Stihl MSA 220 C-B

Stihl's flagship battery saw and the first one working crews describe as an honest gas replacement — Stihl rates it at 2.5 kW, comparable to its 50cc MS 271, and it runs a full-house .325 pro chain rather than a homeowner profile. It has real professional touches: three power modes with an LED display, an oil-flow sensor that warns you before you cook a bar, magnesium housing, and an IPX4 weather rating. The sticker shock is the story in every owner thread: $860 for the bare saw, and the 337 Wh AP 500 S battery plus AL 500 charger push a working kit to about $1,555 — gas MS 261 money with change left over. Owners also note the roughly 44-minute max runtime means commercial crews need two or three $400+ batteries to work a full day, and at 14 lbs with pack it's no lighter than the gas saw it replaces. For noise-restricted municipal work and emission-free fleets it has no real Stihl alternative; for everyone else the math is hard.

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.

The MS 291 is the Farm Boss's bigger brother — same 12.3-pound clamshell chassis, but bored out to 55.5cc and 2.8 kW, which buys you a quarter horsepower and noticeably better pull on a 20-inch bar in hardwood. ArboristSite regulars who like this class generally steer buyers here over the 271: it's essentially the same saw with more engine, and the fuel-sipping design and five-times-longer air filter life carry over. The criticisms carry over too. Pros still call it a heavy homeowner clamshell, OEM parts (especially the top end) are expensive, and there's essentially no aftermarket support — one owner grumbled his 291 spends too much time on the bench. The real debate is value: at $619.99 you're only $80 from where used MS 362s and other pro saws start appearing, which is exactly the 'new 291 vs used 362' thread that keeps recurring on the forums. If you're set on new with a warranty, though, it's the strongest saw in Stihl's farm line.