Stihl MS 261c or Stihl MS 291 - Which Chainsaw is Right for You? 

The ms261 has quite the appealing features that I like and a little extra power with some weight saving is nice too.

I love my 261c with the 16" bar, its like a scalpel for limbing, but it also has plenty of power to bury the bar and just eat when bucking big pieces. I have a 20" setup for it but have not needed to use it yet, for the bigger pieces I just roll it or go to the other side and finish the cut.

And a big difference plastic case vs magnesium.

Great video… the captive bar nuts is a great feature, would think it could be in the MS291 as well, why make the two systems when captive is best?

Missed the burp on my 260pro last night. Gave up trying to unflood it and called it a night. Glad to here the 261 has a better starting system.

I like how he wanted to say Husqvarna at 2:55 but didn't

Love my MS261c, works like charm.

I bought a 291 last month and can't wait to use it

I'm on 35 acres in Northern Michigan near the lake, last windstorm a few weeks ago I had 12 come down, all ash/beech/maple. I use a ms291 and a 290 farm boss. I think they do a good job, what would you recommend as a step or two up from those saws?

If you are going to cut a lot of firewood, bite the bullet and get the 261C-M. I run a 044 magnum for dropping larger trees but the 261 is my go to saw for most bucking. I also use a 193T for limbing.

Nice Video! Most fundamental difference is construction of the chain saw. While they look similar the Pro (261) body is made out AlMagnesium and integrate the crancshaft part into body. The 291 is "plastic" (composite material) and engine can be (with some effort) separated from the body. This makes 261 easier to maintain and replace the piston (if needed) and lighter saw.

I'm blessed as I have both. I do like the 261 pro better, but I love them both.

How long you thing I should wait before I move from a 170 to a 290 or bigger. Am kinda new to c-saws

Dude... thanks for this video. It's exactly what I was looking for.

Consider this, A farmboss is going to serve you ok, but wont last forever. Eventually when it dies it will be worthless, and you will probably throw it out. The 261c will last soooooooo much longer, and when you wear it out, you can just rebuild it. And there is ALWAYS people chasing old pro saws second hand. So you can always sell it if you need to. In general, Prosaws hold their value FAR BETTER than homeowner/ranch saws. In any brand!

It’s funny the scenario you described for someone who might be looking at the 291 is exactly me but I always buy the pro stuff just because I want my tools to last as long as possible

I don't understand complaints of the oil and gas caps. No issues with them on leaf blower, hedge trimmer or chainsaw. Easy to use, no brainer.

I had a farm for many years with close to 140 acres of mature woods and bought a Stihl 044 with a 24 inch bar for the big stuff . I still have it to this day and it still runs like new .The saw is nearly 20 years old . You just can not beat a Stihl .

I like the 261 it's definitely pro but for this farm boy got a few old ones that still do the job but 261 is a bit pricey for me when I can ge the 291 for $300 cheaper and get another smaller new chain saw for back-up/smaller trees.

Thought I’d put a couple tips out there the bar size should go by height stretch your arm out standing straight if the bar touches your feet it’s to long and the tree lands towards the side with most wood hanging on

Amigo savez,¿Cual es el precio de la MS 261C en Canadá en este 2020 ?

I love stihl saws however I am in the market for two new saws. If you had to choose I need one for limbing and one for felling which pro series saws would you choose

I use a 261 with an 18" bar. Starts and runs great. Powerful and reliable. Caps do not leak. There's something to be said about doing a difficult cutting job and the machine works as it should.

Also, the MS261C with the m-tronic needs to be calibrated. Sounds crazy, but the manual will actually explain it.

Interested to hear comments between a 261 and a 261c.

Well, I bought a 261, yesterday. Not even a companion between the two in my opinion - although I'd take a 291 over a Husqvarna any day of the week.

appreciate the video. In the 2020 catalog on page 36 it shows the 291 is more of a pro use saw than the 261.

Can I ask you which pro saw would be good for me. I want more power than 50cc . Want the pro for light weight and more power. Going be my last saw. Never got a new one and I want a really nice saw for cutting firewood. Bad back faster I can cut the better. Don’t care about cost

With the 20” bars is that .325 chain pitch or 3/8?

Sweet saws

I dunno my farm boss 290 bought 2008ish while I’m getting older this dang saw starts within 3 pulls every time and believe me that’s worth 2 pounds. I’ve cut so many cords it’s uncountable. Great saw.

I'm a professional tree surgeon, my go to everyday saw is MS291. I fell big trees, remove big wind blow with it, it has been set up by me to fast pull start and I use a 16" or 18". My other go to ground saw is an old rebuilt ( by myself) MS260, great for regen or snedding. My experience with the MS261C is bad I've had two both broke down within a year, they went to the bin. There seems to be a problem with the MS261C, as I'm not the only one who has had problem

I ended up getting the 291 on sale for $200 cheaper than original price. The 261 would probably be a nice upgrade.

great video, can I buy the 261 at your shop?

261 is the pound for pound champion of saws

I like your videos mate , you’ve got one more describer

Hello sir I have a question regarding the 261 amd 260 are the parts interchangeable to some extent? The reason I ask is because in Mexico they don't sell the 261 so I had to buy the 260 but I am going bk to CALIFORNIA and will buy a 261. I'm just wondering if the local stihl dealer will be able to do maintenance on the 261

My 261 scorched piston engine what can I do to fix it. Someone please help me .

291 can fit bar size 25 or just only 20 bar feet thanks

Good info

Do you think the ms260 would run OK with a 20inch bar and chain?

Am confused why number smaller is better n why no price tag

What do you think about stihl 291 are there any problems !

