The charge (no pun intended!) of battery power tools shows no signs of receding at any time soon – both professional users and homeowners are coming round to the benefits of battery, with less noise, lower vibrations and no emissions at the top of the list!
And if you’ve taken the plunge and invested in a STIHL cordless power tool, there are plenty of ways that you can make the most of it. We’ve put together an expert guide to understanding and looking after your battery so that it can deliver the performance you expect from STIHL. Read on for our top ten battery hints and tips:
- Clean power tools will use less battery power
Tools that are kept clean work with less friction, which means that less power is needed to run the tool and your battery will run for longer. Make sure that all parts of your machine (such as the saw chain or brushcutter cutting tools) are free from dirt and well lubricated.
- Don’t use damp or wet batteries
Trying to use a wet battery in your cordless power tool is a bad idea, but if it does get wet or dirty, simply switch off the machine, remove the battery, wipe it down with a cloth, then put the battery somewhere under cover and let it dry. If the openings in the battery or the charger is dirty, clean them gently with a soft brush.
Make sure that the battery’s contact points don’t come into contact with anything metal either as this can damage it.
- Charge the battery correctly
The optimum temperature for a battery during charging is between 0°C and 40°C. Batteries may not charge if they are colder or hotter than this. Both the AL 300 or AL 500 chargers have an integrated cooling function which actively cool the batteries whilst charging.
- Get to know the LEDs on your battery
Most people know that LEDs on the battery can be used to show how much charge you have left in the battery. But do you know, they can also indicate faults? If the LEDs are red, instead of green, any of the following could be causing a problem:
- One red LED means that the battery is too hot or too cold. If the battery is too cold, slowly warm it up (e.g. by leaving it inside for a while) but don’t put it on a heater or radiator as it is likely to get too hot too quickly. If the battery is too warm, it might be obvious but you need to let it cool down! If you have an AL 300 or AL 500 charger, you could put a warm battery on charge as these chargers actively cool the batteries whilst connected.
- Three red LEDs continuously lit up means that the machine itself (rather than the battery) is too warm – again, just allow it to cool down before using it again.
- Three red flashing LEDs means that there is a fault in the tool, and you should take it to an approved STIHL dealer where they will be able to assess it.
- Four red flashing LEDs means there is a fault in the battery. Again, take it to an approved STIHL dealer and they will be able to help diagnose what sort of fault it is.
- Get to know the LED on your charger
Charging begins automatically when you put your battery into your charger. All STIHL chargers have an LED display and again, this can be used to show up faults with the charger:
- If the LED on the charger shows as green then changes to red, your charger is carrying out a self-check after being plugged in.
- If the LED on the charger is green then your battery is charging as normal.
- If the LED flashes red, there is something wrong with your charger – take it to an approved STIHL dealer and they will be able to assess it for you.
- If the LED does not light up at all, your battery may already be fully charged as the charger automatically switches off in this case. If the battery isn’t fully charged and the charger is properly plugged in, take it to your approved STIHL dealer who can investigate further.
- Charging little and often
Charging your battery often but for short periods of time, to continuously top up the battery is absolutely fine and will have no effect on the battery’s performance. The battery can also be removed from the charger at any time without any problems, so you can easily charge your battery whilst you stop for a cuppa!
- Lithium Ion batteries and deep discharge
Deep discharge causes damage to batteries and reduces its long-term capacity so you get less charging cycles. STIHL’s intelligent battery system monitors the voltage in the individual Lithium-Ion battery cells so that it is impossible to exhaust or over charge the battery and damage it in this way.
- Speedy charging times won’t affect lifespan
We have two quick chargers (the AL 300 and AL 500) for those of you who don’t have the time to wait. Some people think that charging a battery quickly will reduce the overall lifespan of the battery but this isn’t the case with STIHL power tool batteries. Both of these chargers actively protect the battery during charging, thanks to the in-built cooling function, so that batteries can be charged hundreds of times over without a noticeable loss of capacity.
- Storing the battery
We don’t recommend that you store the battery in your power tools. Take it out and store it separately in a clean, dry place out of direct sunlight and ideally in some packaging, such as cardboard, to protect it. It can be stored at a temperature between -10°C and 50°C. If you aren’t going to be using it again for a while, we suggest leaving it with a charge level of 40–60% (or two green LEDs). Please also make sure it is kept out of reach of children.
- Choosing the right battery for your power tool
We always recommend a specific battery for all of our cordless power tools, and it might not be the one with the biggest capacity. That is because we take into account weight and balance as well – for example, when using a hedge trimmer, a lighter battery will make the tool easier to use. With the batteries in our AK System of cordless tools, the AK 20 will run for twice as long as the AK 10, but it weighs 0.4kg more than the AK 10.
Think about how you will use your power tool, battery and charger. Will you have time to charge the battery so that you have a long enough run time for the job you need to do? Should you choose a bigger capacity battery or a quick charger? Or maybe even buy a back-up battery? Either way, we hope this guide to STIHL batteries will help you get the most out of your battery-powered tools, but let us know about any other battery questions you might have in the comments.
