I fully support that the Pro saws are a better saw in EVERY way, but here is a real fact, I have had an MS 290 Farm Boss fit with a 24" bar for 20 years this year, and it gets used A LOT! We burn 10-15 chords of Ash Maple and Oak to heat our home every year and I have had ZERO trouble with that saw. My Dad has 3 of the smaller home owner saws and we cut his wood together nowadays. Those home owner saws are always giving him issues, so I think possibly the real difference is from the Farm to the Home owner versions. I cut and split it all by hand and have every year... at 12/year, that's approximately 240 chords of wood on my old saw. used up 3 bars and countless chains over the years. I literally didn't even have a back up until this year, and that is nothing but an electric Milwaukee for camping. I don't know if I am lucky, take better care of it or what, but it has been a great saw, sadly they stopped making them quite a few years ago. The huge difference to me is, the Pro is a lot lighter and I know my old Farm Boss is going to give up some day, so that is why I'm watching these comparison videos. I like the weight savings, at the end of a day of cutting, my old back feels that Farm boss. Thanks for making this video, you did a great job explaining the differences.

Thanks, appreciate it =)

Have an 026 purchased in the late 80's that mirrors what you said. I've used it a LOT and It has been pretty much flawless. I wish every thing I bought was made with this saw.

The 170 is one of my favorite saws, but I paired mine with the 261!

year later that saw is climbing to in price

I've got 029 super with 18 inch, 009 with 14 inch, ms170 with 12 inch

Same here 18" bar with full chisel (yellow chain) cuts everything,oak,ash,elm(yuck)hard maple and locust at about 7 cord a year.Keep the chain sharp and she's a champ love it.

Nice Not to be mean or envious But can you tell me if you gave yourself a 👍 Because most people are jealous of someone else's good fortune. Anyways I gave you a 👍

Man its insane! My 2nd favorite saw. I can hold the rear handle with my arm straight out like a freakin lightsaber. I can make full bar length cuts without the engine even slowing down. If someone could only ever buy one chainsaw, the 261 is it.

The bottom line is if you make a living with a chainsaw get an echo

Tweak247 bahahahaha 😂😂😂

MiniM00se couldn't have said it better. If you make a living with a chainsaw, STIHL either way is the way to go, but that new 261 slaughters the competition by far

"The bottom line is if you make a living with a chainsaw get an echo".........LOL too funny!!! Good one.

Can you install dual dogs on the 271?

For that use a 251 or even a 211 would be fine

I ended up getting a 261 with 18" bar, and I love it. I used a carbide tip chain, and I cleared a creek of trees and brush. it took me a while though.@@stevenbrown5210

We recently "1 1/2 months or so" picked up a new 261, though it's not the latest version you're talking about. I love that saw, runs like a champ. Though honestly I hear the Husqvarna XP's are damn nice as well. I'd love to get my hands on some to run, just don't know anyone around here with one. Especially the 395 XP, from what I hear it outperforms my new 661. Likely would still have gone with the 661 as I'm more familiar with, and knowledgeable of the stihl line. Maybe I'll buy an XP next and start getting used to those saws as well.

You'd never catch me with a 170, that front chain adjuster makes me want to bash my head against a wall, lol. 171 I'll go for though, well worth the extra $20

Human lol, I had thought about getting one, but no...the ms271 does all I need. If I need smaller, I can go down to a 16 inch bar.

I just bought the 271. Seems ok. Hioenit lasts.

The 362 dont use fuel injection. Just a processor that adjust the carburator automatically.. the 500i is fuel injected. And theres no comparison in performance of the 500i and a similar sized carburated chainsaw

@@no.step.on.snek.2423 Yes sir . Thanks for the clarification. Was just reading bout the 500, bet it is mean.

Hey! Yeah, that was right before I started working in tree service. Saw you and your buddy up there a little while after that, how's it going?

Human. It's going good. I am running a 85' boom lift these days putting up hotels. I don't get to work in the trees but I am up about as high. You're content is great. Hope to see you around St. Louis some time.

Bryan Haugen Have you gotten it back? If so can you say a few words about it? Price? Thanks.

No offense, but common sense would indicate to most people that if a saw is better in every single capacity, it's going to be more expensive. Moreover, every dealer has their own pricing so the prices where he works might be different from your local dealer.

Thought Stihl prices were the same across the board?

Stihl has several different "tiers" of pricing, so not necessarily the same across the board, but most dealers use the same tier to try to remain competitive.

