 |
Stihl MS211 35.2cc 14in Petrol
by mike r
i just bought a ms 211 a while back and i liked the feel and light weight but what a dog.i thought it would be good for limbing and cutting small stuff.but just takes to long to cut.went back to using my bigger husky.havent ran the ms230 or 250 might want to go a little bigger if weight isnt the main concern.a wish i would have got a ... 440 husky now same price and real close on weight but 5 more ccs.my 211 has 16 inch bar no need for that size wont pull it in good wood.14 inch would be plenty enough.might try to do a muffler mod and readjust carb might be leaned out from factory.my friend has a cheap 33cc homelite that we did muffler mod to and had to readjust carb and now it cuts great for its size,before it would bog easy.hopefully same mods will help my stihl.
Read the complete review |
 |
Stihl MS260 2.6kW Petrol
by APC303
This saw is the one that I use most often. It is an extremely versatile piece of machinery that is suitable for regular use by the professional.
Firstly, the appearance is the trusty "Stihl Orange". It is serviced simply by the standard chainsaw tool to remove the chain and bar, or a clip to remove the air filter ... cover. All servicing should easily be achieved by someone with basic chainsaw qualifications. I can strip this down to below the clutch and clean it out spotless and put back together in around 5 minutes. I am by no means fluent with power tools but I feel that one of the benefits of Stihl tools is their servicability. This is extremely important when working out in the wood or on private tree jobs where time is of the essence.
I use this with a 15" bar for felling of mainly ash and oak to around 25-30". I then process the entire tree down to "rings" for the butt section and create firewood logs from everything down to wrist diameter. This involves a lot of constant cutting so the engine is going to work at full pelt for long periods of time. This has not been a problem as of yet.
The weight distribution is, as with the MS181 with a 12" bar, perfect. This enables you to get proper good levels on your cuts. The difference is that it is more aggressive than the MS181 due to the bigger engine size. The engine picks up speed much quicker and sustains this throughout the cut. It is not as quick to full speed as Husquvana saw but they seem to lack the user-servicability of Stihls.
Progressing from an MS181, you will notice that it is a lot heavier as obviously bigger engines weigh more. This is something that one can get used to quite easily though through correct posture. With a reasonable level of fitness, you can use this all day without much aching the next day. Throughout the autumn and winter, I use this saw about 2-3 days a week. I have the option of using an MS361 with a 20" bar for the larger trees but I prefer to trust accurate cuts from the MS260, alongside the lower weight. I think that a smaller bar on the MS260 would make this a very fearsome tool. For my line of woodland management though, the 15" is perfect.
There is an "easy start" engine decompression wotchamacallit on the top but I actually find it harder to start with that. The pull cord along with the choke, as standard, is the way I always start it.
You can get a version of this with a heated handle. This is good for lowering the risk of vibration white-finger but I don't use this as my husquvana gloves combined with the dampening system on the saw seem to work a treat.
Maybe this saw might be overkill for the home user unless they have a lot of trees to fell or spend a lot of time chopping firewood. An MS181 would suit the home user. This definitely has it's place in the rangers arsenal.
I would recommend checking for chain oil distribution, particularly after cutting softwoods. It can clog up fairly easily and lead to blueing of the bar. I generally pull the bar off after half hour constant use and give it a clean and scrape out. I imagine some people would happily leave this much longer.
Read the complete review |
 |
Stihl MS181 31.8cc 12in Petrol
by APC303
This is a low end chainsaw for the occasional user or for small scale felling or ringing up. I would usually use a Stihl MS260 for my every day work but I have often had call to use one of these such as when on training courses or whilst my saw is in for a service.
The advantage of this saw is that it is very suitable for the ... casual user or people with low stamina. Face it, carrying round any chainsaw for a day while dressed up in all the protective gear is pretty hardwork. This saw though, is a pleasure to use as it weighs next to nothing, especially with its short standard bar length (12"). You don't need anything bigger than this if you are cutting the odd piece of wood or small tree 12" or less. Maybe if you are cutting beech all day, you might want something a bit more powerful.
Light all good tools, it is perfectly balanced so that you can get your levels right on your felling cuts, just by hanging it from the front handle on the side or on the corner. That will always get you a perfect levelled gob cut and back cut.
Going back to the engine, it is small and if cutting harder woods like beech then it might struggle a bit but let it run at full pelt and let gravity take it through and you'll be fine. Just make sure you are spot on with your sharpening so that it doesn't have any excuse not to cut well.
The saw starts nice and easy and is easy to fill up with 2 stroke and chain oil. To service it is easy, with the air filter being easily accessible and the bar and chain coming off nice and easy with the standard chainsaw tool.
I would recommend this to new users or those taking NPTC tests. The reason for this is that the practice days and the test day can be very stressful and exhausting. Students often turn up with much larger saws and are tired before they have even finished one tree. If you have a smaller saw that is capable, then fatigue is just one less thing to worry about. Also, an added bonus is that there are less teeth on a chain for a 12" chain than on larger bar/chain combos, therefore more time cutting, less time sharpening and boy do you notice it once you start using 20" bars!
Read the complete review |
