This review was emailed to me by one of the guys that had me pick them up a MS261. This saw is still bone stock. All of the text and pictures are his. He was having trouble posting the pics, so I'm posting this for him. I think you'll find his review one of the best ever. I know I enjoyed reading it.
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Laying the ground work of my experience. First saw in my life was a new 076. Great saw. Didn't know any better that they made lighter saws. Just went with it, cleared 5 acres for a new home armed with a backhoe and never had a problem. Reckless as hell, but Angels were watching over me.
For just being a firewood guy for years in Ohio for self use I've dropped trees from 5' diameter Beeches on down, cut allot of trees, traded down to a 066 Mag, got on the AS site and two years later have saws NIBs and total about a dozen just for fun. In Savannah it is way more warm than cold so only use maybe a cord a year, inside the fireplace and outside in the chiminea. However I cut for free at the Country Club that a friend of mine runs get to work up 48-56" Oaks. Make the more difficult drops for them between the water lines but for the most part everything is already laying on the ground ready for fun!
All that to say I sort of know a little about how to run a chainsaw but nothing about the craft that you have perfected in re-building and porting. Your threads and others have helped me fairly understand the internals and how a chainsaw works. Thank you.
The MS 261.
Let's start on the outside of the saw. And while we are at it I'll use my +1, -1, on points that stand out, at least to me. There are degrees of points I will admit, and in this saw there are many more degrees of positive points than negative, that's for sure. I'll talk as though you are sitting right here with me so pardon the loose format.
The 261 has a larger presence than the 260. (I just sold my 026 Pro and 026 but the 260 designation includes those in my thoughts)
The 261 has a positive bar up attitude over the previous 260 which helps from snagging things close to the ground and keep the bar out of the dirt in uneven terrain.
The 261 sits the best. Good flat base. (Let's use my only 50cc saws throughout this report: The Snellerized 350, and the Dolmar 5105) To correct the 350 from wanting to roll over I customized a larger dog that helps allot. The Dolly sits good.
Elasto Start included! Along with the Decompression Valve it makes for a very smooth start. Not that you need either on a 50cc saw but it just feels smoother and smoother often exudes a more quality product.
Controls. WOW! What a big difference. Almost a soft touch to the indents of each position. Not the "snap" of the plastic 260 notching into place. And the same pressure used in each movement. Very good.
Stainless Steel Muffler. Looks very cool on the saw. Dolmar has this on their new 5105s. No more rusting mufflers. However steel is harder and will need to be tapped for an extra port, as you experienced.
Bar Nuts. I use fiber washers so that the nuts don't scratch my paint on the chain covers of other saws. This is revolutionary to the industry and a good idea. No more lost nuts and they seem to seat better than the previous set up. You will see more of this.
Bar Cover. I like pre-drilled holes for an additional outside spike to protect the cover. The holes are pre-drilled on the inside however they didn't drill all the way through. Cleaner look but more work to add an extra spike. This saw, in my opinion deserves the chain roller and double spikes that the 361,440,460 already have on. Hope they offer that later.
Fuel tank. The plastic looks to be made out of different materials so that hopefully it won't turn to that aged pale yellow that most Stihls do. This just may look new after years of ownership. That always bugged me but was a way to somewhat tell the age of a used saw.
Flippy Caps. I've never had a problem with them, and do like them.
Hood. Fit is perfect. However for me the three locks that hold it to the chassis are very stiff. And I don't see where they will become easier over time to operate. Stihl should have issued a Flat Driver to open them with that was wider tipped than the Scrench driver. One slip and the Hood could take a nasty scratch. I'm taking the hood to Sears and see if they have a wide Flat Driver that is just a 1/16 within the edge of the lock with a handle that just clears the Hood itself. This should reduce the pressure need to open the lock and reduce the chance of slippage. I might also "rough up" the flat sides of the Driver for more bite against the lock. I'm nit picking here but that's me at times.
Alright, lets take a tour inside this really neat chainsaw.
The air box is well thought out. The auto style air filter is premium and the seal is perfected against the fines (can't wait for our Aussie friends to try it out with their hard, dry wood) by going from a firm plastic material to a softer rubber feel on the seal to make the connection. Excellent thought and execution.
Winter/Summer Shutter. Great spot, easy operation, can't be lost. One thought concerning winter operation however is that the air filter may experience more dust and debris because the engine heat being allowed to pass through will also carry some additional dust possibly.
Spring AV Mounts. Of course.
