261 vs 291 (HP or CC)

[DaffyDuck77]

Hello, I am brand new here. Just a standard newbie dude looking for a good all around saw to help clean up some newly purchased land that was recently cherry picked over for timber leaving a frightful mess.

I have decided on either the 291 or the 261. I am actually almost certainly swinging towards the smaller pro saw despite whatever the answer is to my question about power.

This is just for my own education and enjoyment....how exactly do the 55.5 cc/3.76 HP of the 291 compare with the 50.2cc/4 HP of the 261 in real life use?

What I know about HP is that it is rpm based meaning that the 261 runs faster than the 291? Higher rpm is the only way that less displacement can create more HP, right?

Can I assume that if you put 16" bars on them and identical out of the box chains on them that the 261 would cut something soft like fresh pine faster?

Could I turn it around and say that if you 100% buried 20" bars on both (identical chains) in seasoned glassy hard hardwood that the higher reving 261 would fall behind and that the larger displacement of the 291 would pull ahead here? Just because the rpms are bogged down here mitigating the HP of the 261 while the 291 still has the torque advantage coming from literally being bigger?

Thanks!

 

[porsche965]

Can't say enough about the new edition MS261 with the slant back cylinder and lighter weight of the previous model. Great choice in the 50cc saw category. I run an 18".
The Mtronic of the 261 will overcome any cc difference in the cut within reason.
Welcome to the site.

 

[saxman]

Your first impressions are correct. Go with the professional level saw over the farm/ranch. The 261 will have a longer service life if maintained properly. The overhaul process is much easier if ever needed. Always remember that the quality will be enjoyed long after the price difference is forgotten


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[computeruser]

The 261 is an all around better saw. 291 is a plastic cases homeowner machine, 261 is not. Don’t buy the 291.

 

[holeycow]

Hello, I am brand new here. Just a standard newbie dude looking for a good all around saw to help clean up some newly purchased land that was recently cherry picked over for timber leaving a frightful mess.

I have decided on either the 291 or the 261. I am actually almost certainly swinging towards the smaller pro saw despite whatever the answer is to my question about power.

This is just for my own education and enjoyment....how exactly do the 55.5 cc/3.76 HP of the 291 compare with the 50.2cc/4 HP of the 261 in real life use?

What I know about HP is that it is rpm based meaning that the 261 runs faster than the 291? Higher rpm is the only way that less displacement can create more HP, right?

Can I assume that if you put 16" bars on them and identical out of the box chains on them that the 261 would cut something soft like fresh pine faster?

Could I turn it around and say that if you 100% buried 20" bars on both (identical chains) in seasoned glassy hard hardwood that the higher reving 261 would fall behind and that the larger displacement of the 291 would pull ahead here? Just because the rpms are bogged down here mitigating the HP of the 261 while the 291 still has the torque advantage coming from literally being bigger?

Thanks!

What a great question!

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

RPM and HP are not always directly related to or a result of one another. Higher RPM is commonly something associated with a "Pro" saw for sure. But cylinder port layout, ignition timing and advance curve, piston profile, compression ratio, and several other nuance things are where the differences add up to make a given "pro" saw that produces more HP than a "lesser" saw of higher displacement.

 

[president]

Your first impressions are correct. Go with the professional level saw over the farm/ranch. The 261 will have a longer service life if maintained properly. The overhaul process is much easier if ever needed. Always remember that the quality will be enjoyed long after the price difference is forgotten


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

so true

 

[holeycow]

Generally, the prosaws have a snappier, more immediate power delivery. The good ones have that snap, then quickly pull into strong, broad power through the midrange and into a strong top that nearly never ends (all of that happening NOW). When the going gets tougher mid cut, they just bear down and pull harder. Lovely. Like a good motocross engine.

The farm saws aren’t ported for that. They just go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, over and over again. Like a good old enduro bike motor.

Both very effective, but one is much more exciting.

And then there’s handling and overall “feel”...

Get the 261. Or a 550. Or a 5105. Or maybe one of those cs501p’s. Then you will know what a proper saw feels like when you go shopping for your next one...

