All these people talking about how their homeowner saw has lasted them 10 years... Because you use it once a year! You're a homeowner. The pro models are designed for every day tree work, they just work longer.
I fully support that the Pro saws are a better saw in EVERY way, but here is a real fact, I have had an MS 290 Farm Boss fit with a 24" bar for 20 years this year, and it gets used A LOT! We burn 10-15 chords of Ash Maple and Oak to heat our home every year and I have had ZERO trouble with that saw. My Dad has 3 of the smaller home owner saws and we cut his wood together nowadays. Those home owner saws are always giving him issues, so I think possibly the real difference is from the Farm to the Home owner versions. I cut and split it all by hand and have every year... at 12/year, that's approximately 240 chords of wood on my old saw. used up 3 bars and countless chains over the years. I literally didn't even have a back up until this year, and that is nothing but an electric Milwaukee for camping. I don't know if I am lucky, take better care of it or what, but it has been a great saw, sadly they stopped making them quite a few years ago. The huge difference to me is, the Pro is a lot lighter and I know my old Farm Boss is going to give up some day, so that is why I'm watching these comparison videos. I like the weight savings, at the end of a day of cutting, my old back feels that Farm boss. Thanks for making this video, you did a great job explaining the differences.
Neat review, great to see how these saws now look under the hood. I have an 038 Super that was made in the mid 80s I think, I am second owner of her, and she still eats wood like a new saw. Looking at this video, it appears that the 038 has a mix of what are now pro parts and homeowner parts. Stihl makes a great product, I do wonder though if these new electronic components will have the durability / lifetime to last as long as my 038 has.
Have an 026 purchased in the late 80's that mirrors what you said. I've used it a LOT and It has been pretty much flawless. I wish every thing I bought was made with this saw.
I'm 23 years old and I also trim trees and fall them.. I have a lot to learn but I used a big 261 today for a climbing job on a pine and it was tough.. been watching your channel for quite some time and I have to say your my idle. I enjoy your work as well as your info and input in your work. I can only hope to be as good as you some day. But being low income I'm stuck with terrible equipment and a big trim saw lol. But thanks for your videos
I'm still running my old Stihl 029 with a 20 inch bar and a Stihl 009 with a 12 inch bar. Even have an old all metal Homelite that has more compression than any saw I've ever tried to pull start. I grew up working with my dad's tree service. We had over 40 different saws. All Stihl and Husqvarna. We had Stihl: 009, 029, 036, 044, 066 and many more. They only Husqvarna I can remember the number of is a 394XP with a 4 foot bar. It has 9+ horsepower. We had a 6 foot bar that we would run on it sometimes.
Your comment about the compression release reminded me of my co-worker trying to kick start his Harley. As I mounted my Honda CB750, he muttered, "If it's not worth starting, it's not worth riding". I just smiled at him, pressed the start button and rode away. Am purchasing 20 acres in God's country that needs a little tidying up. Hmmm, gonna need a chainsaw. The last chainsaw I handled was my dad's Homelite, 45 years ago. Thanks for this review. You just helped me narrow my search down to the MS261CM. I will smile every time I use that compression release.
I own a 271. Have had it three years. Runs like a champ and is so powerful it will get away from you if you’re kid careful. Only cut wood for personal firewood so I saw no need it hundreds more for a pro level unit. Got mine for $349 and am totally satisfied.
Same here 18" bar with full chisel (yellow chain) cuts everything,oak,ash,elm(yuck)hard maple and locust at about 7 cord a year.Keep the chain sharp and she's a champ love it.
Excellent comparison that spans time and models. They cost more but they do more, both are great, just depends on level of use. One extra note, pro saws / big saws cut faster, but that can be a mixed blessing. Unless you use a saw a lot you may need / appreciate those extra seconds, pro saws make deep face cuts fast, cut through hinges, pinch faster etc. Everything is speeded up so experience and anticipation are needed. Ranch models are awesome and run forever so no shame there, still have mine. Lastly - pro saws with Mtronic carbs do better with varying quality of gas, like older gas. I have let gas get stale (more than 15 days) and my old saws would not run right at all, but the Mtronic adjusted and kept on. Obviously always using fresh premium fuel is the way to go but again, for the occasional user, that would be a plus of an Mtronic. Safe travels...
Man its insane! My 2nd favorite saw. I can hold the rear handle with my arm straight out like a freakin lightsaber. I can make full bar length cuts without the engine even slowing down. If someone could only ever buy one chainsaw, the 261 is it.
