The new STIHL MS 881 is the world’s most powerful chainsaw in production today. Following on from the highly regarded MS 880 chainsaw, which was a favourite of foresters, the arboriculture industry and saw-mill operatives, the MS 881 was designed with the largest timber jobs in mind.
With the same overall power and weight of the MS 880, it is also still built in Germany with pro-grade materials such as a magnesium crankcase from our own magnesium casting facility. The MS 881 is a chainsaw to rely on for the toughest tasks.
This 121.6 cm3 powerhouse has an output of 6.4 kW/8.7hp and a huge 8.0 Nm of torque, all from a powerhead that weighs 9.9kg, or 12.7kg with the STIHL Rollomatic ES 75 cm/30” bar and STIHL .404″ Rapid Super chain.
The STIHL MS 881 system weight (powerhead only) of 1.5 kg / kW puts it in the same performance to weight category as the new MS 400 C-M chainsaw, the world’s first production chainsaw with a magnesium piston, and not far behind the STIHL MS 462 C-M which has an incredible ratio in the 70c class.
It is available in three different bar lengths in the GB market; 75cm/30” or 90cm/36” with a Rollomatic ES bar, and 105cm/41” with a Duromatic bar. Of course, other larger bar lengths such as the 120cm/48” can be fitted to it separately.
This is also the only chainsaw in the STIHL line-up to run the sizeable .404” Rapid Super chain, which offers the highest cutting performance of all STIHL saw chains, with a full chisel tooth and low cutting resistance. This makes it perfect for pro forestry and wood harvesting.
With an all-new 2- MIX motor this is the only saw of this power and cubic capacity available today that meets the strict EU 5 emissions requirements. There have also been a number of additional refinements beyond the bold and aggressive design and the new STIHL 2-MIX powerful engine.
After pressing the stop switch, it returns to the starting position so the chainsaw can simply be restarted. You just need to press the decompression button and pull the starter cord.
Captive nuts on the slim-line sprocket cover also mean you cannot lose them when you swap the bar and chain. This is a feature that is now standard across our entire professional chainsaw range.
The new oil pump regulates the oil delivery to give the best oil flow for the job at hand depending on the rpm level, which is a must when longer bar lengths are used on professional chainsaws like the MS 881.
What’s more, the new diagnostic socket means the chainsaw’s performance data can be analysed by STIHL Approved Dealers when maintenance or servicing is required. If the worst comes to the worst, any fault can be found and quickly rectified.
The addition of a HD2 filter also increases service life due to its high filtering effect, especially with the fine dust that can be found in a saw mill environment. It is also very simple to clean. You only need to clean it when you notice a drop in performance and you can find out how to clean it here.
With all of these features, if you are looking for the most powerful production chainsaw in the world for large tree removal and timber processing, the MS 881 is the saw to have. For more information, visit your nearest STIHL Approved dealer.
What professional chainsaw are you currently using? Let us know in the comments!
Paul HicksPaul has worked for STIHL for six years and is responsible for the range of STIHL products that is sold here in Great Britain, which means he definitely knows his stuff when it comes to all things STIHL.
I currently use ms461 I bought new in 2016 I absolutely love it I use 32 inch bar and full skip chain it has great power I do use portable mill occasionally and it is a bit slow milling would love to have new ms881 when available in us
Thanks for the great feedback Andrew. We’re glad you love the MS 461! Thanks, STIHL GB
I ordered a ma 881 Jan. 2 was told 2 weeks. It’s been 2 months still haven’t received it! Where are all the 881’s???
Hello, thanks for your comment and I’m sorry to hear about the delay. As you have probably gathered, we are experiencing some stock issues right now due to unprecedented global demand. But please could I ask you to get in touch with our Customer Services team on 01276 417678 or by email to enquiries@stihl.co.uk. If you can let them know which dealer you ordered it from, they may be able to give you some more information about the timescale. Thanks very much, STIHL GB
I run an ms661c and I love it. I cut firewood and use a 36” mill a lot on my off grid homestead
Thanks for the feedback, glad you like the MS 661 – it’s a great saw!
Trying to buy an 881 currently. Does anyone know when they will be available again in the United States?
Hi, thanks for your comment. This is the blog for STIHL Great Britain and I’m afraid we don’t have any visibility of stock levels in the US, but I have spoken to one of our colleagues there and they have asked if you can drop them a quick note and they will do their best to provide you with a more accurate delivery date. You can either contact them via a direct message through Facebook or drop an email to the STIHL US customer care team on stihlcs@stihl.us. Thanks very much, STIHL GB
Hello just purchased the MS 881, I was wondering if still is planning on coming out with a 3/8 sprocket conversion or a Spurs rocket type for the .404.thanks.
Thanks for your comment. Please could you get in touch with our Technical team about this? You can contact them via Customer Services on 01276 417678 or by email to enquiries@stihl.co.uk. Thanks, STIHL GB
Ordered the 881 and received within 3 working days (excited as a kid at christmas).checked over filled with fuel and alas a cracked fuel tank,what a bummer,contacted supplier to get replaced and no more stock till middle of June.
Hello, I’m sorry to hear about both the fault and the delay for the replacement. We are currently experiencing unprecedented global demand for STIHL products. Like many organisations, stock availability continues to be a challenge for us due to Covid-19 and the impact of businesses being closed during lockdown. We are receiving stock into our warehouse daily and the team are working extremely hard to get products out to our STIHL approved dealers as quickly as possible. It’s worth keeping in regular contact with your dealer as we are giving them as much information as possible, although the information we are receiving here about deliveries is changing on a daily basis too. If you are unable to get the information you need, you can also speak to our Customer Services team, who will be able to give you an estimated due date. You can contact them by email at enquiries@stihl.co.uk. Thanks, STIHL GB
Hi, I’m a great admirer of the tech advances Stihl have made in the last 10 yrs, initially with mtronic and now with fuel injection.. I’d never go back to manual carbs now. But I was surprised to find that the latest saw, MS881, is neither mtronic nor injection. Why did the engineers decide to keep a manual carb on the 881?
Thanks
Hi, thank you for your comment. The MS 880 was a very popular saw across the globe and feedback from the markets was that there was limited requirement for increased power or to add complexity to the product. The new MS 881 achieves EU 5 emission regulations with the change to the 2-MIX engine, as well as the same power and weight without the need for electronic ignition or injection. The simplicity of the machine was preferred by some markets too, who haven’t fully adopted M-Tronic like we have done in GB. I hope that helps, thanks, STIHL GB
I run the ms261 and it’s a fun switch to go from the always reliable ms251 to the ms261. Just so much torque and high rpm’s , throwing big old chips even in a 100 Year old oak tree! Minnesota IS STIHL COUNTRY!
Hi, thanks for the feedback, glad to hear you’re a STIHL fan!