Need another saw and advice

[ericm979]

Right, there's a torque limit on the low profile chains. It really seems to be designed for the 30cc and below saws. For those, it's great! My occasional use ego battery saw is a LP 14" and it's a little ripper for what it is. Doubt it could pull a 3/8 though. :0

There are guys who run 3/8 LP on big saws for milling because of the narrow kerf. But Stihl claims 2hp is the limit.

 

[Valpen]

Thanks all for the thoughts. I believe the 241s are gone from what I can tell. On top of that, it may be hard to locate the 201 rear handle.

Funny how a 14 lb powerhead is no problem at 40 and makes you think a bit at 58.

I am going to focus on getting a nice 35 cc saw first and then replace the 290 in the next year or so. If I ever need to cut up some railroad ties or do some dirty cutting, the 290 will still have a purpose.

261 seems to make a lot of sense for cutting up the bigger stuff. More power and less weight than the 290. I won't need more than a 20" bar, so a solid 50cc saw should do everything I need it to do.

I did make it up to the husky dealer. He said if you want at good 55+ cc saw, get a husky, but the smaller ones need too many repairs in his opinion. That might be true for a lot of the lower end small saws in general, but was impressed he gave honest opinion on what he sees.

I really like the idea of 201 and 261 combo. The only thing that concerns me a bit is that 211 and 251 seem to be the mainstream saws that get sold and serviced by a big margin.

You might consider asking @lone wolf if he knows of a rear handled MS200 in decent shape, or making a trip to Europe and as a bonus, come home with a MS241...
https://www.stihl.no/STIHL-produkter/Motorsag/Motorsag-skogbruk/22451-130/MS-241-C-M.aspx

 

[lone wolf]

You might consider asking @lone wolf if he knows of a rear handled MS200 in decent shape, or making a trip to Europe and as a bonus, come home with a MS241...
https://www.stihl.no/STIHL-produkter/Motorsag/Motorsag-skogbruk/22451-130/MS-241-C-M.aspx

Those rear handles arent cheap especially in good shape I have 1 but you would have to make me a good offer to part with it.

 

[Lionsfan]

I bet if you buy yourself a good, reliable, modern 50cc saw and outfit it with .325 semi-chisel you'll seldom find a need for that 290 and forget about the smaller saws altogether.

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

I have a nice 455xp /20” I’m looking to part with…

 

[pwiseman]

I'll start with the disclaimers: I'm 52, fat, and out of shape as a guy can be who makes wood year round for sale and personal use. Relatively big volume. I have never owned a husky, ran a few small ones a few times. I don't have the tools, so have never seriously considered. I own 8 saws from 20 to 98 cos z and I have repaired (and therefore "run") nearly every size and price point saw out there.

You would have to pry my MS261 from my cold dead hands. It legitimately does at least 85% of my cutting - from 52" cottonwood to brush clearing. The second I can downsize this saw finds its way into my hands. I can literally run it hard for a 10 hour day.

If I can run a saw all day, anyone can. Add to it that the MS261 can pull a 20" hoop like a boss, it just works. I personally don't know of another saw that is such a perfect combo, but I'm sure Husky makes one, and it is likely a similar quality.

If I was to pick one saw it would be the 261. It has more power than the 290 and it is lighter. I have run the 290 all day cutting up good sized red and white oaks and a few cherry trees. The 290 is just a tad light on power when running 18" bar and 3/8 chain. It got the job done, but I think a 261 would have got it done faster with less effort. There will be plenty of days where I need to cut up fallen branches and take out 4-6 inch trees, No doubt the 261 would do that, but the 201 would do it with less effort.

To some extent I am probably guilty of wanting two saws more than needing 2 saws and I will probably end up with 3

 

[kyle1!]

A 2 saw plan is ideal IMHO. Like Archie said most of your cutting will be in the 16in and below range so the 261 or other pro saws in that size come in to play. That last 10 to 15% of the tree that is much bigger needs a larger saw. You will be amazed by the power of the 261 after coming from a 290, I found the 290 weak even running a 16in bar. Then get yourself a 660/661 with a 24 or 28in bar and it becomes hard to wipe the smile off your face when large wood is in front of you.