Moving onto the two tanks of fuel ran through her. And my observations. Remember all three saws were used. My cousin, a mechanical pricing engineer was present and was part operator so that I could watch. Sometimes watching is more important than doing. Nothing scientific, just a loosely run play time.
The sound of a Strato is very different. The four stroking is hard to hear, if any. The engine with the H CCW all the way was at 13,100. Never tried to bring it any taller in the Rs because of breaking in so there is more to be had in stock form.
The trigger response was the slowest of the three. My MS361 suffered from this until I added another exhaust port. I'm sure that will cure this minor delay. Unless a person had other snappier saws to compare to I doubt they would notice at all because once it picks up it leaps toward the top end.
The 261 is wearing a 18" .325 RSC bar/chain. The balance is perfect. 16" felt too short and power left behind and 20" is getting into my larger saw territory and also adds weight and slows handling some so 18" it is...for now.
The plug is burning right where I like to see them. Charcoal on the intake side, light tan on the exhaust side. For what it's worth I use Stihl Ultra with 1/2 ounce of Klotz R50 Super Techniplate (for it's 525 flash point) mixed with Marine grade non-ethanol, yellow in color, 89 octane fuel. StaBil just because. Final mix is 42:1. The fuel is strained twice to remove any dirt. This gives me an error margin in case the amount of fuel is off a bit.
The 261 is feels more powerful than a 260, no question. With the exhaust porting of my 026 Pro, (that I thought ran outstanding) the 261 still feels more powerful. I don't have it any longer to run side by side but I'm sure the 261 would pull away.
Torque. This saw makes great torque. As it is being leaned on a bit the rpms will drop into a 9500-9800 range and just stop dropping. Like magic or something and just hang there through the cut. With the same agressive lean on the other two they will continue to drop until you level off the lean. I like this torque.
(The wood we used was hard Maple. 19" in diameter. Too large in a way for these saws and cc but it's all I find around my Dad's home area. Really hard stuff.
Here is an interesting item. Stihl gives you more cut for the money spent in bar/chain. Measured from the spikes the 261 18" give you 17"s of cutting bar. The 5105 18" gives you 15.5" of cutting bar. The 350 16", not 18", gives you 14", which should translate with an 18" bar into 16" of cutting bar. Point for Stihl.
The Dolly was the only one wearing the 3/8ths chain. RSC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laying the ground work of my experience. First saw in my life was a new 076. Great saw. Didn't know any better that they made lighter saws. Just went with it, cleared 5 acres for a new home armed with a backhoe and never had a problem. Reckless as hell, but Angels were watching over me.
For just being a firewood guy for years in Ohio for self use I've dropped trees from 5' diameter Beeches on down, cut allot of trees, traded down to a 066 Mag, got on the AS site and two years later have saws NIBs and total about a dozen just for fun. In Savannah it is way more warm than cold so only use maybe a cord a year, inside the fireplace and outside in the chiminea. However I cut for free at the Country Club that a friend of mine runs get to work up 48-56" Oaks. Make the more difficult drops for them between the water lines but for the most part everything is already laying on the ground ready for fun!
All that to say I sort of know a little about how to run a chainsaw but nothing about the craft that you have perfected in re-building and porting. Your threads and others have helped me fairly understand the internals and how a chainsaw works. Thank you.
The MS 261.
Let's start on the outside of the saw. And while we are at it I'll use my +1, -1, on points that stand out, at least to me. There are degrees of points I will admit, and in this saw there are many more degrees of positive points than negative, that's for sure. I'll talk as though you are sitting right here with me so pardon the loose format.
The 261 has a larger presence than the 260. (I just sold my 026 Pro and 026 but the 260 designation includes those in my thoughts)
The 261 has a positive bar up attitude over the previous 260 which helps from snagging things close to the ground and keep the bar out of the dirt in uneven terrain.
The 261 sits the best. Good flat base. (Let's use my only 50cc saws throughout this report: The Snellerized 350, and the Dolmar 5105) To correct the 350 from wanting to roll over I customized a larger dog that helps allot. The Dolly sits good.
Elasto Start included! Along with the Decompression Valve it makes for a very smooth start. Not that you need either on a 50cc saw but it just feels smoother and smoother often exudes a more quality product.
Controls. WOW! What a big difference. Almost a soft touch to the indents of each position. Not the "snap" of the plastic 260 notching into place. And the same pressure used in each movement. Very good.
