Fuelled up and ready to go with a 64cm (25in) guide bar fitted, the 4.4kW/6.0hp, 72.2cc Stihl 462 C-M chainsaw weighs in at 8.25kg … or just 6.0kg for the power unit on its own. The existing 4.2kW/5.7hp, 70.7cc MS 441 and 4.4kW/6.0hp, 76.5cc MS 461, both of which this new model will replace, weigh around 0.6kg to 0.7kg more. So, the new saw is lighter, but is that all?
Job one is to put the new Stihl into a bit of model line-up perspective. Targeting professional users, this saw will help simplify the company’s range by soon becoming the only saw offered in the nominal 70cc category. The outgoing MS 441 and MS 461 could be a confusing model choice as their pricing was so close, but they differed in more ways than just power output. For many, a key was that the more powerful MS 461 has a ‘traditional’ mechanical carb, the feisty MS 441 featuring Stihl M-Tronic with electronic carburettor metering and ignition timing.
