Stihl Chainsaws

I’m looking to buy my first chainsaw and looking for some recommendations. I’ve used several Stihl’s over the years and have been a big fan of them. It would be used primarily for cutting firewood and thinning some areas and occasionally some storm clean up. The models I am looking at are the MS 261, MS 211, MS 250, and MS 251 C-BE but I’m also open to more suggestions. I would like an 18 inch bar and would like it to be under 12 lbs at the most. Are there any models that should be avoided? All suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

learn how to start them as they can be hard to start UNLESS you follow the correct procedure with the choke and trigger lock

We just had a thread about this last week I think. I would go with the PRO model saw and make sure you get enough HP to run a 18″ bar/chain. The pro models are made with better parts and will last much longer. Stihl makes great saws, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them, but the Pro model will last longer.

The 3 models you listed are home owner model saws and will be underrated for HP for a 18″ bar in my opinion. I went with the MS261 C-M about 2 years ago and am very pleased with it’s performance.

Here is the link to the other thread
link

I have an MS250 with 18″ bar. It’s light enough and I feel has enough power to do everything I need it to do as a homeowner and I use it quit a bit. I have not found the need for anything bigger yet. Granted, I am not cutting a ton of wood to burn every year, but do drop and cut up multiple trees each year but most under 18″ diameter. With that said, I don’t think the MS250 is sold anymore.

It starts every time, you just need to know the exact sequence to follow to start it. With mine, full choke until it pops one time then half choke and it starts next pull. Good to go after that.

Compare what you get in the same size saw with other brands, would be my advice.

IMO Stihl is coasting on a reputation from 20 years ago. Like every other brand, they’ve gone to plastic for parts that used to be metal and they’ve gone to non-serviceable parts for things that used to be repairable. I haven’t been impressed with the Stihl gear I’ve bought in the last 5 years.

Echo, Husqvarna, and Johnsrud are all making excellent saws.

I bought a Husqvarna 445 last year it it just rips. Excellent power to weight ratio, starts easy, and plenty of power. Significantly cheaper than a Stihl of the same size and a full-coverage warranty unlike Stihl. When it was new, I put gas in it, put chain oil in it, pulled twice and it fired. It has been the same ever since, I’ve cut a whole clearing for a cabin with it so it probably has 20-30 hours on it so far and hasn’t missed a beat. I see no reason why a saw like this wouldn’t last the owner 20 years or more if well maintained.

Sticker is right, a pro grade saw is still significantly better, but he’s a special case. He burns wood, so he probably puts 10X or more the hours on a saw that someone would who’s just using it for habitat improvement work or use around the home/cabin. That level of quality (and price!) only is justifiable if you know you will be using the saw on a weekly if not daily basis.

Grouse

Being a Husqvarna dealer I can say that the warrentys are by far better on Husqvarna saws than Stihl, the huskys ha e a standard two year but that can be extended to a three year if a six pack of oil is bought orba four year if three quarts of XP fuel is bought. I have owned both brands of saws and the performance is nearly identical. I personally use the 450 Husqvarna and the 460 rancher now after my ms290 took a dump on me. Çome check them out at the isanti federated co op, we are also a full service repair shop and will handle all warranty work and then some for you

Sam wrote:

Being a Husqvarna dealer I can say that the warrentys are by far better on Husqvarna saws than Stihl, the huskys ha e a standard two year but that can be extended to a three year if a six pack of oil is bought orba four year if three quarts of XP fuel is bought

It is also worth noting that Stihl has NO warranty on any problem that the dealer determines to be fuel-system related. Since the vast, vast majority of problems these days can rightly or wrongly be blamed on Ethanol, that means zero warranty on any problem with a part that touches gas.

I cannot tell you how much it pissed me off to spend almost $1000 on a commercial duty Stihl with a “3 year warranty” and then have it sh!t the bed at the age of 3 months, only to be handed a repair bill from my Friendly Full Service Stihl dealer. Bad gas, he said. No, they did not save a sample of this “bad gas”, but it was non ox with Stihl’s own oil that allegedly contains fuel stabilizers. Not sure how much better gas Sthil needs, maybe fine imported gas from Deutchland?

