I have a older 280 that I rebuilt this spring with a 18 inch bar on it. Most of the trees that i`m cutting are under 18 inches and it is alittle lighter then the MS 361 that I have. I`m glad it is the 280 thou and not a 270, I have two Husky 350 and don`t need another 50cc saw. And yes it is a smooth running saw.
I seriously thought about the MS280, but at that point I was two sizes above what I and the dealer felt would work fine.
I was sticking my neck out financially a bit, as $400 is not easy to justify, and I was not sure my source of wood was going to be consistently there (it was intermittent two years ago, but came back gangbuster this last year). I simply did not want to get in any deeper if it went away. It would pay for itself that first winter as I had scouted out the wood source and knew it was good for that.
Granted at times the extra go pup of the MS280 would help, but its less than 5% of the time. And its seldom in one spot, its spread out a percent here and there, so there is no more than a momentary frustration factor.
Long term I think the 270 will hold up better just because it has more heft to the output. That’s not to say the 280 wouldn’t last more than long enough to get your moneys worth.
At a real serious cutting rate, the MS270 might last 15 years and the MS280 10-12 years.
Given the money and the understating of the relationship I have gotten from my research since I got the MS270, I would go for the MS280 (for my use) as it would get me that bit of extra hp and at no weight penalty. For my cutting I don't think you would see the difference in life expectancy (I am guessing its good for at least 20 years).
Stihl, so happy with the MS270, that its not an issue. More something to keep in mind in that its a way to separate out things in that class saw as far as a decision goes. If the extra money is not an issue, then its a great way to go.
If the money is an issue and or you aren’t going to use it hard enough to justify more money, then the MS270 will not leave you the least bit unhappy.
In the rest of the world they discontinue the MS270 and just offer the MS280. It offers a clearer decision line in the choices apparently. Here, I think it lets them compete with the Huskys better.