Stihl MS 151 T C-E vs Stihl MS 201 T C-M

Stihl / Gas

Stihl MS 151 T C-E

30cc class

~$850

Stihl / Gas

30cc class

~$970

The Stihl MS 151 T C-E costs about $120 less; the Stihl MS 201 T C-M has more engine (35.2cc); the Stihl MS 201 T C-M swings a longer bar (16 in).

Spec	Stihl MS 151 T C-E	Stihl MS 201 T C-M
Approx. price	~$850with 10" bar and chain	~$970with 16" bar and chain
Engine class	30cc classby displacement	30cc classby displacement
Power type	Gas	Gas
Use case	Arborist	Arborist
Engine	23.6 cc	35.2 cc
Rated power	1.1 kW	1.8 kW
Bar length	10 in	16 in
Single-pass cut	about 8 in	about 14 in
Bar range	10-12 in	14-16 in
Chain	1/4" pitch / .043" gauge (71 PM3)	3/8" Picco pitch / .050" gauge (PS3)
Weight	6.1 lbpowerhead only, without fuel (6.9 lb with the 10" bar and chain)	8.2 lbpowerhead only, without fuel
Warranty	3-month professional use only — Stihl grants no consumer warranty on MS-T top-handle saws	3-month professional use only — Stihl grants no consumer warranty on MS-T top-handle saws

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.

6.1 lb powerhead — the lightest gas chainsaw Stihl sells, and climbers say the fatigue difference over a day is obvious
1/4" .043" PM3 chain gives a precise, clean cut face on small limbs
Easy2Start recoil matters more here than anywhere: one-hand-awkward starts on a rope get easier
IntelliCarb holds the mixture as the filter loads with sawdust in-canopy

$850 for a 23.6cc saw — priced as a professional tool, not a small saw
No consumer warranty at all: Stihl's 2026 policy gives MS-T top-handle saws 3 months, professional use only
Not sold or delivered in California
Top-handle saws are for trained climbers; ground use one-handed is how people get hurt
10-inch bar and 1.1 kW cap it at light pruning — it is not a backup felling saw

1.8 kW from 35.2cc at 8.2 lb — the best power-to-weight of any Stihl top-handle
M-Tronic re-trims for altitude, temperature and filter loading between ground and canopy
Runs 14" and 16" bars, so it handles real limb removal rather than only pruning
Top-handle balance that climbers consistently rate above rear-handle saws in-tree
Twenty years of dealer parts support behind the 201 platform

$970, and as an MS-T it gets no consumer warranty — 3 months, professional use only
Owners report the chain creeping at idle as the saw accumulates hours
M-Tronic faults are a dealer diagnostic job, which is awkward mid-job
Reviewers note it is noisy and the exhaust is noticeable — battery top-handles have taken this market
The claimed fuel savings over the older 200 T are, by owner accounts, mostly on paper