best chainsaw for habitat work

I have a MS261 mtronic I got in 2015. Highly recommended saw

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MRBB said:
also food for thought,
I know Husky and Still are the top dogs for most folks(I own a few of each )
but both have rather short warranty's ,( from a few months to under a yr on many)
and many of the Stihl's are NOT made in the USA, even the HIGHER end costing one's
so, look before buying if that matters to you, some are made else where and more or less branded as Sthils!

BUT, ECHO, and there IMO, GREAT saws equal or better than some of the main players like models!
there pro saws, have a consumer 5 yr warranty, for anyone that worries about saw issue's!
that';s a LONG time on a warranty on a chainsaw!


I love my Echo top handle CS 355t, right now might be my go to saw for anything under 12 inches in dai!
it just eats!
have it about 5 yrs now, starts every time in a pull or two!
its been a great saw, and has a LOT of power for such a small light weight saw, use it for trail work all the time on snowmobile trails
if anyone has never used a top handle saw, for small things, you DON"T know what your missing!
Click to expand...


+1 for Echo. We've been Stihl guys for a long time here at my house, but I've been running a 14" Echo 2511t for medium and light duty and a 20" Echo Timberwolf CS590 for large tree work. Man oh man, they both cut so good, primarily because of the amazing chisel chains, but the compression and power is awesome to boot. That 5 year warranty is hard to beat as well if you have an Echo dealer nearby.
 
I have the wood boss - one step down from the farm boss. It’s great for my use and skill set. There are times I wish I had a little more horsepower but it keeps me from tackling more than I should too.
 
I have 2 saws - both Stihl. MS-390 with a 20" bar will cut anything. I've used mine for years cutting many, MANY full cords of oak, maple, hickory and ash with it and it's been a very reliable beast of a saw. I use it mainly for felling trees & big trunk work. I also have a MS-180c with a 16" bar for smaller chores - but it kicks butt for up to 10 to 12" dia. trees too! The "c" indicates it's an "easy-pull" start, which I can do with just a wrist yank. Keeping your chains sharp is the key to easy cutting and longer engine life.

With the performance of my two Stihl saws, and seeing what 7 other guys at camp with Stihl saws have proven - I won't own another saw brand in my lifetime. FWIW.
 
again guys, NO bash here, but remember Stihls of today are NOT the same as they used to be, or should say NOT all of them are
Stihl like many company's today have several LINES of things, from cheap big store branded made in ????
and then pro grade saws, made in USA

and price tag alone doesn;t MEAN where there made at
or grade of them!

SO< if buying a saw, don;t JUST go by name, based on saws of the past, things AIN"T what they used to be across ALL Models of ANY brand name

I own many STihl saws and some have been awesome
my hunting camp and many of the farms and farmers I know, that have gotten NEW stihl
s have NOT all been so great!
NO bash here, just saying, do some home work on saw model before just buying based on any company badge name!!!
 
I have the Stihl Farm Boss that I’ve had for 6 years knock on wood no problems with it. I have an 18 inch bar in it. Can get a little heavy for some habitat work I guess but great firewood saw. If I come across more money I’m gonna get a bigger pro saw like the Husky 562 or stihl equivalent for ease on my bigger oaks.
 
MRBB said:
again guys, NO bash here, but remember Stihls of today are NOT the same as they used to be, or should say NOT all of them are
Stihl like many company's today have several LINES of things, from cheap big store branded made in ????
and then pro grade saws, made in USA

and price tag alone doesn;t MEAN where there made at
or grade of them!

SO< if buying a saw, don;t JUST go by name, based on saws of the past, things AIN"T what they used to be across ALL Models of ANY brand name

I own many STihl saws and some have been awesome
my hunting camp and many of the farms and farmers I know, that have gotten NEW stihl
s have NOT all been so great!
NO bash here, just saying, do some home work on saw model before just buying based on any company badge name!!!
Click to expand...
Yeah. I’ve got one of those Stihls of yesteryear. My dad paid a guy $50 to get it running and gave it to me as a bday present. It’s probably close to 50 years old. I can’t keep it running to save my life.
 
All depends on how much you plan on using your saw and how much you want to spend.

Stihl MS250 or MS251: budget friendly and yet decent quality, very good weight to power ratio.

Stihl MS271 or MS291: better construction, more power, but a bit heavy for 50cc class saws. I currently own a MS271 and its my general use saw with 18" bar. Think I heard the MS271 is Stihls best seller.

Stihl MS261CM: Pro saw, best in class power to weight ratio, should last a average habitat guy a lifetime but comes at a cost.

If you are cutting a lot of hardwoods larger than 20+ inches you'll want something bigger.

