STIHL GB

Hi all, we're looking for a new Technical Services Technician to work in our brand new purpose built GB headquarters in Camberley, Surrey. The purpose of the role is to carry out technical inspections, repairs and servicing works on STIHL products in our on-site workshop, and there's more information about the role including details of how to to apply on our website here: 

12 hours ago, Sam Davison said:

So there’s an adaptor clip so they fit a Protos helmet? I’m guessing they just don’t tuck away like the standard Protos ones? That would be good if they can be fitted. 

Hi, yes you can use the Protos 3M Peltor attachment brackets to fit them. They are readily available as a spare from many arb dealers.  You are right - ProCom are deeper than the standard ear defenders so will sit slightly proud of the helmet. 

3 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

I think 600m is the maximum range assuming the ground is level with no major obstacles. But if you have multiple headsets they will piggy back off each other. So lets say the ground isn't flat and you're getting good reception over 300m, 4 people in a line at 300m intervals should be able to communicate over a 1200m distance.

 

Paul @STIHL GB can you confirm I have those figures correct please.

Hi Steve, yes you're right. They use Bluetooth Mesh to connect up to 16 headsets in a network. Each headset acts as an amplifier and extends the range up to a maximum of 600m between each headset. Of course like you say in your example, with trees, hills and obstacles in the way, you could connect 4 people who are 300m apart over a distance of 1200m. The headsets notify you if they are losing connection well in advance though. Here's a blog with more general details about them too. 

The New STIHL ADVANCE ProCom Headsets | STIHL Blog

BLOG.STIHL.CO.UK

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Our new STIHL ADVANCE ProCOM headsets combine ear protection with intelligent communication for teams. Take a...

Here's the weight comparisons broken down with about 1kg total difference fully fuelled and oiled. @AHPP

MS 261 C-M:
Powerhead 4.9kg
Oil tank capacity: 310ml = approx 310 g
Fuel tank capacity: 500ml = approx 500g
Light 04 bar 16": 679g
RS Pro chain: approx 250g
Total approx: 6.6kg

MSA 300:
Powerhead and AP 500 S battery: 6.4kg
Oil tank capacity: 310ml = approx 310g
Light 04 bar 16": 679g
RS Pro chain: approx 250g 
total approx: 7.6kg

1 hour ago, AHPP said:

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.

Sorry but that was the info I had to hand whilst answering all the questions on here,  but I agree it's not ideal and the exact head to head you want. I'll try to get the full info asap for you. 

22 minutes ago, Blah said:

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.

I'd rather not comment on head to head tests against other manufacturers machines, but I'm certain there will be plenty of tests  once we release the chainsaw next month.  Also, we have a MSA 220 T and MSA 220 TC-O top handle chainsaw coming out later this year too, that work best with the AP 300 S battery, but can also use AP 300, albeit with the power of the MSA 200 rather than 220. All AP batteries can be charged on STIHL AL chargers too. 

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. 

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...

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. 

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. 

14 hours ago, Macpherson said:

 

Thanks for the review, so if the 300 battery fit's in the MSA500 does that mean that the 5oo's battery will fit in the MSA220 which would be very good?

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. 

54 minutes ago, spuddog0507 said:

i have had a look for that 4 slot charger and cant find owt, but i did find some very confusing battery charge times stating any where from 30 mins to 55 mins to charge the 500 battery ? This saw for domestic arb work and say a home owner cutting a bit of firewood at home i can see these saws really working with some advantages with low noise and emmisions at zero,  but for us working in a forestry enviroment and after doing some quick calculations i got quite a shock, the saw body bar n chain, 10 500 batteries and 5 chargers i would be looking at around the 5k mark for a saw that compares to a 50cc 261petrol saw for what £650-£700, so i think for us its a long long way off yet for us, tree below i would need 2-3 batteries to brash it out, But as said above i can really see it working in the arb sector,,

