chainsaw selection opinions

Yes, I tossed them in and it started first pull no hesitation and seems to run like a top once again. It has been raining for a week straight and we have not worked. So it hasn't had a serious workout yet. All the equipment has been serviced and I am twiddling my thumbs hoping to be able to go bow hunting.

What I would say about mtronic when you have an issue is don't jump to conclusions about the mtronic. Just work the issue. Mtronic isn't doing much. And from what I have read the software isn't smart enough to do any diagnosis anyway. It is like my New Holland tractor. It was under warranty and it would intermittently cut off. I figured it was the fuel cutoff solenoid. I told the on road service guy that and said but I guess you can hook the computer to it and verify. He said no that model was to stupid for diagnostics. It had to do it for him; he had to drive it around till it cut off,and it was the solenoid.

 

My 241, that you so graciously helped me procure in May 2014, has not even seen the end of its 3rd tank yet!

My other "picco driver" has been getting the work while I save the 241 for future plans.

 

Does this not seem similar to how people felt at the advent of computerized controls of car engines, or antilock brakes? The tech does a better job than you can do yourself, you love the capability, but it's expensive and you become dependent on it, and then you feel helpless when it breaks. I wonder how many people resisted the chainsaw on similar grounds when it first displaced the whipsaw.

Maybe there's a threshold where the problem gets worse, when parts are so small that they're hard to see and manipulate, and too precise and sophisticated to be jury-rigged.

 

I suspect it will be a deeper knowledge base in online communities, not 'minimal' dealer labor charges, that preserves DIYing. Regardless of the direct cash cost of the service, if it requires two trips to the dealer to drop the saw off and pick it up, plus a third to retrieve any special-ordered parts, that would burn off much of the attraction DIYing had in the first place.

 

True, and my experience with dealers is pretty limited. There's one Stihl dealership that's much closer to home than any other, so that's where I go. They are nice to deal with but they don't stock a lot of parts and they do very little on a 'while you wait' basis. I'm sure shops vary quite a bit.

 

bought the dolmar. worked enough overtime in the past 2 weeks to buy two of the ms241, but, the owner of the shop i bought from sold me after he talked to me for 30 minutes after i told him i wasn't serious about buying. after i told him why i chose to buy from him, he told me a 20 minute story about why he does business the way he does. it involved a 69 torino 429, 69 a boss 302, and a 69 z28. he doesn't claim to know things he doesn't know, and admits when he has to ask joe about something. joe is his mechanic. he had a john deere 175 in pristine condition i took a double take on until my wife said something, but, anyway.
seems well constructed. there is metal in places i expected plastic, and the plastic seems to be durable. i'll write a full review on it after i've done a fair amount of work with it. i will post some pics in the meantime, since this is the internet. the air filter design was odd to me. at first i thought it was an inferior design due to the missing filter media, then, i realized how all of the air had to pass through a hole, and the media before it even came in contact with the carburetor.

wayne gravely's hometown center in lenoir nc is where i bought it from, and for now, i highly recommend... maybe we should have a review section for dealers... anyway, pics, as required by internet rules... first, i must apologize for taking pictures on the dog's rug, but, it was raining and cold outside... same as it's been the past 4 weeks.

 

Congrats, nice saw!!!!

 

They're a great saw. Just make sure that the air filter is fitted squarely over the carb mouth and that O ring. It can get cocked and let dust in.

Enjoy your 421!