MiniM00se couldn't have said it better. If you make a living with a chainsaw, STIHL either way is the way to go, but that new 261 slaughters the competition by far
The fasteners are "Camlocks", straight off airplanes- very cool. BTW, compression release is to minimize pressure on starter pawl mechanism thereby making it last longer altho it is a very tough mechanism esp for a "plastic" part. Stihl rox. Been a saw tech since 1984.
Thanks for a great review! I have many saws and none electronic! 066...early 361, early 310, 170 just naming a few stihls and I have put the home/ranch saws through the same misery that my pro saws go through on a daily basis and as long as you keep ethanol away from them and use good oil about 40 to 1 or so and dont gittem with a skidder, dozer, or drop em hard and far they all seem like perty dern good saws. I have saws that I've retired from about 1970 and before that are still good saws...point being....I like em all, just have no need for autotune yet!..Many Blessings, Kev
I was gifted a brand new 261C (I know, what a gift), otherwise I don't think I could have justified buying one over the 271. I'm sure the 271 is more than enough saw for most people. I know it would be for me. I was a bit wary of the computer adjusting carb but it's awesome. It makes sense though, considering we all have computers in our cars and we never give our carburetors a second thought. The 261 has been awesome.
Nice Not to be mean or envious But can you tell me if you gave yourself a 👍 Because most people are jealous of someone else's good fortune. Anyways I gave you a 👍
Human. It's going good. I am running a 85' boom lift these days putting up hotels. I don't get to work in the trees but I am up about as high. You're content is great. Hope to see you around St. Louis some time.
I've been using 100:1 synthetic Amsoil 2 cycle mix in my firewood business and absolutely love it! Less smoke, still great protection. I recommend it to everyone.
Thank you for showing me the things that Stihl should have made clear. Great video. First thing I realized as a rookie, watching pro lumberjack videos, or arborists, they all use large double dog spikes and a full wrap handle. Why isn’t that standard on all their pro saws? I saw one model that did come with those but my 362cm didn’t. Stihl sells an upgrade kit for $300. That pushed an 800 dollar saw up to a 1000 dollar saw. It should have been included.
I've always looked at it like this: if you're just doing basic chores around your property and/or you cut only small diameter trees for firewood, then a farm/ranch saw will serve you just fine. If, however, you want the best bang for your buck then buy a pro saw up front. It will still be serving you long after you've forgotten about the price. If you live in the western states, where the trees grow BIG, then a pro saw is absolutely worth the money. The smaller pro saws are a great buy for the guy that even just cuts a little bit a year. Pro saws are built better, with stronger internals and components. They're also worth rebuilding when they do give out. A STIHL MS261 or Husqvarna 550XP would be my first choices if I was looking for a smaller saw that could handle 90% of what the average woodcutter is going to throw at it. Smaller saws are also less tiring to operate and quicker to maneuver for limbing operations. The STIHL MS241 would be an absolute gem if you can manage to find one.
I purchased the MS250 and got it because it was worth the cost of the saw and it would last a long time. Instead, my saw have been nothing but a pain in the butt with me spending over 5 trips to the local repair shop where I got it new. The main problem I am having is cranking the saw. The rope only comes out part of the way and quits with it not being able to crank. I now have another saw (Poulan Pro battery saw) which is doing what I want it to do, and I am a happy camper. The other saws which I have is a Poulan, and a Poulan Pro and the Poulan Pro was purchased this past Summer and had to be repaired before I could use it. The old Poulan saw have been with me since 2000 when I got it to deal with the snow and ice we received that Winter.
I did a couple of sweet videos of the MS 271. I like the saw. I was able to buy the 271 and the 180 cbe for the same price as the 261. I love the saws. I wanted the 261 But, the 271 is fine.
I was looking at the XP550, but I keep reading that it bogs down as did the one I tested. No reports so far on the 261 CM. I think I'm sticking with my Stihl and getting the 261
Great video, thank you, I plan on sending my MS261C to West Hill Saw House for, compression increase, port maping, reshape and retime the ports, muffler mod, tear down clean, reaseal, replace any bad parts at the time, new rings, and then retune. This will vastly make this model really shine. I almost have the money saved up 😁
I bought a MS 261. I will never wear it out. One or two tanks of gas a year, but it is what I wanted. A serious step up from the Echo CS-400 that I was using before.