Hi, we're close the launching the AL 301-4 charger (4 slot multicharger) and there's a little more info in our catalogue. It will be on the website soon too. https://www.stihl.co.uk/stihl-catalogue.aspx . You're right about forestry work though; if you're away from a power source or unable to carry multiple batteries for all day work then it's not right for that particular job. For Arb work its ideal, where we can now offer equivalent cutting speed of the MS 261 C-M. There are 2 charge times for the AP 500 S battery with our fastest AL 500 charger - its; 40 mins to 80% and then 55 mins to 100% charge as the last 20% is done slowly (and cooler) to preserve battery life. Page 31 of the catalogue pdf on the link above has all working times and charge times. Hope that helps. Paul, STIHL GB. 

2 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

Theres actually a new charger out that has 4 battery slots 

Thanks Steve. Our AL 301-4 charger will be out soon, as well as a carrying solution for batteries if you need to move them from van to the job. Paul, STIHL GB.  

Thanks for tagging us in Steve. Yes, we generally do a TIMBERSPORTS taster weekend in Spring every year although we don't have anything confirmed for next year yet. We have a list of people that want to be notified once the training camp dates are released - if you drop an email to [email protected] asking about the taster weekend, we can add you to the list.

In the meantime, it's probably also worth contacting the British Lumberjack Sports Association. You can find more info about them on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1678770722358615/

This group is for anyone who is involved in lumberjack sports so you can post where you live and someone is likely to come back to you and let you know the nearest local group you could join. If there aren't any clubs close by, they are also usually pretty helpful when it comes to tips on training as well.

I hope that helps, but let us know if you need any other info.

Thanks

STIHL GB

On 31/08/2018 at 20:06, swinny said:

Ahh the fuel solenoid. Im still yet to replace it on my late 2016 201tcm that kept cutting out on idle! Should have been done under warrenty but hey ho. When it went in early this year dealer had it for 6 week and still came back the same. Cant be doing with downtime on a saw like that. Left it sat at bottom of saw box for the last 6-8 months as cant be bothered with it! Using my pre mtronic 201’s and no issues here

Hi Swinny. A solenoid might be a good starting point but feel free to drop us an email - [email protected] as I'm sure we can take a look at it here if it's not been able to be fixed by your dealer. I'll drop a screenshot of this to customer service now so they know if you email in. 

Thanks

Paul

On 31/08/2018 at 20:13, carlos said:

did one a while back, thanks to the info and advice here on arbtalk, saw is fine now with no running issues, easy enough to do.

Glad it worked!

Hi,

I'm a little late to this thread but it's worth explaining what the fuel solenoid does and why we've seen a few failing.  Essentially it replaces the manually adjusted screws on the carburetor so the opening closing of the fuel solenoid varies the amount of fuel going into the machine. This is controlled by the m-tronic module, which is the brain of the chainsaw. 

What we've found in some cases is that dirt in the fuel tank has been prematurely wearing solenoids. Sometimes when the saw is hot it wont re-start and a worn solenoid is the cause, because it's not getting the amount of fuel right. 

We've all seen the state of kombi cans after a year or so, and we recommend that you always try to keep a clean fuel tank, keep the dirt off the top of your kombi can to prevent it going into the fuel tank, and give it a wipe down/spray at the end of the day as part of your regular saw maintenance.   You'd be surprised how much gunk can get into the fuel system, even when the cap is only off for a few seconds - and some (most) of this is usually down to a dirty can.

The solenoid can need replacing but is pretty simple to do yourselves and we'll look to get a guide created.  If a solenoid valve continues to fail, I'd also check fuel lines or the fuel filter.  Always do an M-Tronic reset on the saw after changing a carb/solenoid or M-Tronic module too. 

We showed a solenoid change to the guys that visited STIHL GB a few weeks back and showed how M-tronic isn' t a complicated system. It's just not that well understood  that the main parts of the saw are not that different from a non M-Tronic machine.  We've got a blog here that explains more about M-Tronic for those that want to know more:  https://blog.stihl.co.uk/stihl-m-tronic-technology-dispelling-myths/ 

Sambo - you're right that pump fuel can cause issues with carbs too - high ethanol fuels degrade gaskets and if left in a machine for a while can gum up. Using fuels with less ethanol like BP/Shell  or MotoMix helps. 

