I May Be In The Market For A New Saw

The manual for the 6401 says not to use fuel containing alcohol. As far as I'm aware all the gas stations around here contain ethanol. Knowing my state I bet they have to add it. The gallon I picked up for the saw is 10% ethanol. Should I be concerned?

If all you can buy is 93-94 octane with 10% ethanol, then that's what you're going to have to use. 2-stroke equipment doesn't want ethanol in any percentage, and does not benefit from its presence. But most modern saws can run 10% ethanol blended gasoline and be OK if you use the mix up quickly - 3-4 weeks, absolute max - and accept that your rubber parts (fuel line, carb innards, etc.) won't last as long as they would with real gasoline. Use good oil, and keep your saw tuned correctly.

If you have a source for ethanol-free gas, use that instead. Some folks opt to use 100LL from the airport, or buy something like VPRacing's SEF94 ethanol-free stuff. I've never had a problem with 93-94 pump gas where there was no "10% Ethanol" sticker on the pump; I'm presuming there isn't ethanol in that fuel, but can't say for sure.

And use a stabilizer or a 2-stroke oil with stabilizer in it as well.