It will surprise no one to know that I ran the rest of that “bad” gas through my Husqvarna and Stihl chainsaws with no issues.

Grouse

Grouse – does the husqvarna warranty cover fuel related items?

One interesting thing I noticed is that consumer reports consistently rated husqvarna over stihl.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

It is also worth noting that Stihl has NO warranty on any problem that the dealer determines to be fuel-system related. Since the vast, vast majority of problems these days can rightly or wrongly be blamed on Ethanol, that means zero warranty on any problem with a part that touches gas.

Every brand will have it’s bad apples for dealers….this sounds like one I would stay away from. I can tell you the dealer up in Stacy has been good to us. My dad has used them a few times on a couple different issues related to one of his blowers and they resolve the issue both times without any grief. I believe once it was a carb issue as it just wasn’t running right…can ‘t remember the other.

I can also say that the newer MS251 seems like it has even more plastic than the MS250. My next door neighbor has the MS251 and it didn’t seem as nice as the 250. Can’t remember exactly why I thought that though…..

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Sam wrote:</div>
Being a Husqvarna dealer I can say that the warrentys are by far better on Husqvarna saws than Stihl, the huskys ha e a standard two year but that can be extended to a three year if a six pack of oil is bought orba four year if three quarts of XP fuel is bought

It is also worth noting that Stihl has NO warranty on any problem that the dealer determines to be fuel-system related. Since the vast, vast majority of problems these days can rightly or wrongly be blamed on Ethanol, that means zero warranty on any problem with a part that touches gas.

I cannot tell you how much it pissed me off to spend almost $1000 on a commercial duty Stihl with a “3 year warranty” and then have it sh!t the bed at the age of 3 months, only to be handed a repair bill from my Friendly Full Service Stihl dealer. Bad gas, he said. No, they did not save a sample of this “bad gas”, but it was non ox with Stihl’s own oil that allegedly contains fuel stabilizers. Not sure how much better gas Sthil needs, maybe fine imported gas from Deutchland?

It will surprise no one to know that I ran the rest of that “bad” gas through my Husqvarna and Stihl chainsaws with no issues.

Grouse

In my humble opinion Grouse, this is a dealer issue not a manufacturers. Unless you contacted other dealers or Stihl themself and got the same response. I have dealt with crappy dealers, even Stihl dealers that were crappy. I would stop drop and roll out of that dealer in a new york minute!

I have had great luck with all of my Stihl chainsaws both at home and at the farm, and we put them thru some pretty serious workouts!

I have a busy of mine that owned a tree service… was all Stihl for years, and is slowly working into Echo or Husqvarna. Says for the money, if you are buying the high end, you are just as well off and spending less. They are all good if taken care of – “Fuel”

On fuel, being I use mine 5-6 times a year, I took his advice. Use the premixed fuel out of the small cans, and or run it out of fuel before ever storing it. Four years now, my 450 Husky has been fantastic, as the mid-level options should be with moderate to low use and smart fuel decisions.

He worked winters at a service business for saws and such, and the vast majority of the consumer issues were driven by fuel, and “poor storage” habits. Storage being the big demon.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Grouse – does the husqvarna warranty cover fuel related items?

One interesting thing I noticed is that consumer reports consistently rated husqvarna over stihl.

It depends on fuel related issues I was just talking to a co worker and we try to get as much as possible under warranty, I usually recommend using the Husqvarna XP fuel I run it in all my saws and ice auger and have never had an issue with it yet

I gave up on Stihl 5 years ago. I switched to Dolmar. I run a 5105 and have been very impressed. It’s built like Stihl used to be. Magnesium block and made in west Germany . It literally screams. My stihl had constant carb issues that my dealer couldn’t fix. He’s been a dealer for 25 years and is getting out of the business. Ethanol and Big box stores have really killed it. Check out Dolmar and Jonsernd before you go stihl. There are also different levels of saws. Husqvarna and echo are building stuff for big box, but they still build commercial saws. Stihl has different levels as well. No matter what you buy get the commercial saw and never run ethanol in it.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Grouse – does the husqvarna warranty cover fuel related items?

