Couple new stihl chainsaws

[Matt3479]

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to get my first two chainsaws. I’ve used stihl my entire life as we cut normally 20 cords a year for family and friends. I’ve just purchased my first house so now I officially need my own lol.

I was looking at stihl ms291 just wasn’t sure on which bar length, 16, 18 or 20”.

Second one my brother has convinced me to get a smaller lighter chainsaw for just the small jobs so I don’t have to pull out the big one. He feels the ms170 is perfect little around the house saw. I’ve never used a smaller saw so curious as to your opinion and bar length for it? I was against it at first until I remembered having to drag my dads ms290 2km to limb for some new tree stands.

I’m not against husqvarna if someone feels they are superior but everyone in our group of family and friends runs stihl. 

[randy d]

My wife has a Ms 170 saw she likes it I like it and think its a good little saw.

[thecfarm]

I have a 70cc and than had a 50cc. I used that 50cc a lot more than the 70cc. That did come with a 18 inch bar. Could of used a 16 inch one easy. Shorter bars cost less, chains cost less,quicker to sharpen too.
A smaller, lighter saw is a must to have.
That smaller saw kinda felt like a toy to me. But it is not.

[Matt3479]

Now is it worth going with the easy start option or just more that can go wrong? Never had one before just wasn't sure if Jm starting at the beginning then just start with it. 

So 18" bar for the 291 and 14 or 16 for the 170? Or should I be stepping up a bit for the small saw 

[randy d]

Our 170 has a 14 inch bar and starts very easy I have a Ms251 I bought for limbing but I use it all the time unless its big wood then will go to the Husky 272 that saw will cut crazy fast but it is a lot heavier to carry that did not matter when I was 40 but it does now. they all have their place. Randy

[PoginyHill]

I have an ms170, 391, and 261. I have a 14" bar on the 170 and it is super for limbs and small wood, but very slow for something over 3-4" dia or so. I like my 261. Not much heavier than a 170, but tons more power and is my go-to saw for almost everything else. I have a 16" bar on it. I save my 391 for larger diameter stuff. I prefer the smallest bar I can get away with 1) for less weight and 2) less likely to get the tip messed up in nearby stuff.

[Evanguy]

I have an ms291 with a 16" and 20" bar. Great firewood saw. I really like mine.

I also have a ms170 and a ms211, both 16" bars for smaller lighter saws when im just cutting small stuff or cleaning paths/fields over growth. I like the ms211 quite a bit over the ms170

But i have to admit i do like the 
Ms170, really light, starts super easy. Small size and quite nimble.  But the 211 is a nicer saw. Although not sure if its worth the extra 150$ over the 170

[Patrick NC]

I bought a 170 a couple years ago thinking it would be a good saw to carry on the 4 wheeler for branches and small trees on the trail. Worst purchase I ever made. Huge disappointment is an understatement. Now it stays in the shed and the ms260 with a 16 inch bar is my go to small saw. If I need bigger,  I break out the 372xp. If you dont want the expense of a pro saw, a ms250 is a pretty decent homeowner saw. My brother has one and it seems to do pretty good with a 16 inch bar. 

[ladylake]

 Echo saws have a lot more bang for the buck .  Steve

[Matt3479]

I bought a 170 a couple years ago thinking it would be a good saw to carry on the 4 wheeler for branches and small trees on the trail. Worst purchase I ever made. Huge disappointment is an understatement. Now it stays in the shed and the ms260 with a 16 inch bar is my go to small saw. If I need bigger,  I break out the 372xp. If you dont want the expense of a pro saw, a ms250 is a pretty decent homeowner saw. My brother has one and it seems to do pretty good with a 16 inch bar.

