The gas today really does breakdown quicker and even with a fuel stabilizer, I won’t use it after a month. I use those thick pieces of paper attached by two pieces of wire to write down when I mixed the gas and oil so I know how fresh it is and if’s over a month, I just dump the old fuel & mix up a fresh batch. That’s worked for well for me over five decades and while that fuel might be fine with the stabilizer in it, I’d rather just be certain. I keep the tanks full on the older saws so I don’t have water condensation in the tanks the empty them out put fresh fuel in when I do need them. My small engine repair guy says 80% of the problems he deals with are related to crappy fuel.

I did read that and thanks for providing the link. From this and some of the reading on Stihl’s website, I’m still not seeing that much to explain the steeper price of the 251. Thanks for your help.

I did notice that they’re there’s a lot of plastic but there’s also a lot less weight which is a big factor for me now. My other Stihl saws are professional models but they’re probably 25 to 30 years old and they seem to have gotten heavier with every year.lol I’m looking for more of a weekender and weight’s a big issue as I’m getting older and using chainsaws a lot less. I am looking at Stihl’s chainsaws because all of the ones I’ve had have been outstanding saws but I’m just looking for a reliable weekend warrior model and I’m hoping they’re lighter duty saws are worth the money. The one I had that was stolen was a good one but I’m amazed at how they’ve evolved in just a few years. I hoped the MS251 was worth the $150+ more than the MS250. I appreciate your input.