High Quality Chainsaw Bars Husqvarna Toys Hockfire Saws

Disaster Recovery/Clean-up Saw

Which (UN-ported) saw gets your vote, I can always port later

  • Dolmar 421

  • Stihl MS 250

  • Stihl MS 251

  • Stihl MS 241

  • Stihl MS 261


Results are only viewable after voting.

cgraham1

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My local guy sells Husqvarna, Stihl, and Echo... He told me that Dolmars are junk!
 

skippy

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Op thanks for joining. Hope we helped you out . buy what you enjoy running . you are the one running it . they are all good when running right and all junk when they are not
 

drf256

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I'm partial to the 260/261 family, but there's nothing wrong with the MS250.

Open quad port design, love to rev. They need a muff mod desperately and you need the adjustable H carb. From a price and performance standpoint, it's a tough saw to beat. Pretty darn light too.

The downside is that you really won't be able to port it later (fully) because of the clamshell design.
 

CR888

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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.
 

Cobby08

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I voted the 250. Like stated before, they are relatively inexpensive and have quite the kick for the size. I also MM mine along with the bigger carb and it really woke up (not that it was disappointing). I have yet to run a 241 so I can't talk on their behalf but spec for spec it seems hard to justify. The 251 does have a little more friendly components to it but it starts gaining weight which is the part that really turns people on to the 250. Just my .02
 

michaelmj11

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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........)
 

Mastermind

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MS261C and you'll never regret it. No tuning.......can run full sized bar and 3/8" chain. That means you carry one file for both your 661, and your 261. It's a no brainer.

If you want one that is ported......just let me know. I get a good deal on them including the bar and chain.
 
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