Brought one and paid $1100. Lasted just over 12 months. When we took it back to the dealer because it wasn't working they told us that the pistons where gone due to incorrect fuel. There is on way that could of happened. Have other tools that use the same fuel they are still going strong. Piece of junk no after sales help. The saw is just out of warranty. Hopeless tool hopeless after sales service don't do it

Died after 5 months - piston scored. Stihl dealer insisted it was due to incorrect fuel mix- even though it had always been run on the same mix (using Stihl 2stroke oil) as my other Stihl gear. Stihl head office simply refused to reply to emails & calls.
Was great when it was running, but the premium paid for something which did not even last half a year was just wasted money - would have been better off just buying junk and throwing them away at the first sign of trouble: the Ozito bought as an emergency replacement has lasted 4 times as long & still going strong.

As I say in the heading I've had this chainsaw for a very long time and it's served me well and worked hard, just this day at time of writing I cut up about a ton of heavy wood for the fire. Never had trouble starting it ever. So don't be put of indeed if it were stolen I'd go get another.

Piece of junk. Barrel and piston are scored and apparently ruined after 3 months. STIHL says its had the wrong fuel mix even though all my other 6 saws that run on the exact same fuel start first pull.
Only STIHL saws worth potentially buying are the arborist saws and the 66 but be careful my mate bought a stihl saw and pulled it apart before he turned it on and the piston was rusty. If something goes wrong its never their fault.

I've been helping a tree lopper as a groundie & I've been using a 381 as a ground saw, while the climber is in the tree; it's a very nice saw for it's weight. I'm used to using a Stihl 660, a Makita 7901, or a Husky 395 - the 381 is lighter than the 660 & the 395 without giving up too much productivity. It's not as gutsy as the 7901, but it's all you need it to be. For 24" or larger gum tree logs, the bigger saws are quicker, but the 381 will still cut them, no dramas. I like it!

After 10 to 12 hours use, 3 broken cylinder hold down screws and a scored bore, 038 on it. The carby is some Chinese brand never heard of. No gasket and diaphragm kit available. Thank god my 19 year old 365 husky is still going strong. Never another stihl in my life!

I've had 2 STIHL MS381 Magnums 1 after the other. My younger brother's got 1 as well. My dad's got an original 038 Magnum. We brought them to do commercial firewood & logging. They are a high torque saw. Very well suited for Australian Hardwood. I'm running 20" & 25" bars & chains. Have had a 36" skipper tooth ripping bar & chain on an Alaskan Mark 3 mill. Can't fault the saw. Thoroughly recommend them.

A reliable grunt machine, 3.9kw and 20inch bar.This saw eats anything you throw at it. Very managable and responsive unit. Cuts 30inch logs no problem, pine, macro, NZ native etc. Uses 900mls of fuel per hour flat out. I buried the saw into 30inch log and didnt slow it down. 72.2cc and 6.6kgs in weight (its not a plastic saw). In a nut shell, Brilliant. Edit 6-8-18.......saw is still going strong with no faults, honestly bomb proof

Performance,reliable,strong,excellent saw love it gets the job done in no time.The saw has a very long life span.My granddad first saw was a stihl 038 he has bein doin loogin all his life and also my dad. For my dad he also love the stihl 038 and the ms 381.

Friend recommended the ms 381 to me. As he is a treelopper, or arborist to some, i took his advise. So glad i did as this is a beast. So much grunt to rip through the toughest mature hardwood gum. Older but bulletproof technology that is super reliable. Will flood if starting sequence isn't followed.

I sold my 15 year old Husky to buy the Stihl, main reason was that I couldnt buy another husky locally.
This 381 is a size bigger than my 365 Husqvarna.
So far quite happy with it, mostly been doing softwood and some hardwood. (redgum and other) its been ripping through the wood. Still using the straight edge chain.
Going to buy a bigger bar, 25 inch as I have some bigger stumps to cut through.

But so far really happy with the chainsaw, its a bit harder to pull start than the old saw, but that can be a good thing.

Great saw. Bought this after having a stihl 023 for cutting the odd bit of firewood. I then got the 318 after purchasing wood fire place and needed more power in a saw. It was like of getting out of a lancer into a Ferrari. Great power and can use this saw all day it's not really that heavy. Makes job whole lot easier buying a decent saw. A week before I bought the 318 tried my luck with a buamer ag 72 cc Chinese $200 piece of [censored word removed]. Honestly does no where near compare in power and quality, even though being the same cc's. save the dramas just buy a stihl

I liked the idea of the 023 stihl with quick chain tensioner, where as this you have to loosen two bar nuts off. Very minor con though

After much consideration I purchased a 381 and I am delighted. perfect for most applications.Sure not as much Grunt as a 660,but unless you are full time forestry worker the 381 is perfect.The standard 20" bar is well balanced and easy on the arms.I do also run a 30" for the big stuff,although does make it nose heavy and would not use everyday,but good to know she can handle it.Very reliable, has never missed a beat.
Reliable,comfortable,versatile
Does suck a bit of petrol,