Wow. I didn't realize they considered these small saws to be a " pro saw ". I figured the smallest " pro saw " would be something like a 461. Learn something new every day!
Decent overall comparison. Thought it was funny when you discuss a top end swap as a field fix! I don't know many guys who carry and extra top end into the field! Cheers!
I too thought that was funny..." All set.. got my bar oil, fuel, files, sledge and wedge". "Oh! almost forgot my tool chest, top jug, gasket kit, and rings".. lol
Just saying, we have an old Husky 42 Special which is a 2.9hp saw from the late 80's and it has pretty much all the things that pro model has... Magnesium body and bar cover, compression release valve and an adjustable bar oiler... It also has holes drilled through the cooling fins so you can access the screws at the bottom of the cylinder... The only things it doesn't have are the self-retaining bar nuts, the quick-release screws for the top cover and the automatic carburetor. As far as i'm aware, our 42 Special is not a pro saw. Probably more of a mid-range home owner's saw for de-branching and light felling. So how come the modern Stihl Farm/Ranch saw, which is a much bigger model than our old 42, doesn't have any of these things? Kinda makes you wonder... :)
Karl The Fragr My dad’s Husqvarna 55 is the same way, built like a pro saw but not sold as one. The new Husqvarna saws in the same class (455, 445, etc) are as bad as the 271, 291, etc. They’re almost all just cost-cutting moves. Both manufacturers make good saws. I really like Stihl’s master control lever, but the 372XP is my favorite saw ever built. Picking sides for pro saws is asinine. They’re both good enough to make you money. I picked based on dealer service. Where I live Stihl’s service is much better... Und zo I own a 441 and a 460. It’s not worth getting worked up over.
Kynan Milo Funny, I just sold my 29 year old 038 AV Super to buy a MS170. 😃. That was after I bought a Farm/Ranch MS311. MS311 starts easy, runs great, is a lot lighter than the 038 and cuts with a full chipper much longer than I can hold it. I spent 3 hours cutting red oak recently, the largest pieces being about 24”. It isn’t as powerful as the 038 but powerful enough.
"Microprocessor controlled carburetor..." No thanks, I'll stick with my low-tech, never fails to start and runs like new 10-year old 20" MS290 Farm Boss. 👍
@@danmagill7616 I used to think the same, but after running the 261C-M for almost 2 years, I've really grown fond of it. I'm REALLY growing fond of NO carb in the 500I I got 2 days ago!
There's another MS311 review that comes up on RU-vid and the guy says "The engine puts out 59cc of power." It's really hard to take the review seriously. No offense. He seems like a good honest person. Notes about CC's. Chainsaws are rated by their CC rating, not their horsepower rating. CC's are a size measurement of the engine. Not a horsepower rating. All engines are rated according to the their size first, and horsepower second, generally. Yard equipment and motorcycles are sold based on how many CC's their engine has. Echo saws don't list their horsepower at all. Briggs and Straton now actively tries to deceive people by listing the TORQUE, and not the horsepower on their engine stickers. Never buy an engine that has a deceptive tag on it, that doesn't tell you the Horsepower rating. Horsepower is what performs work. Torque cannot perform work, because torque can exist with zero RPM's. Horsepower (not torque) is how you calculate how much work you can do. It's based on horses, ropes, and calculating how much work a horse can do. They have a LOT of torque, and speed, and a lot of horsepower. CC's are "Cubic Centimeters" which is the volume inside the cylinder when the piston is all the way down at the bottom of the bore, compared to when the piston moves to the top of the bore. It's a measurement based on 2 things. 1.) Cylinder diameter. 2) Crankshaft stroke length. Otherwise known as "Bore x Stroke." Cubic Centimeters (CC) can also be written as (CM3) or (CCM) on some Japanese motors. It's the same as CC. There is no relationship between CC's and horsepower. Generally larger engines have more horsepower. But that isn't the case with pro saws, which have more horsepower than the old large POS (piece of shit) Poulan saws.