I looked at the Husqvarna 445 owner’s manual last night and there is no specific exclusion of fuel system problems as Stihl does.

sticker wrote:

In my humble opinion Grouse, this is a dealer issue not a manufacturers. Unless you contacted other dealers or Stihl themselves and got the same response.

I’m running out of Stihl dealers.

The reason I bought the brushcutter from this specific dealer is I got very poor service from the other Stihl dealer near me with the previous Stihl product I bought–a blower. Just a few weeks after purchase the unit would not start at all.

Dealer gave me a lot of attitude with how I just didn’t know how to start the machine, so he took things the wrong direction from the word go. After completely humiliating himself by failing to start the machine that I didn’t know how to start, he was even less helpful. Complete carb failure was eventual diagnois, internal crack in carb. No parts available and no new carbs in stock in USA. His timeline was 4-6 weeks which obviously was not acceptable for a leaf blower bought in September for use during the fall.

I DID call Stihl about this issue and received a call from the zone rep or some such. He was very helpful. He clearly laid an ass whipping on the dealer and so I got even MORE attitude when I picked the repaired unit up. Game over for that dealer.

The dealer I bought the brushcutter from is right, Stihl has chosen not to warranty major parts of thier machines. I would have thought he would have gone to bat for me for such a large purchase, but that didn’t seem to factor in. I guess he’s gotta choose his battles with Stihl to get paid for warranty work, so in this case I don’t like his customer service, but I can see why he did what he did, so I guess I’d give him partial credit.

I can’t comment on the Husqvarna dealer’s service because I have yet to have to use it. I have bought 2 Husqvarna products from the Husky dealer in the last 7 years–a straight shaft trimmer and the 445 chainsaw. Neither has needed any dealer service.

Grouse

My dad has had his Husqavarna for probably close to 10 years now and starts first pull every time. Only thing he’s had to do is sharpen and replace the chain a few times. And we cut quite a bit of wood. Not sure which model his is though. So when I’m in the market for a saw I won’t look at any other brand.

The electric Stihls don’t have any fuel related problems.

We have 4 kinds off Saw’s at work, they get worked hard, Stihl Saw’s are the one we grab first, Dolmar second. DK

castle-rock-clown wrote:

The electric Stihls don’t have any fuel related problems.

I agree, for the occasional user and in specialized commercial situations, electric is well worth considering. For the homeowner especially, who is going to put only minutes per month on a machine, this would be the way to go.

For my hunting property, I use my machines for long sessions and under heavy loads, so electric just wouldn’t be practical. If I ever had to replace all my home-use machines at once, I’d go electric though.

Grouse

I have a ms310 and I was wondering if I could put the top end off a bigger saw on it. I was wondering if anyone has done that to there saws? I was looking to get a little more power out of the saw. I have done all the muffler mods and intake mods to the saw and I have tuned it and I sharpen the chain frequently.

I have the ms250 and the ms261cm and a couple bigger pro saws, the 250 is gut less with a 18″ bar compared to the 261,pro saws are more cash but are built way better and are nicer to run. I will never buy a non pro saw ever again.qhen my saws sit for more than 2.months i drain the normal non ethanol mix and run some stihl motomix through the system. Never had any problems. Just my opinion

The easy start on Stihl is insane and cool, Love mine Stihl.

I run saws almost daily. I have had little to no issues with my stihl saws. I have 6 saws. from there 660 to climbing to 250. I have a 250 that is 18 years old still runs great and run a 18″ bar. I have run huskavarna, johnserd,echo and nothing compared to stihl. I have a few echo like them but they are climbing saw but have a lot less power per weight then my stihl. AS per professional saw vs homeowner saw. unless you run them all the time there isn’t much difference. I have a 250 that is a “homeowner” and has more hours then all my others combined no issues. fuel issues are the main problems use premium fuel non oxy and good oil and your good. As per plastic parts those are all to reduce weight which helps with fatigue. I have never broken a saw due to the plastic parts.

