Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like its 50:50 yeah or neah. I think I'm going to swallow my CAD desires right now and hold out for a MS 260 Pro. Anyone know where's a good deal to be had on a MS 260 Pro? :greenchainsaw:
If you have not run one of these, I would go try it out. I have several 025/250's and 026/260's in my shop now. Ironically, all of the 025's belong to tree guys, and the 026 are private owner.....
BOTH of those saws have their fair share of crank seal problems. True, the air filter tabs break off on the 025 filters. The 026 filter is no gem either, with the choke being part of the filter. Both are rubber A/V mounts. One reason to choose an 026 over an 025 is for bar interchange with bigger Stihl saws. 026 is also a bit easier to mod if you're going to get into changing compression ratios. Either one will need a muffler mod to run right. Or you can just get an older 025 or 026 muffler.
If that 250 is a fixed HS carb, I'd probably pass. You'll need to mod or replace the muffler, and then source a carb. Not hard to do, but you're getting into 026 territory when you figure in the cost of mods. Of course, there are some 026's with fixed carbs too......