Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Stihl vs cheap petrol chainsaw

Updated: October 2026

You have two prices in your head: a Stihl from a dealer, and a petrol saw on amazon.co.uk that costs about a third as much. This page is Stihl vs cheap petrol chainsaw as a support decision, not a second buying guide. The cheap rows in our [Stihl petrol chainsaw comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/stihl-petrol-chainsaw) are a Hyundai, two eSkde saws, and a Neilsen, from £83.00 to £129.00. They are other brands, not discounted Stihl machines. Products Compared set those listings next to Stihl's imitation warning, with no side-by-side log test, on 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Buy the Stihl from a dealer when the network is the point.

You have two prices in your head: a Stihl from a dealer, and a petrol saw on amazon.co.uk that costs about a third as much. This page is Stihl vs cheap petrol chainsaw as a support decision, not a second buying guide.

Our top picks

Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X

Best overall

Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X
6.8/10about £109.89
View offer
Neilsen Neilsen 25.4cc 12 inch

Preis-Tipp

Neilsen Neilsen 25.4cc 12 inch
4.4/10about £83.00
View offer
eSkde eSkde CS58-S7

Alternative

eSkde eSkde CS58-S7
4.8/10about £119.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The cheap rows are other brands
  2. 2.What you give up below £130
  3. 3.What the Stihl money is for
  4. 4.Which route for which job

The cheap rows are other brands

Hyundai, eSkde, and Neilsen are the names on the housings in this set. A Hyundai that says Hyundai is not a counterfeit Stihl. Stihl's imitation warning is about copies that can lack a chain-brake guard, and about new Stihl product that dealers are not meant to sell on Amazon or eBay. Stihl points you to an approved dealer, to Screwfix, or to Stihl's own shop. The budget band here is £83.00 to £129.00. A Rutland dealer listing shows an MS 170 at £209.00 with a 12 inch bar and an MS 180 at £299.00 with a 14 inch bar. Those figures are not amazon.co.uk prices.

What you give up below £130

You give up a separate review history on the two eSkde listings, because they share one review text. You give up a demonstrated winter of work on the Neilsen: the file includes an oil leak and a stall, on a 12 inch, 25.4 cc saw at £83.00. Reviews describe pawls that strip and bolts that loosen on the HYC6200X, the 62 cc, 20 inch, 7 kg saw at £109.89. You also give up Stihl's parts drawer. Warranty for the Hyundai, the eSkde, and the Neilsen sits with those makers. On stihl.co.uk, Cut Kit 2 is £84.00, so a Stihl bar and two chains can cost as much as the whole Neilsen.
Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X

Testsieger

Hyundai Hyundai HYC6200X
6.8/10about £109.89
View offer

What the Stihl money is for

Stihl's buying guide aims a home petrol buyer at the lighter saw that fits the job, with the MS 162 as the entry it names, and it wants you to feel the weight. The Rutland figures put an MS 170 at £209.00 on a 12 inch bar and an MS 180 at £299.00 on a 14 inch bar. The amazon.co.uk listing B00F0DGRZO asks £364.84 for an MS 170 from a third-party seller. The title says 30 cm and the description also says 35 cm. Treat £364.84 as a contradictory offer, not as the UK price of an MS 170.

Which route for which job

Take the Hyundai HYC6200X if the timber is large and already down, you can handle 7 kg and a 20 inch bar, and you accept Hyundai support. The best Stihl petrol chainsaw page is that single name. Take a dealer MS 170-class saw if the garden is small, you want a Stihl, and a 12 or 14 inch bar matches the wood. Do not take ASIN B00F0DGRZO as that purchase. Take the £83.00 Neilsen only for small limbs. Leave both eSkde rows if you are bucking on a trestle. Fuel and the first pull sit on the how to start a petrol chainsaw page.

Common questions

Are the cheap Amazon results fake Stihl saws?
The Hyundai, eSkde, and Neilsen rows are other brands, labelled as those brands. They are not fake Stihl saws. Stihl's separate warning is about imitations, which can lack a chain-brake guard, and about new Stihl stock on Amazon or eBay. A listing that claims to be Stihl and contradicts itself is the one to abandon.
Is the Hyundai close enough for fallen oak?
It is the saw in this set for large fallen timber, at 62 cc, 20 inches, and 7 kg, if you accept Hyundai parts and the starter faults reviewers mention. Close enough is not a measured tie with an MS 170. One owner said theirs cut better than a friend's Stihl, and one comment is not a trial.
Why is an MS 170 £364.84 on Amazon and about £209 at a dealer?
The £364.84 figure is third-party ASIN B00F0DGRZO, and the listing disagrees with itself on bar length. The £209.00 figure is a Rutland dealer listing for a 12 inch MS 170. Stihl says new saws belong with approved dealers, Screwfix, or its own shop, not as marketplace bargains.
Will a Stihl dealer service an eSkde?
Plan on Stihl dealers for Stihl parts and Stihl warranty work. This page does not claim they refuse every other machine, and it does not claim they hold eSkde spares. Service and the warranty for an eSkde sit with that brand and that seller. Turning up with a top-handle saw and a Stihl manual will not make the parts match.
What do I lose with the Neilsen besides money?
You are not losing money. You are spending less and receiving a 12 inch, 25.4 cc saw with a thin set of reviews, including an oil leak and a stall. You also lack a named chain brake in the material we have, and you lack Stihl parts support.
Is a top-handle eSkde a budget climbing saw?
No. A top handle is a compact layout used off the ground by people trained for that work. A low price does not supply the training, the harness, or a second person on the ground. Both eSkde rows share one review text as well, so the stars are a weak reason to experiment.
When is the budget saw the sensible buy?
When the wood is already down, the bar matches it, and you are content with that maker's support. Large fallen timber points at the Hyundai, faults included. Small limbs point at the Neilsen, eyes open. A small garden and a wish for a Stihl point at a dealer MS 170 class, not at the £364.84 listing.

Related pages

Petrol chainsaw buying guide

Stihl petrol chainsaw

Best Stihl petrol chainsaw: Hyundai if you can hold it

Petrol chainsaw for firewood: bar length for stove logs

How to start a petrol chainsaw: brake on, then pull

Sources

Sources are Stihl UK pages, HSE guidance and the amazon.co.uk listings for the four saws. Last checked 16 October 2026.

  1. Stihl chainsaw buying guide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Stihl chainsaw fuel mix (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Stihl starting a chainsaw (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Stihl warns about imitations (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE chainsaw operators (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. HSE INDG317 Chainsaws at work (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Stihl MS 172 petrol chainsaw (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Stihl Cut Kit 2 (retrieved 16 October 2026)