 

[thenne1713]

I have owned a MS290 for quite a long time and it does what I need it to do for the most part. That said, we just moved and to some wooded property. I would like to get a new saw that is relatively small and reliable that would work best for trimming, thinning, pruning and limbing bigger trees that fall.

I am Running 18" bar with 3/8 yellow chain on the 290 and also have a 16. This will continue to work for cutting up some of the bigger stuff and a backup, but it is a bit heavy and clunky for small stuff.

Good news is I have a great shop 5 miles up the road that can take care of any stihl products. We do also have a couple places that can handle husky and other brands. I checked around quite a few places and Stihl products and a handful of these have great stock of pretty much the entire lineup. Probably 10 or more places to get husky as well, but most are not carrying more than a few options and don't fix what they sell.

I narrowed down my list to what I believe are good options, and it really comes down to how small should my small saw be. When I do tree stuff it is a least several hours to a full day. I would rather spend a bit more than deal with a fussy saw. Not enough days to be fixing stuff instead of doing stuff.

MS201 C-EM - nice power and weight, but a bit high on cost and probably not as widely available. 3/8 PS3 chain
MS211 C-BE- more common, a bit more weight and less power than the 201, but price is better. 3/8 PM3 picco chain
Husky 440 - nice power to weight and reasonable price, .325 chain. probably more hassle to service, but warranty is better than stihl
MS251 - maybe a bit of overkill for light work, but it does have full profile .325 RM3 chain that might stay sharp longer than picco/low profile. little more power and weight. lots of these in use
MS261 - better saw in most ways, more power less weight than 250 but more $ and potentially overkill

Not sure if the Mtronic and easystart make sense or not. More stuff to break? Should I be be considering the smaller ones like MS171, MS194, MS151?

If I had no saw at all, I would probably go with the MS261, but thinking the 290 will eventually need to be replaced and going a bit smaller makes more sense.

I have read a lot of good info, and would really appreciate some thoughts on which small saw you all would recommend knowing that I am looking for baby bear and momma bear combo. I have no need for a poppa bear saw but could possibly see going to 60 cc range if the 290 dies off.

When you use a smaller 30-40cc saw w/ Pico/LP chain beside a bigger 50-60cc, you begin to quickly appreciate size, where smaller MUST be high RPM before touching wood vs larger= lay the chain on log and then pull the throttle. HP matters.

 

[scor440tk]

Dont tell my 4-5hp 54cc saw, its running 3/8lp and cutting great.
I set it up like that for cutting muddy trees on atv trails which wrecks chains, those little chains are half the price of .325 chains and just as fast cutting if not faster.
Stihl even sells a kit to put 3/8lp on a ms261c, so its not just for 30cc saws.

5 hp 54cc really ? What make.

 

[NSEric]

5 hp 54cc really ? What make.

Hopped up Chinese saw. Joncutter 5800 ported with 372 carb. It has more balls than a 550xp but isnt near as nice.

 

[cookies]

ms250 cuts like a animal with a 16" bar and is vert light , build the ms290 into a ms390 to give it more balls so it will pull a buried 20" bar with good chain speed as your larger saw.

 

[Cody]

I think you would enjoy a 261/194T combo a whole lot. I love my 193 and always grab it over the 171. It's ridiculous the tanks I've ran through that saw since I got it, and at half the cost of a 201 it's pretty comforting.

 

[thenne1713]

Hopped up Chinese saw. Joncutter 5800 ported with 372 carb. It has more balls than a 550xp but isnt near as nice.

NSEric, you missed MY point, as you are in the HIGHER HP class w/ the 55cc vs the 30cc-40cc Homeowner saws. (Didn't mean to confuse w/ the LP/pico mention, but know 90%+ homeowner saws now sold w/ LP/Pico)

 

[Moondogg73]

I've got 8 saws and like many others the ms261c is my go to for most everything. I almost never think I could use a smaller saw for little stuff.