 

[Ozhoo]

If you were to blindfold a man, the only way he would know a difference would be in the weight. 261 is far superior but the crappy plastic 291 has it's place in the market. If I had either buried in a 20" log I'd reach for a bigger saw.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

What size timber will you be falling and cleaning up? Cleaned up a select cut timber harvest on a friends land. They left everything under 30 inches, crazy mess, but a lot of good firewood.

 

[holeycow]

Possibly. I have only run 2 farmsaws. Husky Ranchers. They both went brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

[RIDE-RED 350r]

A "Pro" class 50cc of virtually any brand will out perform all but the largest Husky Ranchers.... namely the 465 Rancher and MAYBE 460 Rancher. And their likely only advantage would be in large wood...possibly. 455 Rancher and smaller, the Pro 50cc will blow it out of the water.

If you get a chance, try a Husky 550xp. Rabid lil devil that one....

 

[earlthegoat2]

I would take a 261 even over a 391 every time and every situation. The heavy turd farm saws Stihl peddles to me, don’t have a place when the 261 exists for nearly the same price and significantly reduced weight.

When my highly misinformed boss bought a 391, I just about quit on the spot. Consequently, I have been able to run this 391 and my own 261 first gen side by side with it.

I’m not saying the 261 can do everything better than a 391 but for its weight and price, it is far and away better than a 291 and should probably be chosen over said 291 every time unless that 30 dollars absolutely cannot be spent.

 

[Stacpa17]

I was in your position 20 years. Always had saws I could afford, wondered about the pro saws. Finally stepped up when I bought some land that needed to be cleared. What a difference in the pro models! This is probably a long term purchase so buy the best. I have a older model 261. Love it with the 18” bar. Don’t know the size of the wood you are cutting but if this is going to your “one” saw I would also look at a 562p with a 20” if you need a larger bar.

 

[Conquistador3]

Do the math.
If you cut a little every year and are not 100% sure you'll still be cutting as much (if at all) in a few years, get the MS291 and keep the difference.
If you cut a lot every year and feel like you'll still be cutting as much in a few years, get the MS261.

People here like to shovel crap atop Stihl farm saws but there's a very good reason they sold millions of Farm Bosses. The only problem with the present series is there's little or no aftermarket for them, differently from old 1127 series which can be literally built out of AM parts.

Also another thing. I don't understand why people feel the need to stuff the longest possible bar they can find on a given saw. Both these saws are made to run with 16" bars and will also take an 18" without too problem. But if you really really need to run a 20" bar, get a 60cc class saw: these days there are plenty of excellent saws in that class from all major manufacturers.

 

[Brian72]

The 261! Great saw. Excellent performance, better build quality and it's lighter. You won't regret it.

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[sunfish]

261 on top, no comparison! Same with the Husky pro saws.

 

[holeycow]

DaffyDuck is gone?

 

[DaffyDuck77]

DaffyDuck is gone?

Nope, just been working and trying to read the great responses in the spare moments.

Ok, looks like it is certainly the 261 with a little debate about a 16" vs 18" bar but a 20" is 100% out. I will not be cutting anything very big at all. It is 55 acres and I want to clean up about 15 of it for an orchard, garden, cabin spot and the rest is going into a forestry program. The reason I bought this is because it hugely boarders and joins another 80 acres owned by my father.

I will be clearing up messes and various crop tree releases but I do not need a whopping saw. I am choosing the 261 because of better quality and lighter weight, not because I have a need for more HP. I will be cutting a lot of firewood from the waste to use/give away rather than let it rot.

The bulk of question was just to learn about how HP and displacement relate in these saws.

Thanks for all the great and generous responses!

 

[Cope1024]

I was in your position a few years ago. My long time dealer tried in vain to get me to buy the MS261, but I wanted to save money and bought the MS290. I wound up with an MS 362C a couple of years ago and sold my MS290 shortly after. It was a great saw, and I ran a 20" bar, but before I sold it I put an 18" bar and chain on it. As someone said, the Stihl Farm saws get hammered here, but if I was doing it over again I would go Pro.