I bit the bullet today and went to one of my local Stihl dealers and purchased my new chain saw today. Stihl MS 311 with 20 inch bar. I think I'm going to like it. This will go with my two cheap Poland Pros saws.

I love my Stihl. Have fun with it.

I don't know. May not be safe. Send it this way for me to test out for you.

Brand new saw right off the shelve , put Stihl pre-mix in it and chain oil. Four pulls on Full Choke and switch to Half Choke three pulls and started right up.

Don't forget your chaps, gloves, eye and face protection.

Stihl is hard to beat , i have an older 029 probably bought new in the early 90s. Use it every year finally replaced the fuel lines on it this year. Other than filters and spark plugs that is the only thing ever done to it.

Yep, get a cheap hockey mask and you'll have a great Halloween costume for greeting the kiddies at the door.

RAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! RRAAAHHH-RRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! Hi kids, want some candy?

Wow, $511.00 out here. Enjoy the wood cutting.

you'll likely like that saw very much.

got my mdl 391 for xmas last year with 20 inch bar & chain. and it's broke in now.

not to pick on your choice, no not all, it's your money & your decision. but you could of had the 391 w/more power and the same weight. just pickin'

the 20" bar & chain cuts through the big stuff around here. i don't know why i waited so long to replace the 3400 poulan.

Can't beat that! Hope you got some wedges already. Also recommend Stihl products for oils, etc.

Wedges will be my next purchase, already have gloves and safety glasses

No monkey fisting and cut to the side........not in front of you.
Google "Chainsaw Kickback"
Just sayin.....

30+ Stihls here......from 150 to ported 090.

Have fun.......keep a sharp chain.

Chaps.

Use the pre mix or else, be sure to use non ethanol gas.
I love the Stihl and have had my big Stihl for 20 years. Lots of firewood and 3 log cabins with that saw.
What a great machine.

Only thing, 12 years ago fried the carburetor seals. Cost $130. Since then, only non ethanol gas.

And hi test......says in the manual. That is the way they are tuned at the dealer.

Puregas.com.........

I'm using nothing but the Stihl Pre-Mix 92 Octane. What is the best length Wedges for most cutting other than felling trees?

I think you will love it but let be give you a tip. Nothing less that mid grade gas, oil and Stihl id good, and Seafoam in ever mix. Don't forget the Seafoam and you will be a happy woodcutter.

I'm using nothing but pre-mix from now on.

For cutting use plastic wedges only and I don't see much difference from one length to another.

Not an expert, but think you made a good choice. After years of experimenting, decided on the two Stihls here and they have been excellent - dependable and easy/great cutting.

Just this morning took down and sliced up a big juniper for firewood. Rarely take down a big Ponderosa, so have stayed with the lighter and easier to handle sizes. The 310 has plenty of power for our work. The 260 Pro is the same but lighter, and that compression release feature is a nice help when getting tired of pulling.

My saws got a lot better once I learned how to sharpen a chain - and not wait too long to switch to a sharp one.

Damn nice when you're up a tree or on a ladder too. I'm on my second 260. That 310 is a lot of saw.

The last sentence has Sooooo much truth.

I bought a new Stihl about six months ago. The old Stihl, the POS that it was finally crapped out after 36 years.
I believe that I bought the same saw as you just bought.
Have used quite a bit, and as good as the old one was, this one is a lot better.

Nice!


Good choice. I have an older 180 for my cabin and a 260 for home. They will not let ya down!

Wedges: In plastic a couple small 6 inch wedges to hinder pinching, and maybe a couple 10 inchers for tipping. If one needs to tip larger trees a couple steel ones with about 2 inches of lift would be good too.

Do be careful. Keep it clean, sharp, and serviced, and it should last a lifetime.

Stihls are fine saws, but the Huskys aren't too shabby. Have both, happy with both.

Stihl. The best!! First one lasted 20 years. Gave it to a friend. It's still running.

The reliability of my 360 pro is outstanding. Purchased a ms 260 and you can't cut a branch without something breaking. Gave it away to someone just to get it out of my sight. Going to replace it with a husqvarna or Stiihl pro saw. Maybe I just got a lemon but that was a piece of junk.

As I understand it Stihl has 3 lines of saws.
The pro models are for lumberjacks, and guys like me that use the saw quite a lot for log cabin building and cutting lots of firewood.

The middle grade are cheaper and are good saws but not as well built.

Then they have the cheapo grade for occasional use.


Husqvarna has at least 2 lines of saws.



This is the top-of-the-line Husqvarna. I bought it 3 years ago and it cost $625. This is a great little saw, I also used it extensively for building the log cabin last year. Also have cut a lot of firewood with this little jewel.




Here is my fierce Stihl 039. I was making the summerbeam for my new log cabin. This is a great saw I have had it for 20 years.

The MS-311 will be all the saw this old man will ever need and probably more than I will need

I had (actually still do) an 026 that has seen thousands of hours without a problem.. until I burned out the clutch. By then I had an 020T for occasional climbing that would work for a quick job on the ground too and thought it would be nice to have something with just a little more power than the 026.

Decided, rather than fix the clutch on the 026, to buy an MS361 instead. It's in the Pro line. Has the same cc's as the original poster's 311, with a little more power and a good bit less weight. I don't run saws that often anymore, but I'm thrilled with it when I do.

I wish I could afford to run nothing but premixed in my saws. A gallon a week is easy to do and that could double if I'm running the Alaskan mill a lot.

For my use and no more than I will use this saw the Pre-Mix will be all that I will use

I have some downed cottonwoods after our recent 90 mph windstorm. Come on out and break it in...beer, booze, and BBQ is on me.

How big????

I'll bring the big saws......

I just ordered the new husky battery powered saw. Got a brand new 562 also. impressive!

I hope your Stihl chainsaw runs better than my Stihl weed eater does. My Husky chainsaw is the best piece of power equipment that I have ever had.

4-stroke Stihl weed wacker?