got a new stihl ms 441 today

[a old timberjack]

 last nite i went to beaver brook saw shop in conn. and broke down and got a ms 441.  i been researching them for a while and that was the best contender to me. i havent run it yet , 3 days of rain but i will let you guys know how she is.  we used them in the stock saw contest at the brooklyn fair last year. it was for 7.9 sec. but that little bit put a bug in my ear. that new air tecno. is pretty impressive. it is .3 less then a ms460 but it has more torque. i dont want to sound like a salesman but if i am gonna spent 800 bucks i like to know about it. 

[sawguy21]

We have sold a few and the customers seem happy with them. We did run into a problem with a log home builder though. He felt there was too much flex in the mounts when notching but I believe that may have been inexperience, he was fairly new at it. He had 3/8 round top chain.

[windthrown]

Congrats on the 441 purchase. I have been oogling over one for a while now (for felling/bucking larger trees around here). I found that the 460 was just too hard on my hands (vibration). The 441 is spring mounted and thus has way better ergonomics, like my 361. As for being too flexible of a saw, that is because they are spring mounted to reduce vibration. You get used to them, and they are way better on your hands and arms, and less tiring.

The only thing that has kept me from buying the 441 is the strato-air-flow carb setup. Supposedly there is no way to port them or open up the muffler to get more power out of them Also they are supposed to be gutless at elevation (over 6,000 ft. elevation). The wider body (compared to the narrow 440) and/or 'rocking horse' spring mount setup are asthetic; some cut the 441 down for those features, but man, they are smooooooooth running saws. Smoooooooth is good. 

[Cut4fun]

The only thing that has kept me from buying the 441 is the strato-air-flow carb setup. Supposedly there is no way to port them or open up the muffler to get more power out of them Also they are supposed to be gutless at elevation (over 6,000 ft. elevation). The wider body (compared to the narrow 440) and/or 'rocking horse' spring mount setup are asthetic; some cut the 441 down for those features, but man, they are smooooooooth running saws. Smoooooooth is good. 

I have seen a woods ported 441 and a alky running 441. So they do mod, the woods ported one had the stock carb. Just a word of warning, the woods ported 441 was finally brought up to cut with the stock Dolmar 7900. So save money and get the 7900 from the get go (pay less get more). I have ran a stock 441 and you have to be so darn light handed with them to keep from bogging them out (gutless), not my kind of saw to get in my stable.

[a old timberjack]

 one thing i liked was the vibration factor.....way less then the other big saws. it also has the same specs as the husky 372 with more torque. around here , there alot of guys with problems with the new husky that took place of the 372, they all eat crank bearings and seals, i admit, i jumped ship.   the stihl support around here is excellant!!.  i always felt stihl makes a awsome product, just my 2 cents.

[jokers]

..........it is .3 less then a ms460 but it has more torque.

How did you come to that conclusion? I haven`t looked into the specs of the 441 but none of the guys who I know who are using them have made this discovery or claim. Everyone does say that they are very smooth and that the air filtration is much better than what had been the Stihl standard. Now you know how good modern Husky or Dolmar filtration and anti-vibe are.

..........i dont want to sound like a salesman but if i am gonna spent 800 bucks i like to know about it.

So when are you going back to get the other stuff that you already paid for? 441 is well under $700. The 460 Arctic that I bought in February was $825.

uhhh......you do sound like a salesman.........look at your signature line and the several Stihl saws listed as opposed to the one older Husky. I can`t see from here how you consider yourself to have "jumped ship"........and oh yeah......although I`m not impressed with the 575 or likely to buy another, my two year old modified 575xp hasn`t had any mechanical issues. Where DO you get your info? That really big forum where everyone is an expert? !

[a old timberjack]

i dont know of any other forums, it is not rocket science to read a few brochures at the end of the day sitting in your lazy-boy if you look at my profile i still use everyday a 288xp , i work in the woods, i am not rich, before i spend my money that i risk my life for every day i like to know what i am buying and i rearserch the hell out of everything i buy, that is just me. if your friends did not come up with this info, that is there fault, they must of already new all the specs, good for them.

