# Goodbye 6 Month Old Stihl MS290



## quads (Jan 31, 2011)

6 months ago when I was shopping for a new saw, what I really wanted was a new 026 like the two old ones I bought used many, many years ago for $50.  The day I went to the Stihl dealer he was out of the MS260, price of $500.  I went with the MS290 instead, at $350.

I wanted .325 chain on the new MS290 since I already had all that stuff with my old 026 saws, but the dealer did not have the proper sprocket, could order it.  The new MS290 came with 3/8 chain so I stuck with what was already on it and what he stocked for it.

I liked the 290.  It started good, ran the same way everyday, didn't die when I set the saw down etc. unlike my old worn out 026's.  But, the 290 was heavier, did not rev as high, didn't cut as fast, and the 3/8 chain always seemed like it took a little bit bigger bite than the 290 could handle.  I always felt that it would have been better with the narrower/smaller chain on it.  Looking at the horsepower ratings on Stihl's web site indicated to me that the MS260 and the MS290 would perform identically, except with the added weight of the 290.  I was mistaken.  Did not realize how much slower the 290 turns to make that horsepower, which equals a slower moving chain.

Found out the other day that the MS260 is being phased out for a newer MS261 which runs much leaner etc.  I'm not too sure I like the idea of the saw using less gas but producing the same amount of power, 10% less may be believable, but 50%?  Just doesn't sound right to me.  I want a saw identical to my old 026's because that's what I'm happy with.

Saturday morning I sold my 290 to a friend that always wanted a Stihl saw, for $175.  I had two new chains with it, a new 18 inch bar, and a new clutch bell assembly with removable sprocket which I also sold with the saw for an additional $100, a total of $275.  I then took that $275 and immediately went to the dealer (and for an additional $225) bought the saw I really wanted in the first place, an MS260 PRO with .325 chain.  (not the 261)

And I cut a lot of wood with it over the weekend and it is exactly what I expected, just like my old saws, only new!  Lighter and faster than the 290.  I'm happy, my friend that bought the 290 from me is happy, all is right in my part of the world again.  HAHA!


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## smokinj (Jan 31, 2011)

Sounds Like a win win there!


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## Jags (Jan 31, 2011)

They don't call 'em a "Pro" saw for nuthin.  A friend of mine has a 390.  He could not give me two of those for my 361.


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## HittinSteel (Jan 31, 2011)

Nice upgrade. It will pickup a little more as it breaks in. After the warranty runs out, it is one of the easiest saws to give a simple muffler mod as well.


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## wendell (Jan 31, 2011)

Glad you are happy. That 261 is a really nice saw and i think would've made you happy, too.


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## smokinj (Jan 31, 2011)

Jags said:
			
		

> They don't call 'em a "Pro" saw for nuthin.  A friend of mine has a 390.  He could not give me two of those for my 361.



How about two 361's running along the side of a 460.....


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## Jags (Jan 31, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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Sure - he could give me two 361s along with a 460.  That would be the best kind of friend. :lol:


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## trailrated (Jan 31, 2011)

Quads - I have a MS290 and while it gets the job done, you explained its operation perfectly. I agree with you and lately I have not been that impressed with the 290. I will keep it in the aresonal, but have been thinking about getting another saw.


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## brad068 (Jan 31, 2011)

Now all quads needs is the new fiskars x27, THEN, Egypt will stop rioting, fuel prices will drop to $1/gal. wood will season in a day, etc, etc,....

Just ordered another one today.


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## Naandme (Jan 31, 2011)

I like my 028 alot better than my 290 its faster and just seems to preform alot better


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## djblech (Feb 1, 2011)

So is my 346 XP husky about the same size and weight as the 260 pro? The day I went shopping for the 346, I wanted to compare it to the 260 pro and I couldn't find one anywhere. I am happy with my Husky but if I found a 260 or a 261 I might have to pick up another saw. Can you have to many chain saws?
Doug


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## wendell (Feb 1, 2011)

The 260 is a little smaller and a little slower. The 261 is a little heavier and a little faster. You have the perfect 50 cc saw.


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## Kenster (Feb 1, 2011)

Jags said:
			
		

> They don't call 'em a "Pro" saw for nuthin.  A friend of mine has a 390.  He could not give me two of those for my 361.




I love my 390.  Muffler mod with 16 inch bar.  Zings through my oak and hickory.  I don't have anything to compare it with other than a little Craftsman I started out with but my 390 does right by me.


