Sitting here looking at my stacks I cut this winter with the MS 261 and figured a quick review was in order. Many of you helped me with the purchase of this saw and that thread is here https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/chainsaw-advice-please-update-with-pics.73703/
I don't have a pile of experience with chainsaws so take that into account but here's my .02 cents and hopefully this will help others making a decision if they are considering this model.
- the weight is awesome and was a big factor when I was handling different models at the dealer. I spent a few days this winter cutting all day and the saw was never cumbersome.
- the pro anti vibe works great and a nice touch when you're cutting for long periods.
- it's dead simple to operate and clean.
- maintenance is super easy and this was something I never considered when looking at saws but after doing routine work on the saw it's now something that I hold in high regard. everything is laid out really well and it's easy to tear down and re assemble. and the captive bar nuts are awesome! the first time I had to adjust the chain in the field in deep snow i had a big grin on my face. no need to remove your gloves and no missing nuts you find in the spring when the snow melts.
- the new air filter works as advertised....love this feature and it's really easy to tap it clean.
- this winter I cut maple, ironwood, oak, ash, elm, basswood, poplar, spruce and cedar with no issues. it eats up everything i've thrown at it. of course it won't rip through a big chunk of hardwood as fast as you can with softwood but i expect that's the case with most saws. I'm also not that concerned with the whole ripping cookies thing off a log at light speed. i just want it to cut firewood plain and simple. it dig bog down a bit one afternoon in some big elm but i was pushing the saw hard and it needed to be sharpened. it was one of those times when you know you should sharpen the chain but you just have a few more cuts left and your done!
- it's seemingly built really well and everything works as it should - never had any issues with it
- gas and oil seem to last a long time. actually i was really impressed with how long a tank of gas would last. and now that i think about it, the transparent gas tank is another nice feature, the adjustable oiler was handy in cold temps and the adjustable summer/winter carb switch worked well too.
I suppose in the end I got what I paid for. I was skeptical about spending the extra $$$ for the pro features and now I can say that this was money well spent. If, like me, you're shopping new saws for landscaping and firewood duty then I'd highly recommend it over Stihl's 270, 280 or 290 type saws. That's not to say those other models are inherently bad or have faults, it's just that the feature set on the 261 is indeed worth the upgrade in price.
I was actually finding things to cut some days just because I liked using it so much!
Action pics!
![[Hearth.com] Stihl MS 261 Review](/talk/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi127.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fp142%2Fscott_killarney%2FIMG_4327.jpg&hash=a49ee4736747eebf041210d8bd3c6f0a "[Hearth.com] Stihl MS 261 Review")
![[Hearth.com] Stihl MS 261 Review](/talk/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi127.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fp142%2Fscott_killarney%2FIMG_4324.jpg&hash=6c8432e864cc86cdb5666fbd0b71d589 "[Hearth.com] Stihl MS 261 Review")
I don't have a pile of experience with chainsaws so take that into account but here's my .02 cents and hopefully this will help others making a decision if they are considering this model.
- the weight is awesome and was a big factor when I was handling different models at the dealer. I spent a few days this winter cutting all day and the saw was never cumbersome.
- the pro anti vibe works great and a nice touch when you're cutting for long periods.
- it's dead simple to operate and clean.
- maintenance is super easy and this was something I never considered when looking at saws but after doing routine work on the saw it's now something that I hold in high regard. everything is laid out really well and it's easy to tear down and re assemble. and the captive bar nuts are awesome! the first time I had to adjust the chain in the field in deep snow i had a big grin on my face. no need to remove your gloves and no missing nuts you find in the spring when the snow melts.
- the new air filter works as advertised....love this feature and it's really easy to tap it clean.
- this winter I cut maple, ironwood, oak, ash, elm, basswood, poplar, spruce and cedar with no issues. it eats up everything i've thrown at it. of course it won't rip through a big chunk of hardwood as fast as you can with softwood but i expect that's the case with most saws. I'm also not that concerned with the whole ripping cookies thing off a log at light speed. i just want it to cut firewood plain and simple. it dig bog down a bit one afternoon in some big elm but i was pushing the saw hard and it needed to be sharpened. it was one of those times when you know you should sharpen the chain but you just have a few more cuts left and your done!
- it's seemingly built really well and everything works as it should - never had any issues with it
- gas and oil seem to last a long time. actually i was really impressed with how long a tank of gas would last. and now that i think about it, the transparent gas tank is another nice feature, the adjustable oiler was handy in cold temps and the adjustable summer/winter carb switch worked well too.
I suppose in the end I got what I paid for. I was skeptical about spending the extra $$$ for the pro features and now I can say that this was money well spent. If, like me, you're shopping new saws for landscaping and firewood duty then I'd highly recommend it over Stihl's 270, 280 or 290 type saws. That's not to say those other models are inherently bad or have faults, it's just that the feature set on the 261 is indeed worth the upgrade in price.
I was actually finding things to cut some days just because I liked using it so much!
Action pics!
