Stihl MSA 140C

Motor broken – After 2.5 years the motor blocked. I found loose small metal plates between in the brake pads.

Just what I needed – Given the size of my yard, I probably should have invested in a chainsaw a long while ago, but have always depended on friends to help when need be. With lockdown dragging on, and my yard needing a tidy up in preparation for fire season, it was time to research and find one which would suite my needs - and this one certainly does. I'm not savvy when it comes to motor maintenance, I just like my appliances to work when I need them to, and so far, so good. This seems very easy to check the basics (oil, chain tension, etc), and make the appropriate adjustments. The battery doesn't last 'that' long (40 or so minutes solid use), but for occasional backyard use / weekend maintenance, it will be fine for me. It was cutting through 15cm - 25cm diameter logs with ease today. My use won't always be for logs of that size, usually for much smaller branches - but I was impressed with how easily it handled this size log. It's super easy to start (gotta love a push button start, none of this pull cord malarkey involved in the petrol versions). It's also very easy to handle. It's a comfortable weight, and well balanced (the battery doesn't make it feel overly heavy). Only downside is, the battery (AK30) takes more than 3 hours to charge in the basic battery charger (AL101), so I am considering getting a second battery, for those occasions when I need the chainsaw a bit longer. I'm looking forward to using this a bit more, and perhaps expanding my garden tool shed with afew more Stihl tools which also use the same battery.

Cordless lightweight wonder – A previous Ryobi electric chainsaw finally threw in the towel after almost a decade of dead-weight heaviness and an extremely fiddly tensioning adjustment. The STIHL is a game changer. It is light, cordless, reliable, easy to clean, accurate, narrow kerfed and beautifully designed. The battery (included, with charger) will last for hours and will fit other Stihl devices (mowers, trimmers etc.). What I love is the chain speed and, if used properly, it won't pinch as readily as other wider chained saws. I was hooked as soon as I picked it up and used it for a few hours, straight out of the box.