The replacement for the MS 211 C-BE, and the point where Stihl's homeowner line stops feeling undersized: 38.6cc, 1.8 kW, an 18-inch Light 04 bar on a 10.8 lb powerhead, with Easy2Start and the Master Control Lever as standard. Most of the reason to pay $410 instead of $270 for an MS 182 is the longer bar and the extra torque behind it — it will stay in the cut through 14-inch hardwood where the 182 starts riding the rev limiter. Worth knowing before you buy: the MS 211 it replaces had two documented owner gripes, poor hot restarts and a bar-oil reservoir that seeped even after dealer replacement, and the 212 is the same architecture with a bigger cylinder. Early reports on the 212 are good, but it is a new enough SKU that nobody has a decade on one.
Best for: Property owners who want one saw for firewood and storm work and would rather carry an 18-inch Stihl homeowner saw than a 16-inch one.
Manufacturer figures except the engine class and single-pass cut, which are derived here. What each spec means
