Pro petrol power or budget cordless convenience: which saw wins?

Display

This category does not really apply here in the usual sense, because neither product has a screen in the way a gadget would. The closest equivalent is the control and feedback you get from the tool itself: the Stihl MS 170 uses a traditional petrol chainsaw setup with a 30 cm guide bar and no battery gauge to monitor, while the SEESII gives you the practical advantage of cordless operation with two 4000mAh batteries. Winner: SEESII, purely on user feedback and convenience, because battery-powered tools are easier to understand at a glance and less fussy to manage than fuel-and-choke petrol kit.

Performance

This is where the Stihl MS 170 pulls ahead decisively. With a 1200 W engine and a 30 cm guide bar, it is built to cut thicker timber, fell small trees, and handle repeated cuts in damp UK conditions where branches can be fibrous and tougher than they look. The SEESII 6-inch mini chainsaw is best understood as a pruning tool: excellent for small branches, hedge waste, and light limb trimming, but not a substitute for a full chainsaw when you need to deal with logs, storm damage, or larger pruning jobs. For anyone maintaining a medium garden, clearing apple branches, or cutting firewood offcuts, the Stihl wins on raw cutting ability and confidence under load.

Build quality and design

Stihl has the stronger reputation for durability, serviceability, and long-term parts support. The MS 170 is a proper petrol chainsaw with the sort of robust build expected from a brand used by professionals and serious homeowners alike, and its 30 cm bar gives it a much more versatile stance in the garden. The SEESII is lighter, more compact, and easier to handle one-handed for quick jobs, which is genuinely useful for pruning roses, laurel, or thin conifer limbs, but its small form factor also signals its limits. Winner: Stihl, because the build is more substantial and the design is suited to demanding, repeated use.

Battery life

The SEESII wins this category because it is battery powered and comes with 2×4000mAh batteries, which is a meaningful advantage for short, intermittent jobs. For light pruning sessions, having two batteries means you can swap and keep going without waiting around, and cordless tools are especially convenient if you are working at the bottom of the garden, away from sockets, or in a spot where petrol fumes would be annoying. That said, battery life is still only relevant for light-duty work, and the Stihl’s petrol tank approach means you can refuel quickly and keep cutting for longer, harder sessions without being tied to battery capacity. Winner: SEESII for convenience and flexibility, but Stihl for uninterrupted heavy work.

Price and value for money

The SEESII is dramatically cheaper at £66.98 versus £308.00 for the Stihl, a difference of £241.02. If your use case is occasional branch trimming, that lower price is hard to ignore: you get a cordless tool with two batteries for a fraction of the cost, and for many UK homeowners with smaller gardens that is all they will ever need. However, value is not just about the sticker price. The Stihl costs far more because it is a more capable, longer-lasting machine that can tackle bigger jobs and is likely to hold up better over years of use. Winner: SEESII on outright affordability, Stihl on long-term value if you need the extra capability.

Game library/features

Again, this is not a gaming product, so the closest equivalent is features and ecosystem. The SEESII’s feature set is straightforward: cordless portability, two batteries, and a handheld format that is ideal for quick, low-effort pruning. The Stihl offers the more serious tool ecosystem: petrol power, a 30 cm bar, and the kind of compatibility and servicing support that matter when a saw becomes a regular part of garden maintenance. For UK users dealing with mixed hedging, small trees, and seasonal storm cleanup, the Stihl’s feature set is much more versatile. Winner: Stihl, because its tool capability is broader and more useful across a wider range of jobs.

Overall user experience

The SEESII is easier to pick up and use for five-minute jobs. It is lighter, quieter, less intimidating, and much better suited to people who want to trim a few branches after a windy weekend without dealing with petrol mixing or pull starts. But the Stihl MS 170 delivers the more satisfying and capable experience when the work gets real: faster cutting, more authority in thicker wood, and less frustration when you encounter harder material. For a small suburban garden with occasional pruning, the SEESII feels friendlier; for a larger garden, allotment, or anyone regularly cutting branches over 2-3 inches thick, the Stihl is the better tool by a wide margin.

Overall summary: the SEESII Mini Chainsaw is the better buy for light, occasional garden pruning on a budget, especially if you value cordless convenience and low hassle. The Stihl MS 170 is the better buy if you want a proper chainsaw that can handle tougher, more varied work and last as a serious garden tool. If you only need to trim branches, save the money and buy the SEESII; if you need real cutting performance and long-term capability, buy the Stihl.