I'm giving away a BRAND NEW STIHL MS 261 chainsaw! Enter now through November 23, 2023 (Thanksgiving Day). Details here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZBVu7w2BElM.html
Just got done cutting up some red bud my go to is also a 261 cm. Ps. I know a 261 is way over kill for a couple red buds. But its such a comfortable saw you can use it for anything. 261 best ground saw!
After watching several small engine repair experts on RU-vid, I’ve learned to stay away from Stihl Ultra 2 stroke oil. Everyone rates Amsoil Sabre as the absolute best. And if you need a cleaning 2 stroke oil, buy Echo Red Armor.
Just picked up a 261 without mtronic today. I have a 661, 261 and an 038 super and I can see the 261 being my go to saw... lighter, more power and easier to handle.
I have the ms271 with 20in bar and for me that thing rips threw the wood i put it to i love it. And def agree on the non ethanol fuel i run the stihl moto mix.
I had two 026 stihl saws, and if I had not fell a tre on one I still had two 026 saws. They are good saws that last forever. I replaced the smashed saw with a 261 C and expected it to be as good as the old ones. It was not! After 3 years of cutting firewood 261C broke down with crankshaft failure. Stihl told me I was to blame not using Stihls motomix oil. I used shell oil and mixed it 2% as I have done for 25 years with the Stihl 026 saws. This was not good enough for the new Stihl saws Stihl told me. Stihl dont make so good saws any more and my new saw is Husqvarna 550 mark II and very happy with it so far.
I might be wrong but man I'm pretty sure thats a Persimmon tree not a oak??? Either way I'm here about the 261 not the tree! 261 are great saws and we use them everyday! But I'm really certain that's not a oak....
It was a Post Oak. That's predominantly what we have on our property. They look different than a Live Oak or a Red Oak. Gotta love the 261! It's a great saw.
A guy I work for got a MS261 with a 20'' Bar and it's a Beast, I ran that thing 8-10 hours straight every use with no issues. The only "flaw" is that it doesn't like to be buried in hard wood like Black walnut, with a sharp chain and letting it take its time it bogs down very easily.
also is too small for milling realistically, was recommended for light duty milling but it doesn't really even hold up to that. came very close to burning it out on 2x6's and 8's.
@@OldSchoolMillennial Agreed, there isn’t much I can’t do except I prefer a climbing saw in a bucket truck. I need to get a 194t or a 201tc next and I’ll have the perfect trio.
Nice video. My personal "go-to" is my Ms290. I bought it brand new in 2012 as a dumb 18 year old. I used as abused it before before learning (or taking the time) to really learn to maintain a saw. It's been run a tad lean, used with a dull chain, air filter rarely cleaned, and left out in the rain and snow. Other than plugs, filters, and one fuel line, it's never had work done on it. I used it yesterday to buck a 18in white mulberry. If it ever does fail, I'll just end up throwing a 390/49mm P&C in it to start it's new life. But for now, it just won't die.
Wow, that's a great saw! You know it's a good saw when it can take a beating. These saws will last forever if you just bring them back to life with rebuild kit. Thanks for watching!
If you're into the MS 261, I have a playlist all about it. Check it out here. ru-vid.com/group/PLJjXJCzHs0pPTSaa37K8AY7Wuo9IFp3Be. Check out my long-term review here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HM8VyGZcv00.html
what kills saws is heat. most home owner and farm/ranch saws have a plastic main case that the engine bolts to. there is no where for the heat to go. thats the main difference between pro saws and ranch/farm saws. still good saws but you cant run them that hard.
i have a 391, a friend has a 271 and i just bought the 261c. We did an absolute ton of cutting in south lousiana this last few weeks after hurricane laura and that 261 is absolute money.
I hope you and your loved ones are okay. Yea that would be a good test for those saws. I agree the 261c will do just about anything you throw at it. Thanks for watching, man!
@@OldSchoolMillennial great video . . . the saws are getting another work out as Delta just ran on top of the exact same area. One question once i ramp down the usage is there a best way to store these saws so they can maintain performance when they aren't being used daily?