@@Ritalie for you to say CC's has no relation to HP is silly ... in an air cooled 2 stroke the only way you generally increase HP with a substantial amount is to increase the engine size .... the bigger the engine the more HP it will produce.. in a 2 stroke engine there are no cams valves pushrods over heads cams exc to vary what a engine's HP will make other than the the size and stroke of that piston... so CC's are infact a direct relation to HP
@@Ritalie Horsepower = (Torque x RPM)/5252. CC is the displacement of the cylinder when the piston is at BDC. Compression Ratio = the difference in volume between the piston @BDC and @TDC. There's is a direct link between displacement and horsepower. An engine spinning with 100 lbft of torque @ 500 RPM is the same amount of horsepower as an engine spinning @ 5000 RPM with 10 lbft of torque or 50000 rpm with 1 lbft of torque. Peak piston speed is typically around 55mph for very high performance engines. The longer the stroke relative to the bore the higher the torque relative to the horsepower will be as the expanding gases have a longer time to exert their forces upon the piston. Subsequently the engine can't spin as fast @ a 55 mph piston speed with a long stroke. Now if we make the piston oversquare (bore larger than stroke) we can spin the engine faster, but each ignition cycle has less time to act upon the piston so we get less out of each ignition cycle. And the less windage the higher the power. So the tighter the tolerance between the piston and the cylinder the more power can be extracted. (This is the biggest difference with super high performance engines, and how you see NA engines getting up near 300-400 hp/l)
@@nickparimuha81 not true. design of the actual head makes the power. same reason the 49cc Husqvarna from lowes puts out have the power of the 49cc 562xp
I got a MS390 saw it’s 20 years old and in brand new shape always worked so great starts up right away always ! Is it a good saw ? Did I buy a good one ? Must say I love the power and it slices through trunks like butter nothing like cutting down trees in the winter !
me too. i have the older version which is a touch heavier but I don't care. love that saw. deep down I actually wanted the husky 550xp but the local husky dealer was never open on weekends! Stihl dealer was closer and open weekends. big deal for me. either saw works tho, they both cut wood pretty fast :)
IVE OWNED 2 HUSKY460s both were took back for busted pistons whithin a week of each other.oil and gas mixture was right too dealer checked it after second piece of shit husky blowed up within a week of using it I got my money back bought a 390 stihl with a25 inch bar freakin damn what a BEAST..460 dosent have shit on a stihl ms390 cuts twice as fast that has been two years ago-hasn't blown up yet..my moneys on STIHL..LOVEM..
Connor Sporich I was going to buy one in a week have you had problems out of your ? I will be buying a new 2018 model would like to know is it with buying? And is it easy to work on ?
I have an MS390 that I bought 7 or 8 years ago and she has done me well! It is heavy but I have cut a fair bit of wood. It was a great feeling to come back from a military deployment after a year and the saw started up after a few pulls. Stihl is expensive but to me the reliability is worth it.
100% with you on that, I'll always gladly pay a bit more if I know that I can rely on it down the road. Must have been nice having the saw start right up, coming back from deployment, you've always got 8 million things that need to be done, having one less thing to worry about is a huge weight off the shoulders. Until you're done cutting at least, because then the 8 million other things get shoved right back in your face, lol.
@Joe W I wouldn't know as this was my first Stihl saw and have expanded to many more of their products. I do run a 25" bar so maybe thats a factor. I just don't like holding it over shoulder height for long times.
I prefer to run nothing longer than a 20" bar on these plastic saws, I feel that the case isn't as strong as the magnesium saws and sometimes the front bar stud will pull out of the plastic that it's screwed into..
you are a Beast I have followed your channel for a long time.I just bought a nice ms 261..not cheap from flebay..still using my 026 and 024 love your videos
Hey bro? were you the guy that fell trying to prune a pin-oak? Man I hope you healed up good. Customers need your skill and knowledge as well as the industry. I have climbed for 20 years. God Bless you buddy. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Especially stuff like this... I sometimes refer to your videoes to fix a saw in the field. Good info that future tree guys will refer to for the next generation! God Speed and God's Blessing to you. We put it on the line every day!
I'm just happy as can be with my ms250. cheaper priced light and handy for limbing. I only wish stihl stopped using those complex for no reason and problematic fuel/oil covers. what's wrong with simple threaded covers?
Absolutely, the 250 is a great saw. I will say though after using those covers in tree service, I actually love them now. I don't carry a scrench on me while I'm in the tree, though do keep one in my box. Pain though having to run to the truck whenever I need to refuel, I find the quick release caps handy.
Human you like those covers? Just bought a stihl 56 weedy wacky and it has marvelously simple screw on gas cap. Simple is cheaper and I had to replace the ones on my 250. I found it aggravating.
