Husqvarna 120 Mark II Compared Against Stihl MS 170 for Garden Logging

Engine size, bar length and the weight you carry

The Husqvarna 120 Mark II runs a 38.2cc engine producing roughly 1.4kW. Stihl’s MS 170 sits at 30.1cc and about 1.2kW. On a spec sheet, the 8cc gap can look modest. In a stack of 20cm-diameter logs, it shows up as the difference between steady feed pressure and backing off to let the engine recover.

Bury the bar in seasoned oak and the Husqvarna tends to keep chain speed more confidently under load. The MS 170 can bog in the same cut if pushed hard, especially when the chain is less than freshly sharpened or the user leans on the handles.

The MS 170 weighs around 3.9kg without bar and chain. The 120 Mark II is closer to 4.85kg, and that extra mass becomes obvious during overhead limbing or a long pruning session in an apple orchard. After twenty minutes of holding the nose up and shifting position between branches, the Stihl feels less tiring in the forearms.

Both saws are commonly supplied with bars in the 35cm to 40cm range, depending on regional configuration. The 120 Mark II is often paired with a 40cm bar and either 0.325in or 3/8in low-profile pitch. The MS 170 usually carries a 35cm bar on 3/8in Picco. That shorter, lighter Stihl setup works well for hedge-clearing and small-section cutting, where the saw is constantly being lifted, set down and moved to the next stem.

A windfall birch in the garden

Take a downed silver birch with a 24cm trunk, cut into 33cm firewood rounds. For many gardens in northern Europe, that is the ordinary logging job: one tree across a lawn or boundary, enough wood to matter, yet still inside the range of a homeowner saw.

With the 120 Mark II on a sharp 40cm chain, the cut feels direct and relatively unstrained in green birch. The wider kerf from a 3/8in chain clears chips well, so the engine is less likely to be dragged down near the centre of the trunk. Across a 3-metre length, the saw is comfortable producing roughly nine rounds, and the 0.34-litre fuel tank is enough for that trunk plus another of similar size under normal garden work.

The MS 170 with a 35cm Picco chain makes the same kind of cut more slowly. Its 1.1mm gauge chain leaves a finer kerf, which is useful for low drag in smaller wood, although chip evacuation in green timber is less forceful. Near the middle of a 24cm cut, the operator can feel the smaller engine working harder.

Its 0.27-litre fuel tank also runs through fuel faster relative to the amount of wood processed, because the engine spends more of the job near peak load. For one seasonal windfall, the difference amounts to a few minutes. When a full winter’s firewood stack is being cut, the slower progress becomes noticeable over the afternoon.

Neither saw is made for trunks above 30cm. Past that diameter, the cut starts to involve the bar tip, the kickback risk rises, and finishing from two sides becomes part of the job.

Starting and fuel behaviour on cold mornings

Both manufacturers fit a primer bulb and a combined choke and stop control. On the Husqvarna 120 Mark II, the Smart Start system uses reduced starter resistance, and cold starts commonly arrive on the third or fourth pull after priming. The Stihl MS 170 has no decompression assist like larger MS-series saws, so the pull feels firmer, although the smaller engine displaces less air and keeps the difference modest.

Flooding can happen on either saw in this price class. The recovery method is the same: move the control to run, hold full throttle, and pull until the engine fires. Both run a 50:1 two-stroke mix, and high-ethanol pump fuel left through winter causes trouble in both carburettors.

The Husqvarna’s slightly larger carburettor gives it a little more tolerance when the fuel is past its best. On the MS 170, smaller jets tend to gum more quickly, so draining the tank and running the carburettor dry before storage is especially important for keeping starts clean the next season.

Bar oil and dirty wood

Both saws use an automatic chain oiler, with adjustable or fixed flow depending on the exact variant. The 120 Mark II’s adjustable oiler is a practical advantage when cutting dry, resinous or dirty wood, because the user can push more lubricant to the bar.

Vibration, chain brake feel and tensioning

Husqvarna’s LowVib damping on the 120 Mark II places rubber elements between the handle and the engine block. Over an hour of bucking firewood, the reduction in hand fatigue is noticeable. The MS 170 also has Stihl’s anti-vibration system, though with fewer damping points, and its lighter chassis passes more buzz through the front handle during longer cuts.

That difference matters most when the saw stays in the wood for repeated firewood cuts. In pruning work, the MS 170’s lower mass tends to matter more than the extra vibration. A user moving around fruit trees, cutting branch sections under 15cm and repeatedly changing position will usually value the Stihl’s handling.

Both models fit an inertia-activated chain brake on the front hand guard. The Husqvarna guard moves forward with a firm, positive click. The Stihl guard has a lighter action, which some users find less reassuring when wearing gloves.

Both saws meet the kickback-reduction standards required for retail sale, and both leave the factory with low-kickback green-rated chains. Swapping to a more aggressive yellow-rated chain removes that safety margin and is one of the common changes that gets garden users into difficulty. The narrow nose radius of the standard bars is the main kickback defence on these saws, and a wider-nose replacement bar adds little for normal garden cutting.

Guide-bar tensioning is tool-based on the standard versions of both models. Husqvarna offers a tool-less variant on some 120 Mark II configurations, while the MS 170 uses the scrench-and-nut method throughout. If the chain is adjusted two or three times during an outing, the tool-less option removes a small but real annoyance.

Parts, dealers and ownership cost

Stihl’s dealer-only distribution shapes the MS 170 ownership experience. The purchase normally goes through an authorised servicing dealer, with supermarkets and generalist online retailers outside the usual channel. That same dealer can supply 3/8in Picco chains, bars, air filters and carburettor kits.

The advantage is local service and genuine parts. The drawback is availability at odd hours, since a replacement chain from a national DIY chain at 8pm may be out of reach.

The Husqvarna 120 Mark II is sold through a much wider network, including big-box retailers and broad online stock. Replacement chains in common 0.325in and 3/8in pitches are easy to find from third-party suppliers, which can keep consumable costs lower over several years. In many markets, two replacement chains plus a bar cost less for the Husqvarna setup because supply is broader and more competitive.

Routine service demands are similar. Clean the air filter every few tanks, check the spark plug, and have the carburettor adjusted if the idle drifts. Later emissions-compliant versions of the MS 170 use a fixed-jet carburettor, which removes user mixture tuning and sends rough running toward a dealer visit. The 120 Mark II’s carburettor is also emissions-restricted in most regions.

With fresh 50:1 mix and a clean filter, both engines can run reliably for many seasons of garden-scale work. Over a decade, the sharper ownership difference is the ease and cost of keeping a sharp chain on the bar.

Choosing by the work in front of the saw

A garden with occasional windfall trunks, firewood processing and cuts approaching 25cm suits the Husqvarna 120 Mark II. The extra torque, stronger vibration control and broader chain supply fit that pattern of use.

A garden dominated by limbing, hedge sections, fruit-tree pruning and cuts under 15cm points toward the Stihl MS 170. Its lower weight and dealer-backed service can matter more than raw cutting speed in that setting.

For a buyer who wants one saw for both kinds of work, the 120 Mark II’s extra weight buys more cutting headroom, and many people who buck firewood a few times a year accept that trade. The verdict can swing toward the MS 170 when a nearby Stihl dealer and face-to-face service carry more value than self-sourced parts.

The harder leftover detail is long ownership under ordinary shed habits: stale mix, half-cleaned filters and chains sharpened only after the cut starts wandering.