I’m an occasional saw user and was going back and forth a couple of years ago on what to get (Stihl or Husqy) I also looked at the Stihl electric but it was brand new and costs 3x the price of the others. I ended up going with a Husqy 440e2 with an 18″ bar and it has been a great saw, starts very easy and has plenty of power for thick trees. The only issue i’ve had is with leaking chain oil if I leave it in the saw, but I guess this is a pretty common issue, I now drain the bar oil before putting the saw away…

BUT I would absolutely consider an electric model when the price comes down…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

BUT I would absolutely consider an electric model when the price comes down…

I bought a 40v DeWalt 2 years ago. It’s been awesome, but it wasn’t cheap. I got a new job, though, so I splurged as a congratulatory gift to myself.

For a homeowner, though, it’s awesome. Plenty of power and run time.

I just ran thru 3 tanks of gas in my Stihl ms261cm last night. It was a pleasure to run!!

I bought a used stihl 029 super 20 years ago.
Put on a new bar and chain, a new fuel pickup tube and replaced a spring in the clutch.
Run gas with ethanol.
It sits in the shed at my cabin till needed and starts on the second pull and runs great.
I love that saw.
I bought a stihl farm boss for at my house.
Works good but much heavier then the 029 super and not near the power.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
BUT I would absolutely consider an electric model when the price comes down…

I bought a 40v DeWalt 2 years ago. It’s been awesome, but it wasn’t cheap. I got a new job, though, so I splurged as a congratulatory gift to myself.

For a homeowner, though, it’s awesome. Plenty of power and run time.

I’ve got the Milwaukee cordless chainsaw and love it. I don’t heat with wood so it’s plenty of chainsaw for me. FWIW all the linemen in my area have Milwaukee cordless chainsaws.

I have to say Sthil is my go too saw I have the 360 Pro with 20 inch bar, and have cut up to an honest 34 inch diameter logs with it.I feel the 250 size is a little on the weak side. I cut at least 10 cords a year besides clearing fence lines and such. In the 13 years I have owned it it has never seen the repair shop, been thru 3 bars and don`t know how many chains. I run Ethanol fuel and Amsoil HP in it. .

Iv logged 5 yeard and built hand crafted log homes for 14years and used stihl and husqvarna all pro saws and i go with husqvarna hands down. always go for more hp and rpms for getting the job done the last thing you want is to be under powered when cutting and I would also hold wich ever saw your going to go with with different size bars and think about cutting up fire wood and cutting limbs.
I found that a 20″bar worked for me with not having to bendover as much easier on my back

Well here is my reply to the new Sthil situation. I’ve bought 3 sthil saws in my life and the one I bought on May 23rd of this year 2024 will be my last. I bought the light 194T model for a lightweight saw being I’m 75 years old now. I’ve managed to be able to run 2 tanks of gas thru the saw this whole summer. The rest of the time it’s been in limbo with the dealer I bought it from trying to figure out why the chain oiler won’t even use one tank of oil per two tanks of gas. In which I know why…the EPA clamped down on chainsaw makers about manual oilers. Sthil went to the automatic oilers and on my saw it certainly doesn’t oil enough to keep the chain and bar lubricated. And with no oiler adjustment the ability to increase the oiler isnt there anymore like with my older saws. After using the last tank of gas and using Sthil’s own bar & chain oil the chain & bar was a dry as could be. I simply won’t run a chainsaw that way. Secondly the clutch started to squeal when I cranked it. Which I’ve read is a common flaw to that saw. It left the factory with no grease on the needle bearings to the clutch. I’ve made numerous calls to Sthil customer service and have 2 different case numbers and promises of their tech dept giving me a call about my saw. None of which has happened. My suggestion is…don’t buy a new Sthil chainsaw. Their customer service now is offshore and you can’t actually talk with a tech in the U S anymore and they won’t even call you back. That’s NOT customer service