I borrowed the MSA 220 T for a week off my local STIHL dealer to test it out.
My verdict: guilty of being a great saw. I really liked it.
I’m not an arborist so I haven’t tested it out in the field, but I used it around our hobby farm for a bunch of tasks and found that it performs really well.
Here’s a short clip of the saw cutting some oak branches.
I even tested it bucking some old, very hards gum logs, and while it’s not designed for that sort of thing, it wasn’t a problem for the saw. The MSA 300 is a better saw for this though.
I was using the 220T with the AP 300 S and AP 500 S battery. This latter is the largest battery STIHL sells, which certainly adds some weight, but even so it’s still a manouverable, well-balanced saw.
The battery life was excellent with both the 300 and 500 battery. I was surprised by how much I could accomplish on a single charge.
I was charging the batteries with the AL 301 fast charger, which charged the larger battery in under an hour. Really impressive!
Here are the approximate battery life details:
- Battery life with AP 100 up to 8 min
- Battery life with AP 200 up to 16 min
- Battery life with AP 300 up to 25 min
- Battery life with AP 300 S up to 29 min
- Battery life with AP 500 S up to 34 min
- Battery life with AR 1000 up to 80 min
- Battery life with AR 2000 up to 112 min
- Battery life with AR 2000 L up to 109 min
- Battery life with AR 3000 up to 140 min
- Battery life with AR 3000 L up to 174 min
Technical specs for this model:
- Rated voltage: 36 V
- Power consumption: 2.1 kW
- Power: 1.7 kW
- Cordless power system: AP
- Device weight: 2.7 kg / 5.95 lbs
- System Weight 3.2 kg / 7.05 lbs
- Bar length 30 cm / 12 inches
- Saw chain pitch 3/8″P
- IPX Rating IPX4
- Device length with bumper strike 315 mm
- Sound pressure level 94 dB(A)
- Sound power level 104 dB(A)
- Vibration level, left 3 MS2
- Vibration level, right 3.4 MS2
The LED display is fairly straightforward on this model.
It shows:
- On button
- Chainsaw operating status
- Chain brake position
- Low bar oil alert
And the indicator for battery power is on the battery itself.
Other features include:
- Captive bar nuts
- Side mounted chain tensioner
- EC engine
- Foldout hook for attaching rope
- Made in Austria
And it’s said to deliver “power and performance equivalent to that of professional petrol top-handle chainsaws.” And after using this saw, I’d say that’s true!
The MSA 220T is designed as a professional arborist chainsaw and comes with the warning:
This specialized chainsaw is intended for use by trained tree maintenance specialists. Use by untrained individuals may result in serious injury.
However, if you don’t mind the expense, it makes for an excellent pruning saw for hobby farm owners, homesteaders, and others with large properties to tame. Just make sure you’re a “trained individual” to some extent.
The jobs I tested it on:
- Pruning hardwood branches
- Bucking hardwood logs
- Felling a small plum tree (5 inch diameter trunk)
- Cutting up branches for firewood
- Pruning a Monterey Cypress
As I said, some of these things are not its intended use, but it can do them.
As with all battery chainsaws, it’s nice to be able to pick it up and use it without needing to get it started, and then to put it down and not have it idling between uses.
Overall, I think this is an excellent STIHL saw. I thoroughly enjoyed using it for the week.
Have you tried it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
