What type of Stihl to buy?

[Erick]

Thanks for all the info guys. Well seems to me that the 260 would be a better choice. Hope the price is right when i go to get the saw!

I agree the MS260 w/18" bar would be an excellent choice for your needs. It would definitely be a huge improvement over your current situation if you can swing the extra cash or find a used one.

Here a 346 is $725 and 5100 is $499. $226 difference. Seems Dolmar gives us a break on high prices.

I don't own and have not run a 5100 but that may be the answer to your problem. More than one person here seems to be awful proud of them. I can't believe no one has suggested it yet (man you guys are slacking).

 

[Stihlwrench]

I asked the local dealer last month about prices. These are as close as I can remember, 440 was $1050, 460 and 441 were just under $1100, 660 was almost $1200. Add 14% tax to that price. Some sellers may give you a break. There is a dealer in another province that has 440's for $875

I just got the Baileys catalogue and saw somthing interesting, 346-$419.95 and 5100-$409.95. $10.00 difference

Here a 346 is $725 and 5100 is $499. $226 difference. Seems Dolmar gives us a break on high prices.

There seems to be a pretty wide price spread on Stihl saws. Down here you get a 460Mag w/ 20" bar for $809.00 and if you have a farm tax i.d.# that's your price out the door.

 

[Just Mow]

If it has to be a Stihl, the 250 has the best power/weight ratio of that bunch. It will be a step up from the Craftsman. It should cut the amounts of wood you are cutting for years to come.

Or, if you want a pro quality saw, consider the rear handled MS200.

The 250 is a nice saw. Is the 270 available. It is over a pound lighter than the 290 and only 1/4 hp less but it has a higher rpm output which makes it cut faster than the 290 and it is built like the pro saws.
Wow the prices are high in Canada.
Good luck.

 

[musch]

I have an ms 250 and it's a good little saw but the vibrations are by far worse than any of my other saws.
I don't know if this is the case with all ms 250's or if mine's special in that regard. The husqvarna 353 I used to have was a much better saw, I highly recommend it for the tasks you've described!

I don't know what your other saws are, but I have found the Stihls to be really bad vibe wise.
I havent run any non-pro ones, but I look forward to seeing if a 441 is much improved.

 

[Cam501]

I don't know how it is up there in Canada, but here in the states, there is very little difference from dealer to dealer on Stihl prices. They're supposed to be identical from dealer to dealer within a particular distributor's region. Husky's vary a lot for now...but that may change as they try and standardize things more.

 

[musch]

At those prices I would be making a trip down to Maine..

At those prices, I'm thinking of bringin a truckload up to Canada!!!

 

[PA Plumber]

If it is still pertinent, I have an older 026. I modded the muffler by doing searches on AS. Noticeably more pep. Helped chain speed, grunt, and improved fuel mileage. Very pleasant saw to run.

 

[zzrcanuck]

I don't know what your other saws are, but I have found the Stihls to be really bad vibe wise.
I havent run any non-pro ones, but I look forward to seeing if a 441 is much improved.

I have an ms 290 which is reasonably smooth running,no problem to use it all day.The ms 250 puts my fingers to sleep within minutes. The weight and power are great but the vibes ruin it for me.
My other saws are all huskies btw

 

[bobc]

Thanks for all the info guys. Well seems to me that the 260 would be a better choice. Hope the price is right when i go to get the saw!

Did you get your saw yet? How were the prices?

 

[rb_in_va]

I don't own and have not run a 5100 but that may be the answer to your problem. More than one person here seems to be awful proud of them. I can't believe no one has suggested it yet (man you guys are slacking).

He specifically asked for Stihl. Of course the 5100 would be the ideal saw for his situation though.

 

[SawTroll]

.... Is the 270 available. .... it is built like the pro saw ....

No, it isn't - even though it has a magnesium case, it is split the wrong way........:biggrinbounce2:

A quite nice saw anyway, but a bit too heavy and bulky for the power.

 

[SawTroll]

The ms 250 puts my fingers to sleep within minutes. ..... the vibes ruin it for me.
My other saws are all huskies btw

That is just one of the weak points of the MS250.

I have used two different ones (both quite new), and I did not like them. Similar size Huskys are much nicer to use.

 

[peter399]

I have an ms 250 and it's a good little saw but the vibrations are by far worse than any of my other saws.
I don't know if this is the case with all ms 250's or if mine's special in that regard. The husqvarna 353 I used to have was a much better saw, I highly recommend it for the tasks you've described!

I agree! Given the prices on the Canadian Ad's posted on page 2 (?), I would definately get the Husky 353 for, was it 589 $ ? It's a little bit cheaper than the MS260 and it's also a better saw. If you definatly want a Stihl which I don't understand for the 50cc range where Husky is superior, you could get the 260. But don't by the boat anchor MS290! I've tried it. It's heavy, plastic, has no grunt, air filter cloggs. POS in my opinion. The dissapointment over low performace/quality will last longer than the joy of finding the cheapest saw....

Btw, In Sweden. A 50cc Pro Husky or Stihl costs around 1000 USD....

/Peter

 

[Wismer]

While everyone is bashing MS290's, I personally don't have one, but, for some people, it's just the ticket. 2 of my buddies run them as their only saws and they do alright. Sure, they're not perfect but they work well for the weekender. They do seem to lack a bit of power.

Of course, I'm cutting circles around them with my 440......

 

[superfire]

260 pro

my 260 pro runs a oregon 24 with woodsman pro 30 rcs mostly for limbing it also works good for brush swamping, for falling i drop down too a twenty inch bar.:greenchainsaw: