Which Sthil

[Daveyboy]

I have a MS181 and a 261.

 

The 181 you can use all day but of course, it depends on what you're pointing it at. It's a small saw but, it works. It has a pico chain and you can't go over 16" but I don't know why anybody would want to. Mine has a 14" bar on it. You can dismantle reasonable trees with it - it just takes a little longer. For firewood and that kinda stuff, it's not a bad choice.

 

I was going to sell my 181 and nobody wanted it unless it had a 16" bar! Apparently, bigger is better but that's nonsense, innit? 14" is a good match and I use stihl bars and oregon chains.

 

My 261 with it's 18" bar is excellent. Standard set up (Oregon chains work nicely on stihl saws, don't ask me why...) and although it's heavier, it's a powerful saw and will do most big jobs for me. When the bar needs replacing I might do something exotic with it. Most people use saws that are bigger than the job asks for.

 

The 441 is touted as the best chainsaw ever, so say stihl. Have you ever picked one up? It may be faster than my 261 and be able to pull a chain around a longer bar but it is heavy! And it's not a saw for a beginner. It's a brute of a thing and by the time you run out of go juice, you'll be knackered. And then you'll pick up your 181...

 

If you want to work all day then a 261 ain't bad or you could go for a 271

which is a cheaper, farmers equivalent.

 

Did

[thetoolnut]

Stay away from hobby or farmers saws, what ever brand you end up purchasing get a pro saw. Any of these three would be a great start, Stihl MS 241 with a 15''/16'' bar or a Stihl MS 261 also with a 15''/16'' bar or a Husky 550XP with a 15''/16'' bar. As already mentioned stay away from those quick chain tension yokes, load of crap. Happy cutting.

[Daveyboy]

I read through most of this thread last night and saw the horror stories on a MS261. I've never had a problem. And this is mayby why.

 

Once a week, the clutch cover comes off and everything gets cleaned. The roller bearing and the drive shaft get scrubbed and get a coating of ZX1 grease. Fab stuff - ZX1 Super Grease - extreme pressure lubricity. - is where it's at.

 

Failure here is going to be bad design or by poor maintenance. So I clean it out, grease it up and as I say, never had a prob.

 

Interesting thoughts about going up a size on the drive sprocket though. That might be interesting.