Stihl Chainsaws and Pole Pruners

Chainsaw v Pole Pruner: The Difference

While virtually everyone is familiar with chainsaws, many people will have little to no knowledge of pole pruners. The two pieces of equipment share many similarities, but also have a few key differences. The main difference is their length. Whereas a chainsaw is short and used to cut trees of logs in close proximity to the user's body, a pole pruner is much longer and is essentially a chainsaw on a stick, and these are used to cut and trim in places that your chainsaw cannot reach.

Take a look at our petrol-powered, Stihl pole pruners here: Pole Pruners - Balmers GM

Battery v Electric v Petrol

For years, while battery-powered chainsaws and pole pruners did indeed exist, they simply did not have the performance to match up to their petrol counterparts. However, in recent years, battery-powered garden machinery has improved significantly, and cordless equipment is now a serious rival to the petrol-powered models.

While electric Stihl pole pruners and chainsaws do require a power source, both these and the battery-powered models are much lighter than petrol models, they are also easier to maintain, and do not pollute the air in the same way as they are both quieter and exhaustless.

It is the two final points, the lack of exhaust fumes and the quiet operation, that have made Stihl chainsaws and pole pruners powered by batteries or a power cord very popular with residential gardeners, as they are much less likely to disturb the neighbours that your traditional, petrol chainsaw or pole pruner.

When working amongst branches, opting for a cordless, battery-powered model is probably preferable, as the trailing cord could easily become tangled in the branches. You should also consider the size of your garden, as the high-end battery-powered chainsaws and pole pruners have a run time of around 40 minutes, so with the smaller models, you can expect less run time. Therefore, if you have a large garden, you may want to invest in a second battery.

Professionals still generally prefer to use a petrol-powered chainsaw, this is despite their high maintenance, the noise and the exhaust fumes. Despite all this, they are portable, powerful, and ideal for larger, more substantial jobs.

Take a look at our range of professional Stihl chainsaws: Professional Chainsaws - Balmers GM 

A Closer Look

Each and every model of Stihl chainsaw starts with the name MS, which indicates it is a petrol-powered model, MSA, which indicates a battery-powered model, and MSE, which means it is an electric model. Similarly, when we are looking at Stihl pole pruners, the HT models indicate a petrol model, while HTA means that is a model with a battery.

At Balmers we stock three petrol Stihl pole pruners, the HT 103, HT 131, and the HT 133, and you can view those here: POLE PRUNERS - Balmers GM.

Whether you are an arborist or a tree maintenance professional, we’ve got something to suit you. Fancy a battery-powered Stihl pole pruner? We’ve got the HTA 66, HTA 86, and the HTA 135, each of these models can be viewed here: Chainsaws & Pole Pruners - Balmers GM.

The run time of each of these does differ depending on which battery you use, and we recommend using either the AP 100, AP 200, AP 300, or the AP 300S, depending on which model you have and how much run time you require. 

There are also six models of battery Stihl chainsaws available, the MSA 120 C-B, MSA 140 C-B, MSA 160 C-B, MSA 161 C-B, MSA 200 C-B, and the MSA 220 C-B, as well as a single corded version, the Stihl MSE 141 Electric Chainsaw.

We also stock fifteen models of petrol-powered Stihl chainsaws, as well as nineteen chainsaws geared towards more professional use, with sixteen petrol-powered models and three battery-powered models. 

And as ever when working with either chainsaws or pole pruners, don’t forget your PPE!

If you have any questions about our Stihl pole pruners or chainsaws, please do not hesitate to contact us. Contact | Balmers GM Ltd