Thinking of buying new Stihl 280

[keith66]

if i were you i would buy new. the 270 & 280 are great saws, imo i think ther better than a 260. i have both the 280 and a 260 and i always grab the 280. i did have a 270 but it got ran over by our skid steer. so i bought a 280 for $450 out the door w/ an 18in. chain. theres not a huge difference in power but the carb on the 280 imo is way better due to the fact that it never bogs down, its sort of like a electronic fuel injection on a car but not quite(comparing apples and oranges). you never have to worry about burning up the p/c unless u straight gas it. just my 2 cents

 

[JamesP]

Thanks, that is good to know!

 

[boostnut]

My MS280 with the 17" B&C combo from Baileys has enough grunt to wear me out in an afternoon. I've also got a 20" B&C, handy for some applications but its a lot more enjoyable with the shorter bar. I'm very happy with this saw overall but if I had it to do all over again I'd take a closer look at the 260 and361.

 

[JamesP]

Do you cut daily? I cut only when I get my yearly supply. Then only as needed to take care of storm damage or help a friend.

 

[tbuggle]

have you considered other brands?

 

[SawTroll]

In my area:

270 = $400
280 = $490
361 = $600

I agree with you on the weight to power ratio Troll. In my opinion, the 270 is money saved, while the 361 is power gained. Both are gonna eat through firewood tasks with ease.

Like I said JamesP, if you don't have the money to spend, then I do not see the benefits of the 280 over the 270. If you have the budget, then get the 361. If the 280 seems like a good compromise to you, then go get it and get sawin!

Probably a bit off topic, but;

The 270 actually has been gone (discontinued) for 5 years here, about since the 280 appeared - but that doesn't make it a bad saw.

Our market is different from the US one - Stihl pro saws are usually a lot cheaper than the comparable Husky/Jonsered ones - but not so with the "lesser" saws.

Some Stihl models that has never been offered here: 290, 310, 341, 440 and 650.

Why that is should be easy to figure out, but I think they missed the mark regarding the 440........

 

[K9-Handler]

Let us not forget that I have a used 036 with the "QS" feature to consider as well. A fella I work with has it and is looking to sell. He says it is in good condition. He is asking $300 at the moment but I will see just what kind of shape it is in before making any offer. Is the best way to check the engine to pull the muffler off or are there better ways to inspect it? Of course I will run it after a visual inspection.

If you have a compression tester this would be the time to use it!

If the owner will let you, pull off the muffler and check out what little of the side of the piston you can see inside the exhaust port, then lower the piston and use a flashlight to look at the condition of the cylinder walls. Deep scratches MAY be a deal breaker, unless it's worth it to you to swap out a piston and cylinder.

You mentioned the types of wood, but not the size.

James; I have both the 028 and MS280 (albeit an older model that doesn't have the electronic fuel metering) and a 260 and recently got a near-new 361. This is the way they settle out for me:
028 -- nice torque, good cutter, buzz bomb
280 -- wonderful anti-vibe, cuts like crazy, my go-to saw.
260 -- surprisingly nice small pro saw -- fast cutter with sharp chain. Might be overwhelmed by big wood.
361 -- after all the hype on the forum here, I found it to be disappointing. With a 20" bar I can easily bog it in down-for-a-year red oak that's about 17" dia. Chain is new Stihl.

Other notes: I bought a 20" bar for the MS280 and ran that for a while, but went back to the 18". It cut better and balanced out much better. I run the 028 with a 16" now, and it's happy, too.

Hope that helps.

 

[JamesP]

Most of the wood I cut is on average 10 to 12 inches. It varies every load. I have looked into the Husky and Jonsered and saw that they are basically the same saw for the most part. One item I noted was that the base where the handle mounted was plastic even on the upper level saws. I like the smaller trigger on the Stihl and my father-in-law has used one for many years with no issues and he works the saw hard all the time.

 

[JamesP]

What should the compression tester read when I test the 036??

 

[radar1975]

If you are cutting wood that small then the 036 will be a lot of saw. You might want to do what I did. Buy the 036 and look for a smaller saw like and 028 or 026 with a 16" bar for the smaller 10" to 12" wood. Then you could put the big bar on the 036 and get those big logs out of the way. If you watch there a lot of good deals out there (except on ebay). Most of the older saws can easily be rebuilt.

