Stihl MS 170 / 171 MiniBoss

Have owned the saw for about 5 years & have used it extensively. It's really just a tree trimmer & it is absolutley excellent for this. The day I bought it the bloke at the store said, " if you've got the coin, go up to the smallest of the next saw size up, it'll perform alot better". What he really should have told me was that if I did any heavy work with the little saw , the sharpness of the teeth would not last long at all & I would have to spend time ( which I don't have ) sharpening the teeth on the chain. If he'd have said that, I would h...

I bought this chainsaw based on the reviews. However. I seriously wish I'd never bought it now. It is an absolute nightmare to get going .Everytime I want to use it I have to return to the store to get the staff to get it going. I deeply regret buying it and wished I'd got and electric chain saw.

. From the instructions - It was very hard to start. Had to watch a blogger on U-Tube explain
. Only used it a few times and at 14 months the motor seized up
. The dealer said "no 2 stroke oil in petrol mix". I don't believe this was the case. The gas (petrol) in the tank was the right mix of oil and petrol- we both could see that. Maybe only Stihl 2 stroke oil should be used.
. Not sure I'd buy another Stihl 170.

I waited six years to buy a Skihl. Got the warranty. look on the bottom. Plastic handle. It’s held together with a tiny piece of plastic on a spring cracks easy cheap Chinese junk now. You’ve been Warned by if you’re an idiot.

Starts alright if you follow directions and use new fuel and Stihl oil. Full choke (lever to bottom) and few pulls till fires. If fires but not start, click choke lever up a notch. That usually starts after a few pulls and then blip to idle and off you go. Spoke to dealer and he stressed importance of fresh fuel if even 10 hrs old. Is a solid, reliable tool for price. Not meant for large trees but good for re-growth and branch pruning. Not too heavy for older man or fit female.

I’m a landscape gardener, collect old saws & know the difference between a quality tool & rubbish, its the former & an oldie, the 017. For all intents & purposes identical to the MS 170 & though well maintained I don’t baby it.
It’s never failed to start by the 3rd pull though the carby ( whilst good ) is not easily tuned, bar the idle, unless you know how to mod it. If it ever needs a kit just buy a new adjustable one for less than OEM kit.
Use the Stihl ultra oil at 50/1

The only real gripe I have is the fragile chinesium throttle trigger,...

was ok to use at the start, used this chainsaw 8 times and nothing but troubles. under powered, no decent tuning ability and now it is not running in the high rpm range. it is unable to be tuned like most decent chainsaws and i have decided to bin it as the cost of repair does not warrant the return to service. i will go buy a decent echo next or a cheap bunnings chainsaw i think.

We purchased this little beauty as it was cheaper than having our 30 year old one repaired after lending it to friend. (it did not take to well being run over by a tractor and slasher)
We use this model to trim back the smaller branches and trees up to about 250 mm in diameter depending on circumstances. It cut very clean and quickly so long as you keep the chain sharp. Light and easy to manage and use. Ideal if you have to be up in a tree to drop limbs. the only negative is that it appears to use more chain oil than the old model. All in all a great little a great little machine and great value for the money.

Peaple when chain oil leak just open cap when done working to relieve pressure and won't leak much. Same with gas cap. Great little saw. Great for limbing but also for falling small trees and bucking up. Would buy another any time also own a 251 and a dolmar 7900.

Very easy to start, even after extended storage. You can double the warranty to 4 years, at the cost of buying a $15 (1L) bottle of oil when first purchased. Can feel a little under powered at times,especially if you haven't sharpened the chain in a while. Otherwise a perfect saw for home use. Pays itself off after 1 year vs a $99 throwaway saw just in its ease of use and reliability.

A great little chainsaw, unfortunately I found it a little under powered than what I expected for the job I used it for and the first time I used it, having said that I have only used it once and at this stage have no requirements to trim other trees. At the time of purchase I was given free chain

Have used the MS 171 in a commercial setting. Use the correct fuel ratio and follow the startup instructions on the Stihl website, you shouldn't have any issues. Save the cutting of stumps until the end as cutting dirty wood will result in a blunt chain. Generic chains are available on eBay at a cost of $10-15. Keep a few in your kit & change them over as soon as the saw stops pulling into the wood to avoid further damage. At this price, it is hardly worth the time of sharpening.

Fantastic Chainsaw.
Have owned it for 2 weeks and have used it for hours cutting up firewood.
The best thing I did was walk out of Bunnings ans givw the Stihl shop a go.
The price was not much more than the rubbish at Bunnings.
Easy to start and look after

got one of these when we built on 5 acres ,a great saw , starts every time,i have cut down 50m trees with this , shouldnt of really ,but it done the job and saved me hiring someone else with a big chainsaw...no complaints about this saw , as a carpenter i also use it a lot on roofing jobs and other projects along with the usual firewood duties....i have had many electric saws that only last a year or 2 but this has been going longer than that and is in great order.....

I have owned my ms170 for over 10 years now and I never have any issues starting it. I do treat all my saws like my children. It gets used at least twice a week and never lets me down. Keep the chains sharp and the bar oil topped up and i expect to be using it for another 10 years