Keep in mind the 461 is really a freshened up 460. In fact the 461 only has 12 parts that are different from the 460. I'm a fan of technology myself, but like with everything their will be teething issues, and I've seen this on a few 441 c-m's and would not rely on one at this point in time.
And what teething issues have you seen with the 441 CM? Have you experienced any yourself?
I know of about 21+ that I've had a part in moving on to other owners and there hasn't been one single solitary complaint or issue heard of yet, and most are in a professional setting or being used by those that really use a saw not just sit on a shelf.
I muffler modd them and put 28" bars with semi-chisel on them an cut with them. Buried and dawged in white and red oak they will pull, I think it is high 11k rpms in the cut. I'd have to check some old posts or check my tachs again, ported they are pure smooth animals that work with you and maintain your comfort.
I'm not at all against the 461 it sounds like a great saw, I never really liked the 460 due to bad AV, horrible fuel mileage and good enough air filtration. If those things are fixed then it should really be a great saw. I think they didn't put M-Tronics on it, because of all of this blind "old-school" crap, that people like to mindlessly brag about.
The 441 CM has all of the great technology on it and like a nice Cadillac it handles very well, and the 461 may have similar, but lacks that last little refined edge to keep the "old-school" customers coming to the trough, like they have for decades for that model, which is great and smart for Stihl, as they know that chainsaw users for some crazy reason like to do what their predicessors did before them, whether or not there is anything better out there or not.
For obvious reasons this has been a great marketing plan, because Stihl is a very successful company. They provide super tough, smooth, fuel sipping, powerful saws like the 441 CM for those like myself and a few others, and they provide 461's with anvil like simplicity and "old-school" techology for the majority remaining. What is not to like?
We can now go back to oil threads, LOL.
What the time on Arboristsite has shown me is that when the 440 is about to be gone forever, people waste sums of money just to buy some old model and technology. You could always buy the 441 and 441CM for less, usually much less, and its better all around, except for exact weight, but you can't actually feel the weight at the end of the day, because its a smoother saw with better fuel mileage and is more powerful.
Then the 201 was crap, so everyone wets their pants and buys every last one of them, until its found that some modest modds make it better than the 200T
By, By 260 and here comes a better 261 and everyone is buying up the old 260's, which was dumb.
The same will happen with the 661, when God forbid it ever shows up, it will spank the old 660, but everybody will think the world is gone, because it has flippy caps or a strato motor or something else petty.
When Stihl finally turns loose a new model its only after a lot of R&D and testing, so don't fool yourselves into thinking that some logger or firewood cutter will uncover some massive fault with the newer pro models, their not that dumb.
The choice is 441CM or 461, the 460 is gone by by, and there is a good reason for it. Someone needs to check fuel mileage and all day comfort of the 461 and if its at least reasonable, it will be a great seller, because, the marketing isn't that much different than the ultra successful 460.
Sam