Newbie with new chainsaw question.

[webie]

I think the 250 is very under-rated--I dropped and bucked 13 trees (between 14-22 inches) in one day last year and the saw didn't even hiccup. Of course, it is a homeowner saw and some pro snobs'll turn their noses up at them. But I think it's a nice little saw with good power/weight ratio.

Get it, start cuttin' and post some pics!

S

the 250 not the issue as you see you have a 361 this would be his only saw therefore I would go with the 290

If the 290 is the way you wish to go I absolutely would not buy a new one . This is Stihls most popular model with a decent price along with the 250 next in line . These two saws are also probably the most popular ones that you will find on the used market .
My issues I have with the 290 is it has a terrible power to weight ratio compared to its 2 older brothers the 310 and 390 that were essentially the same weight only more ponies . My thoughts are if your going to carry around 13 lbs you might as well have 4.4 HP and then this gets in to the case that if you are that big a 361 would wieght in less at like 12.4 lbs and the same ponies . But then if weight isnt an issue then might as well find a 440 as you will still be in the same 13 lb weight bracket only now you are at the 5.3 hp .
If you get to torn between the 250 and 290 check out a 280 . These are way harder to find used . I would shy away from the older 028's . not that they werent good saws as they were very good and the original stihl wood boss its just that most have zillion hours on .
Call a few dealers see what they have used I bet by the time you call 2 delears you have found a whole bunch of saws . Its a great time of the year to shop used , Its getting to the end of the season for cutting so I am sure they will deal .
You may even be able to try it before you buy it seeing if you shop used . All you can do is ask .

 

[smokinj]

I think the 250 is very under-rated--I dropped and bucked 13 trees (between 14-22 inches) in one day last year and the saw didn't even hiccup. Of course, it is a homeowner saw and some pro snobs'll turn their noses up at them. But I think it's a nice little saw with good power/weight ratio.

Get it, start cuttin' and post some pics!

S

the 250 not the issue as you see you have a 361 this would be his only saw therefore I would go with the 290

If the 290 is the way you wish to go I absolutely would not buy a new one . This is Stihls most popular model with a decent price along with the 250 next in line . These two saws are also probably the most popular ones that you will find on the used market .
My issues I have with the 290 is it has a terrible power to weight ratio compared to its 2 older brothers the 310 and 390 that were essentially the same weight only more ponies . My thoughts are if your going to carry around 13 lbs you might as well have 4.4 HP and then this gets in to the case that if you are that big a 361 would wieght in less at like 12.4 lbs and the same ponies . But then if weight isnt an issue then might as well find a 440 as you will still be in the same 13 lb weight bracket only now you are at the 5.3 hp .
If you get to torn between the 250 and 290 check out a 280 . These are way harder to find used . I would shy away from the older 028's . not that they werent good saws as they were very good and the original stihl wood boss its just that most have zillion hours on .
Call a few dealers see what they have used I bet by the time you call 2 delears you have found a whole bunch of saws . Its a great time of the year to shop used , Its getting to the end of the season for cutting so I am sure they will deal .
You may even be able to try it before you buy it seeing if you shop used . All you can do is ask .

I would buy a mid range or home owner saw "new only" they are not worth it to save 50.00 even a 100.00 bucks on..now pro saws are worth fixing if need be so used pro saw are a good option...

 

[Mmaul]

Stihl usally has a deal in spring on the 290. There are 3 dealers in Muncie that sell them, I use Highway 3 hardware, checked them all out and I like the people better there.

 

[Hunderliggur]

I have a Stihl 250 with an 18" bar and two Stihl 310's with 20" bars. I like them all. I have the "extra" 310 since I needed reliabiliy when clearing for my house. Maybe I can sell one now ;-). The 310 is a workhorse, the 250 is good for limbing and for clearing brush trees. I bought all of them from my local farm store/dealer on their recommendation based on what I was going to do.

 

[FireAnt]

I have a 250 and 360. I think the 290 would be the way to go as a single saw for you.

 

[Kenster]

I would not buy a saw off of Ebay but I get a good idea of what a used model would cost.

