Stihl MS661 C-M first impressions

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Husqvolmar87

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
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Location
Germany, Saarland
Hello AS!

My name is stephan, im a 26 year old chainsaw fanatic from south-western germany :D

Since two years, I read this site here a lot. I must say, it is blowing me away how much knowledge and experience some of you guys have! Especially the saw-builders! I am a big Fan of those professional builders like Terry Landrum, Brad Snelling, Mastermind, Stumpy and all the others!

I am very interested in worksaw modifications, but germany, the land of dolmar, stihl and solo is unfortunately a wasteland when it comes to modded worksaws. There is no one who port worksaws on a professional level . That's why I tried it myself and step by step I'm getting better. But there is still a long, long, long way for me to become even semi-pro. But this site has already helped me a lot!

Half a year ago, I was in contact with Terry Landrum. I helped him a little with his logo design and He sold me a “wicked work saw kit” for my 390! I'm still very excited about it! Terry is really a great guy!


Last week I got a brand new Stihl MS661 CM and I did a little test with it against my 390 with the “wicked work saw kit”. I already posted this comparison in our german “motorsaegen-portal”.

The test was not really good, because I had little time and the weather was very bad. But I had some good feedback for it.

Then I thought to myself, why I should not post it here?

So here is my first post on AS


Brand new MS 661 CM
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Here in comparison with my 390
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Filtration differences between 261 and 661
The 661 has no pre-filtration!

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Some first and nice impressions of the 661:
- excellent finish and quality
- good acceleration and throttle response
- great antivibration system
- high torque

Negative impressions:

the filtration is not impressive, so it looks after only two cuts in small beechwood.
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Here the videos

(both saws wearing 20" bars, new stihl rsc chains and 8 pin rims)

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Some cuts in hard beechwood



First two cuts without pushing the saws.
In the third cut i’ve tried to push both saws the same way.


Noodling test




Airfilter test





I know the test was not fair, but that ported 390 is the only other saw in that class that I have at the moment. I also would have liked to have thicker wood for the test, but in the matter of time it was not possible for me.

One thing I can say, out of the box, the 661 is a damn strong saw. The saw feels noticeable stronger and more agile then its predecessor 660. The m-tronic does an excellent job!
Also, the saw has only been run for ten minutes! I'm sure that the saw will get even stronger after a few tanks of fuel.


If you have questions, or want specific pictures or videos, I'll try to get it.

Throughout the week I will weigh both saws for comparison.


I hope it was something interesting for you, and of course not my last post on AS… ;)


Greetings Stephan


PS: excuse my bad english, I will improve it…school is so long ago :(
Is it possible to send this saw from germany to the u.s.? To a serious builder?
 
Good info, its too bad they had to change the air filter after I have already stocked up on the hd2 ones......
 
No need to apologize for your English. I think it is a big accomplishment to learn a second language. I am still trying to learn my first language.
 
Nice 390 still not sure what to make of the 661
 
what's the chances of popping the jug off to see what's inside :msp_rolleyes:

and if my rep is working you just got a positive rep
 
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what's the chances of popping the jug off to see what's inside :msp_rolleyes:

and if my rep is working you just got a positive rep

i lovet to see the inside i wounder if its a Mahle cylinder
 
OP- how does the 661 feel in your hand as opposed to the 390xp? Weight, balance- just overall feel?


And your first post was fantastic- it was put together well, easy to follow, and easy to understand. It was very fluid I thought. It takes a lot of effort to put together a post like that.
 
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Nice video. I'm sure with break in the 661 will gain. Is the antivibe better on the stihl?
 
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