which one

[driftmaster77]

My buddy's family has 200 acres, decides he want's to cut wood after all these years. This will be all seasoned oak.He want's either a Husky 455 rancher or a Stihl 290 farm boss. Just cutting 5-6 cords a year. So?. Plus opinions on these re-furbished factory 455's W/2 yr. warranty.Thanks guys.

 

[Rookie1]

Whats the bestest,closest,coolest,smartest,biggest,happiest dealer in your area? Answer that and buy a saw from him or them or her for that matter. I am into Stihl cause I have three dealers within 5 miles of me. Not knocking others but no Husky,Jred,Dolmar or others that I know of near me. So why buyt a saw that is a pain to get service and parts for even if its good. Just my two cents.

 

[driftmaster77]

That's not an issue, 2 dealers both within 10 miles, both deal in both husky and stihl . He can get a discount on everything at one because the city we work for does thousands of dollars of business a year with them on parts repairs, and the purchases of equipt. to outfit our parks. dept.

 

[Rookie1]

Wow that just killed my reply. I walk away with tail between legs.:taped:

 

[driftmaster77]

Rookie 1 ,it,s cool. Just looking for the best saw for him and why. This saw shop has been good to us. We are their largest commercial account, and trust me I get calls all the time, from people trying to get it from them. If you think that's something ,this friend of mine has hundreds of cords of of oak available on this property, just built a new house and failed to get a permit for a fireplace. Again no fireplace. He likes to cut for fun ,gives most away to friends ,sells very little. there's so much prime cutting out there it's a joke.

 

[GASoline71]

Either one...

But if your gonna look at a 455... look at a 359 instead.

Gary

 

[teacherman]

The 455 is apparently not well liked by those who post here. Itis a cheap homeowner saw availabel at Sears, which of course is known for selling only the top-of-the-line professional products. Stihl, on the other hand, sells many thousands of the 029/290 each year, and they are spoken of highly for their intended purpose by AS members as a whole.

I personally would never get a Husqueerna, after dealing with this supposedly 'pro" string trimmer. Seems like a rebadged Ryobi......and we all know that Ryobi is the professional's choice.

But that is just my opinion.....

 

[blackoak]

Rookie 1 ,it,s cool. Just looking for the best saw for him and why. This saw shop has been good to us. We are their largest commercial account, and trust me I get calls all the time, from people trying to get it from them. If you think that's something ,this friend of mine has hundreds of cords of of oak available on this property, just built a new house and failed to get a permit for a fireplace. Again no fireplace. He likes to cut for fun ,gives most away to friends ,sells very little. there's so much prime cutting out there it's a joke.

Never heard of a fireplace permit. From reading the firewood forum, it sounds like it's getting rough to stay warm in CA thanks to the EPA. Can you guys fart in CA?:greenchainsaw:

 

[TreePointer]

My experience

Since they both have good reputations as midlevel (less than pro) saws with very similar specs in the 55-56 cc class, I think either one will be fine for cutting 5-6 cords/yr. I purchased an MS290 (20") as a general purpose farm/ranch saw for 80 acres of farm/forest. I've cut 10+ cords this year and am pleased. The only drawbacks are that it sometimes boggs down in big, heavy wood and its 13+ lbs. get tiresome during long cutting sessions.

The firewood getters here on AS eventually seem to drift into a two saw plan over the years. Plan #1: 50cc smaller felling/limbing + 70cc felling/big bucking. Plan #2: 60cc general puropse/limbing + 80+cc felling/big bucking. And then the old homeowner/midlevel saw moves into third place as the backup or loaner model.

My long term plan is to put a 16" bar on the 290 as a backup/loaner saw for my occasional helpers and get an MS361 for a general purpose firewood saw. The 361 is almost a pound less than either the 290 or 455 and is more powerful.

The bottom line is that it doesn't have to be the only saw he ever gets if his needs or tastes change. If he's a newb cutter, he won't know this until he cuts for a season.

 

[driftmaster77]

Hey Blackoak, Yes it,s true a permit and that's for a special stove or insert all EPA approved, many places pellets only. If you buy a older home your grand fathered in for now. New homes they make it a very expensive addition. Davis Calif.( West of Sacramento, liberal college town) May outlaw fire wood burning all together. Other areas people will bang on your door and cite you. Don't imagine any of that S*&T goes on down in your parts.

 

[Just Mow]

Ms270

 

[Frank Boyer]

Stihl does a nice Govt. pricing discount. Get a 361. How big of stuff is he cutting?

San Jose, CA has had a couple of spare the air days/nights and that means no fires. The exception to no fires is if the fire place is the only source of heat. I live in the hills of Santa Cruz County and we haven't had any restrictions, except on new construction.

 

[peter399]

IIf he HAS to (why?) choose one of them, go with the Rancher.
The 290 is sooooo fat and slow. As Gary said, look at a 359 and mod the muffler !
Much more of a saw than any of these two.

 

[GASoline71]

The 359 is one of the most underrated saws IMHFO...

Should be a Pro saw. just get rid of that stupid cat muffler.

Gary

 

[SawTroll]

MS270

Best advice so far, along with Garys......


...takes the issue out of the Plague vs. Colera stage.....

 

[SawTroll]

The 359 is one of the most underrated saws IMHFO...

.....

Gary

Not if left stock :greenchainsaw: - but a good alternative anyway in this case.