SCMtnHaul
ArboristSite Member
Well, finally found a true turd of an offering from Stihl. If a better battery were available I probably wouldn't be writing this but right now an AP500s battery is required for use with the MSA300 so the combo is what sucks. The "Light" bar that comes with the saw may be a POS too. The chain does seem more prone to derailing and while attempting to flush cut a tan oak stump the oil hole clogged 3 times in 5 minutes, and I can't even remember the last time that happened on any other saw I've used. But the real problem is that if you actually use the full capacity of the battery and drain it to the point where the saw will no longer move the chain it then takes about 90 minutes to recharge the battery, but at high speed the batter drains in about 20 minutes. The high draw of the MSA300 creates so much heat in the AP500s battery that it reliably takes 45 minutes to cool off enough to even start charging, and then about 45-50 minutes on the fast charger before full again. And ambient temps were in the low to mid 70s, battery was on the charger inside a barn. This is so far beyond unacceptable I have difficulty remaining calm. If this saw were in the homeowner series then fine but in no way does the MSA300 belong in the pro series of tools. Stihl absolutely screwed the pooch and the customer on this one, and I didn't even pay close to full price yet I'm still hopping mad. So, 20-30 minutes of runtime and at least 90 minutes of cool-down and charge time. What a joke. The battery top handle, MSA220 TC, does not seem to have this problem and I love using it. The little MSA 220 CB works fine for light duty. MSA300 though is anti-productivity and seems more like a good prototype but far from ready for use in the real world. Caveat emptor!