Stihl battery chainsaw's??

[GW208]

Hello everyone, I am hoping to get some information about a Stihl cordless saw.

I currently have a 20 volt Dewalt saw that is perfect for what I use it for except for the chain oiler. It makes such a miserable mess that I don't even want to use it anymore. You're supposed to drain the oil tank after every use to keep it from leaking, that's fine and dandy but trying to drain it back into the bottle makes almost as big a mess as just letting the oil leak out. Then while using the saw, the oiler pumps about 10 times more oil than the bar could ever need and I end up with oil all over my boots, pants and everything else.

I have an old Stihl 026 Pro and the oiler on that doesn't leak and the amount of oil fed to the bar is adjustable so that is why I'm considering a Stihl. I'm thinking about the MSA 120 in particular. Can the owners of the Stihl battery powered saws share their experience with the oiler. The manual doesn't mention having to drain the oil reservoir after every use but a couple of reviews mentioned leaking oil. I would just like to have it confirmed that the tank doesn't need to be drained after every use and the oil doesn't all leak out. That defeats a lot of the convenience factor of the Dewalt for me. Also does the Stihl bar oiler seem to pump a reasonable amount of oil?

 

[oldfortyfive]

I drain the oil when done from all my saws. I use a big syringe from Amazon made for sucking oil. Every saw I’ve had leaked some oil.

 

[GW208]

I drain the oil when done from all my saws. I use a big syringe from Amazon made for sucking oil. Every saw I’ve had leaked some oil.

That's a clever idea about using a syringe to suck the oil out, that would be a much less messy way to do it for sure, thanks for the tip. Even if I do that though, I would only eliminate half the problem and still have the over oiling issue. I have 5 or 6 of the Dewalt 20V cordless tools and am very happy with all of them except for the chainsaw. The saw would be an excellent tool if Dewalt would put a bit more engineering into the bar oiler.

I've only had 2 gas saws in my life, a Homelite EZ Automatic purchased new in the late 60's and the 026 purchased new in 97. With neither one of those saws have I ever felt the need to drain the oil though. If they leak at all it is insignificant and I was hoping to hear that the Stihl cordless saws are the same.

 

[Ando81]

I have the Msa 200 and I believe that it pumps an adequate amount of oil onto the bar. I do however spin the chain for a few seconds before I begin to cut just to ensure that the chain is lubed before it starts to cut. I have left it in my shed for a month since cutting about ten blocks of firewood and it hasn’t leaked a drop. They’re a great little machine. I enjoy using mine.

 

[oldfortyfive]

My Echo's tend to leak more than my Stihls. Probably cause I keep them in a small tin shed. The summer heat probably thins and forces it out.

 

[Ando81]

I’ve been told that heat cycles of the weather can force oil out of any chainsaw. In Stihl saws the oil tank can’t vent so when the oil heats up from weather and expands then the only way to relieve pressure is it dribbling out of the oil port.

 

[Sherman]

Hello everyone, I am hoping to get some information about a Stihl cordless saw.

I currently have a 20 volt Dewalt saw that is perfect for what I use it for except for the chain oiler. It makes such a miserable mess that I don't even want to use it anymore. You're supposed to drain the oil tank after every use to keep it from leaking, that's fine and dandy but trying to drain it back into the bottle makes almost as big a mess as just letting the oil leak out. Then while using the saw, the oiler pumps about 10 times more oil than the bar could ever need and I end up with oil all over my boots, pants and everything else.

I have an old Stihl 026 Pro and the oiler on that doesn't leak and the amount of oil fed to the bar is adjustable so that is why I'm considering a Stihl. I'm thinking about the MSA 120 in particular. Can the owners of the Stihl battery powered saws share their experience with the oiler. The manual doesn't mention having to drain the oil reservoir after every use but a couple of reviews mentioned leaking oil. I would just like to have it confirmed that the tank doesn't need to be drained after every use and the oil doesn't all leak out. That defeats a lot of the convenience factor of the Dewalt for me. Also does the Stihl bar oiler seem to pump a reasonable amount of oil?

I've had a DeWalt 20V saw with extra battery since April 2020 and use it frequently in my tree service work. I store it on its side in a chain saw case made for another brand saw so the oil reservoir points up. Whenever the saw tends to stop in the middle of a cut I clean the seven breathing vents with an air compressor. I have been pleased with this purchase. It replaced my 11 year-old Stihl MS200 that was given its final blessings by the Stihl dealer...too costly to fix up for it's age.

 

[Pioneer]

A friend has a Stihl msa 220 and a 161t. Like most of their saws they are set up "enviro friendly", in other words, their oilers are a little on the stingy side. As far as leaking, he has had no complaints yet. They are both quality units, but quite pricey. There are other choices such as Makita and Echo that are also quality units that cost a lot less.

 

[OM617YOTA]

There's a Husky electric that's an absolute beast. I forget the model, but worth looking up.

 

[sawfun]

I've had a DeWalt 20V saw with extra battery since April 2020 and use it frequently in my tree service work. I store it on its side in a chain saw case made for another brand saw so the oil reservoir points up. Whenever the saw tends to stop in the middle of a cut I clean the seven breathing vents with an air compressor. I have been pleased with this purchase. It replaced my 11 year-old Stihl MS200 that was given its final blessings by the Stihl dealer...too costly to fix up for it's age.