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## Jutt77 (Feb 1, 2011)

Good call...my 16 yr old 026 starts up everytime, doesn't die when sitting and cuts like a champ.  When it finally dies I will definetely replace it with a 260pro.


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## wendell (Feb 1, 2011)

Kenster said:
			
		

> I love my 390.  Muffler mod with 16 inch bar.  Zings through my oak and hickory.  I don't have anything to compare it with other than a little Craftsman I started out with but my 390 does right by me.



A 390 with only a 16" bar. I would hope you'd have a little zing.  :cheese:  :lol:


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## Dingeryote (Feb 1, 2011)

quads,

What did ya do with the old 026? Wanna part with it?

Ya did good on the new 260.It should last you forever. The new Strato 261 is heavier, handles wierd(IMO) and isn't much faster...but Stihl is awfull proud of 'em.


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## begreen (Feb 1, 2011)

Guess I'm keep my 029.


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## quads (Feb 1, 2011)

Garnification said:
			
		

> Now all quads needs is the new fiskars x27, THEN, Egypt will stop rioting, fuel prices will drop to $1/gal. wood will season in a day, etc, etc,....
> 
> Just ordered another one today.


Ha!  Probably not......!  My maul has had a long handle on it for decades already! HAHA!


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## quads (Feb 1, 2011)

Dingeryote said:
			
		

> quads,
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> What did ya do with the old 026? Wanna part with it?
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> Ya did good on the new 260.It should last you forever. The new Strato 261 is heavier, handles wierd(IMO) and isn't much faster...but Stihl is awfull proud of 'em.


I'm keeping both of my old 026's.  The one still runs acceptably well, most of the time.  The oldest one, and my favorite one, started running way too lean and won't richen with the carb adjustments (it still has a real adjustable carb, that's how old it is) so I just quit using it.  Someday may rebuild the carb....


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## quads (Feb 1, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Guess I'm keep my 029.


Probably a good idea.  A relative had an old 029 and it was a much faster saw than the MS290.


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## Jags (Feb 1, 2011)

Kenster said:
			
		

> I love my 390.  Muffler mod with 16 inch bar.  Zings through my oak and hickory.  I don't have anything to compare it with other than a little Craftsman I started out with but my 390 does right by me.



Don't take my post as a slam to the 390 - it is a righteous saw in its own way.  The point I was trying to make is that there IS a distinct difference from a farm saw to a pro saw.  And ya sure as heck pay for it too.  Quads move from a farm saw, back to a pro saw is a pretty sound example of what I was trying to portray and why.


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## HittinSteel (Feb 1, 2011)

Kenster said:
			
		

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Oh yeah, your set up would absolutely smoke a 260........ just weighs quite a bit more. I'm always on the look out for a cheap 039 to fix up. The last one I had really cut well.


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## NH_Wood (Feb 1, 2011)

Anyone know how the 260 pro does with a 20" bar? Cheers!


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## wendell (Feb 1, 2011)

That is too much for that saw. On mine, I wouldn't have gone over 16".


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## quads (Feb 1, 2011)

NH_Wood said:
			
		

> Anyone know how the 260 pro does with a 20" bar? Cheers!


Actually, when I bought my old 026's used the guy had 20" bars on them.  I ran them that way for a few years and they did fine.  Most of my trees aren't big enough to get a bar-full though, once in awhile, but that extra couple of inches saved me a lot of bending while cutting a tree up.  Unfortunately, the 20" bars and chains in .325 got hard to find around here so I went to 18".


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## Highbeam (Feb 2, 2011)

6month old stihl for 50% of new price? You gave your friend a good deal I think. 

I am afraid to run a nice 361 for fear that my 290 will start to feel slow. It already feels pretty heavy.


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## quads (Feb 2, 2011)

Highbeam said:
			
		

> 6month old stihl for 50% of new price? You gave your friend a good deal I think.
> 
> I am afraid to run a nice 361 for fear that my 290 will start to feel slow. It already feels pretty heavy.


Yes, my friend thought it was a very good deal too!

Well, I don't know about a 361, but compared to my old worn out 026's, my antique Sachs, and my new MS260, the MS290 felt slow next to every one of them (but way lighter than the Sachs).


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## HittinSteel (Feb 2, 2011)

NH_Wood said:
			
		

> Anyone know how the 260 pro does with a 20" bar? Cheers!



Maybe in pine or softwoods, but it is much happier with an 18" or better yet, a 16". Just my opinion, as there are plenty of people using a 20" bar on the 260. But that's 60cc or 70cc territory for me.


