Recommendation? I need to buy a second , "backup " chainsaw . What is current best mid range ? Is Stihl MS 271 worth the price ?

DocJD

DocJD

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I have an old Husqvarna 450 that still works OK, but my POS backup Poulan has finally crapped out and I'm not gonna fix it again .

Never liked it, even brand new .

Had use of a Stihl , long time ago and really liked it , but things change . Are they still Stihl ,as of old ?

Or is something better now , for the price ?
 
I have an older 290 and a newer 211 that are both solid saws. I only use ethanol free gas and start them every couple of weeks if I haven’t been using them. The 211 has an anti-vibration handle that took me a little bit to get used to.

As far as the pricing, Stihl seems to control their dealer network better than other brands. I buy quite a bit of property maintenance equipment and I’ve asked my local dealers about discounts. The most I seem able to get is some extra supplies included in the deal, but still pay full price.
 
As a backup and for light duty cutting I bought a sthil 170. I think its was their smallest saw at the time. Uses a mini chain but it cuts great. I’m a landscaper and have used the saw extensively. I’m satisfied with it.

We don’t do too much tree work and I got sick of those poulans crapping out with not much use. Seems the bar oilers would always go.
 
Stihl makes good products but they are also expensive so decide how much you want to spend for a backup. You might also go to youtube and look up the tests that Project Farm has done.
 
bdmicarta said:
Stihl makes good products but they are also expensive so decide how much you want to spend for a backup. You might also go to youtube and look up the tests that Project Farm has done.
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Thanks ! I did just that and the Stihl was very impressive . :cool:
 
Echo....its becoming the saw of choice for a lot of tree companies lately. I have three, a 341T, a 370 and a 680, and they run and cut as good if not better than many of the more expensive stuff.... I bought the 370 sometime around 2008, the 680 in 2011, and the 341 a couple years after that.
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Can't go wrong with the big three which would be Stihl, Husqvarna, and Echo.
I'm not a fan of the Husky clutch personally.
And Stihl m-tronic. My 661 has it and I *hate* not being able to adjust it and it will four stroke too much unless I have a 36" bar buried in hardwood. I square grind my chains and keep the rakers on the aggressive side too. I do run a straight shot muffler and it's loud AF but she's a torque monster for sure. I'll run a 25" bar for firewood duty but my Echo CS400 is much easier on the shoulders at my age. I also have an Echo CS600p with a 25" bar and it's a screamer for a 60cc saw!
 
I've got a relatively new MS391, and old Husky Rancher 55 and a newer (5 years ago...) Echo I bought for limbing. My oldest boy works for a city parks dept. they switched from Stihl to Echo a few years ago. Figured I'd give them a try with a string trimmer, been great. Got a little CS saw after that for limbing, I only pulled the Stihl out once over the winter to cut a tree that was over 18" across everything else I used the little Echo. It's so light and reliable. It doesn't have the grunt of a Stihl and gets a little boggy on bigger stuff (cause I s/b using a bigger saw) but I've been impressed with it's willingness to just keep on going. For around $200 it's hard to beat an Echo. I've been thinking about letting the Stihl go and getting a bigger Echo model. There's a show on Prime (I believe) called Master Carver (or something like that), chainsaw art competition. The only saws they use on the show are Echo. As mentioned any of the 3 names floating around this thread are going to be good saws.
 
Arathol said:
Echo....its becoming the saw of choice for a lot of tree companies lately. I have three, a 341T, a 370 and a 680, and they run and cut as good if not better than many of the more expensive stuff.... I bought the 370 sometime around 2008, the 680 in 2011, and the 341 a couple years after that.
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stormfly said:
Can't go wrong with the big three which would be Stihl, Husqvarna, and Echo.
I'm not a fan of the Husky clutch personally.
And Stihl m-tronic. My 661 has it and I *hate* not being able to adjust it and it will four stroke too much unless I have a 36" bar buried in hardwood. I square grind my chains and keep the rakers on the aggressive side too. I do run a straight shot muffler and it's loud AF but she's a torque monster for sure. I'll run a 25" bar for firewood duty but my Echo CS400 is much easier on the shoulders at my age. I also have an Echo CS600p with a 25" bar and it's a screamer for a 60cc saw!
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Mistman68 said:
I've got a relatively new MS391, and old Husky Rancher 55 and a newer (5 years ago...) Echo I bought for limbing. My oldest boy works for a city parks dept. they switched from Stihl to Echo a few years ago. Figured I'd give them a try with a string trimmer, been great. Got a little CS saw after that for limbing, I only pulled the Stihl out once over the winter to cut a tree that was over 18" across everything else I used the little Echo. It's so light and reliable. It doesn't have the grunt of a Stihl and gets a little boggy on bigger stuff (cause I s/b using a bigger saw) but I've been impressed with it's willingness to just keep on going. For around $200 it's hard to beat an Echo. I've been thinking about letting the Stihl go and getting a bigger Echo model. There's a show on Prime (I believe) called Master Carver (or something like that), chainsaw art competition. The only saws they use on the show are Echo. As mentioned any of the 3 names floating around this thread are going to be good saws.
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Much thanks to all posters to this thread , but especially those that mentioned Echo favorably ! Got me pointed in the right direction . :) ( I hope .)

