Yup, I went and did it. I had my dealer check with the distributor early this week with no luck. Then Andre and Nik checked with their dealer and got a different story. A couple days later, and good persistence by their dealer pressing the distrubtor, I've finally got a MS261. Just yesterday they still didn't even have a price in the system. These babies are hot off the rack.
Why am I so excited about this model? Despite catching plenty of flack for calling Stihl out where I feel they fall short, I'm still a pretty hard core Stihlhead. Yes, I wear orange goggles, but I don't wear blinders. For the last couple of years, I've probably worn you guys out going on and on about the 346XP. It is my favorite saw, the most impressive saw on the market, once modded. IMHO, a fellow only really needs two saws, 50cc and 70-80cc. So this class of saw is very important to me. I'd love to see Stihl take back the crown of the 50cc class. The MS260 just doesn't have what it takes to keep up with the 346, or even the 5100. I'd love to see this 261 surpass the 346, only because I love Stihls. They're all great saws, but this is fun seeing a new kid on the block with potential.
So, straight from the dealer to the wood lot, we had to test it out. We were all impressed, to say the least. It's super strong in the cut. Very impressive. It's smooth as silk as well. The filter is the best I have ever seen on a saw. It twist locks on and seals with a rubber lip. NO dust should get past this filter. Andre has the video of it's first cuts and should be posting them tomorrow. I'll be putting several tanks of fuel through it tomorrow and should have more pics and vids.
It's nice to have friends to share with. Both Andre and Nik met me at the dealer. I think they enjoyed it as much as I did. We were all three like kids in a candy store. Thanks guys!
For now, here are the obligatory partial disassembly/inspection shots.
Why am I so excited about this model? Despite catching plenty of flack for calling Stihl out where I feel they fall short, I'm still a pretty hard core Stihlhead. Yes, I wear orange goggles, but I don't wear blinders. For the last couple of years, I've probably worn you guys out going on and on about the 346XP. It is my favorite saw, the most impressive saw on the market, once modded. IMHO, a fellow only really needs two saws, 50cc and 70-80cc. So this class of saw is very important to me. I'd love to see Stihl take back the crown of the 50cc class. The MS260 just doesn't have what it takes to keep up with the 346, or even the 5100. I'd love to see this 261 surpass the 346, only because I love Stihls. They're all great saws, but this is fun seeing a new kid on the block with potential.
So, straight from the dealer to the wood lot, we had to test it out. We were all impressed, to say the least. It's super strong in the cut. Very impressive. It's smooth as silk as well. The filter is the best I have ever seen on a saw. It twist locks on and seals with a rubber lip. NO dust should get past this filter. Andre has the video of it's first cuts and should be posting them tomorrow. I'll be putting several tanks of fuel through it tomorrow and should have more pics and vids.
It's nice to have friends to share with. Both Andre and Nik met me at the dealer. I think they enjoyed it as much as I did. We were all three like kids in a candy store. Thanks guys!
For now, here are the obligatory partial disassembly/inspection shots.
Check out the air duct from the flywheel area, the chock/throttle interlock, and the rearward rubber carb mounts.