 

[Wow]

If you are doing a lot of trimming, a small 3/8 chain makes a nice, smooth cut relative to the big 3/8 or even .325.

Sounds like you are needing a quality 40cc saw..

I have a Sthil 024.. I believe it's a 42 cc saw.. My Echo cs352 cuts as fast is lighter and starts easier.. In fact I have a Sthil 029 but use my Echo cs 590 more often..My line us is cs 352, cs 490, cs, 590.. I have three Sthil saws almost NEVER used..I prefere the Echo saws because they are lighter and cut well.. They start easy and run well.. I use mostly the cs590 or the cs352 and sometimes both on the same tree.. Once in a while on a huge tree I'll trim with the cs490 a while after I've used the cs352 one the smaller limbs then if I go big I go cs590 with a 20 inch bar or a 28 inch bar..I love echo equipment..I need to sell my Stihl stuff...I run it only to keep it running.. Even my cs490 cuts right along with the Sthil 026. My brother runs only sthil.. He just bought a nice 028 cheap..to go with his 391.. BUT my echos cut right beside him. Good guy.. He just delivered a load of oak logs to my place FREE..but he's younger so he's able to do more.. I recommend Echo..BUT,,, my other brother bought a Sthil 261.. It's all about YOUR likes..Have a great night..

 

[Wow]

I bet if you buy yourself a good, reliable, modern 50cc saw and outfit it with .325 semi-chisel you'll seldom find a need for that 290 and forget about the smaller saws altogether.

Echo,,490 comes to mind..Mine came with a 20 inch bar.. .325 semi-chisel chain..Cuts like a dream. I bought a cheaper bar and chain when I'm flush cutting stumps.. I love my echo saws..

 

[SuperDuty04]

I have my eye on a Husqvarna 550xp mark2 for this exact role. Stihl makes good stuff too, and is preferable if that’s what you have local support for.

A good 50-55cc saw is about what you want.

I’d stay away from the pico / lp chains. .325 is a good bit tougher and can do more work for you. 3/8 is probably more than what you need, but it’s a good pitch.

I had the 261cm until my exwife stole it. I just replaced it with the Husqvarna 550xp mk2 and I absolutely love it. I actually like it better than the 261 I had. And best of all, it came with a 5 year warranty since I bought one can of Husqvarna fuel with it.

 

[Trailsawyer]

Once in a while on a huge tree I'll trim with the cs490

On the west coast, a tree isn't "huge" unless it's over about 6 ft. DBH!

 

[Brushwacker]

I like the ms 250 over the ms 251. It just feels light enough to run all day like you mentioned doing. I am 63 with a bit of a handicapped shoulder but I still start and use big saws up to 95cc. Using an 025 ( early version of the ms 250) is like taking a good break and still working at the same time inbetween. Anything bigger and faster works me significantly harder keeping up with it and is more tiring. So what you explained you are looking for I would go no bigger then that. The ms 250 isn't very expensive and parts are and probably will be easy and abundant for decades. Some of the later ones have been said difficult to start, so i would make sure when buying u tried it first. I have used several and don't recall that issue myself. Lot of same to lighter saws would also fill the ticket, but i think in the same price range it would be hard to beat the power to weight. They are peppy and strong with a 16inch bar picco or .325. Easily open up the muffler outlet really wakes them up also.

 

[Brettl]

I think you would enjoy a 261/194T combo a whole lot. I love my 193 and always grab it over the 171. It's ridiculous the tanks I've ran through that saw since I got it, and at half the cost of a 201 it's pretty comforting.

Great answer. My friend has a tree service and their climber prefers his old 192 over the 201. 194 is even better. They also use the MS 250 daily. The MS 250 is probably the most underrated saw in the Stihl line-up. The 261 is a great saw. I'm trying to wear out my 024s so I can justify buying a 261