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## thinkxingu (Feb 2, 2011)

In 2000 I bought an HP laptop because I was too cheap to buy the Sony I really wanted.
In 2003 I sold the HP because it was too big and bulky and bought a Dell because I was too cheap to buy the Sony I really wanted.
In 2006 I sold the Dell because it was too big and bulky and FINALLY bought the Sony I really wanted.

Ultimately, I spent much more money than if I'd just bought what I wanted--Buy once, Cry Once.

S


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## HittinSteel (Feb 2, 2011)

thinkxingu said:
			
		

> In 2000 I bought an HP laptop because I was too cheap to buy the Sony I really wanted.
> In 2003 I sold the HP because it was too big and bulky and bought a Dell because I was too cheap to buy the Sony I really wanted.
> In 2006 I sold the Dell because it was too big and bulky and FINALLY bought the Sony I really wanted.
> 
> ...



Good advice.....I learned the same from my Dad. He'd always try to get by on something less and end up spending way more money in the end. I buy quality to begin with and save the hassle.


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## Kenster (Feb 2, 2011)

Jags said:
			
		

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Lordy, Jags!  I took no offense.   Neither of us was saying the other was wrong.    I was just saying the 390 is perfect for me.  I don't do a lot of cutting compared to many of you, but what I cut is pretty good size and it's all oak and hickory.    No way I could ever justify two or three extra C notes for a 361 or any other super pro saw.  The 390 handles my needs just fine.


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## CTYank (Feb 3, 2011)

quads said:
			
		

> Found out the other day that the MS260 is being phased out for a newer MS261 which runs much leaner etc.  I'm not too sure I like the idea of the saw using less gas but producing the same amount of power, 10% less may be believable, but 50%?  Just doesn't sound right to me.  I want a saw identical to my old 026's because that's what I'm happy with.



No fear-factor appropriate there. Non-strato-scavenged 2-strokes have 33-70% of their fuel pass right out the exhaust depending on situation, largely because the exhaust port is open when the transfer(s) are. Waste of fuel/oil and significant pollution source- more than any fleet of current cars. (EPA is watching us.)

Stratified-scavenging obviates need for other emission controls (read "catalytic converter") and reduces fuel consumption. What's not to like about that? Most quoted fuel consumption savings I've seen average 33%. Not shabby.


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## quads (Feb 3, 2011)

CTYank said:
			
		

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Stihl's web site says 50% less fuel used.

Anyway, I wanted one just like my old ones (only new) and that's what I got.  I had seen a few posts wondering about the new carb designs and if they were running the engines a bit too lean to have them last as long as the old ones.  And since I am never one to rush into buying a new design of anything if I don't have to, I thought I better buy the 'old' proven design right now while I still could.

I'm sure the new and improved MS261 will be an awesome saw, but I prefer to let others be the judge of that, especially after I just bought the MS290 and decided it wasn't the right saw for me.  The old school 026's were just right.  If I live that many more years to wear the new MS260 out, then maybe I will try an MS261....


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## salecker (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi Quads
 I have a 026 and a MS260.Inherited both of them,one was my Dad's,one was his freinds

 They look the same,a few cosmetic differances.I did notice that on the MS it has a extra tube/vent from the carb that also opens into the air cleaner.Do you have any idea what that is?
 Do you know what the differace is in the two saws?Age,pro/farmer?
 Any prefferace between the two?I may give one to my brother,of course i want to give him the best one,wink wink
 Thanks for the info
 Thomas


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## HittinSteel (Feb 3, 2011)

The old 026 was 3.5 HP and the 260 is 3.2......... this is only because the 260 has a choked up muffler for EPA reasons. The .3 HP is easy to regain with a drill and a retune.


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## quads (Feb 3, 2011)

Well, the MS290 had a tube/vent thing that opened up into the air cleaner from the carb (I gather that it adjusts the diaphragm in the carb to compensate for a dirty air filter?), but there is nothing like that on the MS260 PRO that I have.  It is nearly identical to my 026's, and it even feels the same.


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## brages (Feb 3, 2011)

quads said:
			
		

> Well, the MS290 had a tube/vent thing that opened up into the air cleaner from the carb (I gather that it adjusts the diaphragm in the carb to compensate for a dirty air filter?), but there is nothing like that on the MS260 PRO that I have.



Look again, the late 026's and the 260's all have it; Stihl calls it Intellicarb.


