Today I picked up my new Stihl ms 441 M-Tronic Chain Saw, first saw ever

[ANILE8]

Have a look see at the TS500i and the FS560C

opcorn:

Hello, yes I have seen those units.

The FS 560 C-EM uses only a 57cc motor and the TS 500i is significantly outclassed in performance by the bigger non M-Tronic TS 800.

So what's your answer? I know I don't have one.

 

[Officer's Match]

Hello, no I have not.

Normally new technology filters down from the top most expensive models to the smaller more entry level models in most cases unless there is a valid and prohibitive reason why it is not suitable.

Not having electronic engine management on the three top model chainsaws form two of the biggest manufacturers in the World raises more questions that it answers for many.

I think the 70cc class sells more units than bigger saws, but is big enough that the users are a step above bigboxstore homeowners.

 

[Mikesprojects]

California fire department uses m-tronic 441's

Quick interruption, lol

Okay i'm the original poster (not poser).

My saw has been ordered. I do not know when it will arrive. I have an idea as to why stihl placed m-tronic on the upper mid class saws. ITS QUITE SIMPLE, the 70cc class is the best go between saw, its large enough to tackle big projects yet small enough for most to handle smaller limbing with a short bar 16" for example.
This is my first real saw and for the 2 hours I ran the non m-tronic 441 I thought this machine was cute (but very very bad a$$, quality built & well designed) it wasn't as heavy or bulky as I have read, in-fact I love it, tone of power (I cant believe it) and I cant wait to get the new m-tronic. In fact I Should get a 16" bar just for fun and see what that's like, I ordered a 20" which I used and thought it was great, maybe a bit long sometimes. I also got a 32" for the soft wood I plan on cutting in big-bear, ca (huge pines there) and a 16 & 25 would be great for a guy that only wants one chain saw to do it all, but what do I know? I know these saws are expensive. I also know quality is not cheap. For me this is a perfect size other than a 362 but the m-tronic is what sold me on the 441. M-tronic was most likely placed here as a test or experiment if you will, once tested & proven they can rework any bugs and start installing on the other saws. (my theory)

Now back to why I don't know when my new m-tronic saw will arrive. After being sold a older non mtronic saw and getting the dealer to order the right one...... This is what the dealer told me when he called me back the other day. I live in California and we have been having wild fires this past week or so ,through out the state. Well I was told the California fire department bought every single one available in the state to use to cut trees and brush with in order to fight the fires (we have a few big fires raging in central & southern California)
So that must be a good sign if the fire fighters are using this saw, its a great sign for me, seems like whats good for the fire fighters is good for me, i'm happy. That says so much right there about this saw IMO.....Think about this..... the fire department uses top quality equipment. They don't have time to adjust the carb when they go into the mountains, they don't have 2 saws strapped to their back side, they are out to save property & lives and time is everything. The fire men only have room for one only - do it all saw, they chose a stihl over all other brands, okay that's great but they chose a top level mid grade saw........ I under stand why.

Take me for example.
I'm the guy that eats off the 99 cent value meal every day. Not because I'm poor but because in frugal.
I shop off of craigslist a lot of the time to find deals.'
I drive a used truck so I don't put as many miles on my new truck parked in the garage (no kidding)
I also take care of my junk and appreciate quality so for me to actually spend over a grand on a chain saw for part time use is not because I have a bunch of money but because I trust this particular brand & technology to last me yearrsss if I take care of it. After doing 100's of hours of research, watching tons of YouTube videos (I seen them all) and reading every possible thread on every site google would show me I can say there isn't very many complaints & never has there been any negative reports about a mtronic feature breaking (time will tell) There is a YT video of a dude porting a mtronic & having idle issues but he got that fixed no problem. Somebody else had an issue like me in getting the right 441, he was also shorted the mtronic feature. A few people said the saw at first feels like it has s gears but that was resolved once it was broken in, that's it...Most report positive results.

Ill update this thread when I either get more info or when I get the saw. Apparently the dealers contact is looking out of state to complete this sale.

Yes I already want a 261 or 660 Whats this CAD I hear about, is it contagious?

Carry on boys =)

 

[Officer's Match]

I am probably the owner of the "idle issue ported C-M" and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt it's the best running work saw I've ever ran. I understand Brad had to figure something out (mechanical) with the carb before I bought it, but I don't think it was M-Tronic related. I did the no-bar recalibrate and it became amazingly refined yet still astoundingly powerful. Before calibration, it was peaky and somewhat "hair-trigger", but now it just provides what you ask for. Every single time I run it I am amazed by what a great saw it is.

