THALL10326
The Champ
Uh huh, I can smell your pinko commie Marxist tendencies a mile away.
Its not my fault Limbaugh was laffing and holllering whoopie Obama didn't get the Olympics and now he's crying he didn't get the Rams,LOLOL
Why do so many slam the MS290 ?
- Thread starter gravely_todd
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Its not my fault Limbaugh was laffing and holllering whoopie Obama didn't get the Olympics and now he's crying he didn't get the Rams,LOLOL
joatmon
Addicted to ArboristSite
Rock out about 10 chains and then drop them off at Tommy's while he's a lunch with a note saying you'll be back at 4. That's as good a Christmas present as any.
Rex,
Will do. As soon as I get those chains from you, I'll get right on it.
ole joat
joatmon
Addicted to ArboristSite
Tommie,
OK, mister ram-a-lamb-a-ding-dong. The rams are off-limits.
All yours,
ole joat
huskystihl
Addicted to ArboristSite
Absoloutely! My dealer doesn't even talk pro saws to 9 out of 10 of his customers. If he did he wouldn't be in business. It irritates the crap out of me that a 361 or 372 or worse is suggested for any guy here that cuts for home heating. I know of an old guy that cuts and heats his ranch home using nothing more than an 017 and has for many years. As i've said before, asplundh around my parts has ude the 290 192 combo with great success under daily commercial use. Pro saws are made for a reason, for daily or extreme conditions when productivity is an issue. Thats why they cost 30% more. I'm sure that the clamshell design is important for the mechaics around here but I could care less, if my saw craps out I grab a different one and maybe take it to a tech when I have time.The 290, like the Husky 455, suffer here mostly from snobbery. That and guys who need to dis it to further justify in their own minds, (or their wives'), why they spent twice the money on a firewood saw. Both of those saws are their respective companies best sellers. Are they as nice as a 361 or 372? No way at all. Will they reliably get the average guys firewood cut? Absolutely.
Most saw discussions here are by guys, myself included, who view things through an enthusiast's lens. That's cool, but we need to understand where a new member might be coming from before we start telling him he needs $700 pro saws and three saw plans and such just to cut a half dozen cords of firewood. Saw discussions over on the firewood forum are actually more real world than those here on the Chainsaw forum.
This forum is a lot of fun, but in some ways it's as far away from the real saw market as Oz was from Kansas.
wigglesworth
Booned
yep...that about sum's it up :hmm3grin2orange:
Marc
Addicted to ArboristSite
I own a 290 and a 372. I'm a firewood cutter, plus a little extra that I sell. I bought the 372 used to deal with some of the bigger dia fenceline wood around here.
Having said that, I still use the 290 quite a bit. It's power to weight ratio is definitely low, but I don't always need a 24" bar, and I certainly don't need to be sharpening a full comp 24" chain all the time. Re: anti vibe... I don't notice much difference between the 290 and the 372. I'm not sure that's a knock against 290, being 20 cc's and 6" bar length less than the 372, or praise for the 372 or neither.
Either way the 290 is cheap, reliable, and from what I read, very durable. I think it's probably the power to weight ratio that people hit on. That's actually one of the very noticeable traits when you're actually out there operating a saw and not just sitting behind a computer talkin about it.
Having said that, I still use the 290 quite a bit. It's power to weight ratio is definitely low, but I don't always need a 24" bar, and I certainly don't need to be sharpening a full comp 24" chain all the time. Re: anti vibe... I don't notice much difference between the 290 and the 372. I'm not sure that's a knock against 290, being 20 cc's and 6" bar length less than the 372, or praise for the 372 or neither.
Either way the 290 is cheap, reliable, and from what I read, very durable. I think it's probably the power to weight ratio that people hit on. That's actually one of the very noticeable traits when you're actually out there operating a saw and not just sitting behind a computer talkin about it.
joatmon
Addicted to ArboristSite
THALL10326
The Champ
I love the Rams, man those uniforms look great. Been a Ram fan since the days of Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones out in LA.