Hope this helps,  

Paul

10 hours ago, aspenarb said:

Got a couple of Stihl`s to go in the machines a while back, bang on for the odd occasion you need to cut your way out of a cab. Not a replacement for a proper saw but worthwhile keeping one in the cab or truck. Shame they dont make a cig lighter charger for them.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

Glad you like them. Is that the 120 or 140 you have there? We have the MSA 200 as well which packs a little more punch. Battery technology is improving all the time so there's plenty more to come from us..... 

2 hours ago, Big J said:

With the batteries for the Stihl, the AP 200 is over £40 cheaper than the AP 300, but only gives away 3 minutes of run time. Is there any reason to get the AP 300?

Yes, its 42 mins with AP 200, 45 mins with AP 300 but you need AP 300 to get full performance. That's 1.2kW with AP 200 and 1.8kW with AP 300. 

Hi,

That's a video using an old MSA 200 battery saw. It's been improved since then (in 2015) with a 25% more powerful motor. The MSA 200 in back to back tests is very similar in cutting speed and performance to a MS 211. 

If you want any info on the MSA 200 then please let us know. It's a very capable battery saw. 

The run time is 3 mins more with AP 300 but you need the AP 300 battery  to get full cutting power/performance out of the saw vs the AP 200. 

Thanks,

Paul

Thanks Wes. The 4 series mulcher is a really popular Pro mower. Glad you like it. 

15 hours ago, Richard 1234 said:

Thanks.
While you are on here. Which bright spark at stihl thought it was a good idea to change the strimmer head from the 40-2 to a 46-2? It’s unbalanced and flimsy compared to the 40-2.
Why do you have to “fix” things that aren’t broken?

If it's unbalanced, I'd recommend speaking with your dealer as it should be better balanced than the 40-2.  It was changed to make gaining access to the spool easier, a better eyelet for an easier feed and to give the full range of AutoCut heads a lower profile. 

16 hours ago, Richard 1234 said:

I’ve got the extendable long reach hedge cutter (hla 85 I think is the number) and even with the Ap 300 on full extension it’s really far too top heavy, I know it’s not used like that very often (at least for me) but to be lighter still with a backpack battery like you can use would be a no go for me. Besides that you get 3 hours runtime with the ap300. Ive never used all the battery as 3 hours trigger time is plenty and if it wasn’t I’d get another 3 hour battery rather than a backpack.

With the HLA 85 having weight so far from the user, it's worth using a RTS harness.  It may be worth a look when you're next in a dealer as you can move a detachable clip along the tool to get the right balance.  https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/KombiSystem-and-MultiSystem/Accessories-for-KombiSystem/21696-1555/RTS-Super-Harness-for-long-reach-hedge-trimmers.aspx 

The hedgetrimmers have a very good run time and it is good to have the weight on the bottom of a HLA 85 to counter the head. 

We are aware of some issues with a limited number of the HL heads and we are in constant communication with STIHL group to establish a solution. We do understand that problems with your equipment makes life difficult and want to support anyone who has this. If you do encounter a problem, please take the product to your local STIHL approved dealers. Approved dealers have direct contact with our technical team and are best placed to support you. Our warranty policy covers situations where the product has failed due to a defect in materials or manufacturing.

If you do have an issue you would like to raise directly with us, please email [email protected] and we will do our best to help. 

The image you shared there (from the facebook page) is from a user who we are in touch now and are resolving the issue as quickly as we possibly can. 

Paul

Hi Scott, thanks for the feedback. There's a few factors at play - weight, balance and ergonomics being some of the key ones. A battery slot could be a good feature to have and that may be addressed in the future. For now, taking the weight out the tool for ease of use was the priority. 

Thanks,

Paul