[a old timberjack]

 i have tried a few, i tried a husky for a while and i did not like it. i am not saying it is a bad saw.  it is a good one,( a 575 and a 372 are awsome saws )  i have about 10 288's for parts, thats why i been running them for the last 10 years  no different if you like ford and i like chevy, several loggers around my neck of the woods run 575 huskys and they all ( ok 5 guys ) had there share of problems you mite be lucky and done something different, good for you!!!! everyone is entitled to there own opinion and i stated mine . trying to pass some 2 cents on to my fellow loggers sometimes research pays. right now the log market is poor so every cent saved pays off.

[Corley5]

I checked out a 441 at Sawlex and thought it was a pretty DanG nice saw.  I didn't get to try it out though.  The 7900 Dolmar that I cut a couple red oak cookies with was impressive 

[a old timberjack]

 i dont know what got jokers all fired up, i tried a few different ones my good friend runs dolmars and i tried one and i just did not feel comfortable hanging on to it, nomatter what i tried i kept going back to the 441 and then i reserched the living hell out of what makes it tick my wife is finially glad i bought one , i have about 10 different manufactures spec sheets sence the show in bangor across the living room floor agian!! everyone is entitled to a opinion .who knows , i could run over it with the skidder and go out and buy a 575!!! and a side note, i did mention my home saw shop, those guys keep me going every day to make my living and i cannot thank them enough..........Brandon

[windthrown]

So when are you going back to get the other stuff that you already paid for? 441 is well under $700. The 460 Arctic that I bought in February was $825.

[snip] Where DO you get your info? That really big forum where everyone is an expert? !

Where did you (Jokers) get your prices for the 441? No 441's around here for sale for under $700. The last one I looked at here in Orygun was $825 with a 'full' (really 3/4) wrap, a 28 inch bar and dual dawgs. Base price on these babies does not even include a bar.

As for expert forums, are you referring to AS?

[logger]

So when are you going back to get the other stuff that you already paid for? 441 is well under $700. The 460 Arctic that I bought in February was $825.

[snip] Where DO you get your info? That really big forum where everyone is an expert? !

Where did you (Jokers) get your prices for the 441? No 441's around here for sale for under $700. The last one I looked at here in Orygun was $825 with a 'full' (really 3/4) wrap, a 28 inch bar and dual dawgs. Base price on these babies does not even include a bar.

As for expert forums, are you referring to AS?

I would say so.   

[windthrown]

i dont know what got jokers all fired up, i tried a few different ones my good friend runs dolmars and i tried one and i just did not feel comfortable hanging on to it, nomatter what i tried i kept going back to the 441 and then i reserched the living hell out of what makes it tick my wife is finially glad i bought one , i have about 10 different manufactures spec sheets sence the show in bangor across the living room floor agian!! everyone is entitled to a opinion .who knows , i could run over it with the skidder and go out and buy a 575!!! and a side note, i did mention my home saw shop, those guys keep me going every day to make my living and i cannot thank them enough..........Brandon

Have to agree, though with me its the Husky that I never liked. I do not like the outboard clutches and/or the saw package. I have tried a Dolmar 5100s, but there are zero Dolmar dealers within 100 miles of here. There are 4 Stihl dealers, half of which also carry Husky, within 20 minutes of here. Anyway, I am a StihlHead. I have a 210, 290, and 361 now, and I had a 460. Have some other Stihl stuff too. Stihl saws all start pretty much the same, have the same type of grips, levers and handles, they all run one type of gas mix, and have gas/oil in the same places. And I can go to one place to get all the parts. I do a lot of felling, bucking, firewood cutting, windthrow clearing, thinning, and fencepost cutting around here. Not a pro logger, but I cut a lot of wood just the same. We have over 100 acres here in big trees...  

