Stihl '8' saws shape

[minnnt]

Just wondered why the saws in Stihl's 8 range are shaped different to others such as 4's and 6's?

for example:

The 028

The 038

The 048

I seem to like the look of these saws, especially the 048. Seems like an interesting beast.

 

[Saw Dr.]

018 and 088 are shaped exactly like their newer MS counterparts.

 

[minnnt]

018 and 088 are shaped exactly like their newer MS counterparts.

Luckily for me then that I never mentioned them...

 

[SawTroll]

Design tends to change over time, it probably has nothying to do with the "8".

The 042 shares the same basic design.