661 weaker than 660 in aus, how will sales go?

[7sleeper]

The pros in Germany who have or have used the 661 in comparison to the 066/660 all comment "it's worth the wait!" when it comes to buying a new saw. Don't know what the Australians say but it will still take some patience to find out.

7

 

[7sleeper]

Well, in the end it still seems a bit disappointing this 661. Hopefully Husqvarna and Dolmar will do better for the next generation. For now I will choose a 390 XP eyes closed.

If only Stihl could make a new "064 MTronic" with A/V springs and the same weight ...it would be an amazing saw

To be honest I find that Stihl had real b@lls to withdraw a whole line instead of like Husqvarna constantly bringing out one modification after the other with their AT line.

What I find is a lost chance by Stihl is that they didn't introduce the direct injection technology like on their cut off saws. That would have been a major statement!

7

 

[MCW]

The pros in Germany who have or have used the 661 in comparison to the 066/660 all comment "it's worth the wait!" when it comes to buying a new saw. Don't know what the Australians say but it will still take some patience to find out.

7

We haven't seen the 661 yet.

 

[MCW]

Well I have a bit of handy information to post. I just received an email from a guy who was field testing the 661 in the US and it is full of excellent goodies for those interested in the 661.
As discussed with him I am keeping his indentity a secret but this is first hand knowledge and more valuable than gold
Anybody who is trusted to test chainsaws for any major companies is also told to keep things secret hence the identity of the tester is being kept anonymous.
A very interesting read and I was very happy to read it. I've owned 660's and they are gutsy, well respected saws. It's fair to say I have a big soft spot for them but from a falling and balance point of view I sold my 660's and kept running Husky 390XP's ported by Brad. The biggest issue I had with the 660's was fuel consumption. With the falling I was doing I could put more wood on the ground with the 390XP's than I could with the ported MS660 I owned. The 661 could change that around providing the balance also improves. I found the 660's more nose heavy with a 24" bar than a 390XP with a 32" bar.

Read away:

Good morning Matt. I've been reading the thread about whether or not the 661 is going to be a good saw.

The saw came to me new with a 36" bar. The only instructions I had from Stihl was to use Stihl Ultra oil at 50:1 and to run the saw like I would any other work saw. They also didn't allow any mods, no fancy mufflers, anything like that. Straight stock. They specifically told me not to baby the saw and not to take any special care of it. I took them at their word and ran the snot out of that thing. They wanted real-world working conditions and they got them.
I had absolutely no problem with the saw. None. It was a little slow to self tune...they told me it would be...especially with major elevation changes during the day. By slow I mean just a second or two...no major delays. It didn't slow down production.
The saw I had was very smooth. Much smoother than a stock 660. I didn't keep any figures on gas consumption but the 661 doesn't gulp the gas like my 660 did. If I had to guess, and a guess is all it is, I'd say the 661 uses twenty percent less gas.
The saw, stock, has power. My main saw is a 660 that "ïnsert very well respected saw builder's name here" woods ported. Again, these are ball park guesses but I'd say the 661 ran almost as well as the "ïnsert very well respected saw builder's name here" 660. Very very close in torque.
The 661 will out-work a stock 660. There are always stock 660s around and we used them for comparison. We had a few impromptu races in the woods, switched operators, switched chains, everything we could think of to make things even and the 661 would out cut any of the stock 660s that we had. The 661 had a lot of low end torque. I could lean on it...which I don't usually do...and it was hard to bog in our soft woods.
I ran the 661 against only a couple of Huskys...a lightly ported 390, and a heavily ported 395. The 661 was measurably faster than the 390 but couldn't stay up with the 395.
At the end of the trial period I took the saw back...they wouldn't let me keep it or buy it...talked to the Stihl rep, filled out some forms about what I thought of the saw, and that was it. The saw went back to Germany for teardown and inspection, that's all I know. It was running as well as the day they gave it to me and they seemed almost disappointed that I hadn't found anything wrong with the saw. They were already having problems with them then but they wouldn't say what they were.

I don't know what problems they're having with the saw but the one I ran, and the ones that other guys ran, were flawless. I know of three logging saws and two saws that were used by the Forest Service. We weren't supposed to communicate with each other about the saws but you know how that goes. All the guys that ran the saw liked it and see it as a great replacement for the 660.
I'm first on the list at the saw shop when they are released. LOL...I hope it shows up before I'm too old to use it.

 

[mdavlee]

The one I ran was strong.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Thank you for your clarification!

I never thought the dual port muffler adds .5 HP!

Edit: And the US version is only 7.0hp

Edit 2: OK, specs are just ridiculous. The french 362 CM is lighter and stronger than the US one (not the "CM-Q" version, if i trust Stihl.

when I got my first 066 in '92 hp was listed at 7.8 on the Magnum (dual port). The single port version listed at 7.0hp

 

[windthrown]

Actually Benny reckons the kits are under AUD$80! Probably be the first time we haven't been butt raped on Stihl gear.

