Best 50cc saw in the world

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At Stihl, the 260 was destined to be discontinued and obsolete long ago. But sales and demand was so good they kept making and selling them. No need to redesign a great seller, regardless of what we think. 2010 EPA regs will finally put the stake in it for good.

The replacement was supposed to be the 270... dunno what Stihl will have in the 50cc line. The 362 will be the new 60cc saw, and the 441 is already the 70cc. saw. The 211 is the new 30cc saw. No 40cc or 50cc saw news from Stihl yet.

I see, It does suck though to have such a nice handling saw that wont cut with the other 50cc saws and is so high priced to begin with!
 
I see, It does suck though to have such a nice handling saw that wont cut with the other 50cc saws and is so high priced to begin with!

Well, Stihl did not want to pay the price for a redesigned 260 pro saw, and re-designed the 260 with the 270. Again they only kept selling the 260 becasue demand was so high. It was not their intention, but if people are willing to pay for an older saw, WTF? You gonna say no? When they were new, the 026s kicked 50cc butt. The 026 is now an old saw design. But the good designs last a long time. And they stood up to use. There are a lot of old (and new) 026s out there still being used, same as the 036s. For their time, they were and still are great saws. It is only very recently that the PS-5100s and the 2nd ed. of the 346xp have come along. Before them they were the PS-510 and the 1st ed. 346xp. Similarly the 026 and the 036 were the sportier souped up versions of the 024 and the 034. So they are evolved saw designs in themselves.

Smog laws in the US and AV laws in the UK/Europe are really what is driving saw re-design now. After the John Deere lobby I am amazed what Husky was able to do with the 346. Dolmar had a hard time getting the 350 and 420 into the US. It will be interesting to see what Husky can do to compete with the 441 and the 362 if they have to pull the 372xp (which I believe they will, considering Obama's stand in Detroit, and the EPA coming down hard on Chinese chainsaw imports and dealers making saw modifications). Seemingly from past experience, great saw designs in particular class sizes are not re-scalable. For example, the 361, the 5100 and the 346xp/II. None of these saws is part of a series that has carry-over to other size best in class saws. While the 7900 is in a series, the smaller models do not have nearly the power to weight ratio. The 341 is also in the 361 series, but it is really a different saw. The 510 does not stack up to the 5100s. It seems that the designs themselves create limits in what you can do to scale to other sizes and ranges of saw models. And do so effectively while keeping cost low enough so that people will buy them.
 
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I hear you on the 026 being a good old saw, I like the older saws like my 034 it has great torque. I also see why they would keep selling the 260 , dont see why so high priced! You would think though you could just change porting on the 260 and make it a screamer, but I guess that would be pointless for stihl to do on a old design , with the new epa rules.
 
You would think though you could just change porting on the 260 and make it a screamer, but I guess that would be pointless for stihl to do on a old design , with the new epa rules.

To add to what Windy said, that is the entire reason. Just think, the 346 and 5100 will be dead come next year so what will they have to compete with then?

I don't see the 270 replacing such a great saw as the 260. I'm hoping for a Strato 261 or a mini 441 version.:clap:
 
To add to what Windy said, that is the entire reason. Just think, the 346 and 5100 will be dead come next year so what will they have to compete with then?

I don't see the 270 replacing such a great saw as the 260. I'm hoping for a Strato 261 or a mini 441 version.:clap:

:agree2: Who knows what the saws will be in ten yrs!!!
 
To add to what Windy said, that is the entire reason. Just think, the 346 and 5100 will be dead come next year so what will they have to compete with then?

I don't see the 270 replacing such a great saw as the 260. I'm hoping for a Strato 261 or a mini 441 version.:clap:

I think that the 346xp/NE passes the new smog crap. It has the AV. I am sure that they will re-tune the Dolly 5100 as well, which also has AV. I do not think that the 441 scales down in size... I waited for a mini-361 and it never happened. The 40-50cc saws in the Stihl linup are a big hole so far.

I think we are in for a re-modified 270 in the mid-range from Stihl.
 
Technology is a wonderful thing. Everybody seems to lament the new EPA ruels, but who knows? It could produce the best saws ever. Innovation is what has made the world what it is and technology just keeps improving almost daily. It will be interesting to watch the evolution.:clap::cheers:
 
I think we are in for a re-modified 270 in the mid-range from Stihl.

It's got to be a pro built saw though with a bolt on cylinder. I have no doubts the 270 will last awhile but that is some big shoes for the 270 to fill. I'll keep waiting as I got a few 026s to keep me sawing.
 
To add to what Windy said, that is the entire reason. Just think, the 346 and 5100 will be dead come next year so what will they have to compete with then?

I don't see the 270 replacing such a great saw as the 260. I'm hoping for a Strato 261 or a mini 441 version.:clap:


My dealer has been told the 346 will still be around next year. I find the smoke and smell of my new 346NE to be less than anyother saw I own, interestingly. Not sure if that means it has better EPA numbes or not. It's my loudest saw for it's size, though.
 
It's got to be a pro built saw though with a bolt on cylinder. I have no doubts the 270 will last awhile but that is some big shoes for the 270 to fill. I'll keep waiting as I got a few 026s to keep me sawing.

Well, they may be thinking that the 362 will be the low end of the newer pro line from now on, and keep the clamshell and better plastic handles with the semi-pro 270-280 40-50 cc type saws. Then again...
 
My dealer has been told the 346 will still be around next year. I find the smoke and smell of my new 346NE to be less than anyother saw I own, interestingly. Not sure if that means it has better EPA numbes or not. It's my loudest saw for it's size, though.

Well that's good if they stay alive.:clap:

My MS211 and 100RX trimmer are the cleanest burning 2 strokes I have ever seen. I know the 100 is a 4mix but you can put your face right at the exhaust and not be engulfed by a cloud of 2 stroke. The 211 doesn't even smoke on a cold start and I could not get it rich enough with the carb to smoke either. A friend used it and swore it was a 4 stroke, I had to show him how it ran/burnt fuel.
 
I own both a 260 Pro and a NE 346XP. My 260 is faster, but I'd rather use the 346 for work. It's all in the ergonomics of the saw. It's just a pleasure to use. IMHO, they're the strongest as well as best handling 50cc on the market right now.
 

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