I have on order an Echo CS-501P 20" , along with their case to fit and some "Red Armor" premix .

( I bid on a 620PW 27" full wrap , BNIB at auction, but let it go when the bidding went too high , IMO . Really too much saw for me, at my age / condition anyway .)

501P is much lighter, and easier handling with 20" bar . More realistic for my use . I got to hike uphill to clear some storm damage, in my woods, blocking trails ! :eek:
 
Arathol said:
One thing about Echo saws is that the motors in most of them are pretty restricted and will respond very well to some simple tinkering.
Open up the muffler, remove the cat and retune the carb, and you can see a considerable power / torque gain.
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:cool: Yeah ! I've read some about that online . It's good to know there are options to improve performance .

Also , lots of talk about removing the limiters to adjust the carb . Some guys said the factory settings are too lean and will burn up the engine . :eek:

And Echo will refuse to warrantee, saying you failed to use use premix etc . Others say stock saw is fine . So IDK .

Most say the Echo are easiest to work on / mod . So that's a plus !

Think I'll go easy on the mods for awhile , unless she won't work or runs too hot .
 
I have been thinking of getting an electric one for camping. Probably an ozitio as I already have the batteries.

 
DocJD said:
:cool: Yeah ! I've read some about that online . It's good to know there are options to improve performance .

Also , lots of talk about removing the limiters to adjust the carb . Some guys said the factory settings are too lean and will burn up the engine . :eek:

And Echo will refuse to warrantee, saying you failed to use use premix etc . Others say stock saw is fine . So IDK .

Most say the Echo are easiest to work on / mod . So that's a plus !

Think I'll go easy on the mods for awhile , unless she won't work or runs too hot .
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Yes, many dealers set the limiters for minimum emissions, not for best performance. Usually they are way too lean and will bog under load.
The Echo warranty doesn't mean much either. Its actually pretty limited and they won't cover much except catastrophic failure. They are pretty reliable and usually run well and start easily anyhow.
Drop bear said:
I have been thinking of getting an electric one for camping. Probably an ozitio as I already have the batteries.
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Waste of money......even the best Stihl electric saws are proving to be junk. They cut slow, the batteries don't last long if you really work the saw etc.....For the price just buy a couple Silky saws....
 
Drop bear said:
I have been thinking of getting an electric one for camping. Probably an ozitio as I already have the batteries.

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I love my lithium battery 18V old Hitachi and newer Makita power tools , but IMO , the chainsaws are not practical yet .

Except maybe small jobs ? Batteries can just not compete with gas in the real world . Sad to say . Certainly more pleasant to work with cordless electric .

Heat kills batteries and they are very expensive . Fast discharge and recharge generates excess heat .

Ignore voltage marketing , it's the amp/ hours that matters .

The environmental benefits are a big fat freaking lie also .

OK , now I feel better ..rant done ! ;)
 
DocJD said:
I love my lithium battery 18V old Hitachi and newer Makita power tools , but IMO , the chainsaws are not practical yet .

Except maybe small jobs ? Batteries can just not compete with gas in the real world . Sad to say . Certainly more pleasant to work with cordless electric .

Heat kills batteries and they are very expensive . Fast discharge and recharge generates excess heat .

Ignore voltage marketing , it's the amp/ hours that matters .

The environmental benefits are a big fat freaking lie also .

OK , now I feel better ..rant done ! ;)
Click to expand...
I do use my old 18V Hitachi reciprocating saw for small jobs, but even then I carry extra batteries along .

Works OK on small stuff . Great for cutting saplings right at ground level . :cool:
 
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