I've been using this machine for about a month now and can say I'm happy with it's performance. If you read the manual carefully and not jump steps in the operating procedure it will work for you. Starts every time for me when warm or cold. The biggest piece of wood I've cut would be around 25cm in diameter which it went thru no worries. It's not a hard core chainsaw but it perfect enough for the home owner for trimming limbs or cutting firewood. I'm happy with it and would give it an 8 out of 10.

Have had this rubbish Stihl chainsaw for four years and it has always been difficult to start. It has been "serviced" by the dealer twice, and is no easier to start. My previous chainsaw - a Husqvarna - was great and was always very easy to start. I will be tossing this Stihl chainsaw in the garbage.

one of the most pethatic and useless saws ive ever owned bought it 12 months ago and ive been back to the dealer 7 times due to faults on the machine, this saw is just terrible, ive previously owned husqvarna saws and they have worked wonderful for me not a problem, i only bought a stihl on the advise of a mate saying they were alot better, its heavier, its louder, it struggles even on small logs with a sharp chain, this machine is everything that is wrong in the world!
this saw needs to go back to the drawing board cause ive had that many problems with it its not funny,
i would never buy one of this saws again!

A great machine - does exactly what a home handyman needs without costing too much. As long as the chain is sharp and the chain rakers are filed appropriately, its hard to imagine you would need anything more. It has cut a 35cm thick gum tree that fell down - no problems at all (noting I sharpened the chain/filed rakers to get a good bite). Drain fuel after use - fill up when you want to use with fresh mix and it starts second pull everytime (first pull fires with choke, then take choke off and second pull starts the motor - normal for a Stihl (and most chainsaws)). I have cut more than 40 trees now over autumn last year and this week and its still going great.

I have only ever had small chainsaws for pruning & firewood cutting, my last one was a Stihl 009 which I bought second hand & gave sterling service till it died. So I bought another Stihl, brand new this time & it has many design improvements over the 009. It's quick & easy to clean/service/adjust the chain tension, & has always be easy to start & has never let me down, been through 2 chains now & it has saved me 1000's of $ from NOT hiring professional pruners.
Light weight, easy relible starting, has all the power I need, good quality.
You must pay for quality

Had this saw for about 5 years now has done countless hours trimming up trees,shrubs and even had to cut firewood at times when my bigger saws have been out of service.Its on its seventh chain now, could probably do with a new bar but that pretty good going for a small saw. It does leak bar oil when not in use now but i don't mind my shed has a wooden floor so it keeps the wood in good nick.
Light weight,handy saw for light work,cheap to run.

Ive used many chainsaws but have only ever owned the cheap $100 special jobs from the likes of Mitre 10 or Bunnings. After a cheap one I had failed to start I decided to invest in a Stihl. I only use it to cut up firewood when camping and pruning small trees around the house so the MiniBoss is great. Starts very easy, plenty of power, well balanced design which makes it easy to use and it also appears to be decent qaulity. Only owned it since March so I guess I will wait and see what the future holds but so far its excellent. Best chainsaw I have used.
Good quality, easy to start, powerful.

I have owned many stihl saws from, ms 170 to 090, i current have a ms170, 07, 08s,ms660, 090av.
The ms170 is the biggest bit of [censored word removed] i have put fuel into, it wont run properly, wont rev, hard to start, leaks bar oil out of the tank when stored, just a bit of junk.
I know of four other ms170 and they are all the same "junk"
I have been back to stihl for repairs, no luck yet, they cant even fix it. Its now a shed filler.
Dont buy a ms170 bit of [censored word removed] junk.
Size is small enough to take camping.
Leaks all the oil out while being stored, hard to start, wont rev, junk.

Only bought it a few months ago. The thing never starts. I use the same fuel in my other equipment and they work perfectly. I've returned it 4 times. I only use it in a domestic situation so it's not like it's getting overworked. I'm looking to buy another brand now as I've given up on Stihl

Almost impossible to start

i own 2 sthil chain saws my first one is a 038av,great for doing all the large trees, and very heavy to use for long time. my ms170 is great for around the home for triming tree branches and cutting up small logs, up to 20cm .( old school measurement 8 inches) all sthil blowers,brush cutters and chain saws are the best.
easy to start and light to handle not like big chains

This saw in just brilliant.

If you buy it new, make sure you run the saw in properly, use the right fuel mix, keep the teeth sharp and you wont have any problems. Don't run it at high revs during the first tank or if the saw is cold as you will damage the engine.

This saw is cutting through softwood and hardwood like butter. I'm using this saw to fall small trees and cut up firewood, up to 10-14" in diameter. This saw is doing the job great with little effort.

If you want to cut down large hardwood trees then get another saw. This saw is perfect for small trees and bits of firewood and does the job flawlessly. Highly recommenced.
Reliable. Lightweight. Parts are cheap and easy to obtain

This chainsaw is good for around the house for those small little jobs for and at a cheap price. I would prefer this chainsaw than bigger ones for those small jobs.
It is a good little chainsaw that is easy to use and doesn't cost much. It is easy to maintain and look after. It's great for jobs like trimming trees.
It's very small and can get stuck easy in those bigger logs.

Good for domestic use although in hindsight I would have gone for a farm boss as it doesn't like the thicker domestic stuff. This is my first chainsaw and it has been a good learning experience. If I had a wood burner and needed it to cut up some dead logs I would not use this saw. It really is purely for home use.
It is a reliable machine that is easy to start from cold.
Doesn't like going through 15cm diameter trees too much but it gets there.

A great chainsaw which i have cut through massive trees and chopped 2 seasons worth of firewood so far.

I just wish Stihl would review the On/Off switch which can get rather annoying
Easy to start, strong and powerful machine!
The On/Off switch seems to come loose often which is easily fixed but on a $400 chainsaw...

Needed an easy to use light weight chain saw for garden use.This is a very controlled tool but heaps of power and cutting ability,perfect for 12 inch work and pruning.Would be ideal for camping and firewood.
Went for Stihl due to reputation and recommendation of mates based on proven quality and reliability...don,t think I will be disappointed
it is a Stihl with good reputation and reliability
None so far