Old Craftsman 3.7 CI vs. Stihl MS250- Will I be happy?

[SandMan]

Hi to the forum-

I'd describe myself as a large lot homeowner who cuts one to two cords of firewood a year at most, occasionally helps with downed trees on family farms, and will be helping family near New Orleans to clear several downed trees of all sizes. Probably 90% of what I cut are hardwoods, mostly oak and hickory. I have a Craftsman 3.7PS that was passed down from my Dad. It's starting to show its age a little, but with a sharp chain it has been adequate for my needs over the years and has cut a lot of wood. I think it is finally starting to lose a little compression, so this week I checked in at the local Stihl dealer (great service IMO) and was recommended the MS250 for my needs as described above.

Here's my question: The old Craftsman (Poulan clone?) has a 3.7 cubic inch engine. I have no idea what the rated horsepower is, but I assume this is a much lower rpm engine as compared to the Stihl. The MS250 is only 2.77 cubic inch but is rated 3 hp. I have not yet run the MS250 and would trade it back for an upgrade if necessary. Based on my experience with the old saw, am I going to be happy with the MS250?

Thanks in advance for your responses and opinions, Ed

 

[TonyM]

I think you probably would be happier with a little more displacement, but it will come at a cost, obviously. The MS250 is probably the best consumer model in the Stihl line, but your looking at a saw that is only 75% as big as what you had. If you have the money, and want to stay with Stihl, I'd go for the MS361 and never look back.

 

[geofore]

Ms250

The MS250 is 2.7 cubic inch, you might notice the loss of a a cubic inch and you might also notice it uses .325 chain, not the 3/8" your Craftsman uses. If you can afford it, get an MS361 and never look back. Even though the MS361 is 3.6 cubic inch it is a world apart from what you have in Quality and Power to do the job for years to come. If you do go for a new saw the MS260 Pro is better than the MS250 but the MS361 is the saw that would last you a lifetime at what you use it for. You might say ouch at the price today but you'll not need to replace the saw again. Two things to remember about buying a saw; 1) Aways buy Quality: 2) Buy a little bigger than you think you'll need because the better you get at using the saw the more you're going to try to tackle bigger wood. You part with a little more money today for a saw you'll not want to/have to part with later.

 

[SandMan]

Thanks for the responses. The MS361 might be a little over budget for me, but it does sound like a great saw. I'd spend another $100 dollars, but not another $200. What I'm wondering is what kind of HP the old Craftsman puts out, as I think it runs at a much lower rpm than the Stihl.

If the MS250 will cut as fast as the ol' Craftsman 3.7, I'll be happy. I don't think .325 vs. .375 chain will make a huge difference to me. Though I'm a big guy and in decent shape, I often have a lot of downed tree small stuff to cut and less fatigue can be a factor in how much work I will be able to do on a day off. The MS250 is pretty light, which is not necessary for me but does increase its utility on a long day. I don't want to run them head to head as I won't be able to trade up the new Stihl if I do.

Which will cut faster? Is this an apples to oranges comparison, or is it really just apples to apples and I'm going to want more displacement?

Thanks!

 

[TonyM]

Cutting a 2" branch, the MS250 will be faster. But here's the thing. Burry a 16" bar in a chunk of oak, and my bet is on the Craftsman. It would not be unreasonable to think that the old Craftsman is making 3.5 -4.0 Hp or so. The Stihl MS290 puts you in that range, but it is a pig of a saw as far as weight. Possibly the MS260 would be good for you, but in all honesty, I didn't see a lot of difference between the MS250 and MS260 when I ran them both (actually 025 and 026 Pro that I and my brother-in-law had), at least for speed. The MS260 is better constructed, no doubt. Maybe you would be a good candidate to look at the MS280.

 

[geofore]

Comparing a Stihl to a Craftsman is apples to oranges. The $100 but not $200 is a mistake you don't want to make if you want a saw that will take abuse all day and still come back for more. Isn't that why you want the Stihl? The MS250 will do the job but with the MS361 you'd be able to tackle any tree and be happy you spent the extra at the end of the day. I know it's not a fair comparison MS250 at 45.4cc to the MS361 at 58.0 cc. but then neither is comparing a Craftsman to a Stihl. When you buy the MS250 ask the dealer if you can trade up if you want to go bigger down the road.

