Stihl / Battery
~$330
Stihl MSA 161 T
30cc class (by bar)
- 36V
- pack
- 12 in
- bar
- 4.6 lb
- bare
Working climbers doing pruning and light removals who want a quiet, fumeless top-handle and already run Stihl AP packs.
Arborist
The MSA 60 C-B took over from the MSA 120 C-B as the bottom of Stihl's AK homeowner battery range, and at 6.4 lb of powerhead — 9.0 lb with the AK 20 pack — it is the lightest rear-handle chainsaw Stihl sells of any kind, battery or gas. $350 buys the saw, the AK 20 and the AL 101 charger, which is about $50 more than the MSA 120 kit it replaces. Owners who use it for mid-size firewood rounds report around 40 minutes of real cutting on a charge and say it barely drops charge on light pruning, holding up in cold weather better than they expected. The limits are the ones every 0.9 kW saw has: a 12-inch bar, a 1/4" .043" chain that dulls fast if it touches dirt, and no appetite for anything much past 8 inches of hardwood. Buy it as a yard-maintenance tool and it is excellent; buy it as a firewood saw and it will disappoint.
Best for: First-time saw owners and suburban yards — pruning, storm limbs and 6- to 8-inch rounds, with no fuel mixing.
Specifications
Manufacturer figures except the engine class and single-pass cut, which are derived here. What each spec means
- Lightest saw Stihl makes, 9.0 lb kitted
- Kit with AK 20 and charger at $350
- Replaces the MSA 120 C-B
What owners like
- 6.4 lb powerhead, 9.0 lb with the AK 20 — light enough that beginners and smaller operators can hold it steady
- Kit price includes battery and charger, so there is no hidden second purchase
- Around 40 minutes of cutting on the AK 20; owners report light pruning barely moves the gauge
- Toolless Quick Chain Adjuster and a translucent oil tank you can read at a glance
- Owners report it holds charge well in cold weather, where cheap battery saws fade
- AK packs run Stihl's homeowner trimmers and blowers too
Common complaints
- 0.9 kW and a 12" bar — 8-inch hardwood is the honest limit
- 1/4" .043" chain dulls quickly on anything near the ground
- AK system is the homeowner platform; it does not accept the pro AP packs
- About $50 more than the MSA 120 kit it replaces, for a saw in the same class
Nearest alternatives
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