Tonight I picked up a Stihl MS441 R C-M with the M-Tronic carb on it. I bought the R, or wrap, model to get the high output oiler, dual big dawgs, roller chain catcher, and stiffer AV springs. This saw will be getting ported probably sooner than later, but wanted to see how it ran stock. I'm making no attempt at scientific testing, so take the vids for what they're worth. You'll want to watch the whold vid, as I make comments along the way to help explain what the saw feels like.
Over all, it's a very nice saw. It's very well balanced with the 28" Light bar I have on it. It does not feel loose at all, so those of you that don't like loosey goosey springs, you'll like this one.
I have mixed feelings about it's performance. I have to admit that I'm not a good judge of stock saws. None of my saws are stock long at all, so I have to keep that in perspective when I do run a stock saw. Never the less, I still think I'm overly critical of such. With that said, the saw seems to "hunt" for RPMs if there's any variation in load. It almost feels like the saw shifts gears up and down, hunting for the sweet spot. This made it very difficult to get it to settle down if you dogged it in to put a good load on it. You'll see what I mean in the vid. A standard carbed saw seems much smoother. Again, this is only a first tank opinion. Don't put too much stock in it yet.
The very first cuts I made I was quite disappointed. But, by the time I had a full tank through it, I noticed a significant difference. It seemed like a bigger difference than most other saws in just one tank. I think you will be able to see the difference when I return to the smaller test log at the end of the vid.
Another thing to note is how it takes a second to idle down after coming off the throttle. This is not an issue at all, just different.
I'm trying to be very open minded about this saws performance. I think it's more "different" than it is negative. It will just take a little getting used to. Let the saw do it's thing and it runs great. It will take more time behind it though to really tell. I think it'll be even less noticeable after it's ported. It'll have more grunt to keep those RPMs up where it likes to be.
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qW8OtZv0B_0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Over all, it's a very nice saw. It's very well balanced with the 28" Light bar I have on it. It does not feel loose at all, so those of you that don't like loosey goosey springs, you'll like this one.
I have mixed feelings about it's performance. I have to admit that I'm not a good judge of stock saws. None of my saws are stock long at all, so I have to keep that in perspective when I do run a stock saw. Never the less, I still think I'm overly critical of such. With that said, the saw seems to "hunt" for RPMs if there's any variation in load. It almost feels like the saw shifts gears up and down, hunting for the sweet spot. This made it very difficult to get it to settle down if you dogged it in to put a good load on it. You'll see what I mean in the vid. A standard carbed saw seems much smoother. Again, this is only a first tank opinion. Don't put too much stock in it yet.
The very first cuts I made I was quite disappointed. But, by the time I had a full tank through it, I noticed a significant difference. It seemed like a bigger difference than most other saws in just one tank. I think you will be able to see the difference when I return to the smaller test log at the end of the vid.
Another thing to note is how it takes a second to idle down after coming off the throttle. This is not an issue at all, just different.
I'm trying to be very open minded about this saws performance. I think it's more "different" than it is negative. It will just take a little getting used to. Let the saw do it's thing and it runs great. It will take more time behind it though to really tell. I think it'll be even less noticeable after it's ported. It'll have more grunt to keep those RPMs up where it likes to be.
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qW8OtZv0B_0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Another option is to really open the muffler up at the factory opening. This would mean no longer having a functional spark arrestor. I'll probably end up selling this saw, so that may not be a good idea. Ideas?
