Why are flippy caps hated?

[Motodeficient]

Love flippy caps. Had one fall apart on an MS-250, but other that that one instance I have no complaints. That saw did have the tool-less tensioner, now that is one feature that I really do hate! That part gave me nothing but problems. I have found you have to clean that assembly very often to keep it working properly, and even then its a crapshoot.

 

[StihlyinEly]

If you cannot successfully operate a Stihl flippy cap you should be considered too incompetent to operate a chainsaw, drive a car or breed.

:agree2:

Whining about flippy caps is like whining about anything. Just gives those who are inclined to whine something to whine about.

 

[WoodChuck'r]

Hooray Flippy Cap Thread!!!

:greenchainsaw:

 

[slowp]

Well, I guess I better sell my car and not drive. Or run a saw. While the flippy cap will not bother most of the time, that little thingy in it will get turned the wrong way, guaranteed, when the rain is pouring down and it is 33 degrees out, and you have cold hands and have to cut a tree out of a road.
I hate them. I hate them so much that if the dealer here wasn't so good, I'd get a husky for my next saw. If I ever needed another saw.

The one on the weedwhacker needs extra fiddling around with 95% of the time.

Stihl should do a recall.

 

[WoodChuck'r]

This guy is a complete idiot. He is turning it like a car filler cap. Turn it till it clicks three times or BREAKS! Idiot! Its a cam. When its done turning, stop cranking it. Idiot!

If you cannot successfully operate a Stihl flippy cap you should be considered too incompetent to operate a chainsaw, drive a car or breed.

"That guy"??

It's Andyshine77!!

 

[CentaurG2]

Over engineered piece of junk. Snap, nine bucks please. A desperate attempt by stihl to differentiate themselves from the competition. Lord knows they cant do it with the performance of their saws. Now they tell me on the new 362 you need a scrench to get at the airfilter but you dont need one for the caps? Brilliant thinking stihl!!

 

[rmihalek]

Over engineered piece of junk. Snap, nine bucks please. A desperate attempt by stihl to differentiate themselves from the competition. Lord knows they cant do it with the performance of their saws. Now they tell me on the new 362 you need a scrench to get at the airfilter but you dont need one for the caps? Brilliant thinking stihl!!

I agree. Bring back the screw caps. And, make them big enough and easy enough to get to (like on the old 090s) that you can open it in the winter with gloves on without a scrench.

 

[Bounty Hunter]

I don't hate flippy caps...I just not a real big fan of 'em either. The Stihl screw caps have always worked, never leaked, and never swell and get too tight to use without a wench (like box-store Poulans do)...maybe because I don't over-tighten them.

The flippy caps do seem too collect dirt and crud in all kinds of ways...I spend more time tring to clean around and in a flippy cap than a screw cap...in attempting to avoid the dirt falling into the fuel or oil. Unnecessary probably, but a precisely engineered assembly...full of crud...seems like a problem on the way to happen.

Most the time flippy caps turn and seat fine. Experience caused me to never overfill the oil tank, or the flippy cap will have trouble fitting properly. This has to be admonished to ground personnel when I'm up in a tree...twice I've had the flippy caps fall out after a 200T got sent back up and a groundie didn't seat it right...not good.

So any engineering will have its advantages and its disadvantages...and its champions and its critics.

My father used to say "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain...AND MOST DO".

 

[webie]

Jury is out here yet . I have my old 024 with screw on caps that the fuel has leaked some since it was new and you have a very hard time to get the oil cap off because it seats so tight , that design sucked . My 026 those screw on caps work great did when they were new and still do . The screw on caps on the 180's work great too just hand tighting , infact I like those big caps and also like the chain adjuster on those saws as they are used for brushing saws and if you pop the chain off in the bush you can put it back on with out any tools but those saws and there purpose is the only reason i like the tooless chain adjuster . Now the flippy caps I have a 192t,260 ,360,361,460, What sucks is all the crud that gets into spots you cant seem to get it out of along with all the crud in the tank grooves I spend more time trying to clean out the caps then use the scrench to open a screw on cap . Whats nice they are quick and tooless . All of mine work good with no issues except the oil cap on the 360 , I am on my 3rd one . It never seems to line up right or seat right , There for its been 2 broken already , but they never leak on me , infact I have no flippy caps that leak .
Best thing I have found for cleaning flippy caps before fueling is we use cans of compressed air for blowing out the dirt . Or an air tank works good too .