@@txdukklr To keep chainsaws running at max performance I like to run non ethanol mix. Ethanol can mess with your carb, especially if left to sit. I also like to run my chainsaws out of gas when storing them. Doing this and putting fresh gas every time will help them run at their best. Good luck with your cleanup and stay safe!
Good content; however the presentation is horrible with you saying "uh" once or twice per sentence. This makes it unlistenable to me after a few minutes which is a shame because like I said you have good content. A good way to get rid of your uhs and uhms is to talk in front of someone, and they have permission to raise their hand every time you do it. I'm not saying this to be mean, but to give you some honest feedback so that you can up your game and be more successful. Just go back and listen to this video and you will see what I mean.
Just bought mine yesterday. Was going to buy an MS250 until I had an opportunity at a friends cabin to use both the 250 and 261 and it’s not even close IMO. Don’t get me wrong, the 250 is great and cut through the same stuff as the 261 and probably all I really need but the 261 is an absolute hot rod of a saw in comparison. I’ve heard the 261 called “The Torque Monster” and I put the boots to both saws and could not get the 261 to bog down, it just powers through everything. Here in Canada the MS261has about a $300 difference from the MS250 but in the long run I believe is a far better investment if you’ve got the extra cash to dole out. My .02.
Awesome man! I definitely agree, once you use a pro chainsaw like the MS261 there is no going back. And yes the torque on these saws is incredible. It's hard to explain the enjoyment of using this saw until you get a chance to try it for yourself. Thank you for watching!
Old School Millennial they had a few saws up at that cabin on 10 acres of mostly treed property. Every year they cut up all the deadfall for firewood for the 5 cabins they have there and there’s some big 30” plus diameter birch trees we were bucking up. They had a Husky that was alright but mostly Stihls. An MS201 they really like for delimbing as they walk the fallen trees and use it one handed and one guy was using the 250 which he let me have a go. I really liked it but one of the old guys with a thick Czech accent says hang on a minute. He came back with the 261 and said try this. I made one cut and looked over at him. He started laughing and yells up to me “now try another cut but just lay the saw on the log, no pressure”. That blew me away, it did take awhile longer but with one hand on the saw (don’t try this at home) it buzzed right through it.
@@hendy4584 Haha, and then you were hooked! I know that feeling, you're going to have so much fun with that saw and it will serve you for many years to come.
Been using my old 310 here in South East Louisiana I bought after Hurricane Katrina which cut tons of trees with then ,now using it After Hurricane Ida which I have been cutting trees for the past two weeks . Ready for an upgrade now ,my 310 has served me well..
I have to agree with you there the MS 261has to be the best chainsaw there is! I got one myself I’ve had mine for about five years now and it has not let me down always will start when needed it is possibly the easiest chainsaw to use I swear mine could sit for about a year and It could still start right up as if you using it just yesterday! It is that great to use! I mainly use mine for firewood
That is awesome. Same here, I use mine mainly for firewood but it works great for felling trees up to a certain size. I expect to be using this saw for many years, and who knows it might last until my son is big enough to start selling firewood. Thanks for watching.
@@OldSchoolMillennial When start learning to use a chainsaw stihl is The best one to learn on! We used ours to cut down a few trees ourselves but mainly it is for firewood like yours
Upon looking for a saw. I went to a local Ace for the 271 Stihl. None of the 3 they had would kick over and the last one had a fuel leak. I went over to the home depot and picked up the Echo CS 590 and it is a beast. I cannot believe the value of this saw. Its been great. 60 cc, 4 HP, 5 year warranty, crankcase motor all for $420. Id be eager to know what you think of them. Love the channel as it reminds me of what my family and I are doing at small scale. Keep up the good work!
I love mine, light, speedy and well balanced, awesome for limbing. I have an 8 tooth sprocket on mine which helps. The only complaint I have is that the fuel tank capacity is too small, a tank of gas doesn't last long.
