At a glance
I’d had petrol chainsaws my whole working life on the plot and I picked up the MSA 220 C-B because a tree surgeon I know had been using one for a couple of years and would not shut up about it. Not the usual tool enthusiasm, either. He mentioned it the way you mention something you actually rely on. I was sceptical. I’d tried a couple of battery chainsaws before this one and both left me thinking they were fine for light pruning and not much else. The MSA 220 is a different proposition.
This is Stihl’s most powerful cordless chainsaw in the AP range, aimed at people who do real work with a saw: landscapers, arborists, farm and estate owners, anyone who uses a chainsaw regularly but would rather not deal with a petrol engine every time. It runs on the 36V AP battery system and Stihl’s own specification compares its output to the petrol MS 201, which is a proper mid-range working saw and not a flattering comparison they would make if it were not true.
Overview and first impressions
The AP system is Stihl’s professional battery platform, different from the AK system that powers the domestic range. The batteries are not interchangeable between the two, so before committing to any AP tool it is worth knowing where you stand. If you already own AP tools, every battery you have will work in the MSA 220 C-B. If you are coming to Stihl’s battery range fresh, the AP 300 S is the battery this saw is designed around.
The saw runs a brushless EC motor rated at 1.70 kW. Brushless means no carbon brushes wearing down, lower maintenance over time, and the kind of build quality that suits the professional positioning. It is sold tool-only: no battery in the box, no charger, and the chain oil is not supplied either. You fill up before the first use at your dealer. For anyone new to the AP system, the startup cost reflects that, and it is worth being clear about from the start.
The UK version comes with a 35cm (14″) bar as standard with a Light 04 type bar. The US market sells a 16″ version too, but that is not the UK spec. The chain is Stihl’s 3/8″ PS3 Pro, a full-chisel pattern that is notably more aggressive than the standard PS chain. Stihl quote the PS3 Pro as giving 20% more cutting performance and a 10% increase in cuts per battery charge. It sharpens with a 4mm file. Chain speed is 24 metres per second. The MSA 220 C-B sits 20% above the MSA 200 C-B in the AP range and below the larger MSA 300, which takes bigger bars and has adjustable chain speed for heavier commercial work.
Specifications and scores
How it performed in our tests
The saw weighs 2.9 kg without a battery. With the AP 300 S fitted it comes in at around 4.7 kg. That is lighter than a comparable petrol saw but not dramatically so, and the balance is good because the battery sits where the engine weight would be on a petrol saw, keeping the whole thing centred in your hands rather than nose-heavy.
I used it initially on dead ash from storm damage, which is about as unforgiving as hardwood gets when it has been lying in the wet for a few months. The saw cut through it cleanly and quickly on the first morning and I had not charged the battery before I went out, so I was working on whatever remained from the last session. It ran fine for about twenty minutes on a partial charge, which told me the constant power system is worth the mention it gets in the spec sheet. On most battery tools, you notice the power starting to drop as the battery level falls. This one does not do that. It runs at the same pace until the battery is genuinely depleted, and then it stops. That instant stop is the thing that catches you out at first. There is no spluttering or slowing down. One second it is cutting, the next it has stopped. Once you know to expect it, it is not a problem.
Stalling is the other side of this. If you push the saw harder than it wants to go, into a full-length cut in dense wood, it will cut the motor as a protection measure. The saw lacks the rotational mass of a petrol engine, the heavy crankshaft and piston spinning away that gives a petrol saw the inertia to push through when the cutting gets hard. On anything under about 12″ in diameter it is fast and confident. Once you are pushing the full 14″ bar through a thick trunk in a single back cut, you need to let it do the work rather than force it through. Where it genuinely earns its money is in the kind of work where a petrol saw is more trouble than it is worth: clearing, limbing, cutting firewood in manageable quantities, work alongside a chipper, pruning from the ground.
The pinch is the tell. If the saw stops in a cut rather than driving through, the wood is closing on the bar. Drive a wedge into the kerf behind the bar. This happens more with battery saws than petrol because there is less rotational inertia pushing through pinch points, but it is easily managed once you know to expect it.
Battery system and runtime
The AP 300 S battery is 7.2 Ah and the run time with it is around 37 minutes. That is Stihl’s current published UK figure and a fair guide in mixed use. Harder cuts shorten it; lighter clearing work extends it. The battery has a four-LED charge indicator: press the button, the LEDs glow in 20% steps, you know whether to charge before starting. Charging time on the AL 301 charger is 80 minutes to full or 55 minutes to 80%. The AL 500 fast charger cuts this down further. Anyone planning a half-day session needs at least two batteries. Oil consumption is roughly one tank per battery charge with the AP 300 S, which is better than most battery chainsaws that burn through oil faster.
The AP system’s real value shows if you already own other Stihl AP tools. Every battery works in every AP tool across the range. If you have an AP hedge trimmer or a blower on the same system, the batteries are already interchangeable and the cost equation shifts. The MSA 220 C-B is not available on Amazon or through general online retail in the UK. Stihl only sells through its approved dealer network and stihl.co.uk direct, which means buying, battery matching, and service work all go through a dealer relationship.
Performance and limitations
- Cuts like a small petrol saw in real use
- Constant Power maintains output to end of charge
- IPX4 rated: usable in all UK weather
- Well balanced with AP 300 S fitted
- Shares batteries across full AP tool range
- Stalls if forced through dense full-bar cuts
- Stops abruptly on battery depletion with no warning fade
- Not sold on Amazon; dealer-only UK distribution
- Startup cost is high if buying batteries and charger new
- Pinches in cut more than petrol equivalents
- Arborists and estate/land managers
- Clearing, limbing, and chipper work
- Users already on the Stihl AP system
- Noise-sensitive environments
- Heavy felling (timber over 25 cm)
- Users who want Amazon purchase / delivery
- Light occasional garden pruning (overqualified)
Final verdict: is it worth it?
This is a saw for someone who uses a chainsaw regularly and wants the convenience of battery without giving up cutting performance. The 14″ bar, the 24 m/s chain speed, and the comparison to the petrol MS 201 are not marketing noise. It cuts hardwood well, handles everything up to 25 cm in diameter without complaint, and is quiet enough to use in places where a petrol saw would be a nuisance.
It is not the saw for heavy felling. If your regular work involves trees where you need a reliable back cut on timber larger than 25 cm, you need a petrol saw or the larger MSA 300. The stalling behaviour when pushed too hard is a real limitation in that context, and the instant stop on battery depletion mid-cut is the kind of thing that is inconvenient on firewood and genuinely hazardous on a tree that is starting to fall.
For everything else, it is hard to argue against. Clearing, limbing, manageable firewood, anything alongside a chipper, close precision work. It is compact, well balanced, built properly, and backed by Stihl’s dealer network for servicing. If the tree surgeon I know is still recommending it after two years of putting it through his paces, that is the endorsement that matters most to me.
The MSA 220 C-B is the closest a battery chainsaw has come to the real-world performance of a petrol saw in its class. It cuts hardwood confidently, handles UK weather, and earns its place on any professional or serious domestic setup where the 14″ bar is the right size for the work. It is not a felling saw and should not be used as one. For everything else, it does the job.
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