 

[Nbrcrnchr]

I just purchased the MS250 to take care of some trees that Katrina took out. I do not currently cut firewood but I used to. We used to run Homelite XL-12s and a Stihl 015 (per stihl website - one of the first Hobby Saws) when we were heating the house by wood. Having said that, I think you will be happy with the 250. It may not be as fast as some of the other Saws mentioned, but think about how often you actually run the saw and the weight penalty and additional cost for going to a larger saw. We used to cut a cord or two in a less than a day, if you count getting ready, stacking and clean up. The saw seems to have plenty of power and it's not heavy and seems to have a good vibration control. It's to bad that the dealer couldn't let you compare.

Some say that the consumer saws are not any good, but we ran a mid to late 70's Stihl 015 for over 10 years with not much more than an annual checkup/tuneup. Personal preference, except for the bigger trees, I liked the 015 over the homelite.

 

[clearance]

Sandman-I would strongly advise you to get a good used Stihl or Husky in the 50-70cc. range. More important is your safety, I see all the jackpot situations on CNN with trees crossed over and loaded up. It takes skill and caution to buck blowdown wood safely. At the very least get a hardhat with muffs and a screen and some saw pants. I can see the hospitals dealing with lots of nasty saw cuts as eager weekend warrrior types return to clean up. Good for you that you are going to help, be carefull.

 

[jokers]

Hi SandMan,

You`ve received many good responses in this thread, in fact TonyM and I are thinking virtually alike so that means that Tony is right.

If the 361 is $200 more than the 250, how much more than the 250 does the 280 cost? I wouldn`t go for the QS, save your money, but the 280 will outperform the 250 by a fair amount. You will appreciate the extra power and speed on the bigger trees or when cutting those jackpots that clearance mentioned.

If you do get in to cutting any jackpots or blowdowns, carefully assess all of the hidden forces at work there, not just gravity on the trees and limbs above where you are working. You will be surprised by how much energy can be stored in even a 1" branch that has been bent or twisted. Learn to make relief cuts to release that energy and anticipate where the limb will go when released and where the rest of the tree may roll to. Having a couple of plastic wedges(5"-8") in your pocket can also save your bacon. Remember, it`s not a race to see who does the most work. You only have two objectives, first being that you return home safely. Second being that you get some work done. Many hands will be involved, don`t try to do it all yourself, and watch out for those durned snakes in the trees and gators underneath them.

Russ

 

[SandMan]

Thanks again guys, and I definitely appreciate the advice. In my line of work I often give similar safety advice. Yes, I'm your basic weekend warrior- but as the designated extended-family woodcutter I have been removing blowdowns off and on for at least 20 years. Your advice is spot-on. I am a little chicken when it comes to saws and don't play it loose with safety. Over the years that has served me well. Though I'm not on the Gulf Coast, I am in the Southeast and had some trees to contend with after what was left of Katrina came through. That's when I noticed that my old Craftsman was getting a little tired. I had recently loaned it out to someone who I thought knew what they were doing, but that was my mistake . That's another story...

The dealer is very cool, it's really my bad as I thought the my old saw was smaller displacement and the MS250 would be a solid upgrade. In many ways it is, but I think I will be happier with a little more displacement. My old saw at close to 14 pounds is plenty light for me, so I'm even open to looking at the 310. I would like the 361, but it is beyond what I am willing to pay. Maybe someday I'll find one cheap that I can rebuild...

 

[jokers]

......so I'm even open to looking at the 310.

If you can justify the additional money for the 280 you`ll get a saw that is better in almost every way.

Russ

 

[Cut4fun]

MS440 for $350

This is posted by the Treeman52 in the for sale section. It states later on shipping included. Pits are there too, $350 for a MS440. Help on the bigger saw quest for a good price IMO. Treeman52=Hey all....I'm new here. My name is Joe. I'm selling an almost new Stihl MS440 and a 2 month old barely used MS200T. The prices will be $350.00 for the MS440 and $400.00 for the 200 given how new it is. Hope some of you guys can use saws like this. I will post a few more soon. Thanks for looking.

