$100.oo? I’d be jumping on that.
The 028 was a darn good saw, not a “Pro Class” saw but in the Stihl “Mid-Range Class”. I’ve owned a few of them in the past and all were solid performers. There were several variations, but the basic models were…
The early 028’s were made in Germany, had a 42mm bore, and rated at 3.0 HP.
Shortly after came the U.S. made 028 AV, and then the 028 “Wood Boss”, both had 47cc engines, 44mm bores, and rated at 3.2 HP
Next came the 028 Super, engine size was increased to 51.5cc, 46mm bores, and rated at 3.4 HP.
The early German made was heavy, but even the “AV”, “Wood Boss” and “Supers” weighed around 12.5 pounds… which contributed to their slower sales beginning in the early 90’s.
I sold my last 028 in 1992… when I bought my 026… and I’ve never looked back. But if I could buy a good 028 for $100.oo today I’d be jumping on it… but I’d probably sell it for around $250.00 instead of keeping it.
In 1991/92 Stihl introduced the 026, built on their “Pro-Class” platform with a 48.7cc engine, 44mm bore, and rated at 3.2, 3.3 or 3.4 HP depending on source and year of manufacture. The 026 weighed only 10.4 pounds, over 2-pounds lighter than the 028… but the 026, being a “Pro-Class” saw, cost more money. Still, people were willing to pay for the lighter weight and “Pro” grade… the 028 sales slowed, and was even dropped from the line for a couple years (although it was still shown in catalogs) until the introduction of the MS280. With the introductions of the “MS” series of saws the “Pro-Class” 260 lost its weight advantage over the “Mid-Range Class” 280... both weighing at around 11.5 pounds. Interestingly the MS280 had a larger engine but the MS260 was rated at higher HP.