Not another MS261 thread...

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MCW

Somebody's talking crap here & it ain't the tree!
Joined
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Location
Riverland, South Australia
Heh heh. Here we go - hopefully not another 425 page, 16,102 post thread on the 261 but...

Look what arrived in my grubby little mitts this afternoon...

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DSCF1678.jpg


I'll try to give you guys an honest review from somebody who really doesn't give a toss about what badge is stuck on a saw. This may be frowned upon by some viewers ;) The only other 50cc saw I have is my 5100-S. To be honest the only reason I ordered a 261 was because of the new style filter which looks excellent (and Andy said it was good so it's his fault - thanks Andy...)

As most of you would know many standard unoiled filters struggle with our hardwood dust and the Dolmar 5100-S is no exception - it has to be oiled which means it blocks up a LOT faster, particularly with very little filter surface area to begin with. If the little Dolmar did not have dust ingression and filter issues there is no way in hell I'd have contemplated a 261 as it's replacement as filtration is my only complaint about the 5100-S.

This saw came with a 16" Stihl ES bar and I ordered it in 3/8" .050" - some guys may prefer .325" but I find it wears too quickly in dirtier hardwood like ours and I have good stocks of it from full chisel through to chipper. I also fitted the OEM Stihl MS341/361 dual spike kit which fitted well apart from the bolts being slightly too short for the clutch cover resulting in a couple of stripped nuts.
As far as physical size compared to the 5100-S it is certainly larger but not by much - definately longer in the main saw body but other than that they both feel nearly identical.

First up I fueled it up and about 8 pulls later it fired. 2 pulls after the choke was off away it went, running and idling like clock. About 10 seconds later I had it buried in a good lump of hardwood (same as in the pictures) and it pulled the supplied Stihl RSC well and this is very hard wood.
I know it's early and it hasn't been run it yet but the throttle response seems quite sluggish compared to the 5100-S although it does seem to have good torque. In a neck and neck race (at this stage) my 5100-S would tan it's butt however I'm well aware that some of these newer Stihls can take up to 20 tanks to reach their full potential. It also seems to "run down" quite slowly from full throttle like it's got a heavy flywheel or something!
You get a slight idea of size differences between the two saw below - nothing in it but noticable to the naked eye, not in the hands.

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Anyway, I have a few videos uploading as we speak but they're taking their time in HD :(
 
I can`t see how this can become another 261 thread.
LOLZ

have fun with it man. I bet you`ll say in the post #78 that it grew on you.
:D
 
You'll probably have to lean out the L to get good throttle response. Glad to see it arrived safely.

Yeah I think you'd be right Brad. I had to trim the limiters on the 5100-S and actually richen up the L to get better throttle response with that saw. It made a heap of difference. Thanks for everything once again mate.

I can`t see how this can become another 261 thread.
LOLZ

have fun with it man. I bet you`ll say in the post #78 that it grew on you.
:D

If I end up posting 78 times I'll be unsubscribing from my own thread :) I'm sure it will be a good saw and that filter has me well and truly hooked already - it's a great setup. The 5100-S filter gets a bit tiring when I run 4 of them and have had to change them out every half an hour in some conditions :( I wish they would make a similar HD setup for the 5100-S that they did for the 6400-7900 models...
 
Matt, I can't really tell from the pictures, but is that 'Galvanised Burr' growing in the background?
 
Matt, I can't really tell from the pictures, but is that 'Galvanised Burr' growing in the background?

Nah mate. Thats not a weed we have here. What you can probably see is just plain old Milk Thistles that have reached ginormous proportions because of our excessive rainfall this season.
There are also Fleabane, Caltrop, Fat Hen, Innocent Weed, plus a few others are minor weeds and I haven't really bothered to ID them. None of them like a mix of Glyphosate, Metsulfuron Methyl, Citric Acid, Ammonium Sulphate, and polymer surfactant :)

And a quick video I took showing some of the 261's features. I should have offered some Steak Knives as well. Excuse the commentary ;)


<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/694JERwc37E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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I'm impressed with the 261's engineering. That filter is top notch (wish I had one). I also looked at the top vertical fins on the jug, the volume of the muffler - and I viewed one of Stihl's videos of the internal workings of the engine. I like the design of the strato (and piston cutaway) and the four port design.

That is a design that is great from stock, but with just a little bit of porting work it would turn into a very strong saw with good reliability.

Husky is gonna have to a high bar to clear.
 
I guess Stihl got tired of the mockery aimed at their filters. I wonder if they have members registered to AS. I wish they get tired soon of the bulkiness look on their 362 and make better saws. That`s all to it really, Stihl makes great saws; if they tune that then we have a winner.maybe leaky caps too.
Cheers.
 