 

[Luke]

Dolmar 540/Solo651

Might want to check out a Dolmar 540. Probably around $329. Supposed to be solid, and reliable. I've got a smaller version, the 401, and have been pleased. Also, someone on ebay is giving Solo 651's away for $199. I had a 250 for a couple of months. Flooded almost everytime I used it. Traded for a 290. After reading this forum, I became so sensitive to its size, weight, and lack of power, it to got swapped out. If you hang around here too long you will end up with a modded 372/385/440/460/7900 or something. But they might out cut your old Craftsman. My guess is, its one of the old Ropers. My dad has one. Good saw. Big torque, but kinda slow.

 

[SandMan]

Yeah, I think you are right about the old Craftsman/Roper-a little slow but good torque. Pretty much an old Poulan clone, I think. From what I know (very little), the 3.7's were quite common for home and farm and many brands in that size were comparable.

I went back to the dealer today and cut with their shop MS250. It has to be one of the best if not the best light weight saws out there, but not apples to apples with the old 3.7 cubic inch. Being a creature of habit, I liked the heft of the 310 and traded up at no loss, just the difference. The 310 is a little lighter than my old saw, and I never had a problem with the weight of that. The guys at the shop were very helpful and went out of their way to make me happy with my purchase. I think I'll like the extra horsepower. I have some oak and locust to cut and will try to post my opinion of the saw in a few days. I won't post my opinion of the locust, as it cannot be done without swearing !

Great site here, hope I don't catch the 'chainsaw acquisistion syndrome'...

 

[Andyshine77]

You should be very happy with your new saw, the 310 looks like it fits your needs and it should do what you need it to. As long as you keep your chain sharp, and your depth gauges filed to the correct hight, you should have no problem cutting Locust

 

[turnkey4099]

Yeah, I think you are right about the old Craftsman/Roper-a little slow but good torque. Pretty much an old Poulan clone, I think. From what I know (very little), the 3.7's were quite common for home and farm and many brands in that size were comparable.

I went back to the dealer today and cut with their shop MS250. It has to be one of the best if not the best light weight saws out there, but not apples to apples with the old 3.7 cubic inch. Being a creature of habit, I liked the heft of the 310 and traded up at no loss, just the difference. The 310 is a little lighter than my old saw, and I never had a problem with the weight of that. The guys at the shop were very helpful and went out of their way to make me happy with my purchase. I think I'll like the extra horsepower. I have some oak and locust to cut and will try to post my opinion of the saw in a few days. I won't post my opinion of the locust, as it cannot be done without swearing !

Great site here, hope I don't catch the 'chainsaw acquisistion syndrome'...

Yes, the 310 is a good saw. It is not the professional grade but... I bought one 3 years ago, cut 8-10 cord/yr and like it. I was in the dealer the other day and checked the 310 against the 361. Probably subjective but the 361 felt a bit lighter and price was about $200 more than the 310. Cost of the 310 back then was $350 range (don't recall exactly). I don't know if it is typical but my 310 took a season of running before it was run in.

The one thing you will notice no matter what saw you buy is the great increase in speed over your old saw.

As for locust - point me to it! It is about the only -good- firewood available out here in SE WA but is very hard to come by. Yes, it is hell on saws and chains. Keep you filter clean and the chain sharp. If your Locust is like Black Locust it splits fairly easily green and very easy when dry (read sever years after blocking). It won't deteriorate.

Harry K

 

[SandMan]

Unfortunately the locust I have is honey locust, and there's nothing sweet about it. We're still trying to figure out what the honey locust has to offer that created the need for those huge thorns. Around here, if you call a tree removal service and mention honey locust or hedge apple/osage orange/bodock- you will either get a laugh or a dial tone in response. Scroll down to the pic of the thorns to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.washington.edu/home/treetour/hlocust.html

I also have the thorny wild variant of bradford pears encroaching on the back of my property. At least those thorns are 3" or less, though still a threat to tires and feet.

 

[Chris J.]

I'm bumping this thread because Eric 271 recently brought me some osage orange to use on the grill & in the smoker. He also says it's great firewood, but not for use in an inside fireplace. I haven't tried cutting it yet, but I was warned that it's some very dense wood. And I hadn't realized how large those thorns were!