Stihl MS 251 Wood Boss

I’ve had mine for about 3 years and use it for firewood collection / mostly hardwood. I needed something quite light because a lot of the wood I colllect is at ground level and need to manage fatigue. Good for what it is, but a little more torque would be good. As others have said, it seems to oil the chain well, when not under load but heavy… Read more

cutting leads to burning the chain and dulling very quickly. I’ve switched to a carbide chain which largely fixed the problem. Bar and chain are a bit flimsy - would be great if it could be upgraded in that department. I think people find it difficult to start because the handle is too small to get your foot through to hold it down. In retrospect I probably should have gone for the 261 for my needs.

Bought the 251 about 4 months ago, have cut about 5 ton of wood with it, Starts easily, cut well and doesn't get hot on 40 degree days cutting through 3 foot logs of redgum, very happy with my purchase. Show details

Poor service – Owned for 13 months and won’t start Contacted place of purchase and 7 to 8 week wait to book in What a joke Stihl Live on acreage and need a chainsaw for emergency so off to buy another chainsaw Show details

Rubbish. Burnt hole through piston – Burn a hole in piston within 2 weeks of purchase. Returned to Stihl who denied a warranty claim stating bad fuel. Same fuel used in my other Stihl machines without problem. Warranty is worthless. 20 years of Stihl loyalty not worth a cent Show details

Great if you maintain it – Be sure to clean spark arrester screen in muffler or it will lose power and not start properly Show details

Wood Boss 251 works well but will kill your wallet on buying bars and chains – My troubles with Stihl 251 Woodboss began when my first bar was short on adjustment, so I was forced to buy a new chain, replacing one that was barely worn. This is not your daddy's Stihl, as it obviously has been corrupted with planned obsolescence. I have had to replace a worn bar and perfectly good chains. I am very unhappy with this… Read more

purchase. It is bad enough when a tool fails you, but when it is designed to fail, that is criminal in my view.

Beats a Husovana and any thing else out there – I have had many chainsaws and this Stihl 251 is the best out there (18" / 450mm). Easy to start , plenty of power , smooth to run , economical and the perfect weight. If you are buying a chainsaw and want it to last. You must save up and buy a Stihl. Worth every dollar in reliability.  Show details

Great small saw – First of all I I have been working on saws a long time and running them a lot longer. I've owned everything from 180's to 660's. I like the 251's a lot better than the 025's or 250's. Don't buy the "ez to start" cause it will eventually fail. If you can't start a 251 you probably don't need to be running a chainsaw. I've worked on about every… Read more

brand and Stihl is a much better made. You get what you pay for. The ms251, 261,and 500i are all the saws you will ever need. If you only run a saw 2 or 3 times a year use the engineered fuel like motomix or SEF and there are others. When you know how there made you'll choose STIHL.

Very disappointed – Ms 251 bought new and it won't hold its revs and dies trying to cut through a 200mm soft wood log.they changed the carboy and turned it under warranty but it's still a dog.my $100 aldi saw cuts better than this.so disappointed. sthil crap Show details

Unstoppable wood boss – Unstoppable. Super easy to start. Power to burn. Have used and abused it for close to 6 years. Have cut tree roots in the ground, railway sleepers, termite filled trees etc etc. cleaned up sharpened chain and away it goes again. Chain brake works fine. I use it between cuts for safety no dramas. Has never just actuated for no reason. Have used saws for years. Will not need another. Show details

Fantastic saw!!! Cuts hardwood like a hot knife through butter – I would definitely recommend this chainsaw if you need a reliable saw to collect a full trailer load of fire wood regularly. I have really pushed this saw cutting up pieces of jarrah apx 30 inches wide effortlessly. It very efficient on fuel, bar oil & easy on basic maintenance. It always starts within the first few pulls.  Show details

Poor design & quality – Moved to a 5 acre property and needed a bigger saw than my mini. Bought this model and have been able to use it 3 times in 5 months. 2nd use in the middle of a cut it poured smoke. Dealer said clutch had been cooked due to excessive idling? As I needed saw I accepted explanation and paid $130 to have repaired. Next time in use did exactly the same… Read more

thing, when I complained to customer service Stihl rep sent an insultingly condescending email telling me that the chain brake can be activated in the middle of a cut. If this is true, it is the most ridiculous design feature I can think of. Imagine if you were doing a 100kmh on a freeway and your car decided to activate the handbrake. I have been using chainsaws for 50 plus years and have never had a saw behave this way.

November 2ns 2017 Update: Piece of garbage.

I have been using chainsaws for 50 odd years and this is an appalling piece of engineering. Half way through cutting a log the inertia chain brake can just decide to engage. This results in the clutch burning out and the saw becoming inoperative. Problem is then exacerbated by Stihl Australia refusing to take any responsibility, and indeed not replying to either e-mails,letters or phone calls. Their so called customer service department is anything but, and a letter directed to the CEO has not been answered. Do not buy this product under any circumstances, and for a company that used to stand by their products, this is an extremely disappointing response.