Nice lookin wood in the pics Matt,haha only jokin,i have been trying to justify a 261 but i allready have a 260 so its a bit hard.Looking forword to you putting it throw a Ozzy work out.
Nice:clap:
 
I'm impressed with the 261's engineering. That filter is top notch (wish I had one). I also looked at the top vertical fins on the jug, the volume of the muffler - and I viewed one of Stihl's videos of the internal workings of the engine. I like the design of the strato (and piston cutaway) and the four port design.

That is a design that is great from stock, but with just a little bit of porting work it would turn into a very strong saw with good reliability.

Husky is gonna have to a high bar to clear.

Yeah it is a very well designed saw Terry. Lots of well thought out things on it that definately make it worth the few extra bucks over the 260 but whether you'd trade a good 260 on one is anybody's guess. The stainless muffler is another thing I forgot to mention - that just adds to the saw's overall quality as far as I'm concerned.

I guess Stihl got tired of the mockery aimed at their filters. I wonder if they have members registered to AS. I wish they get tired soon of the bulkiness look on their 362 and make better saws. That`s all to it really, Stihl makes great saws; if they tune that then we have a winner.maybe leaky caps too.
Cheers.

I'll play with the tune as Brad mentioned after a few tanks and try to get some better throttle response. Wayne (gmax) will be here this weekend for a mini (micro) GTG so we can both chime in on what we think of it. It won't be getting babied thats for sure :cheers:

And running a saw in is for pussies ;)

Nice lookin wood in the pics Matt,haha only jokin,i have been trying to justify a 261 but i allready have a 260 so its a bit hard.Looking forword to you putting it throw a Ozzy work out.
Nice:clap:

I'd think the only reason you'd change to a 261 mate over a 260 is the filter. I'm also interested to see this 261's fuel consumption as well - the strato saws are meant to be pretty thrifty.
 
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I here what your saying about the 260 filter it sh#ts me pulling it apart and cleaning it,you allways drop the plastic choke thingy and the more time ya pull it apart the more chance ya got of damaging the seal areas.
 
Did your 261 have a limiter on the low? My new 261 has one on the high but not on the low. Throttle responce on mine is great. My saw screams and it is going to stay that way.
 
If you're running any ethanol in your fuel you'll have to richen up the mix, to increase throttle response. Some pieces of equipment I have to richen up between
1/2 and 1 full turn to feed enough fuel to make them happy.
 
Glad to hear you like the saw Matt. I was a little worried the filter wouldn't be up to par, even though I know it's a great setup, I've seen the #### you cut lol.

Throttle response should pickup as it breaks in, they seem real tight when new.
 
I picked mine up the day before you received yours! I may very well change to the .050 gauge 3/8 ES bar set up after I wear out the .325 E bar a little. Everything else I own is 3/8 - .050. I haven't cut anything with mine yet, waiting for the ground to dry a bit so I can get to my firewood "spot".

Those videos and pics are great.

Thanks!!
 
Did Brad do his magic on your saw or is it stock?
The question is MCW...Is it Stock? or Ported? :)

Nah just stock guys. I'll leave the mods to my larger saws :) My main drama is that when doing any domestic jobs I really need to keep a quiet saw on hand in case I upset any neighbours. This 261 is really quiet too, quieter than the 5100-S.

Did your 261 have a limiter on the low? My new 261 has one on the high but not on the low. Throttle responce on mine is great. My saw screams and it is going to stay that way.

Not sure, haven't touched the tune yet but will have a play with it this weekend.

If you're running any ethanol in your fuel you'll have to richen up the mix, to increase throttle response. Some pieces of equipment I have to richen up between
1/2 and 1 full turn to feed enough fuel to make them happy.

We're lucky here compared to you guys by the sound of it. We can get E10 (10% Ethanol) but still have the option of 98 Octane (RON) unleaded which is what I run exclusively in all my petrol saws, mowers etc.

Glad to hear you like the saw Matt. I was a little worried the filter wouldn't be up to par, even though I know it's a great setup, I've seen the #### you cut lol.

Throttle response should pickup as it breaks in, they seem real tight when new.

Yeah everything I've read including the MS441 says they take a while to run in. I can tell already the filter will be up to the job Andy, with what I cut yesterday I'd have noticed the pale dust against the black inlet tract immediately.

I picked mine up the day before you received yours! I may very well change to the .050 gauge 3/8 ES bar set up after I wear out the .325 E bar a little. Everything else I own is 3/8 - .050. I haven't cut anything with mine yet, waiting for the ground to dry a bit so I can get to my firewood "spot".

Those videos and pics are great.

Thanks!!

No problems :cheers: I'm sure you'll be happy when you use it. I really do like it. Everything on the 261 is well thought out, well designed, and the overall build quality is excellent. You guys should be proud that it's made in the US.
 
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