I've had my 291 for two years. Starts great but had lots of little issues. The exhaust muffler fell off suddenly, the bar and chain gets no oil, the chain gets really slack and tight at the same time, gonna have to sell it and get another one I guess. I've had two Stihl saw lemons one after another.
The CM is the Mtronic version where as the regular MS261 is just a normal carburetor. The Mtronic adjusts for fuel and air depending on conditions. The regular carb needs to be adjusted manually when it needs more air or fuel. Thanks for watching!
@@OldSchoolMillennial Love you videos ! I think I will be very happy. This is the 9th Stihl product we own. They have been just amazing over all the years. My late father had a weed eater around 20 years and never changed the spark plug !!
Those are Red Wings. I love them! Have been wearing that pair for 9 years and have had them re-soled a couple of times. I bought another pair of the exact same ones last year.
Bought my 261c-m few days ago finally tried it out today. Seems like a good saw love how lite it is. Didn’t seem very powerful but I hear they get stronger over time. Or I’m just use to using my ms 360 pro
Yeah my 360 is best stihl saw I’ve ever used. Lots of power cuts big stuff very fast. Used 261 again today for second time. Still seems weak I had a 251 before I bought the 261 seems like my 251 was way stronger and cut faster than my new 261 I’ll give it some time see if she opens up any
This chainsaw worked well to cut up a pile of cedar logs ru-vid.comUgkxfQm1wmg0ItKDLavxj1nXtQY9HP7EF504 and stumps. I used it to cut 12"-16" diameter logs and a handful of odd-shaped stumps that were larger in diameter. There was more than enough power even when using 2x100' extension cords. Be sure to use the right gauge extension cord, since you should be using a slightly higher gauge cord than the standard extension cord most folks have around the house. My 2 favorite features of this saw over previous ones I've used are the built-in sharpener and the quick stop after the the throttle is released compared to a gas-powered chainsaw. As soon as you release the trigger, the chain stops spinning immediately because of the electric motor. Standard feature of most of these electric chainsaws, but worth mentioning here for anyone not familiar with it.Bottom line...I needed a chainsaw to get through some backyard cleanup of logs and tree stumps. For the price of renting a chainsaw for a few days, I got this Oregon chainsaw that got the work done, and now I own it for future use.
I have an old 028, Husqvarna 257, MS391, and an MS661 C-M. My go to is the 661, and I'm trying to sell the 391 and 257. I got my dad the 271 for Father's day last year, and he likes it. Only reason I went with the 271 is because he doesn't use it all the time, just for firewood for my grandma.
I bet your dad was thankful to get a 271 for Father's day. The gift that keeps on giving. You have a good selection of saws and you're pretty well covered with those saws.
@@OldSchoolMillennial well, the Husqvarna broke down. Needs a new flywheel and ignition coil. I'm probably going to sell it once it's running as well as the 391. I've got my eye on getting a 462 and 881. Edit: I may get the new MS400 instead of a 462. Something to run a 20 inch bar on when I don't want to lug around a bigger bar.
Looking at getting the MS261 and had a question. My local dealer said that it is not real good for it if you are doing a lot of light work with it and that it really needs to be pushed hard. Is this true? I use a small Echo CS310 a little every couple of months. Most of what I would be cutting is a lot of smaller stuff, but I do get into some larger mesquite and other central TX woods that the Echo struggles with. I don't mind spending more for quality that will last even if I won't be using it much. I was hoping the MS261 would be fine even if I was using it a lot for lighter stuff, but dealer recommended hanging on to the smaller Echo for the lighter stuff. I'd like to just have one saw for it all. What are your thoughts?
The 261 will work great for what you're planning to use it for. I have used my 261 for a while now on all types of trees including mesquite and have never had any issues. As far as not working it hard enough..that honestly doesn't make since to me. I would go for the 261. That's just my 2 cents.