A lot of guys would have liked that ms200, they are rebuildable several times over no matter the age. That dealer sounds like they wanted to sell you another saw? Those 200's gave a stellar reputation, so I hope you did not get taken advantage of by them.

 

[Pioneer]

Project farm tests out a number of cordless saws, here are the links.

 

[Philbert]

Welcome to A.S.!

Key thing with battery operated chainsaws is the battery platform: they are half the tool, and only work with a specific 'family' of products. Even STIHL has 3, different (non-interchangeable) families. Always look at the whole family of compatible tools before choosing.

I also drain the bar oil from all of my saws to minimize leaks, loss, waste, and messes. I use the disposable, paper funnels found free at most gas stations.

If you are otherwise happy with your saw, have you tried using a thicker grade of bar oil to reduce the high flow? Usually, we hear people complaining about not getting enough oil. What type of bar oil are you using? Maybe add STP, or some other thickening agent, to it?

There are a number of threads, with lots of opinions and information on the STIHL battery saws: best to search via Google (e.g 'Arboristsite Stihl battery chainsaw'), etc. Including those below:
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/battery-operated-saws.336065/

https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...chainsaws-and-outdoor-power-equipment.177392/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/36-volt-and-40-volt-chainsaws.256224/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/echo-58-volt-cordless-chainsaw.277864/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-cs300-40v-cordless-chainsaw.286385/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/review-oregon-powernow-cordless-chainsaw.179262/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-40-volt-pole-saw.248941/#post-4611988

https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...20v-lithium-cordless-battery-chainsaw.310665/

Philbert

 

[GW208]

I have the Msa 200 and I believe that it pumps an adequate amount of oil onto the bar. I do however spin the chain for a few seconds before I begin to cut just to ensure that the chain is lubed before it starts to cut. I have left it in my shed for a month since cutting about ten blocks of firewood and it hasn’t leaked a drop. They’re a great little machine. I enjoy using mine.

Thanks Ando81, that is exactly the type of information I'm looking for.

Welcome to A.S.!

Key thing with battery operated chainsaws is the battery platform: they are half the tool, and only work with a specific 'family' of products. Even STIHL has 3, different (non-interchangeable) families. Always look at the whole family of compatible tools before choosing.

I also drain the bar oil from all of my saws to minimize leaks, loss, waste, and messes. I use the disposable, paper funnels found free at most gas stations.

If you are otherwise happy with your saw, have you tried using a thicker grade of bar oil to reduce the high flow? Usually, we hear people complaining about not getting enough oil. What type of bar oil are you using? Maybe add STP, or some other thickening agent, to it?

There are a number of threads, with lots of opinions and information on the STIHL battery saws: best to search via Google (e.g 'Arboristsite Stihl battery chainsaw'), etc. Including those below:
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/battery-operated-saws.336065/

https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...chainsaws-and-outdoor-power-equipment.177392/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/36-volt-and-40-volt-chainsaws.256224/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/echo-58-volt-cordless-chainsaw.277864/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-cs300-40v-cordless-chainsaw.286385/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/review-oregon-powernow-cordless-chainsaw.179262/

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-40-volt-pole-saw.248941/#post-4611988

https://www.arboristsite.com/commun...20v-lithium-cordless-battery-chainsaw.310665/

Philbert

Thanks Philbert, yes I am happy with the saw other than the bar oiling issues and it would be nice to stay with the 20V Dewalt platform. I'm using the Stihl Platinum oil now and if I remember right I used Husqvarna previously. Trying a thicker oil is an excellent idea, I actually do that in my old Caterpillar tractor because one of the final drives has a bad leak and 90W runs out almost as fast as I can put it in. Would mixing the Stihl oil 50/50 with 90W gear oil sound reasonable? It doesn't get terribly cold here so that shouldn't be a concern.
Thanks also for all those links, that will keep me reading the rest of the afternoon.

 

[jetsam]

Still waiting on TTI to decide they have an American market here. I have a bunch of Ridgid 18v stuff, so if TTI ever decides to slap a Ridgid label on their AEG chainsaws, I'll be set.

I could buy the current crop of AEG saws, but you end up paying $100 or so for someone to ship it from Australia, and I don't need a $100 premium on a limbing saw when I already have a good gas powered limbing saw.

 

[GW208]

So I decided to take the Dewalt apart last weekend and clean it up hoping to find where it leaks oil from. After sitting for 3 days there was no sign of a leak from anywhere. What I did find though is that the o-ring that seals the oil supply nipple was very loose where it fits into it's receptacle on the other half of the saw case. It was much looser than I would ever expect an o-ring to be. I was able to find another o-ring with a slightly larger OD at the hardware store and got the saw back together this morning.

What I think was happening was that while running the saw, oil was leaking back past the o-ring and into the saw case where it would leak out between uses.
While at the store I also picked up a bottle of STP per Philberts' suggestion and topped off the oil in the saw so maybe a 50/50 mix and it is pumping a smaller stream of oil now. It's too early to be certain of course but I'm about 99% sure now that between the new o-ring and STP my complaints with this saw are behind me.

Thanks again for your replies and suggestions everyone, I appreciate it.

 

[j.kleijn]

I have a Husqvarna T540i XP and I love it. Much better then the old ms200T (which I traded in with all my still motor saws except for the ms632c)

 

[harwester]

Project farm tests out a number of cordless saws, here are the links.

So cool.