Stihl 261 or 362 for homeowner

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Northwoods77

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I am a homeowner but don't want a homeowner saw. I currently have a hand me down 011 with a 16" bar that is light and has great balance but is tired. I want an all around saw, plan on running an 18" bar.....could be convinced of 20". It will be occasional use, including up at the cabin when needed. I am not cutting up firewood. I grew up using two husky's, a 154se and a 350. I loved the 154se but no one local to work on it. Anyway, I am wondering if the 261 is enough power for me or do I need to go up to the 362? Thanks for the advice.
 
Well, if it means anything, where I used to work we had 260s, 261s and 362s. The 362s rarely got used. They are bigger and heavier, and didn't offer too much of a performance increase over the 261 except with a 20" bar, which seemed about the limit for the 362. A 261 with a 16" .375 bar and chain can handle most anything within reason you are likely to encounter, and the saws we used every day did just that easily, through hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms and every other sort of major tree damage event you can imagine. If we needed something bigger, we grabbed the 24" 038 Magnum...the 20" 362s just sat on the bench mostly, nobody liked them. They only got used by those who were slow and didn't get a 261 when it was time to go...:cool:
 
I am a homeowner but don't want a homeowner saw. I currently have a hand me down 011 with a 16" bar that is light and has great balance but is tired. I want an all around saw, plan on running an 18" bar.....could be convinced of 20". It will be occasional use, including up at the cabin when needed. I am not cutting up firewood. I grew up using two husky's, a 154se and a 350. I loved the 154se but no one local to work on it. Anyway, I am wondering if the 261 is enough power for me or do I need to go up to the 362? Thanks for the advice.
261 if you do limbing and some bucking if the logs aren't much over 18 in. 362 if your just cutting logs that are 20 inches or a bit more.
 
If you are not cutting fire wood then I'd think a 261 would be perfect for all around use. If u are doing fire wood and cutting up a lot of logs then you may want something bigger.
 
You can cut an awful lot of wood with a 261c, get the new edition with the slant back cylinder. I have both and the N.E. is lighter and a shade more HP. I like a 18" .325 bar/chain for the reach and chain speed. When you consider coming in on a log from both sides on occasion you can cut a 30" log with no problem.
I have a 362 as well.
 
I have a 291 with an 18" bar and it's a great all-around saw for my firewood, trimming, and some noodling.
I have a 044 with a 28" bar for the really big stuff, but it only gets used once in a while.
Good luck with the purchase and show us what you bought (pics please)
 
Seeing that you've been using an old 011, the ms261 is going to be head and shoulders above it. I think you will be more than fine with that.
 
if your cutting needs fall within the limitations of a 50cc saw, 261 is a safer bet than 362. U-tube has a guy (Human is his screen name) who posted a few vid on a 362 with a premature wear on the cylinder which Stihl replaced under warranty. I don't own a 261 but have yet to hear or read about any premature wear/tear issue from running too lean or engineering related defects.
 
I owned a 361 and 261 (first edition) simultaneously and ended up getting rid of the 361. More weight with what seemed to be not much more power. I'm on a 2 saw plan right now with a 261 and a 660 (mostly for milling but occasionally stumping and big stuff) I have yet to run into a problem that a 36 series saw could do that the 261 could not. I owned that 361 for a good long time too and used it a lot so I am aware of its capabilities.

The two saws are really too close to each other in my opinion. The 261 will have a shorter bar but the 361 will have a thicker kerf with the 3/8 chain as opposed to the .325 of the 261. When two saws are that close, sharp chains are the only thing that is going to make a difference.
 
I own the MS362 professional saw. It's a beast. Takes down anything. With an aggressive skip chain, it will rip through a log faster than any saw I've used before. I've taken out many 30"+ trees with it for the forest service. Having said that, I put it in the garage for 2 years and just came back to it... If you don't lift weights regularly or have a ton of forearm strength good luck to you. All the pros I know use the MS262 religiously and then switch to a ms462 or larger when necessary. Personally going back I'd probably buy the smaller saw.

The 362 burns through gas too. I had to top up after every tree I cut down. When I backpacked into the woods for the forest service I carried 1.5 gallons of mixed with me. Really made the forearms burn after a long day, but felt manly.

Good luck to you. Whatever you do get a Stihl - seriously much better quality still to this day. Just an opinion though.

P.S. when you go to a professional saw and start getting a bar 25" and bigger you're actually going to have to watch tip cuts. I've never had a prosumer or homeowner saw kick back on me, but maybe I'm just a big guy. The ms362 will kick back if you use an incorrect cutting technique. This is more prevalent with aggressive skip chains.

Also, I wouldn't do the 50:1 mix. I typically do 40:1.
 
MS 262 & 462 already for sale in Tennessee? Neither shows up on Stihl USA's website as we speak and my dealer tells me both are still in QA phase (quality assurance == testing phase).

****** All the pros I know use the MS262 religiously and then switch to a ms462 or larger when necessary. Personally going back I'd probably buy the smaller saw. *****
 
typo 461 & 261. Thanks for the correction. I guess since I own the MS 362 I thought everything was on the 2's. Never looked at the last #. Recommendation remains the same. Get the smaller one. I bought my saw in PA.
 
362 is a fairly small saw... at least 5he6 are my small saws. I wouldn't run much smaller. Unless you are just trimming branches.
 
I've got a 261cm a 460 and an 046. The big ones have become my backup saws. I love my 261. It'll cut 90% of the firewood I need.
 
261 for sure, they are light powerful and rev high, I have an 18" bar on mine.
 
Take each one for a walk around the store for a good while. Lift it and move it around and see how they feel. Try starting them. You will be holding on to it literally for hours at a time, so if one fits or feels better to you, take that one. They are both fine saws. From what you wrote either one should handle your projects with ease.
 
I owned both. Ended up selling the 362 because I used the 261 99% of the time. Ms261 with a 20" bar is the perfect saw for me
 
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