also an additional braking system for more safety with the chain not only stopping on kickback, or on active actuation of the front hand guard, but also when you release the rear handle. The overrun of the chain is stopped within seconds and helps protect the user.
One of the things we both like about the Stihl is the chain quick-clamping system which makes tensioning the chain easier and quicker without the requirement of any tools.
The 220 unit features a 35cm bar length, while the smaller unit rates a 30cm bar. The 220 also features a more standard-gauge thickness cutting blade and 3/8-inch pitch, the 200 coming with a thinner gauge blade and a ¼-inch pitch. That thinner blade of the 200 makes it more efficient as it’s shifting less wood, but you can’t get a tungsten blade for it while you can for the 220, something Trent has opted for. I’d also hazard a guess and say that the thinner blade isn’t quite as robust, especially to sideway pressure, than the thicker blade; not that I’ve bent or broken one.
Both saws weigh much the same – 2.9kg – without their batteries and both have the same chain oil capacity of 209 millilitres.
Powering the saws is a 36V lithium-ion battery and while I opted for an AP200 battery, Trent’s choice was an AP300 which weighs about 1.7kg, some 400 grams heavier than the AP200. Both these batteries are the same physical size, but the smaller is rated at 151Wh while the AP300 is rated at 227Wh of usable power.
As far as battery chargers are concerned, I again went for the smallest and bought the AL101 charger which is rated at 1.6amp and 75W. Trent opted for the AL300 charger rated at 290W and which charges his AP300 battery from flat to fully charged in about 65 to 70 minutes. There’s also now a bigger charger, the AL500, rated at a mammoth 570W, ensuring double-quick charging with a flat AP300 battery taking just 35 minutes to reach full charge.
These saws are impressive in the field and what I really loved about them is how easily and quickly they can be brought to the task at hand. No mucking around trying to start it or worrying about petrol and fuel cans.
Even the 200 with the small battery will cut a heap of timber and some surprisingly thick stuff easily and quickly. But the 220 with a longer blade and a bigger battery will cut thicker timber and do it for much longer before a charge is necessary. In fact, on our latest trip to the High Country where we were often stopped on numerous occasions each and every day with fallen timber, we were never once stopped by a flat battery. That also means you can cut a heap of firewood that will last you for days on one charge of the saw’s battery.
Another thing I like about these saws is the lack of noise to the stage that you don’t need to wear ear protection, while in-between cuts there’s no noise from an idling two-stroke engine.Am I impressed? You betcha!
Would I buy the same saw again? Nah! I’d buy the 220 with the bigger battery and a tungsten blade. And the biggest battery charger I could get!
RRP: MSA 200C saw $499; MSA 220C saw $639; AP200 battery $239; AP300 battery $269; AL 101 Charger $69; AL 300 Charger $139; AL 500 Charger $229
AVAILABLE FROM: www.stihl.com.au
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Keyword: Tested: Stihl battery-powered chainsaws