Finally, don’t forget to read the instructions before using any power tool. You can download owners’ manuals and safety brochures for STIHL products here.
Can you publish a printable version of the condition of a Stihl Battery you have on this bolg, it is much better than the description in the owners manual, quicker to read and understand, or send me one I could print if. This Blog is the best information on Stihl their is. Thanks.
Hi William, thanks for your comment and we’re glad you found it useful. You’re welcome to print this page if that’s helpful? Thanks, STIHL GB
Totally agree with William.
Owner’s Manual lacks any detail.
I have just started charging a battery for the first time, and Manual gave no reassurance that all was well in terms of battery/charger lights.
Thanks for the feedback John. I have passed this on to the Product Manager for them to review. Best wishes, STIHL GB
Both my wife and I have real difficulty pulling the battery out of our Stihl blower, hedge trimmer and strummer. Is there some way we can make it easier?
It would be great if there was some sort of lever you can pull as you press the release button which ejects the battery.
Hi John, sorry to hear about the issues you are having. Do you have the AK System tools, or the AP System ones? Or in other words, do your tools take AK 10, AK 20 or AK 30 batteries? Both ranges have slightly different battery inserts so it would be really useful to know which ones are causing the issue. Thanks very much, STIHL GB
We have the same issue as a previous customer. Getting the battery out of the hedge trimmer is really difficult. The battery is a AK10. No issue with my chainsaw. Should I clean the tracks with something to reduce friction, but clearly not grease.
Hello, thanks for your comment. Sorry to hear about the issue you have had with the battery. For any tool issues, we do always suggest that you take the tool back to the STIHL Approved Dealer that you bought it from, but in the meantime, you could also try the following steps. First, check the contacts in the machine first and if they are dirty then clean them thoroughly with a brush. Then wet the contacts with a standard silicone spray, before inserting and removing the battery several times. If this doesn’t cure the issue, then please do visit a STIHL Approved Dealer, who will be able investigate further. Thanks, STIHL GB
Hello I have just purchased 4 x 300s battery and one ar3000l plus mowers strimmers hedge trimmer s and a couple of blowers. The problem I’m having is we are a ground maintenance company that covers Devon so I decided to buy a power inverter for the van to help top up these batteries the inverter is a 2500w which I thought would be big enough for the AL500 charger but when I plug it in to the van the charger makes a small buzzing noise but not when plugged into the mains will this do it any harm or can you not use the charger with a power inverter the running of this inverter is 2500 constant with a surcharge of 3500 please could you give me some advice on this thank you.
Hello, thanks for your comment. We have looked into this for you and I have some more information on inverters which might help explain it. A pure power waveform is a smooth sine wave, which is what mains voltage delivers. However, there are two types of inverter on the market: pure sine wave inverters and quasi wave inverters.
Pure sine wave inverters are usually a bit more expensive but as the name implies, deliver a smooth sinusoidal waveform, the same as mains voltage.
Quasi wave inverters on the other hand are usually a bit cheaper but deliver a more square-shaped waveform. The reason some equipment such as chargers might buzz if plugged into a quasi wave inverter is because a transformer winding in the charger is being fed with a square waveform, so can clip or buzz. The buzz will obviously go away if that same charger is then used on mains voltage as it’s then being fed with a pure waveform.
Whilst a bit disconcerting, the square waveform and buzzing shouldn’t damage the equipment if the transformer inside is built correctly. I hope that helps explain it. Thanks, STIHL GB
I have a leaf blower and hedge trimmer with an AP200 battery. I am considering a chain saw. I would like an MSA 200, with the 35cm bar, but I can see that this does not work so well with the AP200 battery. According to page 27 of the catalogue the MSA200 does 210 cuts in 40 mins with the AP300 battery but the MSA160 does 210 cuts in 42 mins with the AP200 battery.
Am I better to get an MSA 160 and specify a 35 cm bar? Why would anyone buy the MSA200 when the performance is only 42/40 better?
Hi, thanks for your comment. An MSA 200 needs a AP 300 battery to get the full 1.8kW power that it is designed deliver. If you use an AP 200 with it, it will work with lower performance, closer to MSA 160 level. The performance of battery chainsaws is not just about battery working time but about it’s potential and capability to work with larger timber and a larger bar. It takes more power to run a chainsaw with a longer bar, so if you were to use a 35cm bar on the MSA 160 you wouldn’t get the same run time as you would with the recommended 30cm bar.
The MSA 200 delivers a higher kW (when used with the AP 300) and can therefore offer faster cutting through larger timber. When in operation there is a 44% difference in cutting performance between the two saws. If you need the longer bar and more power, we do recommend the MSA 200 with the AP 300 battery. I hope that helps, thanks, STIHL GB
I have a STHIHL AL 101 charger with an AK10 battery.
When I plug in the charger I get a momentary green and then a momentary red light; then nothing. This happens when the battery is in place or absent.