Got the MS 460, 660 and 880. Mostly use the two smaller ones (460 and 660). 660 and 880 are extremely powerful but a bit heavy to carry around all day. Didn't know 261 was a "Pro" saw!
Can the 261 keep its self in needle bearings now? Bloody great Saw but I sent mine back and rebuilt my old MS260 as the needle bearing kept collapsing every 2-3hours.
So I was looking at the Stihl Farm Boss... Few questions, 18” bar or 20” bar? Is there a difference buying it from a Farm and Fleet (Stihl dealer) compared to a Stihl dealer/privately owned shop. I understand the angle of support small business. I am talking about saw wise. Thanks
If you had only the availability to by 1 saw from stihl for the rest of your life would you spent 1300 to 2 grand on a stihl that has a range from 17 inch bar to 59 in bar capability or would you spend 500 to 1 grand max on a farm and ranch saw that maybe able to do a bar and chain from 16 to 32 inches?
The pro series Stihl saws have stronger cylinder walls, pistons and rings. Been running my 036 pro since 2004 with no issues other than changing bars, chains and sprockets.
I'm looking to get another saw, I have a MS170 and I've been doing all of my cutting with it and it's 16" bar. I cut a redoak up today, the 16" bar didn't come close to reaching the other side, and I would like to be able to use a more aggressive chain, and would like more power.
There is one for sale here on the Facebook marketplace. Guy wants $350 seems like plenty money to me. I just got an 026pro for $50 from somebody else on there besides the MS440 I got $500, Husqvarna 372xp $400, Makita DCS6421 $250 that I bought in the past few weeks on there from other guys too. This guy with the 024 has a bunch of saws for sale and all of them seem to be plenty money to me. Dude even has an MS250 he wants $250 for pretty sure the sale is going now at Stihl dealers where you can get one $299 new lol.
I’m trying to decide between the stihl ms391 or the ms261cm to add with my ms250. Currently have an 18” bar on the 250. Would like to put a 14” on the 250 and get an 18” in the 391 or 261. Tough call both 391 and 261 about the same price
Should have included at least a rough estimate range of anticipated cost difference. Specs and manufacturing details are fine, but bottom line dollars are another "difference" that real world people take into consideration.
My ms460 cost me a grand 10 years ago. The husqvarna of similar size was the same price. Only bar and plug replacements until last year I repaired the oiler pump. This year I replaced the compression release. So minimal costs when well maintained on proper mix and super fuel. NO ETHANOL unless you like rebuilding carbs a lot.
If someone does a muffler mod on a saw with the computer controlled carb, will it adjust itself accordingly (or will the computer email the EPA and snitch, lol)???
I think buying used is a very good option when it comes to chainsaws. Doing a little work on an older pro saw will leave you with a quality tool for an affordable price. I personally would also opt for the biggest saw you can comfortably handle, it's better to have too much power than not enough.
Agree, just gotta be careful. I often see saws on craigslist/ebay that have non OEM components on them, or saws that have been pretty badly scored being sold as great condition.
I would love to have the MS261 (pro) but the MS291 (farm) is on sale now and puts it right in my price range. The pro saw would be nice for several reasons including power and light weight but I can't justify paying almost $800 + 15% tax.
If you only knew how much of this stuff gets scrapped before it reaches your hands because of simple things like scratches or color hue. Cool to see enthusiasts using the products I make parts for though.
Also i don't think he mentioned that most pro saws have a different cylinder liner (at least husky does), which helps with duty cycle times, that is probably why these two use different heads as well. "Homeowner" saws are not meant to be ran all day like a pro saw would be on a logging job. Good video though!
Human, I am looking for a Stihl saw. Just for use around the yard cutting firewood, felling trees, and general clean up. This will not be used professionally, might sit for a few months between uses. I have my eye on the 362, but that's a lot of money. I want something that will be more than adequate and not be under powered. Is there a saw you suggest that will run a 20" bar, have plenty of power, and not break the bank? Is a Farm and Ranch model likely a better fit for me?
There are many kinds of plastic, it's like saying metal, there are really soft ones and hard ones. Today most pistols, many rifles and shotguns have polycarbonate bodies, and they last more than the old metal ones
What's wrong with Poly? It makes for lighter weight, it doesn't rust and if taken care of, will last longer than the older ones. Plus, I have read about the magnesium bodies getting brittle cracking or full on breaking in the extreme cold winters.
