Need Input Regarding Whether The Purge Button or Air Purge Button Really Makes It Easier to Start When Engine is Cold

[Targa]

Does the Stihl MS211 have two variants one of which has tool less chain adjusting, easy starter, and purge bulb? That is how the MS251 is offered. My MS251 with no purge bulb starts fine but in general the ones with purge bulbs benefit from using it.

https://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/homeowner-saws/ms211cbe/

Franny K, as a result of your reply I did some additional research and found that both the MS211-C-BE and the MS251-C-BE come with a purge bulb. As a result, I'm going to look at the MS211 version next week.

Thank you for the suggestion

 

[Joseph W Santora]

And yes you can push it till the cows come home and it won't flood the saw.

I call BS. I went out and pumped till I couldn't pump any more and NO COWS.

 

[ammoaddict]

I call BS. I went out and pumped till I couldn't pump any more and NO COWS.

If it floods your saw, your carb has problems. If working properly it just pumps fuel through the carb and back into the tank to get the air out the lines. It doesn't put fuel into the cylinder. There is a good video on YouTube of how they work.

 

[pdqdl]

You will not flood a chainsaw by pushing the purge bulb too much!

Some do. Overchoking is even better at it.

 

[link]

I'm currently trying to restore my 35 year old Stihl 024AV but plan to buy a additional new chainsaw in the meantime. My 024 has always been hard to start when its cold but ran good when it warms up and cuts well with 3 HP and a 16" bar.

I'm just a diy homeowner with about 300-400 (40-50 year old) pine trees that need attention each year.

I am considering purchasing either a Stihl MS211 , a Echo CS 352 or a Husqvarna 435 each having a 16" bar. I'm 74 and like the size and weight of these saws.

My question is whether the Echo and Husqvarna models which each have a Purge or Air Purge button will be noticeably easier to start when cold than the Stihl MS211 which does not have one?

I would appreciate any input and suggestions.

Thank you

I'd prefer the saw without a bulb, its just another useless invention that pose a weakness in the system.
Put the choke on it will pull the gas in 2 or 3 pulls...

 

[cscltd]

Given your life experience, I would say the c-be version of ms211 would be best as it would be the easiest to pull over as our ability to quickly climb stairs and pull starter ropes with a rapid force is one of the first to go.
The Stihl easy starts don’t require speed- you can pull it as slow as you want and will crank engine at the correct starting speed- maybe not a factor now, but in 5 years may prove worthwhile

 

[livemusic]

My Makita ea4300 has a bulb but it also has a pull rope gizmo that is kinda like Stihl's in that it is spring-assisted or somehow, you have to barely pull it and it turns the motor over. I love the saw.

Today, I had to correct a worker (again) NOT to pull hard on the rope on this saw like he has a tendency to do on, say, my 462. He's over there yanking like crazy, just nuts. You just barely pull it.

 

[ammoaddict]

My Makita ea4300 has a bulb but it also has a pull rope gizmo that is kinda like Stihl's in that it is spring-assisted or somehow, you have to barely pull it and it turns the motor over. I love the saw.

Today, I had to correct a worker (again) NOT to pull hard on the rope on this saw like he has a tendency to do on, say, my 462. He's over there yanking like crazy, just nuts. You just barely pull it.

That's the way my Dolmar 6100 is. It has over 200psi compression and starts easy if you pull slowly.

 

[oldbuzzard]

You will not flood a chainsaw by pushing the purge bulb too much!

Theoretically you shouldn’t, but I’ve had a couple of saws where it did.

 

[Farmer_Nate]

If a saw is of good quality and in good repair, in my opinion

1) a primer bulb is an answer to a problem which doesn't exist,
2) a primer adds cost and complexity,
3) a primer is a weak point of almost any saw due to cracks and leaks in the fragile plastic and rubber components.

I have even disabled 'em on certain equipment, with good results. I don't mind a few more pulls on the rope sometimes if it eliminates cracked bulbs, air leaks, cracked hoses...