The battery fails to charge at all and has no power indicator on the battery itself.
Is this a faulty charger or a faulty battery?
Hi, thanks for your comment and sorry to hear about the issues with your battery. I’m afraid we’re unable to diagnose issues like this online though. Please could you take it to a STIHL Approved dealer who will be able to plug it into their diagnostics software and give you the full details. Thanks, STIHL GB
I bought my first Stihl battery strimmer with AK10 battery. Brilliant kit. I am an arborist/ground maintenance business. If I buy a ordless leaf blower and extended pole hedge trimmer will an AK10 battery work or fit in them or are batteries specific to each machines power needs. I still use use petrol but now realise how good battery is for certain tasks.
thank you for your comment and I’m glad to hear you like the battery kit. If you have an AK 10 battery, that means your grass trimmer is part of the AK System of tools so you can use the BGA 57 cordless blower and the HLA 56 long reach hedge trimmer. You can use the AK 10 battery in both of those tools, but we do recommend the AK 20 battery as the best battery to use with these ones. The BGA 57 battery uses a lot of power, so the AK 10 battery will only last up to 10 minutes in the blower, and with the HLA 56, the AK 20 battery is slightly heavier so it makes the balance slightly better, but you will still get up to 50 minutes of working time with the AK 10. You can find out more about all of the tools in the AK System here: https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Cordless-power-systems/073583/AK-System-Medium-Large-Gardens.aspx Thanks, STIHL GB
Thankyou for battery information. I will now build on a battery collection and purchase a pole hedge trimmer and leaf blower based on your advice. Thankyou.
I have an AP80 battery, when plugged in to the AL300 charger the left hand LED on the battery illuminates green and the other 3 glow red… any clues on this? The battery does not work in the tool.
Hi, thank you for your comment and I’m sorry to hear about the issue. Could I please ask you to get in touch with our Customer Services team about this and they can refer you to our technical team? You can contact them on 01276 20202 or by email to enquiries@stihl.co.uk.
Thanks, STIHL GB
Hi. I have an AL 300 charger. The charger is charging my AP200 battery perfectly well enough; however, when I first plug it in, the charger’s bi-colour LED briefly flashes red. This occurs before I even plug in the battery. Once the battery is inserted, the fans starts up and the battery charges up fine; however, the LED doesn’t illuminate at all. I’m wondering if it’s simply that the green part of the bi-colour LED has failed, or could this be a problem with the switched-mode PSU? I’d welcome a schematic diagram if so! Thank you.
Hi, thanks for your comment. We think it sounds like the LED is faulty, but it’s quite hard to accurately diagnose these issues online. We recommend that you take it to a STIHL Approved Dealer who should be able to help. If you need any further assistance after that, you can also contact our Customer Services team on 01276 20202 or enquiries@stihl.co.uk. Thanks, STIHL GB
Is it ok to leave a AP300 battery in the machine between jobs when I’m using it every few days? Or should I remove the battery from the machine after every use? I’m using an HLA86 and a Fsa90r.
Hi, thanks for your comment. Leaving the battery in the machine over a couple of days won’t cause damage to either components. However, from a safety perspective we recommend removing the battery as it completely deactivates the machine and acts as a fool-proof on/off. Unlike a petrol tool, a HLA 86 gives no noise indication if it’s live. Going through the motion of slotting in the battery is the equivalent of priming / cranking a petrol tool, and makes it 100% clear to the user when the machine is ready for work. This helps to reduce the risk of accidentally starting the machine. Thanks, STIHL GB
Hi. I have just purchased a MSA160C chain saw. Its been raining today and I needed to use the saw on a small job but the battery compartment is like a well and will fill with water if I put the saw down the right way up! I assume that with the contacts being at the bottom of this ‘well’ that there will be considerable damage done to battery and/or machine if it fills with water. Is this compartment watertight or is this a design flaw on the part of Stihl? Its really not very convenient if I can’t use a chainsaw in the wet.
Also-is it possible to fit a wider chain to the MSA160C? I have problems sharpening the supplied one as my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Thanks. T.
Hi, thanks for your comment. We would not recommend leaving the battery slot open to the rain as it could pool with water. Our tools are equivalent of IPX4 water resistance but letting water pool in the battery casing is not recommended. It could be left on its side to help prevent this. We also offer a cover for battery tools here: https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Cordless-power-systems/AP-System-Large-Gardens-Professionals/AP-System-Accessories/AP-System-storage-solutions/22087-113665/Cover-for-AP-battery-slot.aspx
The 1/4 P chain is recommended for this tool and using a wider chain (like the MSA 220) would put more strain on the motor and potentially limit the performance. We have a 2-in-1 easy file that does assist with the accuracy and speed of the sharpening process, which may be useful. You can find it here: https://www.stihl.co.uk/STIHL-Products/Cutting-attachments/Tools-for-maintaining-cutting-attachments/Depth-gauge-maintenance/21733-133798/2-in-1-EasyFile.aspx
I hope this helps, thanks, STIHL GB