Keep it out of the dirt.
Battery powered chainsaw
- Thread starter kenmac
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Bill Guenthner
Platinum Member
Really? Every day? I have 52 acres and 45 of it is wooded, and I use a chainsaw about 10, maybe 15 days of the year. Are you clear cutting it?
ArlyA
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Let me be a Debbie downer here. 40 minuets is not long.... Not even to the first break.
Bill Guenthner
Platinum Member
If you’re getting sparks from the bar/chain you’re hitting rocks or nails.
rcalhoun
New member
I have a Stihl MSA 160 (12" bar, pico chain) that I bought in 2012. When I asked the guys at the tractor store how customers liked it, they said "don't know, you'd be the first". It was a new product back then and it was clear the guys at the store though I was nuts for paying 2x the price of a 16" two-stroke but I don't have a garage and didn't want to stink up the basement, so I gritted my teeth about the price and bought it.
Boy I am glad I did! Ten years later, I still love this chainsaw. Obviously this would not be the chainsaw Paul Bunyan would pick, but it has been a champ for what I do: cutting down buckthorn trees (up to 8-9"), dead ash trees, chopping up storm damaged limbs in the yard, etc. It's true you don't get as much runtime as you would with gas, but since I am usually in the position of dragging whatever I cut out to somewhere where can get chipped up, it is a rare day when the battery (AP160 = 4.4 A-hr @ 36V) runs out of juice before I do. It's a pleasure to have it be silent when it isn't actively cutting (I am usually following up with a herbicide application, so there's a lot of non-cutting time) and it's not *too* loud when it is. (I do still wear earplugs.)
Batteries make a big difference with these products. The AP160 battery is great: well-engineered, works in cold weather, holds a charge well when not in use. This saw is always ready to go. Stihl was running a rebate program that got a me a free grass trimmer and AP80 battery with my overpriced saw. The AP80 is the same form factor as the AP160 but can deliver only half the current, that just doesn't cut it (literally); the runtime is so short with the AP80 it's not even worth carrying it around as a backup. I agree with the concerns about the increasingly disposable nature of tools and am glad to see Stihl is still supporting this model and even has upgraded batteries. I also appreciated the discussion on standardizing on a particular line of batteries if you can. I love this chainsaw, but it does means I have battery and charger just for it (the trimmer being worthless.) Everything else I have is 20V DeWalt. DeWalt's tools are good but I don't think much of their battery electronics; I've had two brand-new DeWalt 20V batteries that refused to take a charge until I (following the advice of crazy people on the internet) short-circuited them briefly, which astonishingly enough fixes them. I wish I'd standardized on Milwaukee cordless tools since I hear nothing but praise for them, but I'm too far down the DeWalt road to switch at this point.
Not really negatives so much as "usage notes" on the MSA 160: First, the kerf is very narrow so it's easy for the to chain can get caught if you don't support your cut correctly. A few times I've done something stupid with a cut and gotten the bar trapped. I always worry I've damaged it since it's thinner than the bar on a regular chainsaw, but it seems fine. Second, keeping the chain sharp is even more important with battery-powered chainsaws than with gas ones. I had to use magnifying glasses to sharpen the tiny teeth on this saw, result being that I rarely did it. I've been doing a much better job since buying the sharpening tool shown above (part number 5605 750 4306). It makes a HUGE difference in how many cuts you get from one battery charge. Third, let it get up to full speed (2-3 seconds) before starting the cut. Oh and don't try to cut down 30" oak trees with it.
Rob
Boy I am glad I did! Ten years later, I still love this chainsaw. Obviously this would not be the chainsaw Paul Bunyan would pick, but it has been a champ for what I do: cutting down buckthorn trees (up to 8-9"), dead ash trees, chopping up storm damaged limbs in the yard, etc. It's true you don't get as much runtime as you would with gas, but since I am usually in the position of dragging whatever I cut out to somewhere where can get chipped up, it is a rare day when the battery (AP160 = 4.4 A-hr @ 36V) runs out of juice before I do. It's a pleasure to have it be silent when it isn't actively cutting (I am usually following up with a herbicide application, so there's a lot of non-cutting time) and it's not *too* loud when it is. (I do still wear earplugs.)
Batteries make a big difference with these products. The AP160 battery is great: well-engineered, works in cold weather, holds a charge well when not in use. This saw is always ready to go. Stihl was running a rebate program that got a me a free grass trimmer and AP80 battery with my overpriced saw. The AP80 is the same form factor as the AP160 but can deliver only half the current, that just doesn't cut it (literally); the runtime is so short with the AP80 it's not even worth carrying it around as a backup. I agree with the concerns about the increasingly disposable nature of tools and am glad to see Stihl is still supporting this model and even has upgraded batteries. I also appreciated the discussion on standardizing on a particular line of batteries if you can. I love this chainsaw, but it does means I have battery and charger just for it (the trimmer being worthless.) Everything else I have is 20V DeWalt. DeWalt's tools are good but I don't think much of their battery electronics; I've had two brand-new DeWalt 20V batteries that refused to take a charge until I (following the advice of crazy people on the internet) short-circuited them briefly, which astonishingly enough fixes them. I wish I'd standardized on Milwaukee cordless tools since I hear nothing but praise for them, but I'm too far down the DeWalt road to switch at this point.