The one thing I guess: the M-tronic may cut the max revolution a little if you do only light work with it to protect the engine. If you cut big logs after that you may feel week performance. But the M-tronic should react to the new circumstances, or you recalibrate it. Greetings from Berlin!🇩🇪
Have you considered the Echo CS590 Timberwolf? It's built just like a pro saw, 60cc 4hp, $399 with 5yr warranty. I'd highly suggest checking one out before making the purchase. Best bang for your buck
Love my MS-261 C-M. Other favorite is my Echo CS-501P. 261 Is a little bulky feeling at first vs the Echo but it makes up for it in power and anti-vibe.
I just bought a 261 hotsaw it is the perfect match for my 500i. I like the 261 because I can climb tree,s with it and I can fall medium tree,s my 201tc is to small to fall trees and I don,t like climbing with my 046 or 500i
I have this saw, 18” chain, it stops sometimes while cutting through logs, doesn’t seem to have enough power. Is this normal? What am I doing wrong? My old 16” Huskavarna used to rip through everything and was a smaller engine.
Just get the big top handle saw with a 14” bar and a larger 3 series in either Sthil or Huskie and be done. The top handle will, no pun intended, handle everything the 261 does and then bigger just go bigger. If you can only do one saw then yes, this is good. If you can afford to go with 2 saws which can cover a much larger range then go with my recommendation. It’ll be easier. …. Huskie is a couple hundred dollars less but awesome. Just needs more chain speed due to the teeth they use. I have found the sthil fires up faster too. I have both.
Yer love em. Older ones yoused to have stupid built in chain adjuster. Would allways fail n leave chain hangin, an had no power. But times have changed cos that saws got some pull. N light to pick up. Can fell bigger stuff if ya patient n know what ya doin. Yer like it. Just wish had bigger dogs thanx
@@OldSchoolMillennial Yes they are. In smaller wood they aren’t much different than a 440 pulling the same bar. When you get in big wood the 440 has to breathe a little harder
Had my MS260 up against buddies new 261 and we could both feel the extra power in the new 261, even though its not even broken in yet. I just don't know if I like the electronic carb idea...
I honestly thought the same thing before I got this saw. However, after run this saw for a good while now, I'm sold on the M tronic technology. I also love the fuel injected 500i, it's a beast.
I’m running a ms251, amazing saw by the way! but I really want to upgrade to the 261, I would’ve went with that right away if I had the money at the time
Is this the newest and most recent redesigned version of the 261 mtronic? I've seen the newest version called the MS261 M-TRONIC 1.1 Who is the best shop that sells them cheapest and nearest to me in New England. THANKS 👍🏼
Yes this is the newest version. I would go to the stihl website and find your closest dealer. They tend to all run about the same deals. Thanks for watching. I think you'll be happy with the MS261CM.
@@OldSchoolMillennial Thanks, I spoke with Pete at the Oxford Connecticut Stihl Headquarters. He's knowledgeable and very helpful. This definitely seems like the best saw for my needs. I've been climbing and using the Husqvarna 346xp and 435. The 346xp recently got accidentally smashed by a limb falling so I need a new saw that's excellent and weighs no more than 10-13 pounds.
I agree it's a fantastic saw. I did have to replace the M-Tronic ignition module this year after it lost spark and I didn't even mind because it's cut so much wood in the 6 years I've had it.
Its like schlitz beer whens the last time you drank one of them smoothies??? Taste like shit. My Son drinks miller lite I think that stuff is dot 4 brake fluid. The first few anything are rough but then you hit the your okay phase and its the next day and you feel rough as a cob. I get Biblical Beer hangovers but a great time to stop you need a visa card for 12 pk.
Years ago I bought a Stihl ms250. Other than when I put the wrong fuel in, stupid alcohol-based fuel!, and I had to have it fixed for that, once I ran the right fuel thing works pretty damn well! And thank you for the review , it helped a lot!