 

[Philip Wheelock]

...the 70cc class is the best go between saw, its large enough to tackle big projects yet small enough for most to handle smaller limbing with a short bar 16"... Should get a 16" bar just for fun and see what that's like, I ordered a 20" which I used and thought it was great, maybe a bit long sometimes. I also got a 32" for the soft wood I plan on cutting in big-bear, ca (huge pines there) and a 16 & 25 would be great for a guy that only wants one chain saw to do it all... Yes I already want a 261...

I wouldn't run a 441 with less than a 20" guide bar, based on advice of my local Stihl tech regarding my 440. Not enough chain in wood to load a motor at working rpm's with that much power WOT. He said it's like flooring an auto accelerator with the tranny in neutral. That brought to mind one particularly sorry day in my wasted youth when I spun a rod bearing in my car motor doing just that. Same deal with a chainsaw bottom end.

So... get yourself an M-Tronic 261 when it arrives and have the right size tool for the smaller stuff.

 

[moody]

I wouldn't run a 441 with less than a 20" guide bar, based on advice of my local Stihl tech regarding my 440. Not enough chain in wood to load a motor at working rpm's with that much power WOT. He said it's like flooring an auto accelerator with the tranny in neutral. That brought to mind one particularly sorry day in my wasted youth when I spun a rod bearing in my car motor doing just that. Same deal with a chainsaw bottom end.

So... get yourself an M-Tronic 261 when it arrives and have the right size tool for the smaller stuff.

I've seen guys run 16inch b&c on more saw than the 441 with no issues. Mechanically I've never seen it cause any failures either. That being said it's much easier to limb with a smaller saw. You don't necessarily need a 261 for that. Look around for something like an 023 or 026 much cheaper and will do well enough for your needs.

 

[Patrick62]

almost the same story for me, year or so ago

I walked into Roy's shop and said I want a 441 Mtronic. He said "a what?"
He did not even know that Stihl made them. No dis-respect intended, we looked it up, and ordered the CMR version, it came in, and I put it to work. Fantastic saw. It has now been thru way over 100 cords of wood.

Differences between the discontinued 441 and the Mtronic version? One of my cutters has the 441 and we played with it against my mtronic version. The other saw is slightly faster. Not by much....

One thing to bear in mind. They are not designed to be worked on. Not even close to the same ease of service of normal saws.

 

[ANILE8]

I walked into Roy's shop and said I want a 441 Mtronic. He said "a what?"
He did not even know that Stihl made them. No dis-respect intended, we looked it up, and ordered the CMR version, it came in, and I put it to work. Fantastic saw. It has now been thru way over 100 cords of wood.

Differences between the discontinued 441 and the Mtronic version? One of my cutters has the 441 and we played with it against my mtronic version. The other saw is slightly faster. Not by much....

One thing to bear in mind. They are not designed to be worked on. Not even close to the same ease of service of normal saws.

Interesting info.

I have read members posts on A/S and seen videos where owners are saying with vigor how much better they think the new 441 C-M is compared to the older 441 model in terms of cutting performance, fuel efficiency and lack of needing tuning.

Are the newer M-Tronic models that much harder to service really? I have net really read a bad review yet.

I would have thought they would be much the same but do not dispute what you are saying as you have run one for a good while.

 

[kwhite1271]

Im not an expert by any means, but i do know the 441 m-tronic is not a good saw for firefighting. My company (Stihl dealer) supplied the forest service with parts for their saws for one of the big fires here last year. I scrambled to make sure we had enough parts along with the service tech from our Stihl distributorship. I thought i should get some parts for the 441. The Stihl service tech told me not to bother. I asked him why and he told me that the 441 pulls fresh air from down around the bottom of the saw and routes it just behind the cylinder into the filter, so the saw was drawing in hot, smokey air and running it by a hot cylinder (heating it up more). It would literally shut down the saw until it cooled down. I asked the Stihl tech the other day if they figured out a solution, they have not. That is a partial reason the 461 has pretty much the same old filtration system. Not that the air is any cleaner but much cooler around the back of the saw. I dont imagine California fires are much different than Colorado's. I never saw a single 441 in the fire camp.

The 441cm is a great saw, you will not be sorry with that choice (as long as your not fighting fires)

 

[Officer's Match]

No disrespect intended to Patrick62, but a M-Tronic 441 will hand a non-mtronic 441 it's arse, convincingly. Sumpin' else was at play in that scenario (chain/fuel/operator/etc). Frankly, the 441 was an unpopular saw - the M-Tronic version is pretty much a sensation. Huge improvement.

