browndd1
ArboristSite Lurker
Trying to make up my mind whether to keep the MS290 or unload it and get a MS260 Pro. I will primarily use this saw for limbing and bucking hickory trees. I will fell with my MS460. What do you guys think?
Which Saw MS260 Pro or MS290
- Thread starter browndd1
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sunfish
Fish Head
I'd Much rather have a 260!
Mike-B
ArboristSite Lurker
Would you not be looking at a MS261? Is the 260 Pro second hand?
As far as the 260 Pro it's a great saw, proven solid and reliable. I've had one for ages and it's given me absolutely no trouble.
As far as the 260 Pro it's a great saw, proven solid and reliable. I've had one for ages and it's given me absolutely no trouble.
I would take the 260 over the 290 myself.
sefh3
Addicted to ArboristSite
Mod the muffler on the 290 and keep it (unless it's an even trade). Yes one is a pro saw and the other is a homeowner saw but the homeowner saw can sure wake up once it breaths good. I run 16-20" bars on all my 290's series saws and don't have any problems.
xtremez
ArboristSite Guru
chadihman
Addicted to ArboristSite
260 or 261 more reliable and pro saws are only what I buy and sell.
homelitejim
Full of Scrap
There is a bit of weight savings with the 260 along with the mag case, I have run one next to a 290 and they cut about the same but the 260 is smaller, lighter, and better built.
browndd1
ArboristSite Lurker
I don't think they make them anymore so it would have to be used.
browndd1
ArboristSite Lurker
That is the only reason I wanted a 260 pro because it is better built and lighter. Is it as stout as the 290 stock per stock?
rdtreewalker
arboristsite window licker
the 260 is lighter and from my experience cuts with if not better then the 290 stock to stock. Both are good saws but the 260 is the better choice due to it being lighter weight and being a pro saw imo
ptjeep
Addicted to ArboristSite
I would rather have a 260 but not sure if i would go to the trouble of selling a good saw, hunting for another good saw to buy, and then taking a chance of buying a turd.
browndd1
ArboristSite Lurker
good point
homelitejim
Full of Scrap
I would in a heart beat, found my MS260 at a pawn shop for $220, been a good solid runner, I probably use it more than any other saw and I have a few.
Steveo_supremo
ArboristSite Guru
Last weekend I bought a used Lewis winch with a MS290 attatched to it. I didn't want the saw but i really wanted the winch and the guy didn't want to separate them.
What a piece of junk those 290s are. Plastic garbage.
Anyhow it worked out OK cause I put a used 20 inch bar on it and it only lasted 4 days on Kijiji. Got $350 for it. Bottom line is anyone that buys a MS290/310/390 is buying a name and not a quality saw.
MS260 is a great saw especially after a (very easy) muffler mod and a thin base gasket. I love my 026 for smaller stuff.
What a piece of junk those 290s are. Plastic garbage.
Anyhow it worked out OK cause I put a used 20 inch bar on it and it only lasted 4 days on Kijiji. Got $350 for it. Bottom line is anyone that buys a MS290/310/390 is buying a name and not a quality saw.
MS260 is a great saw especially after a (very easy) muffler mod and a thin base gasket. I love my 026 for smaller stuff.
This is the way I feel . . . .
You already have the 290 and you know what it is. In spite of them not being a "PRO" chainsaw. they do have a following and support and the260 does not have more power. The 290 can be changed to a 390 at the same weight.
Buying a used 260 chainsaw, you never know exactly what you are getting in spite of what the seller says?
With the 260, there is the 260 and then there is the 260 PRO
The PRO has a compression release and adjustable oiler that a regular 260 does not have unless someone changed them.
My 260 PRO came with a .325 X 20" B&C which I changed to 3/8" X 16" because I use the chainsaw for limbing.
For something big, I get out my bigger chainsaw.
Anthony_Va.
XPW Fan Club
The 290 you had could very well have been a junker, but the 290 series are great saws. If you could see the ones we use at work then you may have a different view. I've never seen saws take abuse like these saws do. They are never maintained, never cleaned, hardly sharened. They are used to cut roots, wire filled stumps, and everything else you could think of. They are not mine, and if they were they would be taken better care of.
All of that, and they never have missed a beat yet. I don't know how they do it, but they do.
No one can ever tell me that they are junk saws. They are built for homeowners that don't know the first thing about chainsaws. They are built to be abused.
That said, the 260 is the better saw IMO. It's lighter and just as strong. Has the mag case and is easy to work on. But I still cannot take anything away from the 290 series.
roostersgt
Addicted to ArboristSite
Not exactly sure how Steve-Supremo came to the conclusion the 290 series saws were "plastic junk". Yeah, I think the 260 pro is a better saw, certainly for limbing, but it also costs much more. I've not heard of a failed plastic housing, or any other plastic part of the 290 series saw failing and I've owned many, except by owner / operator error (running over with truck, dropping from tree etc...)
I've a good friend who runs a firewood business, (100+ cords per year), and swears by those saws. He claims they're extremely "bullet-proof'" and reliable, and a far better value per dollar, than than his previous fleet of 440's. He tells me he has never had a "plastic" failure that was not the fault of an employee, due to misuse/abuse/carelessness.
I've a good friend who runs a firewood business, (100+ cords per year), and swears by those saws. He claims they're extremely "bullet-proof'" and reliable, and a far better value per dollar, than than his previous fleet of 440's. He tells me he has never had a "plastic" failure that was not the fault of an employee, due to misuse/abuse/carelessness.
A 290 wieghs about 17 3/4# ready to cut vs just over 15# for the 260, muff modd the 260 a little when you get it. Steve
old-cat
Fir Man
I am facing a similar decision, MS 290 or 026/ms260. I decided that an MS 261 is by far the best way to go. Reason #1 - I hate the air filter on the 290 and the filter on the 260 is almost identical. #2 - the 261 opens up so you can clean it out very easily. #3 - It has just as much power as the 290. #4 - It is a Strato-charge design so it will give better fuel efficiency. #5 - I can get a brand new one without any searching or worrying about a bum deal.