357xp is my go to saw. I just bought a 261 to try the stihl seems to be a great saw. But still won't replace my husqvarna it will be the only stihl I will buy
Funny, I have a 346xp and I am going to get rid of it for the ms261. Seems that once you get used to one brand, it’s hard to change to another. The outboard clutch bothers me more than it should. My current go to saw is the ms362
I love the 261 It just don't fit me like the husqvarna. Its given me no problems it's got about 20 tanks through it. Its really light good power. Just don't feel right in my hands. And exactly ford chevy / kenworth peterbilt. Different strokes for different folks
Go-To Chainsaw: McCulloch Mac Pro 10-10 16" 54cc Backup: Remington Woodsman 12" Cut 34cc Extreme Extreme Extreme backup: Homelite 14" Electric plug in EXTREME SEVERE ASS BREAKING BACKUP: Hand
462 stihl is what I use most, when I get in wood over 16 inch my 390 husqvarna is what I use as the bigger saw really makes a difference in cutting time.
I’ve had my 261 for about five years absolutely the best chainsaw I’ve ever had! Plus it’s kind of sentimental to my dad taught me how to use a chainsaw on that 261
Great Review! I have the new ms261 non-mtronic which starts and runs just like my 23 year old 044 ! Just less to go wrong in the future with the same running as the m-tronic. You can adjust this saw yourself !!! Thanks again for your honest review!
18" is my favorite for this saw. I explain more about it in my chainsaw bar length video if you're interested in hearing more about why I like that length. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eqgY1ohless.html
@@falconmessenger9136 They are the same power and cc. I remember the 261 having a little more torque lower in the rpm and about a pound lighter. You wouldn’t go wrong with either. Just personal preference/Your local dealer support.
Love Stihl brands but my go to saw is a Echo CS590 Timberwolf. Did a muffler mod and tune by Iowa Performance Saw's and it's a beast. Torque monster... Bought a new Stihl 6months ago, wouldn't start and idle correctly and dealership wouldn't honor the warranty before it was even used so very bad experience but had all to do with them instead of the company. When I buy another one new I'm going with the Stihl 400c and from a good reputable dealership. The dealership you purchase from makes all the difference in purchasing one new
My go to saw is an MS 362C. Trying to figure out a good Truck Saw.....to always stay in the truck. Would appreciate anyone’s thoughts......🔥👍🤠👏 The MS 261 is a great saw IMHO
Dont make me go get one!!!!! I even told my nephew if we got another stimulus check Id get one. I just cant get past the orange and white layout. Looks 100 yrs old. Stihl wont change colors for any reason whatso ever. My main 3 reasons for not buying are I hate the gay white bar, I hate the oddball .063BS screws to remove top and stihl gave me a good prostate exam yrs ago. Im an educated retired mechanic and know 2 strokes too.Oh and number 1 turnoff is the matel plastic handles. Yes I hate stihl its that simple. Sorry but thats the way I feel.Thee colors and handle need changed as do the plastic handles. On dirtbikes they use 1 ring because it causes less drag 60,80,125cc 250 has 2 rings.
Chainsaws are confusing. I'm no expert but I'm looking for a saw at present to sort out some serious work. Problem I have with Stihl is that I have heard nothing but bad things about their more recent saws.
Speaking from experience, I have not had any issues with Stihl. But if you aren't sure about Stihl, Husqvarna makes a 550xp that is comparable with this saw. What it often boils down to is what kind of dealer support you have in your area. Thanks for watching! If you like chainsaws, check out the chainsaw playlist on our channel page. Best of luck! Let me know what you land on.
@@OldSchoolMillennial Thanks for that, appreciated. I'm probably going to grab an Echo....I've heard good things about them. You are definately correct about dealer support. I'll let you know how I get on.
Just to possibly help with your choice of saw. I have both 550xp and the ms261. I had trouble with the 550xp right out of the gate. Husqvarna was a while sorting it out but used me good and the 550xp works good. Never had an issue with the ms261 but I am confident that Stihl will stand behind their products. I use the 550xp more than I use the ms261.
It seems Stihl chain saws aren't built like they used to be, I've had a 261 which cost me over $700 (was in and out the repair shop since new) My latest saw is a 291 and I've had it less than two years and needing a new one. It has lots wrong.
If it's not starting odds are you're the reason why. Dump the gas out, and put 91 octane 100% percent gas back in. If that doesn't work take it to the dealer.