[jokers]

Hey, I`m hardly "fired up" but I am quite sick and tired of hearing so many guys pronounce the 441 a real winner when infact every brand out there, including Stihl, has a better alternative in their current line up. Based on my own experience and ability to decipher spec sheets I questioned where you came up with your opinion that the 441 has more torque than a 460 or even that it has more torque than a 372? Several guys whom I know that own 441s say that they aren`t quite a match for a decently running 372, close, but not quite. In defense of the 441 I would say that it is a better executed attempt at an EPA saw than the 575 is. That fact notwithstanding, we can still get 460s, 372s, and 7900s.

I`ll admit that my evaluation of the 441 may be a little harsh but I just don`t see anything that it offers as exceptionally good. I bought my 575 when they first came out believeing that the 372 was no more and I wanted to know what I was up against if I was staying with Husky in that size saw. Since that time I`ve seen wave after wave of 372s become available and found that the 460 when modified properly is one wicked machine so I`m going to keep on using the saws with better power/weight ratios and more potential until nothing else is available. To each their own.

BTW, although the 288xp had a strong following it is not modern nor Husky`s best current technology. The prices on Stihls must be substantially lower here huh? Either that or you guys are getting buggered. I inquired as to the price of the 441 when I bought the 460 Arctic and was offered a non-Arctic 441 w/20" b&c for $650.

Best wishes and safe cutting to you while using your new saw timberjack.

[windthrown]

I have a copy of the ~older~ 2006 Stihl recommended price list (pre 2007 markup).  The MS441 (standard) is listed at these prices with these bars  :

20 in. $749.95
24 in. $759.95
28 in. $769.95
32 in. $779.95

$650 is a dirt cheap quote for a 441.  Stihl dealers out here are steadfast to their prices. I could call 6 dealers near here and they would all give me the same prices (I did that when I bought my 361). No buggering going on... other than standard dealer Stihl price fixing.
 

[beenthere]

I bought my MS361 (20" bar) at my Stihl dealer, and the price was $500. Other dealers were considerably higher. Off hand, don't remember how much higher (although one dealer said that he had the price but could not get any MS361's at the time, as they were not out yet....I think he had old stock to sell first).

[windthrown]

I bought my MS361 (20" bar) at my Stihl dealer, and the price was $500. Other dealers were considerably higher. Off hand, don't remember how much higher (although one dealer said that he had the price but could not get any MS361's at the time, as they were not out yet....I think he had old stock to sell first).

That is one heck of a good price for a new 361. They sell used for more than that on Ebay all the time. That said, I paid about $525 for my 361 earlier this year (before the prices went up). The 361 listed for $590 with a 20 inch bar before the 2007 price hike.

[amberwood]

ok forgetting the the saw comparison but to put the prices in perspective try buying one over here!

MS460 inc 25" bar..AU$1750..that is US$1435 or CAD$1660

Even a little MS250 is over AUD$800!!


DTR

[a old timberjack]

well i tried her tonite ( today ) i put 3700 ft of ehite pine on the ground very impressed. i do like the low vibe , easy starting sompared to the 288xp, and the weght ( it just feels lighter ) it had plenty of sac for my application. now i will just have to see how it takes my everyday abuse over time...........Brandon

[rahtreelimbs]

The only thing that has kept me from buying the 441 is the strato-air-flow carb setup. Supposedly there is no way to port them or open up the muffler to get more power out of them Also they are supposed to be gutless at elevation (over 6,000 ft. elevation). The wider body (compared to the narrow 440) and/or 'rocking horse' spring mount setup are asthetic; some cut the 441 down for those features, but man, they are smooooooooth running saws. Smoooooooth is good. 

I have ran a stock 441 and you have to be so darn light handed with them to keep from bogging them out (gutless), not my kind of saw to get in my stable.

Can't understand this...................my 441 runs good enough for me that I have no want to mod it!!!