Stihl MS 170 > Reviews

Advantages: nice when it works
Disadvantages: Bad product instructions

...February I purchased a new Stihl 170 chain saw, for occasional garden use. I used it a few times in March and it worked well, but since then it has been in the shed. Yesterday I used it, I started it up and a little smoke came out the side, I then put it in gear and it stopped and would not start. I took it to my Stihl agent and he said it was damaged beyond repair as I had not disengaged the brake, it can not be fixed. OK fair enough, my fault. The ... Read review

I have no regrets about buying this model. It is light but powerful. Having been scared half to death by the manual warnings about kickback, I was pleasantly surprised by how safe this machine is. The only downside is the supplied multi-tool which chews up the fuel and oil caps when used to tighten them. It should be a bit wider. A word of advice to all first time buyers: A chainsaw is not a VCR. READ THE MANUAL before you use it.