What did they do to save the wight?

What about the m s 251

Hi Josh! Ken aka The Lawn Ninja here from Kitimat, BC. I see this saw as well as a couple others on the Stihl site come in a VW designation. Could you please let me know the difference? Thank you! Very much appreciate your content even way up here! And mowing season soon so I'll be showing off those hats!!! :)

the 261 is an mtronic saw, which is kind of like the old chevy-style throttle body injection. whereas the 291 is you standard 2 cycle carburetor set up. on top of the other advantages mentioned in the video. yes, the mtronic needs to be calibrated, no you {generally} dont need special tools to do this, a lot of good videos on the proper procedure.

I like the price of ms 462c

My experience with stihl 026 was very good. I bought 2 saws 25 years agoe and they run great.>If I had not fell a tree on one saw it had still be running good as the other does. I bought a new stihl 261c and expected it to be as good as 026. It was not. After 3 years of cutting firewood it broke down with crankshaft failure. Stihl told me I was to blame not using the stihl motomix oil or stihl premix gas. I have allways used shell-oil mixed 2%. New stihl saws are not so good any more and I am not happy with stihl service. No more stihl for me but from now a 550xp.

Want the prices

I have the 261CM with a 16" bar and my brother has the 291 with a 20" bar. I can't tell a difference cutting hardwoods. They're both beasts. I will say that my 261 hates to start when hot. After a tank of gas, the only way I can restart the saw is WOT. It's been into the shop 3 times in 1.5 years to fix this, as I don't think I should have to coax the saw into starting. Nobody can find an issue, but there have been times that it's an absolute boat anchor when hot. 291 is more reliable when hot than my 261.

Hate the oil, gas caps

What the bigs bar u can put on a 270

Keep your saws warm in the utility room and you won't need the choke. Heating pads work well if in the shed. Those fuel caps suck, they just do. My 261c he's never taken more than 3 pulls to start completely (w/valve). The saw is underpowered with a 20" bar and a sharp chain.

I have the Farm Boss, its a damn heavy saw after just a little bit of work. I too have lost bar nuts and the reason why people lose them is that the balance between too loose and too tight is barely enough to keep them from backing out. I do love the saw though in spite of being heavy its a hoss. I had an issue with the place where I bought my saw and Stihl corporate blew me away ( that aint easy to do), in the way they jumped in and went above and beyond to remedy the problem, and for that reason I will always buy Stihl products. A lot of times I do find myself running two saws and use my smaller Echo for the majority of the work if I am doing a lot due to weight fatigue and use the Stihl for felling and cutting down larger logs into firewood, i use the echo for limbing, saplings and smaller trees. ALWAYS remember to use Stabil in your gas, no small engine likes ethanol

Sthil caps are prone to getting grit wood dirt , cause it not to seal , that's what people don't like , in dusty conditions it happens more than you think .

Ms 261

😎😎😎😎👍

I would like those fuel/oil caps too if I was standing indoors, and trying to sell the chainsaws. I've had both styles, kept having to buy new replacement caps from Stihl, finally ordered a 10 pack of "China made" Caps and they seem to leak just as good as the original Stihl caps.

The pro series saws are nice and better..no drawbacks

Why does Stihl make so many models? It seems like there's so many that are so similar (think 250, 251, 271) And then there are a couple professional models that are clearly better than the Farm/Ranch models but are similar in price.

If you are going to buy a pro saw never buy a Stihl saw with a C behind the numbers (M-tronic) the MS261 is an amazing saw. Dont waste your money on anything less then pro level saws unless you like spending money in a saw shop for repairs. Plus if weight is an issue the real solution is going to the gym more.

FYI. The fuel and oil caps don't "work great". Owned an ms 201 and 261cm for years and have had to replace the caps multiple times. Google the issue. It's well known. Stihl dealer fix. Just store it on its side, they all leak. Really like Stihl, but no fluff here, call like I see it.

I’d buy a saw from this guy in a heartbeat! Too many ignorant ‘troll comments’ in here, seriously! Peace

The right for me is bolts an nuts don't get lose strip the threads . When a flywheel key breaks and does not cost me over 50 dollars . When high dollar brand gets whips . Sthil has a lot catch up to do

What chainsaw is right for you? Echo 590!

Those fuel and oil caps are crap. I've had a 271 for almost 5 years and it still takes.4-5 minutes to get the oil cap on. Don't fix.whats.not.broken

I am very unhappy with my MS291. I think Sthil is overrated and overpriced. It never ran right from the get go. I took it back to the dealer several times and they told me there was nothing wrong with it, but it has always been very difficult to start and idles poorly. Lately it is impossible to pull the cord due to high compression. There is no compression release on this relatively powerful saw. I am going to try cleaning the exhaust port screen to see if that helps. Meanwhile I just bought a new Echo CS400 because I can't rely on the MS291 to start when I need it. I also own an Echo CS310 and two Echo trimmers, one set up as a brush cutter. The Echo equipment always starts easily, runs good, and is very reliable.

when are these sales people going to say any thing about the worst chain oilers ever?

do your self a favor,,,buy a commercial saw in this power range. if you are going to buy a saw start with a 362c-m

What Stihl has???? Hmmm the answer is nothing because Husqvarna is the best

No good serial killer would use anything but a Stihl and then only a 261 as they are light weight and powerful. As they say, Stihl to kill all night long.

Ms291 is a crap saw can't adjust chain oiler and stihl must know there is a problem and doing nothing about it so go for ms261 wish i had

Don’t like

WRONG..........261 is LESS power(50cc, compared to ms291 at 55cc)....... The 261c is COMPUTER controlled......uhhh NO thanks....