What about it did you dislike so much. My main purpose would be for cleaning up and setting up hunting blinds and tree stands. Some minor stuff around the house. I was just looking for a small, compact and light saw for that purpose

[pabst79]

I bought a 170 about 5 years ago for trimming and a lightweight 4 whlr saw, works great for 4" and under, I've bucked up ends of 12" logs with it for a try, it is slow and with the picco chain you can't put on too much pressure. It's Stihl's smallest real saw and definitely aimed at homeowners. In reality my 026 is the go to saw, slightly heavier, but it's a pro saw that will eat hardwood all day. If you cut a fair amount of firewood, I'd go a with a 211 or 261 and maybe a 391 or echo 590 for bigger stuff. The plastic bucking spikes on the 170 are cute but....

[Patrick NC]

I bought a 170 a couple years ago thinking it would be a good saw to carry on the 4 wheeler for branches and small trees on the trail. Worst purchase I ever made. Huge disappointment is an understatement. Now it stays in the shed and the ms260 with a 16 inch bar is my go to small saw. If I need bigger,  I break out the 372xp. If you dont want the expense of a pro saw, a ms250 is a pretty decent homeowner saw. My brother has one and it seems to do pretty good with a 16 inch bar.

What about it did you dislike so much. My main purpose would be for cleaning up and setting up hunting blinds and tree stands. Some minor stuff around the house. I was just looking for a small, compact and light saw for that purpose

First problem was lack of power. Even with a 14 inch bar it was pretty gutless.  Not much good for anything other than small branches and brush. Also the small picco chain stretches easily and needs tightening often. Overall it just feels like a cheap plastic toy that looks good on the shelf, but that's about it. I dont think theres enough of a weight difference between the 170 and 250 to matter. Just my opinion.  Someone else might have a different experience.  

[Patrick NC]

Echo saws have a lot more bang for the buck .  Steve

I agree.  Echo would be a much better choice.  You can get a few more cc for the same price and be able to do more than trim small branches.  I've always been impressed with the performance of echos smaller displacement saws.

[randy d]

One thing to remember with any saw is a sharp chain is a must but it is even more important with a small saw sharp chain pulls easier. Randy

[Evanguy]

One thing about the ms170 that happened to me and ive read to others. Is the way the exhuast is setup, you can crush the little vents in the muffler closed if your cutting big wood with it and then it has  no power at all and has a hard time pulling through its rpms let alone a log.

I just took the deflector fins off as they unbolt and woke the saw back up.

[hedgerow]

I cut about 20 cords of hardwood firewood a year and never had a smaller saw until I bought a bucket lift I mostly run Stihl 038 461 and a 660 but I do have a Makita 6401 that has been a great saw. I looked at the smaller Stihl's and ended up buying a Echo 360T running a 16 inch bar. It was a ton cheaper than a Stihl in the same size range and its been a great saw and after a couple shoulder surgery's I find myself using it more on smaller jobs and leave the big saws set. If you are cutting that much fire wood I wood buy something bigger than the MS291. I would look at Echo's bigger saws too have a buddy that runs them and really likes them. The only thing I didn't like about Echo's bigger saws is they don't have the decompess button. 

[Reddtigger]

I can only tell you my personal observations.

I went with the 180 over the 170 as it has a little more grunt for only $20.00 more and the weight difference wasn't enough.

i started with a MS261C-M but that was a little small for some jobs, so i upgraded to the MS362C-M  which is a great saw, but still felt a little lacking now and again. so I traded that in for a MS462RC-m and im very happy. the big saw is covered. i may get another 50cc saw like the 261CM again.. but for now i have the 462 and 180


the 180 with a 14" 3/8 picco bar/chain is a great combo. its a whoot to use as it's tiny but powerful.

i did look at the echo but the dealer support wasn't nearly as good as my local Stihl dealer, and that purchase helped me when it was time to go with a 70cc saw..

[Eddie Southgate]

Get you a MS261 C-M with an 18" bar with RS chain . Spend the money you were gonna spend on the smaller saw on extra chains , files , wedges and a nice carry case to protect your saw and small stuff . The 261 will do anything the two saws you mentioned will do and being a pro saw it is a lot nicer to use and better constructed . 

