Why do STIHL's US chainsaw manuals leave out the decibels?
We could not find out why. STIHL's North American manual for the MSA 60 and MSA 70 contains no sound figures at all, yet the international English manual for the same two saws, on STIHL's own document server, carries the full declaration: pressure under EN 62841-4-1, K values, and a guaranteed ceiling under EU directive 2000/14/EC. STIHL declares every battery saw it sells that way. The measurement exists; North America just does not get it in print.
Every STIHL figure on this page comes from the international edition, matched to the US model by the serial prefix STIHL prints in both. For every current US STIHL saw with a published figure, gas as well as battery, see our STIHL decibels page.
Two numbers on every declaration
LpA measures pressure at the operator's ear, 83 dB(A) on even the quietest saw here. LWA is the sound power, everything the saw emits, and it carries a guaranteed ceiling.
The picks are ranked on the ear figure, with the guaranteed power beside it. Between brands, though, guaranteed LWA is the fairer number: STIHL, Husqvarna and EGO all declare it under 2000/14/EC, while their ear figures use different standards or none named. The MSA 60's 83 at the ear and guaranteed 97 still belong in separate columns, for reasons the sound power vs sound pressure explainer gives.
Branches out of reach from the ground call for a different tool. Our pole saw guide ranks the pole pruners, where STIHL's HTA 86 declares 77 dB(A) at the ear under ISO 22868, and the hedge trimmer guide covers the battery trimmers STIHL declares under EN 62841-4-2.
How loud are Husqvarna Power Axe chainsaws?
From 84 to 91 dB(A) at the ear, the 12 inch 125i to the 18 inch 350i, with a guaranteed sound power of 95 to 102.
Husqvarna is the one brand here that prints ear pressure, measured sound power and guaranteed sound power on its US product pages, consumer Power Axe saws included. It names no standard or K value.
| Husqvarna saw | At the ear | Guaranteed sound power |
|---|
| 125i Power Axe, 12 inch | 84 dB(A) | 95 dB(A) |
| 225i Power Axe | 89 dB(A) | 100 dB(A) |
| Power Axe 350i, 18 inch | 91 dB(A) | 102 dB(A) |
| 542i XP | 91 dB(A) | 104 dB(A) |
| 540i XP, the 542i XP's predecessor | 95 dB(A) | 106 dB(A) |
The 225i is the quietest saw you can order on Amazon, and the 350i sits below EGO's 18 inch saw on both counts. The small 125i declares the lowest of any Husqvarna, though husqvarna.com sells it through dealers. Our Husqvarna decibels page lists every current Husqvarna saw with a figure.
Progress shows in the pro saws. The current 542i XP declares 91 at the ear against 95 for the 540i XP it replaced.
EGO declares only in Europe
EGO prints nothing for its US chainsaws. Its European manuals declare both quantities with K values, so each EU saw here is mapped to its US counterpart by bar length, chain pitch, gauge and chain speed, and every match is flagged.
On that basis the range runs from 89 to 92.53 dB(A) at the ear and a guaranteed 103 to 105. The 16 inch CS1611 maps to 91.25 at the ear and a guaranteed 103, and the 18 inch CS1804 to 92.53 and 105. The 20 inch CS2005 maps to the EU CS2000E, which declares 89 dB(A) at the ear, K 3, and a guaranteed 105.
Our EGO decibels page lists every current EGO saw the same way.
How loud is a gas chainsaw?
STIHL's gas MS 250 declares 99 dB(A) at the ear under ISO 22868 and a guaranteed 114 dB(A) sound power.
Against the MSA 60's 83 and 97, that is 16 dB(A) more at the ear. The gap shrinks at the big end, where STIHL's MSA 300 battery saw declares 96 at the ear, within three decibels of gas.
Storm cleanup or firewood with houses close by narrows the field further. Our guide to the quietest electric chainsaws covers the battery and corded saws a homeowner would use, and what a saw does between cuts.
