I had am MS250 for over 10 years, great saw for its price and never had a lick of trouble with it. I eventually wanted a bit more power so I upgraded to the 261 Pro saw, same weight as the 250 but with more power, better vibration dampening and better build components. (metal case vs plastic) In my research I found the big thing that makes the pro saws stand out are their power to weight ratios, they tend to be much lighter than there farm and ranch or homeowner saws in the same cc range and make more power.