Not really negatives so much as "usage notes" on the MSA 160: First, the kerf is very narrow so it's easy for the to chain can get caught if you don't support your cut correctly. A few times I've done something stupid with a cut and gotten the bar trapped. I always worry I've damaged it since it's thinner than the bar on a regular chainsaw, but it seems fine. Second, keeping the chain sharp is even more important with battery-powered chainsaws than with gas ones. I had to use magnifying glasses to sharpen the tiny teeth on this saw, result being that I rarely did it. I've been doing a much better job since buying the sharpening tool shown above (part number 5605 750 4306). It makes a HUGE difference in how many cuts you get from one battery charge. Third, let it get up to full speed (2-3 seconds) before starting the cut. Oh and don't try to cut down 30" oak trees with it.
Rob
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Very good point in that a little thought when cutting can go a long way.I have a Stihl MSA 160 (12" bar, pico chain) that I bought in 2012. When I asked the guys at the tractor store how customers liked it, they said "don't know, you'd be the first". It was a new product back then and it was clear the guys at the store though I was nuts for paying 2x the price of a 16" two-stroke but I don't have a garage and didn't want to stink up the basement, so I gritted my teeth about the price and bought it.
View attachment 742896
Boy I am glad I did! Ten years later, I still love this chainsaw. Obviously this would not be the chainsaw Paul Bunyan would pick, but it has been a champ for what I do: cutting down buckthorn trees (up to 8-9"), dead ash trees, chopping up storm damaged limbs in the yard, etc. It's true you don't get as much runtime as you would with gas, but since I am usually in the position of dragging whatever I cut out to somewhere where can get chipped up, it is a rare day when the battery (AP160 = 4.4 A-hr @ 36V) runs out of juice before I do. It's a pleasure to have it be silent when it isn't actively cutting (I am usually following up with a herbicide application, so there's a lot of non-cutting time) and it's not *too* loud when it is. (I do still wear earplugs.)
Batteries make a big difference with these products. The AP160 battery is great: well-engineered, works in cold weather, holds a charge well when not in use. This saw is always ready to go. Stihl was running a rebate program that got a me a free grass trimmer and AP80 battery with my overpriced saw. The AP80 is the same form factor as the AP160 but can deliver only half the current, that just doesn't cut it (literally); the runtime is so short with the AP80 it's not even worth carrying it around as a backup. I agree with the concerns about the increasingly disposable nature of tools and am glad to see Stihl is still supporting this model and even has upgraded batteries. I also appreciated the discussion on standardizing on a particular line of batteries if you can. I love this chainsaw, but it does means I have battery and charger just for it (the trimmer being worthless.) Everything else I have is 20V DeWalt. DeWalt's tools are good but I don't think much of their battery electronics; I've had two brand-new DeWalt 20V batteries that refused to take a charge until I (following the advice of crazy people on the internet) short-circuited them briefly, which astonishingly enough fixes them. I wish I'd standardized on Milwaukee cordless tools since I hear nothing but praise for them, but I'm too far down the DeWalt road to switch at this point.
Not really negatives so much as "usage notes" on the MSA 160: First, the kerf is very narrow so it's easy for the to chain can get caught if you don't support your cut correctly. A few times I've done something stupid with a cut and gotten the bar trapped. I always worry I've damaged it since it's thinner than the bar on a regular chainsaw, but it seems fine. Second, keeping the chain sharp is even more important with battery-powered chainsaws than with gas ones. I had to use magnifying glasses to sharpen the tiny teeth on this saw, result being that I rarely did it. I've been doing a much better job since buying the sharpening tool shown above (part number 5605 750 4306). It makes a HUGE difference in how many cuts you get from one battery charge. Third, let it get up to full speed (2-3 seconds) before starting the cut. Oh and don't try to cut down 30" oak trees with it.
Rob
A tree guy laughed at my pole saw... He has the biggest Stihl with extensions.
Tried mine and got it stuck... said his gasser never stops full throttle...
I have the Bauer from Harbor Freight, don’t flame me. It’s mainly for light use around deer stands. I have been very pleased with it, but that being said my Husqvarna 440 can usually be found in the back of my truck.
I have an Ego 18". Love it.
AchingBack
Veteran Member
I won't part with mine. I bought it when my 16" was in for repair and couldn't wait for it during firewood cutting. I like the 16" as much as the 18".
DonZum
New member
Own three gas powered Stihl's(MS170 up to MS440), a corded McCulloch that I've had forever.
Within the past year of so, I've acquired a battery powered Green Works(40v), and self propelled walk behind mower, and a leaf blower. They all use the same size batteries. I couldn't be happier. Unless I need to get serious about the chainsaw work, I'll grab the battery powered one every time. No fuss, no muss. Power is very good, but you still have to be patient and let the tool to the work. With four batteries, you have almost endless juice.
