Stihl MS 462 C-M

The first fuel-injected chainsaw ever sold, and the one saw that makes grown professionals gush: 79.2cc, 5.0 kW, and a 13.9-pound powerhead give it what Stihl claims is the best power-to-weight ratio on the market. The injection system replaces the carburetor entirely — it reads air pressure and temperature and meters fuel electronically, so it lights off in a couple of pulls hot or cold and owners report instant, hesitation-free throttle response that carbureted saws can't match. ArboristSite owner threads are full of people who sold their other big saws after buying one; more than one homeowner splurger calls it the best saw they've ever run. The gripes are specific and consistent: it drinks fuel hard, fine dust can sneak past where the plastic filter housing attaches, a handful of high-hour owners report warm-stall quirks, and the price has ballooned roughly $500 since launch to about $1,779.99 with a 25-inch bar. There's even a contrarian 'flagship saw disappointing' thread — but it's an island in a sea of five-star sentiment. If money were no object, this is the saw most of the forum says they'd grab.

This is the 90cc benchmark — the saw West Coast fallers and Alaskan-mill users on ArboristSite treat as the default answer for big wood. The M-Tronic computer handles tuning at any altitude or on any fuel, and owners consistently report it pulls a 28-32 inch bar buried in fir or oak without complaint while weighing 16.4 lbs, genuinely good power-to-weight for the class. The recurring debate in owner threads is whether you actually need it: MS 462 owners argue their saw does 90% of the work at 3 lbs less, and most firewood cutters concede the 661 only earns its keep in timber over 30 inches or on a mill. Real gripes: the price has climbed to roughly $1,850, it drinks fuel fast in long cuts, and Stihl's gas-saw warranty is a stingy 1 year consumer / 3 months commercial. Dealer-only distribution means no retailer review aggregates exist, but forum consensus over a decade is about as unanimous as chainsaw opinions get.

The entry point to Stihl's real pro saws, and the model forum veterans call the ideal all-day firewood saw: a magnesium-case, fully rebuildable 59cc engine making 3.5 kW from the same 12.3-pound powerhead weight as the plastic farm saws below it. The M-Tronic engine management is the quiet hero — it self-tunes for altitude, temperature, fuel, and a dirtying filter, so there's no carb screwdriver ritual, and owners consistently describe it as easy-starting and smooth. The honest knock from ArboristSite is that it's no longer the power-to-weight king: bury a 20-inch bar in big oak and it works for it, and the 462 makes vastly more power for barely half a pound more, which is why 'just save up for the 462' is a stock reply in every 362 thread. Pricing has also crept past $1,100, roughly double a Farm Boss. It remains the sweet spot for cutters who want pro durability and serviceability in a mid-size package — just know the pros above it cast a long shadow.