Stihl MS251 vs MS271 for my firewood habit?

[A31unit]

I can't lie though. One time I drove out to a husky dealer about 45 min away. I wanted to get my hands on a husky saw just to compare. This dealer sold both stihl and husky so I was able to compare them side by side. What turned me off was that I knew more about the saws than the guy behind the counter. No lie. He couldn't even answer the length of the warranty when I asked.
Anyway from an untrained uneducated firewood cutter I can tell you this.
The 550xp felt like a race car compared to the 261! With that being said I used to own a 261 and really liked it. I just don't need that much saw anymore. I am afraid what I am about to purchase will fall short since I am forever spoiled by the first real saw I owned. The 261

 

[Spectre468]

If this is your fear, get the 271, pop a HD filter on it, run 40:1 mix, tune it right and don't look back! I can't imagine the 251 will even come close to your expectations. Heck, if you do a good muff mod, it may even exceed your 261's performance, assuming it was bone stock...

 

[A31unit]

If this is your fear, get the 271, pop a HD filter on it, run 40:1 mix, tune it right and don't look back! I can't imagine the 251 will even come close to your expectations. Heck, if you do a good muff mod, it may even exceed your 261's performance, assuming it was bone stock...

How do I do all that stuff? Is it ok to run 40:1 for the motor? Also how do I mod the muffler on a 271?

 

[sunfish]

The 271 is a 291 with a smaller engine, and really too heavy and bulky for a 50cc saw.

I could not imagine having to use a saw like that!

 

[SawTroll]

I can't lie though. One time I drove out to a husky dealer about 45 min away. I wanted to get my hands on a husky saw just to compare. This dealer sold both stihl and husky so I was able to compare them side by side. What turned me off was that I knew more about the saws than the guy behind the counter. No lie. He couldn't even answer the length of the warranty when I asked.
Anyway from an untrained uneducated firewood cutter I can tell you this.
The 550xp felt like a race car compared to the 261! With that being said I used to own a 261 and really liked it. I just don't need that much saw anymore. I am afraid what I am about to purchase will fall short since I am forever spoiled by the first real saw I owned. The 261

No surprise there - you got that right!

 

[USMC615]

OP, get the best saw your wallet can afford, do a muff mod, tune it, and get to cuttin'...if not, this thread will hit 25 pages soon enough, lol.

 

[sunfish]

OP, get the best saw your wallet can afford, do a muff mod, tune it, and get to cuttin'...if not, this thread will hit 25 pages soon enough, lol.

Well, that's no fun...

 

[Spectre468]

Get the trufuel 40:1, or get the Stihl Motomix and add 5ml of Ultra synthetic. The HD filter should be something the dealer stocks. Lots of MM info on this site...

How do I do all that stuff? Is it ok to run 40:1 for the motor? Also how do I mod the muffler on a 271?

 

[Spectre468]

You decide on a saw?

 

[A31unit]

You decide on a saw?

Sorry! It has been a while and I haven't responded or pulled the trigger on a saw for that matter. I am looking to get one soon. Question. How will the 40:1 mix give me more performance than the 50:1? I'm almost positive I'm gonna go with the 271

 

[wombler]

More oil won't improve performance, but it'll go some way to protecting the saw from the additional strain put on it by the muff mod and retune. A bit more oil == a bit less fuel == slightly richer mixture for a given needle position. Given that you'll almost certainly lean it out a bit to get more power (nobody can resist a screamer ), having more oil in there will keep it running a bit cooler and well lubed than if it was the usual 50:1 mix.

 

[Full Chisel]

Actually, a richer oil/fuel mix runs a bit hotter. But definitely some cheap insurance for bearing longevity.

The 271 is a decent saw but they are quite heavy and not the best handling saw in the 50cc class for sure. For the same money you could get into a pro grade Echo 60cc...the CS590. It would also be a bit heavy but quite a bit more power and substantially better build quality than the plastic cased Stihls.

 

[James Miller]

Actually, a richer oil/fuel mix runs a bit hotter. But definitely some cheap insurance for bearing longevity.

The 271 is a decent saw but they are quite heavy and not the best handling saw in the 50cc class for sure. For the same money you could get into a pro grade Echo 60cc...the CS590. It would also be a bit heavy but quite a bit more power and substantially better build quality than the plastic cased Stihls.

I agree with this I have a ms250 its OK for small wood. I run a cs590 as my main fire wood saw its built very well and cuts well above its price point. My dealer told me a 270 wasn't enough improvement if I already had a 250.

 

[Khntr85]

I had only a ms251 for years, it will cut what you are discribing with no problem.... Main thing is learn how to keep your chain sharp.... I used the hell out of my ms251 and it still runs perfect....it is a lot lighter than the other 2 saws and will run the 18" bar fine for what you are doin.... I wish you were close to me as I have a 290 and I would say here hold these 2 saws for 3-5 minutes.... Then I would let ou run them....yes the 290 will cut alittle faster, but is the wieght something you want to deal with??

I would actually sell my 290 if my brother didn't "need" to borrow it all the time LOL....

 

[Khntr85]

What is the wieght difference between the 252 and 271??

 

[A31unit]

The 271 is 1.5lb heavier than the 251 I believe.
10.8
12.3

 

[Spectre468]

I agree with this I have a ms250 its OK for small wood. I run a cs590 as my main fire wood saw its built very well and cuts well above its price point. My dealer told me a 270 wasn't enough improvement if I already had a 250.

The 250/251 aren't even in the same class as the 271, in many ways. The 250 series is home owner grade and the 271 is farm and ranch grade, think of it like a semi-pro saw, a step between the home owner and pro grade saws. I think it is a great saw for what it is. And I'm no stranger to the Stihl pro line. I currently own a 241, 261, 362 and a 661.

 

[Franny K]

The 271 is 1.5lb heavier than the 251 I believe.
10.8
12.3

That is the power head, I assume the published values. The 251 uses 3005 bar while the 271 uses 3003 bar so there may be more of a difference in the whole thing even if you only fill the 271 up as full as the 251 capacities.

 

[James Miller]

I never sead the 270 was a bad saw just the performance wasn't a big enough step up from the ms250 in my dealers opinion for what I wanted to use the saw for.

The 250/251 aren't even in the same class as the 271, in many ways. The 250 series is home owner grade and the 271 is farm and ranch grade, think of it like a semi-pro saw, a step between the home owner and pro grade saws. I think it is a great saw for what it is. And I'm no stranger to the Stihl pro line. I currently own a 241, 261, 362 and a 661.

 

[Franny K]

The 250/251 aren't even in the same class as the 271, in many ways.

The 251 is really softly suspended in the anti vibe. Chances are that is one of the class differences you speak of. The displacement might be really the structural issue Stihl separates their classes homeowner vs farm and ranch which they name differently for different countries.