MS250 vs MS261..not the kind of thread you think

[Levi of the North]

I've been using my 261 stock, with no modification, and just a 16" .325" bar. It is a delightful machine, and I doubt I'll ever find a 50cc saw that I'll be more attracted to. You can bury that bar in hardwood and it just keeps cutting.

 

[TheTone]

Like my 025/MS250's. Light, good P/W ratio. Good firewood saws. Not for felling California redwoods.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I've been using my 261 stock, with no modification, and just a 16" .325" bar. It is a delightful machine, and I doubt I'll ever find a 50cc saw that I'll be more attracted to. You can bury that bar in hardwood and it just keeps cutting.

Don't get me wrong, I have and very much like my 261, but if you're looking to explore 50cc saws, the husky 346 is awesome. And you can put a 346 top end (which is cheap right from Husqvarna) on a lot of saws, 340, 345, 350, 353, plus a slew of Jonsereds too. Great saws for the money, and I like them at least as well as my 261.

 

[husqORbust]

Sounds like the ms250 has potential to work the way I want it to.

Hopefully I can get to see that potential before Stihl goes in my book as paying for a name on the homeowner class of saws and getting a guaranteed piece of ****.

 

[farmer steve]

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Bought the MS250 new. Used it as my main firewood saw for years. Ran ethanol gas @50:1. Stihl runs and cuts fine. Kept a clean air filter on it,blew it out regularly with the air hose and kept a sharp chain. I didn't baby it because I was cutting firewood to sell. Then i found AS and learned i had a piece of junk and needed a different saw.
EDIT. Hoping to pick up a new 261 in the next week or so.

 

[drf255]

Nothing wrong wit the 025/250. Great little saw but a Pita to work on.

It’s gonna sound dumb, but someone brought a “hard starter” to me and the choke lever had fallen off.

Fuel, spark (at the right time) and compression are what’s needed for a saw to run properly.

Pull your muffler and see how your piston looks. Vacuum test the saw if you have the ability. Change the $2 spark plug (my SOP).

 

[Chris-PA]

Stihl's ridiculous clamshell design is why clamshells have such a bad name - nothing should be so stupidly hard to work on, and what idiot would screw bar studs into plastic? Other designers figured it out - not sure why Stihl couldn't, nor why they haven't replaced it with something competent after all this time. That said, they are light and will work fine if you use them properly. Your saw just has a typical ZAMA with a leaky check valve, and once you replace the carb it will do what you want.

 

[aaronk25]

Do I cut 20 cords of wood with a 271. The. Bought the 261. I can say the 261 is 1/3 more saw. So compared to a 250 it would be more, in my opinion.

Sent the 261 off to mastermind and it came back with 1/3 more on top. Unbelievable!


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[sundance]

Is the 261 a better saw? Of course, that's why it costs much more.

Is the 250 more than capable of the duty you've described? If running right it certainly is. I've got a 250, not my favorite saw but quite adequate. Hard to pull (cold I have to stick a boot in the handle to give it a proper pull). Two at most three pulls with choke on. Kick the choke up even if you don't hear a cough. Then she starts in a pull or two. Once warm it's easier. There's too many folks who have cut a lot of wood with a 250 not to believe it would fill your need no problem.

I would consider canned fuel for your use. Much better shelf life. If it may sit a couple months then you need it to start up and run for less than a tank it makes way more sense than mixing your own.

 

[82F100SWB]

A 261 will cut circles around a 250, and a 260/026 is in between the two(actually pretty close to a first generation 261.) That said, there is nothing wrong with a 250/025 for its intended purpose, I know people who have had them 20+ years and have had nothing but good service out of them.
The 250/025 is much more difficult to work on, but as long as you take care of it it will do just fine. I too recommend the canned fuel for anything that is going to sit for a while without being used.

 

[Fatherwheels]

I dont think my intended purpose is that extreme... its actually pretty mild.

