Stihl MS290 or MS270?

[Lakeside53]

290- Don't buy one, 9 out of 10 of the saw that come in our shop with scored pistons and and cylinders are 290's. They were developed as a economy priced saw and a pain in the ass to work on.

Huh? we service hundreds of these saws a year and rarely see scored pistons and cylinders. That's a user issue.. Even busted fuel lines don't seem to cook the pistons.

Like most units (except 019t/191T!!!!), once you've worked on a few they are simple..

 

[bmcdjohnson]

My 310 was OK, I had it for a year & a half. I cut about 20 face cord of firewood with it. I'm not slamming the 310 - or the others (270/290), but as you know, if he wants to run an 18 or 20 inch bar, they are not the ideal saws. I found that out after getting my 460 with a 20 inch bar, I was like .....Wow, so that's how a saw is supposed to cut:greenchainsaw:

 

[Just Mow]

I have the 270 and the 280 they work very well.

 

[JLROOT]

It only took 13 posts for somebody to say 361 . You guys are so predictable. I know I know he said 20'' bar I should have known it would come up. At least there were some other suggestions.

 

[Taxmantoo]

May be because a lot of Stihl dealers push that saw on their unsuspecting victims - as I remember it, at least Andy has come to his sences - not sure about Tommy........:greenchainsaw:

I don't think the dealers try to sell 290s, I think the firewood guys try to buy them. The 290 may not have great power to weight stats, but if you sort a list of saws by power to dollar ratio, the 290 ranks high, right up there with the PS-510. An eBay 6401 beats it handily, but those saws are selling for 3/4 of the normal discounted price for a PS-6400s.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Locally the problem is there are 3 large rental places that sell Stihl, these places sell sell thousands of pieces of Stihl. They carry mainly 3 models of saws ms 180's, ms 250's, and ms 290's. And at these places their sales guys rather be selling bulldozers and big ticket items instead of helping out a saw sale. So they sell A LOT of the wrong saws for the job the customer is looking to accomplish. I see guys bringing 290's beat to hell that are 2-3 years old because they really needed a 441 and picked up a 290 instead because that' s what the rental place carried. In our area it's for some reason tough to get people into the 400$+ price range. So the biggest problem is people buy 250's when they really need a 280, and they buy 290's when they need 361's atleast.
I know a lot of the reason is user error but they don't want to listen when you tell them the 290 won't handle cutting 50 face cord of wood a year for the next 20 years.
I had a guy in a couple days back who bought a 170 and plans on using it to cut 40 facecord of wood with it along with 2 two poulans.

 

[geocom]

See if you can find a Demo

See if you can find a Demo on some of the saws as well as taking the opinions and advice of the guys here, In december I bought an MS250 and a couple of weeks ago I bought an MS460 my point with that is get the right saw for you that feels right and will get the job done plus a little more then you won't be left wanting and after all good saws are spendy



Good Luck

 

[nikocker]

Consider these if you consider Husky

skipdog9-
Definitely check out the Husky 353 and 359. Both offer magnesium cases, and the 353 is lighter than both Stihls you're considering, while the 359 is lighter than the 290.
The 353 will run 16" B/C well and up to 18 " - - while the 359 can run 18" well and up to 20" when needed.
Neither saw will break the bank.

Al

 

[excess650]

I don't think the dealers try to sell 290s, I think the firewood guys try to buy them. The 290 may not have great power to weight stats, but if you sort a list of saws by power to dollar ratio, the 290 ranks high, right up there with the PS-510. An eBay 6401 beats it handily, but those saws are selling for 3/4 of the normal discounted price for a PS-6400s.

When I bought my first Stihl, I was looking at the MS250. I had already run one belonging to a friend, and it was pretty light, and seemed to cut pretty well. The dealer asked what I wanted the saw for(cutting firewood) and he immediately pointed me to the MS290. It was heavier than I wanted, but more HP as well, and only $40 more than the MS250. I seem to recall the 310 adding another $60, and the 390 yet another $60. The dealer never suggested the MS260 or 361, and never asked how much I could afford to spend. Had he "extolled the virtues of the MS260" I probably would have bought it. Knowing now that it has mag cases vs the plastic clamshell of the 290, I would have opted for the lesser hp and weight for the superior construction, and stellar reputation.