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## Highbeam (Feb 3, 2011)

quads said:
			
		

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Ah the 50% vs. 33% paradigm. Say your old saw gets 3 mpg and the new design reduces that to 2. Now, you can say that the old saw uses 50% more fuel or that the new one uses 33% less. Depends on your marketing department's goal.


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## smokinj (Feb 3, 2011)

Highbeam said:
			
		

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LOL Thats dead on.


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## quads (Feb 4, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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HAHA!  Yup!


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## quads (Feb 4, 2011)

Roscoe Picco Chain said:
			
		

> quads said:
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I can look again, and I will even take a picture, but it's not the same setup as the MS290.  Stihl's web site doesn't even list the MS261 as having an Intellicarb.  The MS260 looks identical to the 026's I have and there are no extra tubes or anything running to the air filter.


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## quads (Feb 4, 2011)

Roscoe Picco Chain said:
			
		

> Look again, the late 026's and the 260's all have it; Stihl calls it Intellicarb.


Here is a picture of one of the 026's.  I haven't actually had the air filter off of the MS260, but it could have a much smaller vent tube than the MS290.  The one on the 290 was obvious, but I did not notice one on the 260 yet.


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## golfandwoodnut (Feb 4, 2011)

thinkxingu said:
			
		

> In 2000 I bought an HP laptop because I was too cheap to buy the Sony I really wanted.
> In 2003 I sold the HP because it was too big and bulky and bought a Dell because I was too cheap to buy the Sony I really wanted.
> In 2006 I sold the Dell because it was too big and bulky and FINALLY bought the Sony I really wanted.
> 
> ...


I am not sure I agree with you here.  A 6 year newer computer in any model would have been much faster.  That is just computers, you really can't compare them to chain saws.  If you had a 2000 Sony, you would not be happy.  Now a 2000 Stihl or Husky, you would be happy.


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## 5654684 (Feb 4, 2011)

3/8 on a 290 and not satisfied?  There is your answer.


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## thinkxingu (Feb 4, 2011)

Golfandwoodnut,
     Actually, two things: 1. I was most interested in size, and it was the size that brought the premium not the performance.  2. The differences between the Sonys in that time were not much--in fact, the size of the laptops between when I first wanted to buy and when I actually bought hadn't changed.  The only things that changed were battery life and processor speed, which, for Office, the internet, and music, doesn't matter much.  If I'd have just bought the right one in the first place, I'd be typing my response to you on it!

S


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## quads (Feb 4, 2011)

Roscoe Picco Chain said:
			
		

> Look again, the late 026's and the 260's all have it; Stihl calls it Intellicarb.


I stand corrected!  You were right.  I pulled the air filter off the 260 and there it is, a little pipe about 3/8".


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## quads (Feb 4, 2011)

TheGriz said:
			
		

> 3/8 on a 290 and not satisfied?  There is your answer.


Yes, I think it would have been a much better saw with .325 chain on it.


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## rustynut (Feb 6, 2011)

Hey,
  Currently running an older 026. Runs great but was thinking about an upgrade.
Sounds like epa has not helped the performance and maybe need to stay with about the same.
Does a great job for me. Running an 18 inch blade on it now. Sounds like that MS260pro is just 
about identical and i'm wondering if the blades and chains are interchangable ?
Also have a couple of other Stihl products and love the fact that the fuel mix is the same for all.
Have they kept the mix the same on the MS260pro as well?
thanks
rn


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## quads (Feb 6, 2011)

rustynut said:
			
		

> Hey,
> Currently running an older 026. Runs great but was thinking about an upgrade.
> Sounds like epa has not helped the performance and maybe need to stay with about the same.
> Does a great job for me. Running an 18 inch blade on it now. Sounds like that MS260pro is just
> ...


Yes, the bar and chain for my new 260 are the same as my older 026's.  The fuel mix is also the same.


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## Exmasonite (Feb 6, 2011)

Rusty-

I think that the stock sprocket/bar/chain for the 260 pro is the .325" but i know you can swap that out to 3/8" so bars/chains can be interchanged between other, larger saws.


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## brages (Feb 7, 2011)

rustynut said:
			
		

> Hey,
> Currently running an older 026. Runs great but was thinking about an upgrade.
> Sounds like epa has not helped the performance and maybe need to stay with about the same.



Actually, the ms261 is 3.8 hp, vs. 3.2 hp for the ms260.  (FWIW, early 026's were 3.5 hp).  But it's gained a pound of weight.  Overall, I think the 261 is an improvement over the 026/260.  Air filter and anti-vibe seem much improved.


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