15 years old first chainsaw recommendation?

[Justin3475]

Ok, so I'm 15 years old and I want to buy my first chainsaw. I will use PPE, take courses and everything so dont worry for that. And as I live in a pretty small town, there's only one dealer who sells Echo and Stihl so theres no other options for brands. Lastly, I will use the saw to cut firewood, clean and thin our land and in the future might make it a living... So, i need it to be really durable and reliable. And the lighter the better. I was thinking of a 45-55cc saw cause big trees(16''+) are pretty rare here. So here are the saws I ended up taking into considerations:
Stihl ms-261: 50cc, lighter, powerful, durable (magnesium crank case) yet i'm not sure if M-tronic would actually last longer than a regular carb and be easier to replace or repair... 700$ in my country

Stihl ms-271: 50cc, less powerful and heavier than the 261 but has a standard carb, no magnesium crank case, 480$

Stihl ms-291: 55cc, same power as ms-261, regular carb, no mag crank case, heavier than 271 and 261, 530 $

Echo cs-500p: 50cc, mag crank case ??, less known brand so less info, reliability durability? Lightest of all(plastic??) 470$

Conclusion: I'd like to know which one you'd pick if you had to put an 18'' bar on it and i'd like to know which one would last the longer. I'm leaning towards the 261 but not sure about m-tronic and if its worth it for the price and would last longer...keep in mind im 15 and will probably use a chainsaw for the rest of my life so it needs to last!
Thanks for your help!!
Ps: sorry if my english isn't perfect, my first language is french!

 

[Otahyoni]

I'm not sure how crossing the border changes things but I ordered my saw on Amazon. Paid $400 for a Husqvarna 455 Rancher (55cc with 20" bar). Is this worthwhile in your case?

Past that, I'm not familiar with Echo or Stihl.

 

[CTYank]

Too bad you've excluded Dolmars, specifically their CS-421 and CS-5105. Much preferable to homeowner Stihls- professional grade, and much less expensive than "pro" Stihls. Echos have earned a rep for durability, so you might well go for their CS-500. Might want to look at the Echo CS-590 too. Great buy, couple $ more than the 500..

For a first saw, a good candidate is the Husqy 435 (40 cc). Very light and nimble. Good power.

With any saw, the BIG thing is to take care of the chain. Above all else. Learn how to file.

 

[Justin3475]

I'm not sure how crossing the border changes things but I ordered my saw on Amazon. Paid $400 for a Husqvarna 455 Rancher (55cc with 20" bar). Is this worthwhile in your case?

Past that, I'm not familiar with Echo or Stihl.

Yeah i'd probably go with husky if there were a dealer here but ordering online i think, wouldn't be an option for me... Thank for your reply!

 

[Justin3475]

Too bad you've excluded Dolmars, specifically their CS-421 and CS-5105. Much preferable to homeowner Stihls- professional grade, and much less expensive than "pro" Stihls. Echos have earned a rep for durability, so you might well go for their CS-500. Might want to look at the Echo CS-590 too. Great buy, couple $ more than the 500..

For a first saw, a good candidate is the Husqy 435 (40 cc). Very light and nimble. Good power.

With any saw, the BIG thing is to take care of the chain. Above all else. Learn how to file.

Great! Thanks for the info on the Echos, will take that into consideration! Also have a great teacher for filing! And got some experience on crosscut saws...

 

[CTYank]

Great! Thanks for the info on the Echos, will take that into consideration! Also have a great teacher for filing! And got some experience on crosscut saws...

If it helps any, not bragging but I've an Echo CS-315 from about 1978. Still runs great, even though my lots-to-learn-still #2-son did his best to kill it. It has a very effective muffler too, which is a big plus to me. Put in a spark-arrester very early on.

Also, a bud nearby bought a CS-300 Echo a couple of years ago, with the notion of it being disposable. He worked the poo out of it. Still runs great. There's always a place IMHO for light, nimble limbing saws. Nicely complement heavier felling/bucking saws.

If you're considering any German saws, Dolmars should be top-of-the-list. Not much need of a dealer once it's in your hands. The Dolmar PS-6100 kicks butt, besides being a great buy.

Filing suggestion: Granberg "File-N-Joint" clamp-on-bar guide for filing cutters and depth gauges. Waaaay more precise than any other means of filing IMO. Great price at Northern Tool. By comparison, free-hand filing is a joke. Been filing chain for ~40 yrs.