 

[gink595]

Jury is out here yet . I have my old 024 with screw on caps that the fuel has leaked some since it was new and you have a very hard time to get the oil cap off because it seats so tight , that design sucked . My 026 those screw on caps work great did when they were new and still do . The screw on caps on the 180's work great too just hand tighting , infact I like those big caps and also like the chain adjuster on those saws as they are used for brushing saws and if you pop the chain off in the bush you can put it back on with out any tools but those saws and there purpose is the only reason i like the tooless chain adjuster . Now the flippy caps I have a 192t,260 ,360,361,460, What sucks is all the crud that gets into spots you cant seem to get it out of along with all the crud in the tank grooves I spend more time trying to clean out the caps then use the scrench to open a screw on cap . Whats nice they are quick and tooless . All of mine work good with no issues except the oil cap on the 360 , I am on my 3rd one . It never seems to line up right or seat right , There for its been 2 broken already , but they never leak on me , infact I have no flippy caps that leak .
Best thing I have found for cleaning flippy caps before fueling is we use cans of compressed air for blowing out the dirt . Or an air tank works good too .

Aren't the 024/026 caps the same?

I agree with the tooless caps, at first I liked them and then after a while they started to be a PITA trying to get lined up, I never had a problem with them leaking or breaking just lining up correctly sometimes. I guess it doesn't matter to me but screw on caps have there PITA moments too. I guess if I had to pick one it would be the screw on caps, it's a effective timeless design that will still work when none of us do.

 

[woodbooga]

Hooray Flippy Cap Thread!!!

Someone should start a poll!

 

[andrethegiant70]

If I started with flippy caps I probably would not have a problem with them. Generally, fixing something that does not have a problem (regular screw-on caps) will annoy many, myself included. They seem to work ok for the most part, but I do now have a little pile of broken ones. Moving parts break more than non-moving ones, unless the non-moving ones were flawed (which they weren't, in this case). In my case, the flippy's do the job, but the screw on caps just didn't need an upgrade, simple as that. Sometimes upgrades are good because they address problems, other times they are just a tactic to get you to buy the next item they slap on the shelf.

They might actually be SLIGHTLY more convenient. There's no doubt in my mind that there is a cost in reliability, though. I prefer the screw-on cap as part of an overall "less is more" philosophy regarding chainsaws. The KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid) reigns supreme when reliability is critical.

The tool-less tensioner thing seems like a pretty good idea to me, but it would have to work as well as the scrench method. What they have done so far has been pretty rinky-dink.

 

[webie]

tool less tensioner

I am just wondering if part of the idea behind the tensioner was to keep people ( Idiots ) from running the chain too tight .

 

[webie]

Aren't the 024/026 caps the same?



Not sure if all the 024 and 026 caps were different but these are my 2

the 024

View attachment 142602

now the 026

View attachment 142603

 

[spacemule]

Flippy caps: proof that Stihl can take any random dump in a box they want, and blow joes will still lick the tape that held it shut and think they're being smart for doing so.

 

[Rounder]

I like 'em fine - Sam

 

[Zombiechopper]

"That guy"??

It's Andyshine77!!

Sorry man, but its true. You do NOT turn these until they "click" like he is doing. That is breaking them! That cap is broken from operator error. Don't blame the cap, its the cranking on it that is ruining it. They close with a slight cam action. If you keep twisting after its already closed its just going to cause damage and/or misalign it. I am sure that is why that cap doesn't work right.

 

[FATGUY]

Sorry man, but its true. You do NOT turn these until they "click" like he is doing. That is breaking them! That cap is broken from operator error. Don't blame the cap, its the cranking on it that is ruining it. They close with a slight cam action. If you keep twisting after its already closed its just going to cause damage and/or misalign it. I am sure that is why that cap doesn't work right.

Jeff, the video was done as a joke....

 

[redfire312]

I Even the gas caps on disposable Poulans and Homelites don't leak. Those brands use a nice fat o-ring on the sealing surface.

The poulan may not leak, but mine's a real PITA to get off when they've swelled, from the ethanol I guess

 

[jeepyfz450]

I only have a flippy cap on my weed smacker but it works fine. i could care less either way as long as they seal well.


On a side note its kinda funny how upset these caps make people. mostly the Anti-Stihl guys....... lol wow.....