When I first moved into my house about 10 years ago, there were two arborvitae that greeted me on either side of my front door. Fast forward a decade, and what were once reasonably sized shrubs were now overgrown menaces, crowding the pathway to my home.
As much as I am loathe to cut down any greenery, they had to go, but it's not easy to take down a 15-foot plant, especially one that's so bushy.
Since I'm not a lumberjack, I didn't need anything too fancy or massive — just enough to cut through some thick branches and 2-3-inch trunks.
I found the perfect tool for the job.
For the task, I checked out Stihl's newest electric chainsaw, the MSA 80 C-B. It weighs just 10 pounds, has a 14-inch guide bar, and will run for up to 40 minutes. Here's three things I learned when I took it for a spin around my yard.
Editor's note: This article initially misidentified the model as the Stihl MSA 60-CB, a 12-inch chainsaw, when in fact the MSA 80 C-B, a 14-inch model was reviewed. We have updated this story accordingly.
It was super light
@tomsguide ♬ There She Goes - CYRIL & MOONLGHT & The La's
Weighing just 10 pounds with battery, the chainsaw was very easy to operate and carry around; I could hold it at arms' length for extended periods of time without issue as I chopped down limbs and then cut them into smaller pieces.
It was quiet
My town is particularly picky about gas-powered lawn tools — it banned gas-powered leaf blowers a few years back — and while there's no prohibition against chainsaws, I didn't want to disturb my neighbors with a noisy two-stroke engine.
Now, an electric chainsaw isn't exactly quiet, but it definitely isn't as loud as a traditional chainsaw. If anything I'd say it's around the same noise level, and maybe even a little quieter than an electric leaf blower. It helps to wear ear protection, but you could probably get by without it.
Buy an extra battery
I found Stihl's estimate of 40 minutes to be about accurate for the MSA 60 C-B's battery. It was more than enough time to cut down the arborvitae and then cut its trunks into smaller pieces.
When I was done, I was still itchin' to chainsaw more stuff; I even started eying my neighbors' property for wayward limbs. However, the battery gave out soon thereafter, so if you've got a larger project, you may want to invest in a second battery.
What says "Happy Father's Day" more than a device that can remove a limb, arboreal or otherwise? Stihl does make larger chainsaws, but this 14-inch model is perfect for the dad who needs something to tackle the occasional downed limb and to tap his inner Paul Bunyan.
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