Well, the new MS 271 made it home today. I am, so far, very satisfied with my purchase. It definitely outcuts my 029 and MS 290. The anti-vibe is really a great feature. Super smooth running when cutting. Also, I noticed a huge difference in run time. I think I'd average about 40-45 minutes of run time on a single, full tank. I went for over an hour on my first tank, and ended up shutting it down because I needed a water break. Still had fuel in the tank! Refilled fuel and bar oil, started snowing again, cut for about another 50 minutes. I noticed that the bar and chain was getting dry so I shut it down. Still had fuel and bar oil, but not much. Couldn't get any oil to pump out and I was starting to get concerned, but then I remembered others having issues when the oil was low. Refilled both tanks and fired it up. Coupla throttle blips and then had a wet bar and chain again. I was pretty relieved because I was certain I had screwed up by buying a saw without an adjustable oiler. (Did not know the 271 lacked that feature until this am when I went to pick it up.) It cuts like the dickens! I'm running 33RS60 on it and the chips are really flying. Even did a couple of bigger juniper stumps with it and it just went right through them.
Sawtroll may disapprove of my decision, but I think I did pretty well. This saw is doing what I need it to, and does it very nicely. It is a light, nibble saw that seems to cut well, and smoothly. Just what I was looking for. I did take it down a little to clean it up after I was done cutting. By the way, I put a HD2 air filter on it from the get go, and a rim sprocket. The filter was hardly dirty at all after about 2 hours of cutting, and I was cutting some dry, dirty stuff! I think this is a result of the pre-filtration/air separation feature of this saw. I did compare it to my MS 261 C-M, and there are noticeable differences in materials and construction throughout the saw, but the overall design is the same. I would definitely say that the 261 is built for heavier duty use than the 271, and the differences in quality are reflected in the differences in price! Just as you can really tell the difference between this saw and the "home owner" grade saws. While I am certainly glad that I was able to get the 261 and 362 earlier this month, I am really stoked about this saw. It's really perfect for my needs for what I wanted it for, and that is what it should boil down to in the end anyway. Is it a "pro saw"? No. I have those for my main firewood saws. Is it a good quality, effective saw? Seems like it so far!