The STIHL Group STIHL manufactures products in seven countries worldwide: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA, Brazil, China and in the Philippines. Since 1971 STIHL has been the world's top-selling chain saw brand. The company was founded in 1926 and is based in Waiblingen near Stuttgart, Germany.

Stihl and Husqvarna have an equally excellent reputation for quality and durability, but the heavier construction and larger engines of Husqvarna chainsaws typically means they're priced a bit higher than a Stihl chainsaw.

We'll start with an easy one. Every STIHL chainsaw model name starts with MS, MSA, or MSE. The common part, MS, stands for Motorsäge which is German for chainsaw. MSA indicates that it's a battery chainsaw and MSE tells us that it's an electric model.

Your chainsaw will need an unleaded, mid-grade gasoline with an octane rating of at least 89. This is one of the few times you'll want to spend the money for premium gas. Unlike other small engines, most chainsaws us a high-performance engine. If the octane rating is not at 89, you risk knocking your engine.