Talk Me In/Out of the Stihl MS261

[sea2summit]

yeah saw that right after I posted lol ...

I seemed to recall you being smarter than that so I had to double check my math

 

[5030]

I made a stop at our Echo dealer; the CS-590 seems great too but at the price point I wonder what might be missing?

Missing nothing except the Stihl inflated price. I have one plus an Echo top handle arborists saw and both are just peachy. The Timber Bear 590 also has a 5year warranty on it. I run a 20" roller nose bar on mine and full tooth chipper (325 chain)

Candidly, I'm done with Stihl. Too expensive for my blood.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I seemed to recall you being smarter than that so I had to double check my math

its been a long day, felt pretty dumb right there to be honest lol ... didn't clue in that 10% increase in displacement would equal in 33% HP increase.

 

[5030]

With chainsaws, horsepower is much less important than delivered torque and chain speed.

 

[ericm979]

The 261 has 33% more power to the bar than the 250…5 extra cc. That’s a fairly significant power increase, not really even comparable saws.

The pro saws have much better ports than the open ported 250. That's mostly where the power increase comes from. Open transfer ports are just troughs in the cylinder wall. Real transfer ports have a shape that flows better. The 250 has a pretty good power/weight ratio for a homeowner saw but it's not close to the pro saws. Pro saws also have better anti vibe and a compression release. My 025 jacked up my shoulder when I was using it for brush where it gets stopped and started a lot.

But if you're cutting 18"+ trees a large portion of the time, you might want a larger saw than a 261. It does come down to personal preference of course, and the 261 will get it done.

 

[4570Man]

Missing nothing except the Stihl inflated price. I have one plus an Echo top handle arborists saw and both are just peachy. The Timber Bear 590 also has a 5year warranty on it. I run a 20" roller nose bar on mine and full tooth chipper (325 chain)

Candidly, I'm done with Stihl. Too expensive for my blood.

I had a 590 for a brief period before I sold it. The most equal comparison I own in another saw would be my 6100 Makita and the echo is a dog compared to the Makita.

 

[Rockbadchild]

With chainsaws, horsepower is much less important than delivered torque and chain speed.

isn't this statement conflicting since speed is hp ? ... hp is how fast something can go and torque is how quick it get to that speed.

 

[kozal01]

I went from a 250 to a 261 and it was a night and day difference. The 50cc 261 punches way above its 50 cc size and the weight difference going from the 250 to 261 is negligible. I loved my 250, ran awesome for the 10 years I had it but the 261 is far and away better. Also, when talking about CC's, the Stihl pro saws make more power and are much lighter than the farm and ranch saws. Its not just about CC's its about actual HP, weight, build quality, anti vibe ect.

 

[snpower]

Alright... 261 it is!

 

[kozal01]

Alright... 261 it is!

You wont be sorry, its one of the best pro saws in its class.