I kinda wish Rush had got in on them, maybe he could make them boys win a game,LOLOL
2000ssm6
Stihl User
:agree2:
THALL10326
The Champ
Exactly. The saw makers are the same way. There is not enough pro market left in the USA to support any saw maker. They know this and thats why they produce an array of homeowner saws for the average Joe. There are 100's of thousands more average Joe's than there are average Pro's. In fact if one really wants to get down to the nitty gritty the lawn care biz is much bigger than the wood biz in the USA. Thats why weed trimmers outsell chainsaws by a huge margin..
Saw Dr.
Junk Collector
huskystihl
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yep and one of the largest lawncare companys in four countys uses all stihl 55 series from blowers to edgers. Reason being, the guys are careless in transporting and service and he can buy twice the equipment as buying the pro lines. Kind of like ground saws, why pay $600 for a 361 that may or may not get crushed or ran over when a $300 saw can get the job done.
BigHungryDewees
ArboristSite Lurker
This is my first post, so I'll make it short. I agree that the 290 is a bit hefty. In fact when I first picked up a friend of mine's last week that i'm rebuilding for him (ran on straight gas), first thought that came to mind was how close to my 441 it weighed. But, even though that very saw bit the dust, the friend has already purchased another 290. That has to tell you something.
Thanks for the great forum everyone!
This guy is getting my first rep for making me laugh hard enough to tear up.
Thanks for the great forum everyone!
This guy is getting my first rep for making me laugh hard enough to tear up.
tharrison57
ArboristSite Operative
Around here, if you catch a saw in the back of a farmer's truck, chances are it will be a Stihl, usually a 290 or a 180. It just seems to be the norm, and there must be a reason. It can't be the same salesman, because there's a Stihl dealer on every corner ....... or so it seems.
BigHungryDewees
ArboristSite Lurker
Funny you say that. The friend mentioned in post above yours is a farmer and has been for like 30 something years.
They seem to run good for a long time but I've never run one that has decent power and they are heavy. I think Stihl has the HP numbers overrated quite a bit. Someday someone might explain why the 3.2 hp 260 and the 3.8 hp 290 cut at about the same speed. Steve
drill.daddy
ArboristSite Operative
well in my own opinion.
the clamshells stihl produces are heavy and under powered, i have a 250 and 290, neither of which i run anymore, well the 290 is about sold.
hard to work on because of the handle design , the impulse line on the clamshells hooks up in a funky place to me hard to get to .
not an easily modified saw , it can be done but not an easy one to say , reduce squish on.
the 290 and 250 served me well until i got my first profesional saw , 036 , then i saw how a better built saw would cut, and after my 044 i really saw what i was missing .
i do not run them for a living , i do more cutting on my granmothers place and other elderly people around town that cant afford to pay a high price for some one to come in and cut up a downed tree. i will not fall a tree on someone elses property .
most of the people that bash these saw are suffering from c.a.d. and have moved on to larger and better saws , if all you do is cut fire wood this is a good choice , try to move past this point and you will soon reach the machines limits in my own opinion.
the clamshells stihl produces are heavy and under powered, i have a 250 and 290, neither of which i run anymore, well the 290 is about sold.
hard to work on because of the handle design , the impulse line on the clamshells hooks up in a funky place to me hard to get to .
not an easily modified saw , it can be done but not an easy one to say , reduce squish on.
the 290 and 250 served me well until i got my first profesional saw , 036 , then i saw how a better built saw would cut, and after my 044 i really saw what i was missing .
i do not run them for a living , i do more cutting on my granmothers place and other elderly people around town that cant afford to pay a high price for some one to come in and cut up a downed tree. i will not fall a tree on someone elses property .
most of the people that bash these saw are suffering from c.a.d. and have moved on to larger and better saws , if all you do is cut fire wood this is a good choice , try to move past this point and you will soon reach the machines limits in my own opinion.