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

I can see that the 361 is the top performer in this area but at $110 more than the 280 I can get some nice chains and still have enogh cash to put gas in it:greenchainsaw:

And a different bar! I love my 270 with the muffler modded.

 

[JamesP]

Speaking of a different bar, I asked one dealer if I could get the saw with a 3/8s pitch bar and chain combo and he said it came from the factory with a .325 bar and chain and I would need to buy another bar and chain if I wanted different. Stihl's site states that either bar/chain combo can be used but I was a little put off as he made it sound like the saws are sold as is not as wanted....

 

[Raymond]

I just got myself into an 028 av woodboss and an MS 310. 028 has a 16" bar and the 310 has a 20" bar. If you are cutting the smaller stuff (less than 16" across) then a saw like the 028 is great. Man that saw has a lot of power and goes through dead rock hard white ash like butter (with the right chain). For bigger stuff the Ms 310 is a good buy for the money. My buddy has the Ms 361 and another the Ms 290 and they all seemed comparable to me. I really wanted the Ms 361 but I could not see myself spending the money. Now I have two saws for $400 and It works good for me. Can't go wrong with a Stihl.

Now See, thats what I'm talkin' 'bout! :agree2:

 

[keith66]

Speaking of a different bar, I asked one dealer if I could get the saw with a 3/8s pitch bar and chain combo and he said it came from the factory with a .325 bar and chain and I would need to buy another bar and chain if I wanted different. Stihl's site states that either bar/chain combo can be used but I was a little put off as he made it sound like the saws are sold as is not as wanted....

yeah i was put off today with a dealer. i called him up and asked for a quote on a j-red 2171 and he said $729 on the phone, then i went down there, so that there was no prices on any of the saws and asked him how much was it and he said $760. same thing w/2156, said he was running a special on that over the phone and quoted $50 more. so i said bye

 

[JamesP]

That is a darn shame. It is bad when you go out of your way to find a dealer that sells a saw you'r interested in and they pull that BS.

 

[radar1975]

I recently got educated on this site about chains. I found both of my saws had the .325 chains. I went with the full chisel and man do they really cut nice. Big chips and fast, and it doesn't bog the saw down either. I've never used a 3/8 chain but for what I use mine for (firewood) I will stick with the .325 chain.

As for the dealers man some are out of control. Lucky for me my neighbor works for a dealer so I get my supplies at a reasonable price.

 

[banjobart]

I grab the 280 most often for dead ash in the 10"-20" range. It never bogs down, except maybe when flushing out a stump. It runs fast and strong, it will kill me before I kill it. You will like the saw.

Open up the muffler opening with a Dremel and an 1/8" burr from 3/8" round to 1/2" squarish and it really comes alive. You can get in under the deflector and not have to disassemble the muffler. The computer on the saw will retune the carb.

I had a 20" bar on the 280 but have gone back to an 18" for general use. .325sharp chain cuts like a laser. As mentioned, the draw back of the 280 is the high price, a hundred bucks short of the fine 361. I got my 280 on ebay brand new, it had never been gassed, private sale not a dealer. I saved a hundred bucks over the local dealer. There are deals out there if you check every morning and evening or just help out your local dealer and buy there.

The 280 gassed weighs a pound and a half more than the 026. The 280 gassed is a pound and a half lighter than the 361. The antivibe on the 280 and 361 are wonderful, it hardly feels like I am running a saw. The 026 makes my hands ache.

I'll bet that 270 is a fine saw, too. A hundred bucks less out the door than a 280. I had a 290 and was never happier than when I sold it.

 

[JamesP]

So a full chisel 325 works well. I will have to remember that as I will not part with the cost for another bar unless I have a need for it.
I do plan on buying from a local dealer, we have several in the area which is good. I had one fella tell me he would throw in one of the cases for an extra $10 if I bought the saw from him but the most important thing on my list besides the saw is one of the nice file and guide kits they sell at the Stihl dealer. That will help me maintain a good angle when I dress the chain. I figure the saw should do all the work and if I have to push it then it is in need of a sharpening.

 

[JamesP]

Thanks for the muffler tip. So it will work well even with the new computer controlled carb?

 

[torence 20]

i need help identifying this saw its a jonsered

hey guys just bought this saw need sum help identifiing it, its a jonsered for sure i thought it lookd like a 621 but im not sure