Wish my francais was as good as votre anglais.

 

[Ironworker]

So the kid states that his only dealer sells stihl and echo so I think I'll recommend husky WTF. I would recommend the 261, it is the best saw out of your choices and really wakes up with a simple muff mod if you choose to go in that direction, good luck.

 

[Justin3475]

So the kid states that his only dealer sells stihl and echo so I think I'll recommend husky WTF. I would recommend the 261, it is the best saw out of your choices and really wakes up with a simple muff mod if you choose to go in that direction, good luck.

Thanks! I think my choice is made! But still not sure if m-tronic is any good...

 

[Justin3475]

If it helps any, not bragging but I've an Echo CS-315 from about 1978. Still runs great, even though my lots-to-learn-still #2-son did his best to kill it. It has a very effective muffler too, which is a big plus to me. Put in a spark-arrester very early on.

Also, a bud nearby bought a CS-300 Echo a couple of years ago, with the notion of it being disposable. He worked the poo out of it. Still runs great. There's always a place IMHO for light, nimble limbing saws. Nicely complement heavier felling/bucking saws.

If you're considering any German saws, Dolmars should be top-of-the-list. Not much need of a dealer once it's in your hands. The Dolmar PS-6100 kicks butt, besides being a great buy.

Filing suggestion: Granberg "File-N-Joint" clamp-on-bar guide for filing cutters and depth gauges. Waaaay more precise than any other means of filing IMO. Great price at Northern Tool. By comparison, free-hand filing is a joke. Been filing chain for ~40 yrs.

Wish my francais was as good as votre anglais.

Thanks for the info but i think i'll go with the 261, can't go wrong for that price... I'll also probably get a granberg for sure...

 

[babybart]

I see you said your choice is made but, I'm voting for the Echo anyway. My first new saw was an Echo cs520, 6 years ago probably 50 or so cords of wood and not a single problem with good maintenance. Just my 2 cents.

 

[SteveSS]

If you're going to get one of the Stihls, get the 261. The Echo advice is also very solid. You can save enough money by buying the Echo to get the Granberg, and any assortment of other accessories that you'll realize you need after you get started cutting. Make yourself a little money and then buy the Stihl later. You'll quickly realize how handy it is to have a spare saw once you're working.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

If you're going to get one of the Stihls, get the 261. The Echo advice is also very solid. You can save enough money by buying the Echo to get the Granberg, and any assortment of other accessories that you'll realize you need after you get started cutting. Make yourself a little money and then buy the Stihl later. You'll quickly realize how handy it is to have a spare saw once you're working.

Money doesn't really seem to be an issue if he wants a new one. You can get twice the saw used for that money. I started out with a little used 009 Stihl. Used that saw for years and the best thing about it is that it was so light you never got tired....or was that because I was young! Still do the same thing though as I normally just take a 192 and a 660. Limb and log if you will.

 

[cre10]

261 mtronic

 

[1 stihl nut]

You say you're 15, but your profile says you're 22.

Is this some sort of English/metric conversion issue?

 

[ppkgmsy]

Hey, young man, welcome to our brotherhood. Remember, it's cool to wear safety gear when working.

 

[mainewoods]

Probably thought you needed to be 21 to join. At his age you need to be 21 to do most things, except join the service.

 

[USMC615]

You say you're 15, but your profile says you're 22.

Is this some sort of English/metric conversion issue?

Gotta 'like' and laugh that one...to the OP, safety and PPE paramount regardless of which saw you choose. Best of luck and be safe.

 

[Justin3475]

Thanks for the replies! Might opt for the echo if i get a good deal. And yeah apparently im too young for this forum... And just to clarify, we dont use metric! Anyway thanks for the great replies!

 

[babybart]

Probably thought you needed to be 21 to join. At his age you need to be 21 to do most things, except join the service.

Or have 2-3 baby's we gotta pay for!

 

[KiwiBro]

big trees(16''+) are pretty rare here

Can you ask your dealer about a MS241 with 16" picco b&c? My 241 will stand up on a 16" bar buried in dense wood just fine.
Might leave you with enough $ for spare chains, files, etc.

Failing that, then the echo would be my choice over the 261. By the time you have the work and $ for adding another saw to your quiver, the echo will still be going strong and will be a good first saw in a two saw plan, just like the 241 is for me.