The Holy grail?

[Trailoftears]

6 hours ago, Bill C said:

Not being any sort of expert but ref your idea for a MS241, well I have a MS180 running a 3/8x0.043x14" bar/chain, used for almost everything it was designed for and things it wasn't as its light and runs on very little fuel and cuts(if sharpened correctly) way better than it has any right to.  I also bought a secondhand MS240, in a bit of a state and it came with a 15" bar and the most damaged chain I have ever seen,  I replaced that with a 325x0.063x16" Stihl bar/chain, serviced it and checked it over and it turned out a better buy that I hoped for. It's nice to use and well balanced and feels as light as the MS180 but with loads more power, but in Ash etc I felt a 16" bar/chain is the limit. The 15" bar I rechecked and cleaned up and then bought a new Stihl 325x0.063x15 chain, the 1" difference in length changes the saw completely, so much so that I used it to cut up a 24" long 38" diameter round into 8" lengths rather than get the 036 dirty, so if the MS241 is the improvement that people say it is, it must be a really impressive saw for its size.

Your post made me smile-given a bloody shocking day-I spent it in a clients barn doing logging etc-should have taken my ms261 out to the car-couldnt be arsed in the pouring rain.Found myself cutting 16" larch logs along the grain with the poor little ms 180's nose more than buried-it performed admirably,it really owes me nuthin!Mine has the tool free chain adjustment-which in fairness,works ok,but is a slight pain in that it slightly complicates flipping the bar.Bizarrely,it has a decomp valve too.But its been a brilliant little saw for coppicing/fencing/garden carpentry and god knows what else!

[Bill C]

Trailoftears my saw is also the tool free one, didn't want it but if it's clean I can't complain about it as it works better that I though it would. I'm afraid the little 180 has also been used for milling 4ft long 13 inch wide ash, to be fair the end result was less than 1/32" out so most impressed. The more stick I give it the better it runs, but i've got a horrible feeling that after 16yrs of abuse it's going to cry enough soon.

[Trailoftears]

Same boat here,it keeps going,but the fabric is breaking down,plastic bits bhind the sprocket cover drop out/rear air filter cover is sloppy etc,etc.Actually had time to deep clean today,the amount of cack bhind the recoil starter was truly astonishing...Shows the difference between the pro saws tho,screws on whole side have to come off/fuel caps off,top off,then fuel caps back on before a good scrub down etc,etc

[Trailoftears]

In fairness,it wasnt expensive,its lasted forever,with no great care.Ok,kf you spend 500 notes up,you xpect longevity/forgiveness.But this saw is like the little scrawny bloke thhat punches far above its weight!I wouldnt hesitate to recommend it to pretty much anyone who cuts firewood/wants to harvest 12" trees(and more) from tip to toe.Also,because its 'weak'-in a good way,Ideal saw for the first time user-you dont really need to worry about kickback.