The OP is set on Dolmar as it is written in the tone of his posts. The 421 is the best value going on msrp, and hey when was the last time you heard anyone complain about their 421? I think its a good choice and remember you want a light limbing saw for smaller wood so 40cc class does that well and gets a lot of work done per tank. Just keep your b/c in sink with the saws purpose/intention and don't hamper it down with some big heavy long bar. I was running my ms201 rear handle today with 14" light bar and you can cut decent size wood with even a 14" bar. With the savings from getting a 421 you may afford a second bar in different size, some files and spare chains. A well maintained 421 will have a s long service life as any saw. If I was you, I would support this forum and buy from a member dealer, their are some great members here that sell Dolmar and are very competitive in price and near unbeatable as far as standing behind the products they sell.
No, at this point I am not really set on anything, in my original post (besides keeping husky's out of the mix) I was actually trying to balance the discussion from the $ standpoint. .... what with putting more weight on PWR (where the MS261 is the clear leader.....) and Dependability/Durability (where I felt it was, for the most part, a level playing feild), and I downplayed $$ (where the Dolmar has a clear lead...)
I am not being defensive, I am simply trying to be more clear.
The 250 argument has merit, the reasons they had been derided previously was that they (and I'm paraphrasing others here, because I do not have the first hand experience) but that the 250 did not have solid metal .....chassis? Crank case?.... ONE of those. While the "professional saws" (421, MS241, and MS261) WERE solid metal, and thus would have a longer life, even under tougher conditions. I would love to hear from you guys about why others would make this point, and yet no one here (yet) has.
I had been leaning towards the MS261 OR the 421, but recently (last day or two) someone has been lobbying for the 241. However with the 241 I do not really see/grasp any advantages, so I was going to go talk to my Stihl dealer, and ask him to have one of his minions practice being a salesman for me (walk in and say "I would like to be SOLD something")
So, no not set at all...... which is quite annoying, and enjoyable (I get to learn more from you fine folk) all at once.
The OP is set on Dolmar as it is written in the tone of his posts. The 421 is the best value going on msrp, and hey when was the last time you heard anyone complain about their 421? I think its a good choice and remember you want a light limbing saw for smaller wood so 40cc class does that well and gets a lot of work done per tank. Just keep your b/c in sink with the saws purpose/intention and don't hamper it down with some big heavy long bar. I was running my ms201 rear handle today with 14" light bar and you can cut decent size wood with even a 14" bar. With the savings from getting a 421 you may afford a second bar in different size, some files and spare chains. A well maintained 421 will have a s long service life as any saw. If I was you, I would support this forum and buy from a member dealer, their are some great members here that sell Dolmar and are very competitive in price and near unbeatable as far as standing behind the products they sell.
I had considered the 201 (even the T version) but would like to be more confident in the #of CC's I was getting (plus I saw some of the debates that saw has started........)