Stainless Steel Muffler. Looks very cool on the saw. Dolmar has this on their new 5105s. No more rusting mufflers. However steel is harder and will need to be tapped for an extra port, as you experienced.
Bar Nuts. I use fiber washers so that the nuts don't scratch my paint on the chain covers of other saws. This is revolutionary to the industry and a good idea. No more lost nuts and they seem to seat better than the previous set up. You will see more of this.
Bar Cover. I like pre-drilled holes for an additional outside spike to protect the cover. The holes are pre-drilled on the inside however they didn't drill all the way through. Cleaner look but more work to add an extra spike. This saw, in my opinion deserves the chain roller and double spikes that the 361,440,460 already have on. Hope they offer that later.
Fuel tank. The plastic looks to be made out of different materials so that hopefully it won't turn to that aged pale yellow that most Stihls do. This just may look new after years of ownership. That always bugged me but was a way to somewhat tell the age of a used saw.
Flippy Caps. I've never had a problem with them, and do like them.
Hood. Fit is perfect. However for me the three locks that hold it to the chassis are very stiff. And I don't see where they will become easier over time to operate. Stihl should have issued a Flat Driver to open them with that was wider tipped than the Scrench driver. One slip and the Hood could take a nasty scratch. I'm taking the hood to Sears and see if they have a wide Flat Driver that is just a 1/16 within the edge of the lock with a handle that just clears the Hood itself. This should reduce the pressure need to open the lock and reduce the chance of slippage. I might also "rough up" the flat sides of the Driver for more bite against the lock. I'm nit picking here but that's me at times.
Alright, lets take a tour inside this really neat chainsaw.
The air box is well thought out. The auto style air filter is premium and the seal is perfected against the fines (can't wait for our Aussie friends to try it out with their hard, dry wood) by going from a firm plastic material to a softer rubber feel on the seal to make the connection. Excellent thought and execution.
Winter/Summer Shutter. Great spot, easy operation, can't be lost. One thought concerning winter operation however is that the air filter may experience more dust and debris because the engine heat being allowed to pass through will also carry some additional dust possibly.
Spring AV Mounts. Of course.
Moving onto the two tanks of fuel ran through her. And my observations. Remember all three saws were used. My cousin, a mechanical pricing engineer was present and was part operator so that I could watch. Sometimes watching is more important than doing. Nothing scientific, just a loosely run play time.
The sound of a Strato is very different. The four stroking is hard to hear, if any. The engine with the H CCW all the way was at 13,100. Never tried to bring it any taller in the Rs because of breaking in so there is more to be had in stock form.
The trigger response was the slowest of the three. My MS361 suffered from this until I added another exhaust port. I'm sure that will cure this minor delay. Unless a person had other snappier saws to compare to I doubt they would notice at all because once it picks up it leaps toward the top end.
The 261 is wearing a 18" .325 RSC bar/chain. The balance is perfect. 16" felt too short and power left behind and 20" is getting into my larger saw territory and also adds weight and slows handling some so 18" it is...for now.
The plug is burning right where I like to see them. Charcoal on the intake side, light tan on the exhaust side. For what it's worth I use Stihl Ultra with 1/2 ounce of Klotz R50 Super Techniplate (for it's 525 flash point) mixed with Marine grade non-ethanol, yellow in color, 89 octane fuel. StaBil just because. Final mix is 42:1. The fuel is strained twice to remove any dirt. This gives me an error margin in case the amount of fuel is off a bit.
The 261 is feels more powerful than a 260, no question. With the exhaust porting of my 026 Pro, (that I thought ran outstanding) the 261 still feels more powerful. I don't have it any longer to run side by side but I'm sure the 261 would pull away.
Torque. This saw makes great torque. As it is being leaned on a bit the rpms will drop into a 9500-9800 range and just stop dropping. Like magic or something and just hang there through the cut. With the same agressive lean on the other two they will continue to drop until you level off the lean. I like this torque.
(The wood we used was hard Maple. 19" in diameter. Too large in a way for these saws and cc but it's all I find around my Dad's home area. Really hard stuff.
Here is an interesting item. Stihl gives you more cut for the money spent in bar/chain. Measured from the spikes the 261 18" give you 17"s of cutting bar. The 5105 18" gives you 15.5" of cutting bar. The 350 16", not 18", gives you 14", which should translate with an 18" bar into 16" of cutting bar. Point for Stihl.
The Dolly was the only one wearing the 3/8ths chain. RSC.
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