@@HankTheTank23 Doubt he'd be offended because his comment didn't say "err is it gonna be more expensive for the nicer one?", just that he covers price...Which I fully agree with, would be nice to know if going from homeowner to pro is ~25% price-increase or a 100% price-hike, regional price variances do *nothing* to dissuade inclusion of some rough metric "they're ~25% more expensive" or "they're usually twice-as expensive" so people have an idea what some minor improvements are costing in relative terms ;)

Karl The Fragr My dad’s Husqvarna 55 is the same way, built like a pro saw but not sold as one. The new Husqvarna saws in the same class (455, 445, etc) are as bad as the 271, 291, etc. They’re almost all just cost-cutting moves. Both manufacturers make good saws. I really like Stihl’s master control lever, but the 372XP is my favorite saw ever built. Picking sides for pro saws is asinine. They’re both good enough to make you money. I picked based on dealer service. Where I live Stihl’s service is much better... Und zo I own a 441 and a 460. It’s not worth getting worked up over.

I was looking at the XP550, but I keep reading that it bogs down as did the one I tested. No reports so far on the 261 CM. I think I'm sticking with my Stihl and getting the 261

Does the 250 c have the quick tension

That is one badass saw! I'm saving up for an MS241CM or an MS261CM.

Should try a 261 😁, not bashing the 271 at all, you're right, it's a great saw. The pro saws are on a whole different level though.

Dan N have you had any problems with it I was going to by one this week is it easy to work on ?

lol, me either. but you can if needed!

I too thought that was funny..." All set.. got my bar oil, fuel, files, sledge and wedge". "Oh! almost forgot my tool chest, top jug, gasket kit, and rings".. lol

what did you get?

I just bought a 261c and totally agree

Andi B have you had any problems with the 261 was going to buy one this week and are they easy and cheap to work on ?

You get what you pay for-

@mike force some things are worth spending a little extra money on. The Chinese saws are better for the $ imho

david jeffery what I was gonna say

Nz

@@Smokey66s as long as you are making an informed choice, that is true 99% of the time.

God bless you. May the Lord keep you. Unsung heroes.

@@OtherSideOfTheFence thank you- I appreciate that and I know a lot more who do this as well do ❤️🤘🏼💪🏽

Theirs only one other career that I could compare the level of...danger,heroics, life saving, harm's way. A SeaShepard- helicopter repelling divers who rescue people from sinking ships in storms, 20 foot waves n cold cold water. The type of Men who were born different, and they know it in their bones. The kind of person who reaches into hell, 30ft wave, 4 story blaze. Bible verse, Isaiah 6:8 "And Then I heard the voice of the Lord, Saying, Who shall go for us, and Whom shall I send? 'And I said. Here Am I , Send Me' ".

Kynan Milo Funny, I just sold my 29 year old 038 AV Super to buy a MS170. 😃. That was after I bought a Farm/Ranch MS311. MS311 starts easy, runs great, is a lot lighter than the 038 and cuts with a full chipper much longer than I can hold it. I spent 3 hours cutting red oak recently, the largest pieces being about 24”. It isn’t as powerful as the 038 but powerful enough.

I was thinking of a less feminine looking version of Julian Smith, but that's a pretty good comparison also

W

Berapa bos harga nya

LMAO

100% with you on that, I'll always gladly pay a bit more if I know that I can rely on it down the road. Must have been nice having the saw start right up, coming back from deployment, you've always got 8 million things that need to be done, having one less thing to worry about is a huge weight off the shoulders. Until you're done cutting at least, because then the 8 million other things get shoved right back in your face, lol.

Not really that heavy compared to older saws, just heavy compared to newer saws in that size. I like the 390 039 because parts are very available.

@Joe W I wouldn't know as this was my first Stihl saw and have expanded to many more of their products. I do run a 25" bar so maybe thats a factor. I just don't like holding it over shoulder height for long times.

I prefer to run nothing longer than a 20" bar on these plastic saws, I feel that the case isn't as strong as the magnesium saws and sometimes the front bar stud will pull out of the plastic that it's screwed into..

There is a fix for that if it happens though, they make a larger stud that you can replace it with.

Surely they could tell it's had very little use

Absolutely, the 250 is a great saw. I will say though after using those covers in tree service, I actually love them now. I don't carry a scrench on me while I'm in the tree, though do keep one in my box. Pain though having to run to the truck whenever I need to refuel, I find the quick release caps handy.

Human you like those covers? Just bought a stihl 56 weedy wacky and it has marvelously simple screw on gas cap. Simple is cheaper and I had to replace the ones on my 250. I found it aggravating.