[X96mnn]

I have an MS291 and find it to be a great saw. My wife also owns an MS170 and being upfront I have used it more than her. It is a good saw for 4" and below and tough. I find my MS291 on smaller brush rips and tears more than cuts and of thrown more chains cutting the small stuff with it I prefer the MS170 for those types of jobs. Will note I had the MS180 and hated it, sold it shortly after the wife bought a 170. 

As for a bar it really depends on the wood your cutting in my opinion. I went with a 16" on my 291 and it is fine for 95% of my cutting but I do have trees that the 18" would benefit. If I cut a lot of larger trees I would go bigger but most of my trees are below 16". The MS170 also has a 16" bar and would not change that.  

[Matt3479]

Thanks everyone,

I have a friend that owns a dealership with ties to stihl and is able to give me I stock saws at cost. So my options were the 170, 180, 250, 271, 291, 311, 362 and then some monsters. I don't need the power of the 362 and if it turns out I do, I'll just use that as an excuse to the wife for another. He said the 180 isn't nearly as popular as the 170 so that's why I am looking at the 170 and 291

[Patrick NC]

Just because I don't like my 170 doesn't mean that you won't.  Hopefully it ends up being exactly what you need. Sounds like you've thought it through pretty well. Have fun making sawdust!

[angelo c]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to get my first two chainsaws. I've used stihl my entire life as we cut normally 20 cords a year for family and friends. I've just purchased my first house so now I officially need my own lol.

I was looking at stihl ms291 just wasn't sure on which bar length, 16, 18 or 20".

Second one my brother has convinced me to get a smaller lighter chainsaw for just the small jobs so I don't have to pull out the big one. He feels the ms170 is perfect little around the house saw. I've never used a smaller saw so curious as to your opinion and bar length for it? I was against it at first until I remembered having to drag my dads ms290 2km to limb for some new tree stands.

I'm not against husqvarna if someone feels they are superior but everyone in our group of family and friends runs stihl.

If my buddy owned a Stihl dealership I'd make sure I could run all the saws I was considering...my choice without knowing your wood supply or size/strength/physical ability would be a 241 and a 462. Two of Stihls best products. The 241 is the "sleeper" in the Stihl pro lineup. Those that know of it, usually love it. 

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I have a 261 that sits in the shed.  I have two 362's that I use all the time.    The 362's with a twenty inch bar cover it all for me.    I'm going to give the 261 to my son in law.  
Having two of the same saw means I buy one size chain, one size and type bar, one size file, one kind of mix and the parts are interchangeable.   That system has worked well for me.

[Magicman]

I guess that I have made the circle with chainsaws that suit my needs while portable sawmilling.  The 028 e/w a 18" bar was good, the 310 e/w a 20" bar was better, but I now carry a 170 e/w a 14" bar and a 362 e/w a 22" bar.  I also have a 25" bar for the 362 for those special situations. 

[Matt3479]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to get my first two chainsaws. I've used stihl my entire life as we cut normally 20 cords a year for family and friends. I've just purchased my first house so now I officially need my own lol.

I was looking at stihl ms291 just wasn't sure on which bar length, 16, 18 or 20".

Second one my brother has convinced me to get a smaller lighter chainsaw for just the small jobs so I don't have to pull out the big one. He feels the ms170 is perfect little around the house saw. I've never used a smaller saw so curious as to your opinion and bar length for it? I was against it at first until I remembered having to drag my dads ms290 2km to limb for some new tree stands.

I'm not against husqvarna if someone feels they are superior but everyone in our group of family and friends runs stihl.

If my buddy owned a Stihl dealership I'd make sure I could run all the saws I was considering...my choice without knowing your wood supply or size/strength/physical ability would be a 241 and a 462. Two of Stihls best products. The 241 is the "sleeper" in the Stihl pro lineup. Those that know of it, usually love it.

I apologize it's a tractor dealership but are mini stihl dealer so carry a handful of saws and all parts, and can order anything in for you.