MS441 doesn't belong to the 044 family. Not even the 1128 family. (044/MS440/046/MS460) Completely it's own animal. Stihl never built another one like it, for better or worse. (I still have mine!) 044's are like Vanilla Ice Cream. Everybody likes 'em as a whole, but there's quite a few variations of the flavor and everyone has a specific favorite variety.
Thanks for the tidbit. My 460 was my first big saw. Still have it and need to run it. Kinda tough with my 400 & 500 to choose sometimes.
I really like how people put the slant fin 044’s ect on a pedestal because how they were supposed to be way more powerful. The 10 mm might be a little stronger than a 12mm on stock ones I’ve ran but still close. Another awesome myth is that mystical red lever on certain years of saws that just made them a runner because of the color change on the master switch. I’ve had several red lever 026’s and still have one absolutely no different between it and the black lever ones I’ve had.
I loved the 460. Built a couple for personal use, have fixed and sold (both used and new) dozens. Think of the 044/MS440 as the small-block regular cab short-bed version of the 460. Very similar in build, but the 44 is just a bit lighter, slimmer, and friskier than the 46.
I got my 460 power head for $50 from a wood customer in 2018. I had no idea of its value at the time until I did some research after buying it.