My use ranges from pulling up to a blowdown on a trail 6" in diam and making 8 cuts to clear the way(or maybe its a 24" tree blown down.....and the saw just needs to run and get the job done. Its not a race) to bucking up a blown down 12" diam tree to use for firewood for the night/weekend.

My saw hasnt ever just fired up in 5 pulls and worked til it needed gas or I chose to shut it off. I'm aware that theres something wrong with my saw...just wondering if theres almost always going to be something wrong with it at any given time because of its cheap nature.

I dont need more power, or less vibe, or whatever.

All I want is to put gas in a chainsaw and yank the cord 5 times after sitting for a month and have it be running like a swiss watch.

I dont want to pull the saw out and wonder if its going to work or not.

I think your saw has problems, my father has one and is the easiest saw to start, has lots of power for what it is, he gives it no chance to warm up, mixes more than enough two stroke in the fuel and it's going this past three years in timber way too big for it. Given what I have seen them your saw just needs sorted, maybe your coil is bad, given it takes a good few pulls to start and seems low on power, then again fuel issues are just as likely to cause starting and lack of power. Did you take off the muffler and look in to see if the cylinder and rings are ok, even the spark screen being blocked would be enough to cause slow starts and lack of power.

 

[Tinman204]

I ran an 025 stock for 10 years and it never gave me a bit of trouble. I've never had a 261 but I've had 2 260s and I will say both the 260s and 025 were good reliable saws.

The 025 is a pain to work on but in my oppinion its about one of the best homeowner grade saws ever made. Its light and had decent power for what it is.

 

[longbowch]

Do I cut 20 cords of wood with a 271. The. Bought the 261. I can say the 261 is 1/3 more saw. So compared to a 250 it would be more, in my opinion.

Sent the 261 off to mastermind and it came back with 1/3 more on top. Unbelievable!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

In my opinion a ported 261c might be the best firewood saw there is! I have one by Tree Monkey.

 

[Tinman204]

I think a ported 50cc would be very fun.

I dont even own a 50cc anymore, I cut firewood with either my 562xp or an 044.

 

[TheTone]

I ran an 025 stock for 10 years and it never gave me a bit of trouble. I've never had a 261 but I've had 2 260s and I will say both the 260s and 025 were good reliable saws. The 025 is a pain to work on but in my opinion its about one of the best homeowner grade saws ever made. Its light and had decent power for what it is.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on this forum who thinks clamshells are easy to work on.

 

[Andyshine77]

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on this forum who thinks clamshells are easy to work on.

I don't fined them difficult at all, in may ways they're easier. For example, you don't have to split the case to replace the crank and bearings.

 

[TheTone]

Amen, Brother! Can I get a witness?

 

[Tinman204]

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on this forum who thinks clamshells are easy to work on.

I used the term "hard" for a lack of better terms.

Clamshells are not even close to hard compared to some of the stuff I've worked on.

I just hate having to tare the whole saw down just to get at the top end. They are time comsuming more then hard.

Time is money and every hour extra you have to spend on a saw is more money on a repair bill.

 

[TheTone]

I don't find them difficult at all, in may ways they're easier. For example, you don't have to split the case to replace the crank and bearings.

I used the term "hard" for a lack of better terms.
Clamshells are not even close to hard compared to some of the stuff I've worked on.
I just hate having to tear the whole saw down just to get at the top end. They are time consuming more then hard.
Time is money and every hour extra you have to spend on a saw is more money on a repair bill.

I appreciate your reasoning. I just find it easier to take apart the plastic and rebuild the clamshell than to split the case and reseat bearings, seals, and case gasket. I'm just weird that way I guess.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

In my opinion a ported 261c might be the best firewood saw there is! I have one by Tree Monkey.

I agree, but with one important caveat: if you want to cut firewood less than a tenth of a mile from other people, a bigger quieter saw is a better choice. I also have a TM261. Love it, but I've been specifically asked by my wife to use that particular saw near the house. She finds the 2172 much less obnoxious.