I read the thread about the guy who cuts a zillion cords of wood with his Stihl 250's. I have newer saws but do like the old 250 and wonder how bad they really are. I know that Troll says a Stihl 250 is made entirely out of recycled Pepsi bottles and that they are only suitable when mounted on the wall with the bar protruding to hold toilet paper. But do the pro models all last longer than the roughly comparable homeowner's saw? I hear that the 390's have had problems but is that the case for all of the homeowner's models? If the durability is greater, why is that the case?
To take as examples, the Stihl 250 and 260. Clearly the Pro saw has more power and a better power/weight ratio, and of course the split magnesium crankcase for ease of repair. But the piston, bar, chain, oiler, recoil starter, fuel tank, hoses, vibration dampers, and so on are of identical quality and presumably if they come out of the same plant, the quality control in manufacturing is the same. So why should the Pro saw be any more durable?
That's the serious part. On to appearance. I do feel that the combination of black and orange of the homeowners Stihls is much nicer than the cream/orange of the pro model Stihls, and both are superior in color and shape to the ugly Dolmars and especially to their weird blue/green Makita siblings. Nothing is as pretty as the Husky orange but the Jonsred red/black is just too drab. Shindaiwa red is ok, but the Echo grey is too hard to find in volcanic ash, and I never did like the Poulan Green.
To take as examples, the Stihl 250 and 260. Clearly the Pro saw has more power and a better power/weight ratio, and of course the split magnesium crankcase for ease of repair. But the piston, bar, chain, oiler, recoil starter, fuel tank, hoses, vibration dampers, and so on are of identical quality and presumably if they come out of the same plant, the quality control in manufacturing is the same. So why should the Pro saw be any more durable?
That's the serious part. On to appearance. I do feel that the combination of black and orange of the homeowners Stihls is much nicer than the cream/orange of the pro model Stihls, and both are superior in color and shape to the ugly Dolmars and especially to their weird blue/green Makita siblings. Nothing is as pretty as the Husky orange but the Jonsred red/black is just too drab. Shindaiwa red is ok, but the Echo grey is too hard to find in volcanic ash, and I never did like the Poulan Green.