Husqvarna T535i XP vs Stihl MSA 70 C-B 12" Chainsaw Kit

Husqvarna / Battery

Husqvarna T535i XP

30cc class (by bar)

~$490

Stihl / Battery

30cc class (by bar)

~$400

The Stihl MSA 70 C-B 12" Chainsaw Kit costs about $90 less.

Spec	Husqvarna T535i XP	Stihl MSA 70 C-B 12" Chainsaw Kit
Approx. price	~$490tool only — no battery or charger included	~$400set with AK 30 battery and AL 101 charger
Engine class	30cc classplaced by shipped bar length	30cc classplaced by shipped bar length
Power type	Battery	Battery
Use case	Arborist	Homeowner
Rated power	—	1.1 kW
Voltage	40 V	36 V
Bar length	12 in	12 in
Single-pass cut	about 10 in	about 10 in
Bar range	10-14 in	—
Chain	.325" mini pitch / .043" gauge (X-Cut SP21G)	1/4" pitch / .043" gauge (PM3)
Weight	5.29 lbtool only, without battery or cutting equipment	9.3 lbwith the AK 30 battery (6.4 lb powerhead, no battery)
Warranty	2-year commercial (Husqvarna limited)	5-year consumer / 3-year professional (Stihl AK and AP battery products, policy effective Jan 1, 2026)

Tinted cells mark the better figure on that row alone: more engine, longer bar, lighter, cheaper. A lighter weight is only a win on the same basis.

5.29 lb without a pack — among the lightest professional top-handles of any power source
No fumes, no hot muffler and no restart routine while hanging on rope
Quiet enough for early starts in residential neighborhoods
Belt eyelet for harness attachment, and an inertia-activated chain brake
BLi-X packs are shared across Husqvarna's professional battery range

Tool only at $490 — a pack and charger are extra and roughly double the outlay
1.9 hp and a 14-inch bar ceiling limit it to pruning and small removals
No clutch, unlike the T542i XP, which matters when a chain binds
Battery weight sits high on the tool once a pack is fitted, changing the balance climbers are used to
Top-handle saws carry the highest injury rate in chainsaw work and are for trained climbers only

1.1 kW for the same 6.4 lb powerhead as the MSA 60 — the better of the two AK saws for $50 more
About 45 minutes of cutting on the AK 30 pack included in the set
83 dB(A) at the ear and low vibration — usable early morning without hearing protection arguments
Toolless side chain tensioning and Ematic oiling, which cuts bar-oil use roughly in half
Set price includes battery and charger, and the AK 30 runs Stihl's other homeowner tools

12-inch bar and fine-pitch chain cap it around 10-inch wood
Runtime drops sharply when bucking rather than pruning
$400 is MSA 160 C-B money, and the 160 is a stronger saw on the pro AP platform (battery extra)
AK packs do not fit AP tools, so moving up later means new batteries