Switch shaft on MS 241 C-M feels very flexible: Is this normal?

[mister sunshine]

Hello,
I just brought home a Stihl MS 241 C-M which I ordered through my local dealer. The saw runs very well, but I have noticed that the "switch shaft" on/off/choke selector feels flexible and insubstantial. This is very different from the impression I have of the similar switch found on my older MS 362. I have used the 362 for several years and never thought the switch seemed flimsy, but with the new Stihl 241 C-M the switch lever seems to be bending quite a bit before it transfers enough pressure to actually switch.
I am wondering if this is normal for the new saws or if perhaps my switch is made from an unusually soft batch of plastic moldings.

Does anyone have any first hand observations they can share about these saws?

Thank you.

 

[KingDavey]

To put it to the choke selection you have to hold the trigger at full throttle.

 

[mister sunshine]

Thanks. I think I figured out that the 4 way switch on my regular MS 362 is completely different than the 3 way switch on the M-tronic saws.

Yes, you have to hold the trigger on both saws to set it in "cold start" or "start" respectively.

There are some functions that are different; The 3 way M-tronic series switch does not have a "warm start" option. I can manually switch from cold to warm to on the MS 362, but on the MS 241 C-M once the switch is in "start" positon it is locked in there. On both saws the switch pops out of start and into the "run" position after you get it cranking or release the throttle. Finally, the 4 way MS 362 off switch has a click stop position and it remains in the off position while the 3 way M-tronic off is a momentary switch that does not remain in the off position but springs back down to "run".

I could not switch into a off click stop because there is none, and I was trying to hard to find the nonexistent click. I could not switch from "cold start" to "hot start" because there is only one start. I was trying to pull the switch up but it is not going to switch up until the crank is turning or you release the throttle trigger, so I was pressing hard when nothing was actually supposed to happen.

I still feel as if the switch is much less substantial feeling as the old switch lever on my MS 362 but now that I understand how to use the switch I guess I will not be pressing as hard against it so it should be fine.

Thank you.

 

[KingDavey]

Just remember, the Start, or cold start is only to be used on a cold engine, or one that won't start in the run position because it has cooled too much. The 241 should start in the run position once warmed up.

 

[Khntr85]

How do you like the saw overall...

 

[blsnelling]

It's probably a good thing it's a little flexible

 

[mister sunshine]

"How do you like the saw overall..."

The saw runs very well and it handles quite nicely. It is a pleasure to have it available for trimming so I can take a break from using the 362 as a do it all saw.

 

[mister sunshine]

"It's probably a good thing it's a little flexible "

Point taken, but on the other hand I have never forced the switch on the 362 because it seems to clearly communicate through its "feel" what is and is not to be done with it.

Would you agree that the newer style switches feel more flexible than the previous generation? Is that the new normal? This is what I hoping to learn about.

I will stop by the dealer next week and get some perspective by trying the switches on some of the other C-M saws. They do not stock the 241 so I did not spend much time handling it before I picked it up and started using it and I did not handle the other models which I was not shopping for.

Thank you.

 

[blsnelling]

Quite honestly, I've never noticed.

 

[mister sunshine]

OK Thank you.

I handled it again this morning and it just feels flimsy even when I am using it exactly as instructed. Then I handled the 362 switch for comparison and it feels solid and reliable.

One experience feels reassuring while the other seems to create an immediate impression of ineffectual fragility.

The smaller saw runs great, but the very first impression I get, when I go to start it, is less than favorable. If that is the way they all are then I will get used to it, but if it can be improved I will be eager to make the improvement.

Thank you.

 

[blsnelling]

How would you improve it?

 

[mister sunshine]

Ideally, I would like to discover that the switches are intended to feel solid and that my example has somehow been produced out of a flimsy batch of plastic so that an improvement may be realized by swapping in an OEM part that is simply stiffer.

 

[mister sunshine]

A different plastic recipe could change the feel completely.

 

[mister sunshine]

I had a chance to stop by the dealer today and handle a few of the other model saws. Doing so reaffirmed my impression that the switch on my saw feels cheap and flimsy compared to the parts on many of the models.

Its not a big deal, but hard to ignore when all my other tools impress me as being built to last.