Stihl MS462CM: I've been running this saw with a 25" bar for a few months, all I can say is it's a screamer.

Don't forget PPE, chaps, helmet, hearing protection, gloves. When I bought my first saw I really wanted a MS261 but didn't own PPE, so settled for a MS271 with the proper PPE.
 
I have a Sthil MS 250. It is the perfect saw for up north for MOST trees in the Chippewa National Forest of northern MN. Its not great on our biggest trees, but it gets the job done. Think my brother in law has the 271, and its better for cutting up the bigger stuff, but I find most of the time we arent cutting a whole lot of bigger stuff. My own woods was select cut by the previous owner in 2011 before he lost it in foreclosure. Just isnt a whole lot of need for a great big saw for me. My 250 did most of this back in the day before the BIL bought his saw. I have probably run at least 25 gallons of fuel through that thing and never done anything other than a little routine maintenance. It doesnt owe me anything. Split it all with an axe back then too.



Labor Day Weekend 2013 033.jpg
 
jwill1776 said:
All depends on how much you plan on using your saw and how much you want to spend.

Stihl MS250 or MS251: budget friendly and yet decent quality, very good weight to power ratio.

Stihl MS271 or MS291: better construction, more power, but a bit heavy for 50cc class saws. I currently own a MS271 and its my general use saw with 18" bar. Think I heard the MS271 is Stihls best seller.

Stihl MS261CM: Pro saw, best in class power to weight ratio, should last a average habitat guy a lifetime but comes at a cost.

If you are cutting a lot of hardwoods larger than 20+ inches you'll want something bigger.

Stihl MS462CM: I've been running this saw with a 25" bar for a few months, all I can say is it's a screamer.

Don't forget PPE, chaps, helmet, hearing protection, gloves. When I bought my first saw I really wanted a MS261 but didn't own PPE, so settled for a MS271 with the proper PPE.
Click to expand...

Re: MS 261CM....."comes at a cost".....in what way?

thanks,

bill
 
jwill1776 said:
In the 50cc class size the MS261CM in one of the more expensive options, really well built though.
Click to expand...

The 261 is a nice light weight versatile saw. I have 3 different bars for mine, 16, 18, and. 20 and it handles them all well. I usually keep the 18 on though. It is Light weight, and is well balanced. I am 50!years old, with a bad back and I can burn a tank of gas and not be in to rough of shape.
 
I think they are about $650
 
Buy the 261 stihl. Best all round saw they make.


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MRBB said:
also food for thought,
I know Husky and Still are the top dogs for most folks(I own a few of each )
but both have rather short warranty's ,( from a few months to under a yr on many)
and many of the Stihl's are NOT made in the USA, even the HIGHER end costing one's
so, look before buying if that matters to you, some are made else where and more or less branded as Sthils!

BUT, ECHO, and there IMO, GREAT saws equal or better than some of the main players like models!
there pro saws, have a consumer 5 yr warranty, for anyone that worries about saw issue's!
that';s a LONG time on a warranty on a chainsaw!


I love my Echo top handle CS 355t, right now might be my go to saw for anything under 12 inches in dai!
it just eats!
have it about 5 yrs now, starts every time in a pull or two!
its been a great saw, and has a LOT of power for such a small light weight saw, use it for trail work all the time on snowmobile trails
if anyone has never used a top handle saw, for small things, you DON"T know what your missing!
Click to expand...

Stihl has a 2 year warranty if you buy there two stroke oil at time of purchase. Echo doesn’t make a pro saw FYI they make home owner saws!


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Adittmer said:
Stihl has a 2 year warranty if you buy there two stroke oil at time of purchase. Echo doesn’t make a pro saw FYI they make home owner saws!


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Click to expand...
yes Echo doesn't have saws called PRO by name, but there top tier saws are pretty solid saws, and there warranty on there saws is the same on ALL of them that I know of!

MOST Sthil saws Only have a 1 yr warranty for consumer,(unless you get the deal where you BUY "X" amount of there fuel and or there oil" to get a FREE second yr warranty!) and still only 3 months for commercial use from what I been told!
where as Echo saws has a 5 yr warranty,for consumers and a 2 yr warranty for commercial use!, so more than Twice what Sthil offers, on consumer, and a TON longer on the commercial side!
so that does sort of say something about there build quality and confidence in there products!

NO bash here, IMO< both make some GREAT saws! as do a few other makers!

but for the average guy that doesn't know much about saw's and up keeping or doing there own repairs, this added warranty might be worth then looking at Echo saw's
thus why I posted the info!

My top handle saw has been bullet proof and been super happy with it!
 
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