New member, rec's for saw?

[Duncan R]

Hi All,

 

Hope you are all well..I wanted to join in order to (shamelessly) pick some of your noggins if I may?

 

I use a Stihl MS181 that has served me well for approx 4 years, never missed a beat and always been a pleasure to start and use. It's primary use has been cutting logs to length but after taking down a large Ash at the bottom of our garden this last few days I now realise it's perhaps time to move on to a larger saw? I now have some seriously heavy lumber in the shed that no doubt the 181 can cope with but I'm thinking along the lines of selling (or px'g) for something with a little more guts. Would there be a perceptible difference in moving up to higher capacity saws such as the MS231/251 or would the next logical step be to go for something like the MS271 primarily as a logging saw? would I be wasting my time/money possibly? I'd like to stick with Stihl however I'm open to suggestions

[maria warwick]

231….251…….271…..

 

How about a nice 261CM

[NFG]

Hi & welcome

 

Your 181 has served you well,

 

So a 251 will cut a bit faster but its still only 45cc & runs well on a 14 & can run up to an 18, I refer to my 250 as the 'little saw' - its good for what it does but runs out after about 10 inch or so.

 

At 50cc you have 550xp or MS261 or Echo 550 - (55cc not used one tho)

 

If you have larger wood as stated, Id be considering 60cc or 70cc saws with 18/20" bars to make a noticeable improvement. My 365 really cuts well in bigger wood & is a joy to use, my choice of Stihl would be an MS461 on a 20" Sugihara this may seem like overkill but it is a great saw, although the 365 is a bargain, Im sure a few more will post thoughts soon.

 

N

Edited February 3, 2015 by NFG

[spudulike]

Going from a 40cc homeowner saw to a 70cc pro aw would be a big weight increase. You will find a 50-60cc pro saw will have a huge increase in power and cut speed on a 15-18" bar and be more manageable.

 

Personally I rarely use anything over 60cc for my firewood and that is anything up to 2' diameter!

[Joe Newton]

 

 

 

Personally I rarely use anything over 60cc for my firewood and that is anything up to 2' diameter!

 

 

Yeah but your saws aren't exactly "off the shelves" models, are they mate?

[NFG]

Going from a 40cc homeowner saw to a 70cc pro aw would be a big weight increase. You will find a 50-60cc pro saw will have a huge increase in power and cut speed on a 15-18" bar and be more manageable.

 

Personally I rarely use anything over 60cc for my firewood and that is anything up to 2' diameter!

 

Agreed, but your 60cc saw is probably faster than an 880 with a 20" bar

 

Had to limb up with the 365 as I broke 250 fuel cap yesterday, good work out though!

 

Always puts a smile on my face when cutting .

 

N

Edited February 3, 2015 by NFG

[woodyguy]

You haven't really defined what you will be cutting. You say however that your "seriously heavy lumbar" can be cut with an 181, so that gives us a clue. If that's what you wish to cut then a 461 maybe slight overkill. The more powerful small saw would be a 211 or the best small saw in stihl is a 241.

[spudulike]

Yeah but your saws aren't exactly "off the shelves" models, are they mate?

 

They seem to go a bit better than most, no idea why:sneaky2:

[Duncan R]

You haven't really defined what you will be cutting. You say however that your "seriously heavy lumbar" can be cut with an 181, so that gives us a clue. If that's what you wish to cut then a 461 maybe slight overkill. The more powerful small saw would be a 211 or the best small saw in stihl is a 241.

 

Hi woodyguy........To most of you guys it might not be seriously heavy, but there is a 4ft length of Ash trunk on the ground just outside my shed where it fell and that is where it'll stay until I get help moving it, the weight of wood always amazes and surprises me..the 181 will cut it but it's asking a lot of it so I was hoping the slightly higher capacity saws a few rungs up the Stihl model range ladder would make it worth while........I'd hate to fork out money and be underwhelmed, on the flipside I don't think I need a massively powerful saw however nice the idea might be, and it is a nice idea, don't get me wrong. Ash aside there are 4 large Leylandi which need to come down in the coming weeks, again the 181 will do it I'm sure but with a bit of a struggle.

[Duncan R]

231….251…….271…..

 

How about a nice 261CM

 

I like the look of that, this is the sort of saw I had in mind....more power/response than the 181 without going too mad!