 

[ANILE8]

No disrespect intended to Patrick62, but a M-Tronic 441 will hand a non-mtronic 441 it's arse, convincingly. Sumpin' else was at play in that scenario (chain/fuel/operator/etc). Frankly, the 441 was an unpopular saw - the M-Tronic version is pretty much a sensation. Huge improvement.

Yes, that sounds much more in line with what others are saying about the new 441 C-M.

Strange how different members can have such different opinions about the same model.

 

[CR500]

Yes, that sounds much more in line with what others are saying about the new 441 C-M.

Strange how different members can have such different opinions about the same model.

Was the M-Tronic saw broken in? if not then I can see a non M-Tronic 441 maybe beating it in a race. Once broken in my money is on the 441 M-Tronic all day.

I have ran a non M-Tronic 441 and I have to say I was not to impressed, turn the page to my 441 CM when it was stock... I was really impressed stock for stock, total different saw. Once ported and re-worked.... there is no way I can get the grin off my face when using it.

To the OP A muffler mod goes a long way on these saws, porting/compression increase will make it even better.

 

[Stihlman441]

Interesting info.

I have read members posts on A/S and seen videos where owners are saying with vigor how much better they think the new 441 C-M is compared to the older 441 model in terms of cutting performance, fuel efficiency and lack of needing tuning.

Are the newer M-Tronic models that much harder to service really? I have net really read a bad review yet.

I would have thought they would be much the same but do not dispute what you are saying as you have run one for a good while.

I see you are following the 441CM posts of late are you interested in one ?.
I run up to 20ltrs of fuel through 441RCMs ported and a ported 461R most weeks,it all come down to if you use them for a living or play.For me there is no more user frendy,productive saw than a ported 441RCM for cutting,felling Sugargum plantasoins for firewood.The 461R comes into its own when using bigger bars or cutting dry wood.
With the 441CMs i have run alot of them stock and ported and have shipped over a number of them for Ozzys and will keep singing there praise untill i find something better.

 

[ANILE8]

I see you are following the 441CM posts of late are you interested in one ?.
I run up to 20ltrs of fuel through 441RCMs ported and a ported 461R most weeks,it all come down to if you use them for a living or play.For me there is no more user frendy,productive saw than a ported 441RCM for cutting,felling Sugargum plantasoins for firewood.The 461R comes into its own when using bigger bars or cutting dry wood.
With the 441CMs i have run alot of them stock and ported and have shipped over a number of them for Ozzys and will keep singing there praise untill i find something better.

Hello,

I just have a keen interest in what is on the market today and what Stihl are developing for their new models.

I am more than happy with my MS660, I am just a serious amateur enthusiast.

I am sure the MS441 C-M series is a highly impressive kit for everyday professional use.

 

[Stihlman441]

Some may have seen these but anyway
Ported 461R
[video=youtube;hxtxK2OpEsI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxtxK2OpEsI[/video]

 

[Stihlman441]

Ported 441RCM
[video=youtube;yJ5HrscgyxA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ5HrscgyxA[/video]

 

[Mikesprojects]

Direct from Virginia beach, VA

The dealer called & said the 441 m-tronic saw just came in 4 days earlier then expected, woo-hoo. I'm excited. PLUS the new stihl full wrap chaps came in. Soo in a little bit i'm heading out to pick it up. I imagine they got it right this time. I have (2) 20" bars & a 32" bar. I'm broke now($1350 spent) but hope to eventually get a 16" bar & maybe a 25" later on but I think the 20" will do good for now.
I'm glad it came straight from the factory, this way I know it's a 2013 model.
Pics & maybe video later & more info on the experience I had with this dealer. Besides the mistake, I had a positive experience.

 

[moody]

The dealer called & said the 441 m-tronic saw just came in 4 days earlier then expected, woo-hoo. I'm excited. PLUS the new stihl full wrap chaps came in. Soo in a little bit i'm heading out to pick it up. I imagine they got it right this time. I have (2) 20" bars & a 32" bar. I'm broke now($1350 spent) but hope to eventually get a 16" bar & maybe a 25" later on but I think the 20" will do good for now.
I'm glad it came straight from the factory, this way I know it's a 2013 model.
Pics & maybe video later & more info on the experience I had with this dealer. Besides the mistake, I had a positive experience.

I thought the professional saws were built in Germany?

 

[Philip Wheelock]

I thought the professional saws were built in Germany?

Yup, 70cc's and larger, distributed through VA Beach facility. Maybe other models, too.

 

[sgrizz]

well give us a update on how your saw is . We are dying to know.