Well, $80 and a newer 201T would be a lot cheaper than the $1300 USD or so that the scalpers want for newer 200Ts on Ebay here. Even 020Ts are drifting way up in price here now, as well as DOA 200Ts.

 

[windthrown]

when I got my first 066 in '92 hp was listed at 7.8 on the Magnum (dual port). The single port version listed at 7.0hp

Yah, I was amused and disappointed running a 660 after my 066 DP saws. I passed on buying one because of that. Did not realize then that it was just the DP muffler cover, would have bought it and gotten a Canadian muffler cover for it like I did on my 044.

As said above, the posts I read on running the release version of the 661 here, in Germany and in the UK are all the same. They love the saw. The test saws apparently had slight differences, as well as being prototype builds. Production build saws apparently had serious cylinder problems in some saws in the US, UK and Germany, and the 661 jugs are being redesigned and remanufactured as we post here (according to back room whispers). There has been no confirmation from Stihl as to what the problems are, other than the fact that some 661 saws failed quality assurance testing and production was stopped on the 661 saws, and that the 660 would be put back into production for the time being.

 

[hamish]

Here in the states they did away with the DP Magnum 660, and the 660 here only has 7 HP, so the 661 is a bump in HP. In Canada and Oz, they still have the older 'real' Magnum DP muffler covers, but anyone can order one and pop them on here for the added power. The 661 has a lot of new features, including M-tronic, smooth spring loaded AV, new/better oil pump, and better AF. People that ran them liked them.

As for the best start, the original 661s were withdrawn in the US, UK and EU, and production was stopped on them. Not the best rollout of an enterprise product line. Word is that the cylinders had some serious issues and were failing in a high number of saws so they are redesigning the jugs. They will be out again in the Aug/September timeframe here (according to Stihl USA).

Finally the perhaps most accurate post regarding the 661 saga.

I can't wait to get my hands on a 7hp Mtronic!

 

[windthrown]

Finally the perhaps most accurate post regarding the 661 saga.

I can't wait to get my hands on a 7hp Mtronic!

You should be getting your hands on a 7.3 HP M-Tronic unless they de-tune the redesigned jug. August-September timeframe. Maybe.

 

[7sleeper]

Did anyone know that the 661 is available in russia? Just check stihl.ru.

7​

 

[Gologit]

Did anyone know that the 661 is available in russia? Just check stihl.ru.

7​

Yeah, but if you need warranty work I hear they just take you out and have you shot instead.

 

[hamish]

You should be getting your hands on a 7.3 HP M-Tronic unless they de-tune the redesigned jug. August-September timeframe. Maybe.

All published specs, especially pre-production ones are "over-tuned".
August-September..........what year?

 

[hamish]

Yeah, but if you need warranty work I hear they just take you out and have you shot instead.

If you have an issue with Russians take it some place else, this forum is no place for your prejudicial view for the citizens of another country.

 

[Gologit]

If you have an issue with Russians take it some place else, this forum is no place for your prejudicial view for the citizens of another country.

Feel better now? My post was meant as a joke. You didn't get it. It was a sense of humor test. You flunked.

 

[hamish]

Feel better now? My post was meant as a joke. You didn't get it. It was a sense of humor test. You flunked.

It was a prejudicial joke, I got it, and understand fully what you were implying to. Just expected more of you as a person, that can look outside ones window and see everything else.

 

[TreePointer]

Lighten up, Francis.

Quality humor has a kernel of truth in it. A joke could have just as well been made about the bureaucracy, vodka, Pu$$y Riot, a shirtless Putin, Sochi repression, bread lines, etc. We who are not the government are permitted (at least in this country, for now) to make fun of ourselves and our neighbors. Don't be offended--that's the propaganda ministry's job.

 

[XSKIER]

All published specs, especially pre-production ones are "over-tuned".
August-September..........what year?

Ha! Like your beloved 540 and 543 that came out on time and as great as anticipated. sweet...

 

[windthrown]

All published specs, especially pre-production ones are "over-tuned".
August-September..........what year?

Tuning is automatic on these M-tronic puppies now. Though I suppose they can re-tune them with software now for HP rating purposes. As for what year? That's a good one. In a reply last month to my query about when the 661 would be available in the states:

Thanks for your E-mail and your interest in STIHL products.
According to the information I have here the MS661 should be released around Aug-Sept 2014.
I hope this helps and if I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Mark O’Briant
STIHL Inc. Technical Advisor

 

[windthrown]

It was a prejudicial joke, I got it, and understand fully what you were implying to. Just expected more of you as a person, that can look outside ones window and see everything else.

Putin is a turd, and here in the states, the Ruskies are not well loved right now. All over again. I worked during the Cold War against the USSR in the 1980/1990s. So I am rather biased against them. Where I was working in San Diego at that time was one of the highest priority targets; Ground Zero. We made sea-launched Tomahawk Cruise Missiles there, along with many other weapons and defense platforms.

Now, when it comes to Canadians...

Terrance, pull my finger!
No Phillip, you will just fart, like you always do.
No no no Terrence, I will not this time.
OK, Phillip...