Summary:
nbest saw for the money

Strengths:
light weight...great handling....awesome cutting.good power

Weaknesses:
none yet

Summary:
Love it. I nursed a craftsman for 10 years before getting stuck with a downed tree when my saw quit. I can take the stihl as my only saw and feel confident it will perform. I also got the stihl sharpening kit and this saw will cut all day long.

Strengths:
Lightweight, reliable, cheaper than the bigger stihls

Weaknesses:
Have to adjust mixture for elevation changes (200ft+). Most saws suffer from this.

Summary:
I have had many brands of chainsaws but they were all almost impossible to start after the first year. After my cabin got hit by a landslide I knew I would be needing a good saw and it has been great. I have used it exclusively around my property on the puget sound. It has been used for trees and clean up of the cabin debris. I'm going through salt water soaked wood and debris almost every time I use it. There are times I wish it had more power but after using it for a few hours I'm glad it doesn't weigh anymore than it does. I have never been happy with a chainsaw until I bouught this one!

Strengths:
Great saw for the money. Good power to weight ratio.

Weaknesses:
None but I can't imagine this saw without the Easy 2 Start system.

Summary:
Would not recommend to anyone, there is some type of problem with the carb on mine ( made in china ), unless there is some upgrade that they made since mine was built, I would not buy again, note I have used this saw for less than eight hours since it was new.

Strengths:
Works good when it runs

Weaknesses:
Will not start, I've had mine back to the dealership three times to have the carb rebuilt, the first time they told me not to leave fuel in it, OK my fault, second time no explanation, one month later I took it back again because it wouldn't start, it is at the dealer waiting to get fixed now.

Summary:
I expected more but am generally not dissappointed.

Strengths:
My dad, brother and I all bought saws the same day. My brother got a 250, my dad got a 361 and I opted for a 210. This saw and the MS-250 are both built on the same platform. In comparing the 2 directly I like 210. Its less HP but 210 comes with the style 3/8-91 (low profile) chain that is not as wide. With the narrower chain, 210 cuts just as fast as 250 but uses less gas, less bar oil, and vibrates your hands less. 250 seems to use about twice as much fuel and oil to do the same work. I've cut about 40 cord of wood with my 210 and much of that was blocked (rather than split) with the saw. It's light enough to carry all day. Doesn't even come close to comparing to 361 though. Overall, I liked it enough to buy another for a spare. This saw for limbing and a 361 for bucking make a perfect pair for someone whos primary heat source is firewood.

Weaknesses:
I've only had a few minor issues with the saw. If you're not mechanically inclined, I'd recommend never buying ANY brand of chain saw. All of them require regular maintainance and Stihl is no exception. I'd like to see a better design for the toolless oil and fuel caps. I've dumped gas or oil all over myself a couple times now because they looked closed but weren't. Also, they tend to collect crud and contaminate the fuel/oil tanks. Stihl-USA really needs to upgrade their carberators. They're made in China and there's room for improvement. About every 20-30hrs you'll need to pull the carb, dis-assemble it and blow all the orifices with compressed air. I've done this 3 times now. Saw works fine then eventually throttle response at full throttle is poor, as if the carb is not pumping fuel. I suspect the problem is related to wood chips entering the small hole next to the pump diaphram. Easy-start is not my favorite and the spare saw doesn't have it. I find myself wanting to pull the rope about half way then quickly follow up with a full pull. This is probably very bad for the spring as it would tend to over-wind it but it hasn't broke yet. The E-clip fell off and ground easy-start starter parts on the flywheel. New E-clip seems to have rectified this problem. The air filter clogs very quickly and needs to be blown off with compressed air about every other tank of gas. Quick adjust chain cover is nice, but I've flipped the chain off only twice and it's nearly chipped through the lower cover mount. It should be fitted with a piece of replaceable nylon/rubber or be made from aluminum to resist this damage.