This is salt in the wound for my buyer's remorse 😅. My local shop was sold out of 261's and I went with a 291 so I could do some storm cleanup. I should have shopped around for a 261. All good though, still love the 291 and I supported my local shop .💪
You’re definitely not going wrong with anything Stihl. I’m definitely a fan of the pro saws but I had a 311 that I used often as a teenager, and it was a solid saw. I like husky saws too, but you can’t beat the dealer support Stihl has.
yup could not get my hands on a 261 after shopping for months. the time came that I needed a saw bigger than the 180. So I went with the 271. Good saw! But man I still have my eyes out for 261 and 362 and still not available.
I don't share the same view about putting a larger 3/8" pitch chain on any chainsaw under 60 cc. I've been doing the majority of my firewood cutting (own 72 acres of woods & burn firewood) with Jonsered CS-2152 (52 cc) for the past 19 years. I like an 18" bar with a .325" pitch semi-chisel chain. I've only done a muffler mod with mine. Since purchasing it in 2005, I had to take it in once to find a used muffler bolt (lost one) at my local saw shop. If you're serious about cutting firewood, I agree that a professional grade 50-60 cc chainsaw is a good place to start. I have no brand loyalty. I own my Jonsered because the company was giving people $100 trades for junk saws at the time, & I had a 34cc McCulloch junk saw. Thus, I got my professional grade saw for $370. I'm really not overly concerned about dealer support. Heck, Jonsered doesn't even exist any more. Husky parts work, however. If I had to buy a new saw today, I wouldn't rule out the Stihl MS-261, but I have my dad's old Husqvarna 257 as a back up saw now. I also have a 2000 Poulan 2900 Farmhand (46cc) that I bought in the clearance aisle at Walmart (display model, no box or extras) for $135. It still runs fine after almost 25 years. Take care of them, keep them clean, run 40:1 gas/oil mix, and they will last a very long time. My larger saws with 20+" bars will have those 3/8" pitch chains. Since I run .058 gauge bars & chains, they wouldn't match with my smaller saws anyways. Adding a larger pitch chain on smaller saws does not ensure they will cut better. There's a reason different pitch chains exist.
This is salt in the wound for my buyer's remorse 😅. My local shop was sold out of 261's and I went with a 291 so I could do some storm cleanup. I should have shopped around for a 261. All good though, still love the 291 and I supported my local shop .💪
You’re definitely not going wrong with anything Stihl. I’m definitely a fan of the pro saws but I had a 311 that I used often as a teenager, and it was a solid saw.
I like husky saws too, but you can’t beat the dealer support Stihl has.
yup could not get my hands on a 261 after shopping for months. the time came that I needed a saw bigger than the 180. So I went with the 271. Good saw! But man I still have my eyes out for 261 and 362 and still not available.
I don't share the same view about putting a larger 3/8" pitch chain on any chainsaw under 60 cc. I've been doing the majority of my firewood cutting (own 72 acres of woods & burn firewood) with Jonsered CS-2152 (52 cc) for the past 19 years. I like an 18" bar with a .325" pitch semi-chisel chain. I've only done a muffler mod with mine. Since purchasing it in 2005, I had to take it in once to find a used muffler bolt (lost one) at my local saw shop. If you're serious about cutting firewood, I agree that a professional grade 50-60 cc chainsaw is a good place to start. I have no brand loyalty. I own my Jonsered because the company was giving people $100 trades for junk saws at the time, & I had a 34cc McCulloch junk saw. Thus, I got my professional grade saw for $370. I'm really not overly concerned about dealer support. Heck, Jonsered doesn't even exist any more. Husky parts work, however. If I had to buy a new saw today, I wouldn't rule out the Stihl MS-261, but I have my dad's old Husqvarna 257 as a back up saw now. I also have a 2000 Poulan 2900 Farmhand (46cc) that I bought in the clearance aisle at Walmart (display model, no box or extras) for $135. It still runs fine after almost 25 years. Take care of them, keep them clean, run 40:1 gas/oil mix, and they will last a very long time. My larger saws with 20+" bars will have those 3/8" pitch chains. Since I run .058 gauge bars & chains, they wouldn't match with my smaller saws anyways. Adding a larger pitch chain on smaller saws does not ensure they will cut better. There's a reason different pitch chains exist.