Another dealer had both Echo and Stihl. It was obvious that his favorites were the MS260 and the CS-520. Never did he explain the construction aspect, but he did try to equate an Echo CS-370 with a Stihl MS-250. I might have been born in the dark, but it wasn't last night.....no way would that 36cc run with that 45cc.

Bottom line: consumers are often uneducated about the products, and dependent upon the dealers in that regard. If the dealer is a dumba$$ and sells the low end stuff just to sell, you can't blame the consumer for buying the low end product, buying from a box store, or buying online.

 

[SawTroll]

The answer is the NE346xp.

Dolmar 5100s

That pretty much nails it, unless it has to be a Stihl.

The Dolmar probably will fit into the budged indicated as well, the Husky is a bit more.

 

[2000ssm6]

That pretty much nails it, unless it has to be a Stihl.

The Dolmar probably will fit into the budged indicated as well, the Husky is a bit more.

Neither one nails a 20" bar.

 

[nikocker]

+1 - no 20" bar there

Both the 346 and 5100 come up short in that regard

Al

 

[mini kahuna]

jack of all trades saw....
stihl 361
husky 359..or jonsered equal

looks like the dealer support in your area should be a deciding factor

 

[sdaly]

get the right saw for you that feels right and will get the job done plus a little more then you won't be left wanting and after all good saws are spendy

Good point and just one more thought I had on getting the job done plus a little more--depending on if you cut at altitude, a saw that cuts well at home or at the store will lose some power when you go up in altitude. Good idea to buy a little extra saw to compensate for that.

 

[SawTroll]

Neither one nails a 20" bar.

LOL - How long was the bar on the 346 mentioned in your signature????


That aside, 20" isn't ideal on any of the saws mentioned in this tread, but most can run it when needed.

 

[2000ssm6]

LOL - How long was the bar on the 346 mentioned in your signature????


That aside, 20" isn't ideal on any of the saws mentioned in this tread, but most can run it when needed.

Yep, that 346 pulled it good, as my 026 did also but neither are suited for a 20". Your key word is in bold.

 

[bmcdjohnson]

It only took 13 posts for somebody to say 361 . You guys are so predictable. I know I know he said 20'' bar I should have known it would come up. At least there were some other suggestions.

What's the problem with suggesting a 361, you act like I just busted in on a random conversation & suggested the 361 out of nowhere, without any basis. The guy was thinking about buying a Stihl 270 or Stihl 290, so obviously he likes Stihl. My point was, if he wants to run mostly an 18 inch, or possibly a 20 inch bar, like he said, then I believe the 270 or 290 is not the ideal saw, and that the 361 would be better suited. The main point being that the saws are under powered for an 18 inch or bigger blade (IMO). There are a lot of other options & brands he could look at, but if he wants to stick with Stihl, I sugested the 361 - The 361 is a great saw that lots of people recommend, apparentely that bothers you

 

[SawTroll]

What's the problem with suggesting a 361, you act like I just busted in on a random conversation & suggested the 361 out of nowhere, without any basis. The guy was thinking about buying a Stihl 270 or Stihl 290, so obviously he likes Stihl. My point was, if he wants to run mostly an 18 inch, or possibly a 20 inch bar, like he said, then I believe the 270 or 290 is not the ideal saw, and that the 361 would be better suited. The main point being that the saws are under powered for an 18 inch or bigger blade (IMO). There are a lot of other options & brands he could look at, but if he wants to stick with Stihl, I sugested the 361 - The 361 is a great saw that lots of people recommend, apparentely that bothers you

You are completely right - I wouldn't want a 20" on the 361 either, but that is a balance issue, not a power one.....

 

[JLROOT]

I know it is a great saw that a lot of people like. No arguement from me. You must have missed my signature line. By the way, I would own one if I had the money. Probably will in the next couple of years. But that doesn't mean that I have to join the cult.

 

[SawTroll]

I know it is a great saw that a lot of people like. No arguement from me. You must have missed my signature line. By the way, I would own one if I had the money. Probably will in the next couple of years. But that doesn't mean that I have to join the cult.

It isn't a cult at all, just lots of happy owners......:biggrinbounce2:

The reason is that Stihl made a saw that acts about like a Husky xp, and mostly did a better job than Husky at it, in the 60cc class.