STIHL MSA 300 First Impressions

[STIHL GB]

15 hours ago, Joe Newton said:

That safety feature is a deal breaker.

Hi Joe, it's good you point it out. Muscle memory soon takes over and it becomes completely natural, but of course if you just pick the saw up and use it for the first time it takes a little getting used to. It does stay on (live) for a short while before deactivating, and is easy to reach. Thanks. Paul, STIHL GB. 

[Stere]

 

 

MS261 is 4.9kg (excluding bar/chain) plus 500g for fuel...

 

What is the weight of the MSA 300?

 

Bare & with battery etc

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by Stere

[STIHL GB]

17 minutes ago, Stere said:

 

 

MS261 is 4.9kg (excluding bar/chain)

 

What is the weight of the MSA 300?

 

Bare & with battery etc

 

 

 

 

Hi, the MSA 300 is 5.4 kg excluding the battery, including the Light O4 bar and RS PRO chain which is the same combination as the MSA 261 C-M. The MS 261 weighs 4.9kg without the bar and chain (or fuel). The AP 500 S battery weighs 2.0kg, so its a total of 7.4kg for the MSA 300 plus chain oil. Full spec and pricing is here: https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Chainsaws-and-pole-pruners/Cordless-chainsaws/2144339-1583/MSA-300-Cordless-Chainsaw.aspx Paul, STIHL GB. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by STIHL GB

[STIHL GB]

A key point I think worth adding and that Steve touched on briefly is charging cost. Right now fuel prices are at an all time high and the cost to charge the AP 500 S battery after the 1 April prices increase to (28p/kW) will be  9.4 pence, assuming you're paying the price cap cost. I put a small blog together about the cost of running cordless tools here: 

The Cost of Running STIHL Cordless Tools | STIHL Blog

BLOG.STIHL.CO.UK

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A key benefit of STIHL cordless tools is cheaper running costs compared to a petrol tool. Find out more about the true cost...

 

[Stere]

Thanks

 

So I reckon   abit heavier  v  a  ms261?

 

MS261   4.9

Oil   270g

2 stroke 500g

Stihl Light 04 770g 16"

Stihl RS Rapid Super Pro .325″ .050″ chainsaw chain  240g ?

 

Total 6.68kg?

 

 

 

 

 

[Macpherson]

4 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

I don’t see why not. I expect @STIHL GB will come and clarify a few of the points raised at some point 

The msa 200 I bought a few years back which I then modified to the 220 spec as I didn't like the picco micro chain, it was transformed into a different tool altogether and the battery run time was about the same, but if this new 500 battery fits into the slot and extends the run time that would be great.👍

[AHPP]

Hi, the MSA 300 is 5.4 kg excluding the battery, including the Light O4 bar and RS PRO chain which is the same combination as the MSA 261 C-M. The MS 261 weighs 4.9kg without the bar and chain (or fuel). The AP 500 S battery weighs 2.0kg, so its a total of 7.4kg for the MSA 300 plus chain oil. Paul, STIHL GB. 

Confusing mishmash. Get some scales and weigh the powerheads, the oil fills, the fuel fills, the batteries, the bars and the chains SEPARATELY. It only needs doing once (and once in a blue moon for a new product release) and it’ll cost you less than frustrated customers shutting the catalogue on a new saw because they can’t get a straight answer. It’s such an easy bunch of numbers to collect and show and frankly embarrassing that you don’t already.

I would suggest you could even compile the weights from your computer system and not have to open a load of boxes but after about ten phone calls to Camberley and Germany last year to try to discover the weight of a bar (not a complicated enquiry), I’m not confident that’s the quickest way. I ended up getting a dealer to put one on a kitchen scale.

[Macpherson]

2 hours ago, STIHL GB said:

Hi, the batteries are inter-changable. The AP 300 S battery is needed for 2.1kW electrical power in the MSA 220, the same as the MSA 300 needing the AP 500 S for 3.0kW electrical power. If you use a lesser battery you get less power from the chainsaw but it will still work. If you use a AP 500 S battery in another tool, like the MSA 220, you wont get more power, but you'll get more working time - approx 20%. All working times are here on p31 of the catalogue: https://www.stihl.co.uk/p/media/download/uk-en/STIHL_GB_2022_CATALOGUE_low_res.pdf  Thanks. Paul, STIHL GB. 

Thanks Paul for a direct link to Stihl GB,

 

Firstly, I wonder if you can confirm whether msa 200 and 220 have the same motor, I ask because I modified my 200 by fitting 220 sprocket, bar and chain a couple of years ago and I presumed that the rest was the same, anyway it changed the saw a lot with higher chain speed and 3/8" full chiz, but I guess you know this as you brought out the 220.

 

And second, I'm interested in having the larger AP 500s battery for this saw but from your earlier post regarding charging and overheating does this mean that my AL 300 charger isn't suitable for the larger battery, and if so, will the AL 301 charger also charge and extend the life of the 300 and 300s batteries, cheers.

[Blah]

The main question I have is, how does it compare to Husky's 540 iXP rear-handled saw. I invested in the Stihl MSA160 and MSA 200 when they first came out, with an AP200 and AP300 battery.

 

I then wanted the extra power the Husky T540 iXP top-handle gave, so bought that with two BLi 300 batteries. That saw is much more powerful than the MSA 200, and in my opinion better than my 201 tcm. 

 

I like the idea of a battery MSA261, but absolutely not going to invest in two new batteries again, and doubtless a new charger.

[STIHL GB]

14 minutes ago, Macpherson said:

Thanks Paul for a direct link to Stihl GB,

 

Firstly, I wonder if you can confirm whether msa 200 and 220 have the same motor, I ask because I modified my 200 by fitting 220 sprocket, bar and chain a couple of years ago and I presumed that the rest was the same, anyway it changed the saw a lot with higher chain speed and 3/8" full chiz, but I guess you know this as you brought out the 220.

 

And second, I'm interested in having the larger AP 500s battery for this saw but from your earlier post regarding charging and overheating does this mean that my AL 300 charger isn't suitable for the larger battery, and if so, will the AL 301 charger also charge and extend the life of the 300 and 300s batteries, cheers.

Hi, they are different motors in the MSA 200 and 220 (1.8kw vs 2.1kW) and it doesn't increase  if you put in the higher AP 300 S battery in the MSA 200.  The AP batteries and AL 300 and AL 500 chargers can all be used with each other too. The chargers just trickle the last 20% of the charge.  Hope that clears it up.