You can always trade it for an 025, same saw but with the screw on caps...

Burt Hulbert Q

Burt Hulbert I love the 250...it is a great saw

Absolutely agree. Big thing that I've seen, is just make sure and get all that ethanol fuel out before setting it up for any length of time. Do that, and You'll undoubtedly be passing it down to the next generation in great shape.

Human that's it. Plus, the 271 can be modified and can use pro saw parts. For instance, you can change the spur sprocket our with a rim sprocket from the 261, which will allow you to use different sized chains, which you can use for smaller bars and chains with more powerful saws. I saw a guy using a 14 inch bar with his and was able to make quick work of limbs and went back to an 18" bar for felling trees. Either way, the 271 is a wonderful saw. Proper maintenance and responsible use will allow any homeowner saw to last a lifetime. However, you know like I do, that many just cut and throw the saw in the shed and let it sit with the same gas and no care. Those are the ones who will have their saws fail within 5 years.

Agree, just gotta be careful. I often see saws on craigslist/ebay that have non OEM components on them, or saws that have been pretty badly scored being sold as great condition.

I have a few saws for my own use that I've put aftermarket parts on and so far have been working very well.

That was suppose to say ms261cm typo

Glad to help

The 291 definitely has oiler issues.

Yeah, misspoke there, crankshaft is sandwiched in between the two crankcase halves, but isn't actually part of it.

There's another MS311 review that comes up on KZfaq and the guy says "The engine puts out 59cc of power." It's really hard to take the review seriously. No offense. He seems like a good honest person. Notes about CC's. Chainsaws are rated by their CC rating, not their horsepower rating. CC's are a size measurement of the engine. Not a horsepower rating. All engines are rated according to the their size first, and horsepower second, generally. Yard equipment and motorcycles are sold based on how many CC's their engine has. Echo saws don't list their horsepower at all. Briggs and Straton now actively tries to deceive people by listing the TORQUE, and not the horsepower on their engine stickers. Never buy an engine that has a deceptive tag on it, that doesn't tell you the Horsepower rating. Horsepower is what performs work. Torque cannot perform work, because torque can exist with zero RPM's. Horsepower (not torque) is how you calculate how much work you can do. It's based on horses, ropes, and calculating how much work a horse can do. They have a LOT of torque, and speed, and a lot of horsepower. CC's are "Cubic Centimeters" which is the volume inside the cylinder when the piston is all the way down at the bottom of the bore, compared to when the piston moves to the top of the bore. It's a measurement based on 2 things. 1.) Cylinder diameter. 2) Crankshaft stroke length. Otherwise known as "Bore x Stroke." Cubic Centimeters (CC) can also be written as (CM3) or (CCM) on some Japanese motors. It's the same as CC. There is no relationship between CC's and horsepower. Generally larger engines have more horsepower. But that isn't the case with pro saws, which have more horsepower than the old large POS (piece of shit) Poulan saws.

@@Ritalie for you to say CC's has no relation to HP is silly ... in an air cooled 2 stroke the only way you generally increase HP with a substantial amount is to increase the engine size .... the bigger the engine the more HP it will produce.. in a 2 stroke engine there are no cams valves pushrods over heads cams exc to vary what a engine's HP will make other than the the size and stroke of that piston... so CC's are infact a direct relation to HP

@@Ritalie Horsepower = (Torque x RPM)/5252. CC is the displacement of the cylinder when the piston is at BDC. Compression Ratio = the difference in volume between the piston @BDC and @TDC. There's is a direct link between displacement and horsepower. An engine spinning with 100 lbft of torque @ 500 RPM is the same amount of horsepower as an engine spinning @ 5000 RPM with 10 lbft of torque or 50000 rpm with 1 lbft of torque. Peak piston speed is typically around 55mph for very high performance engines. The longer the stroke relative to the bore the higher the torque relative to the horsepower will be as the expanding gases have a longer time to exert their forces upon the piston. Subsequently the engine can't spin as fast @ a 55 mph piston speed with a long stroke. Now if we make the piston oversquare (bore larger than stroke) we can spin the engine faster, but each ignition cycle has less time to act upon the piston so we get less out of each ignition cycle. And the less windage the higher the power. So the tighter the tolerance between the piston and the cylinder the more power can be extracted. (This is the biggest difference with super high performance engines, and how you see NA engines getting up near 300-400 hp/l)

@@nickparimuha81 not true. design of the actual head makes the power. same reason the 49cc Husqvarna from lowes puts out have the power of the 49cc 562xp

Is it still running good? Debating between 271 and a husqvarna 455.