I 'spect there are a lot of folks who have bought perfectly good chain saws on eBay. I recently bought a new Stihl MS390 with a 16 inch bar. The previous owner had run it long enough to be able to do the muffler mod. It runs great.

You have an excellent chance of getting a good item that is exactly as is described, when you buy from someone with a very high rating with many transactions, though I probably wouldn't buy from someone who has only had a couple of transactions. Also, there are sellers out there who specialize in chain saws. And you are well protected via eBay's and PayPals policies.

 

[webie]

I would not buy a saw off of Ebay but I get a good idea of what a used model would cost.

I 'spect there are a lot of folks who have bought perfectly good chain saws on eBay. I recently bought a new Stihl MS390 with a 16 inch bar. The previous owner had run it long enough to be able to do the muffler mod. It runs great.

You have an excellent chance of getting a good item that is exactly as is described, when you buy from someone with a very high rating with many transactions, though I probably wouldn't buy from someone who has only had a couple of transactions. Also, there are sellers out there who specialize in chain saws. And you are well protected via eBay's and PayPals policies.

Dont count on being well protected . Still working on a auction gone south since November . Involved a honda generator used only 4 hours . the one and only one picture looked like it was brand new . Turned out the guy was second owner and the back side was covered with over spray from paint and all hacked up . and this involved over a month wait on even getting it . The guy previously was at a 99 percent rateing . the only reason I found out he ws second owner was I asked him about transfering the warranty and he said he had not gotten one from the guy that he bought it from . ( Oh Boy ) to late . Ebay and paypal are just about useless , they are more for protecting there sellers than the buyers . They make there money from the sellers not the buyers . My only satisfaction is the fact the guy is no longer selling on ebay but probably is under another name and I have generator that I have no clue how many hours it has on or old it is . I am saying it was mis represented he says not . turns out I loose he is right he as a second owner only used it 4 hours .

 

[wendell]

If you think you won't go much over 2 cord a year, you might want to look at Echo. I know many are happy with them. I have an Echo blower and trimmer that have worked flawlessly for over 13 years.

 

[Tony H]

My father owns a Stihl 031 with a 20" bar and a company I used to work for used nothing but Stihls. So those are the only saws I have experience with and I wondered if Stihl might be like Snap-On tools, North Face clothing, or Lowe's John Deer tractors in the fact that they are selling just their name and don't offer any greater quality than their competition. That is one reason why I made my original post, and I am glad I made the post. I know for sure that Stihl are still one of the best.

I have one oak tree that fell down about a month ago that measures 27in. in diameter at the base (after it narrows from the stump area) and 17in. at 40ft. up the tree. The tree is over 80ft. in overall length. This one tree will supply me with plenty of wood and if I take my time bucking it, I would not have to be so hard on my saw. With my lack of experience, I am not going to be dropping trees of this size. I have several trees that are down and not rotten and I plan on bucking all of these first before I tackle standing trees. This is just another reason why I believe the MS 250 looked like a good starter saw for me.

Thanks again guys, for all the help.

I had an oak in my yard die last year it was a little bigger in size and had a buddy with a big Stihl 440 drop it and I would cut it up.
Limbing all the smaller stuff with the 250 went great got that done in short order. Then bucking the upper part of the tree was not too bad but when I got to the lower 40' or so of the tree it was a nightmare trying to cut thru the big heavy oak sections with that little saw. The 250 is just not made for that stuff I persisted and got all of it done with that saw but it took many many hours of cutting thats when I decided I was going to need need a larger saw if I was going to do more trees this size. Seeing the power of the makita I have now vs the 250 what took me several days with the 250 could be done in less than a day with the bigger saw.
You will certainly need to borrow a larger saw for the bigger stuff if you run into much at all.

 

[AKSHADOW]

Ive noticed nobody around this forum seems to run Echos, I'd never seen them before but the local dealer said they were popular on the east-cost...

 

[toytrkman]

Having worked on chainsaws for a living for a lot of years and having lots of woodcutting under my belt I have some definite opinions on the matter. With proper maintenance, most will do for the job you are asking. I cut many cords of wood when I was a young man just starting with a family using my old Craftsman and Poulan saws. They did the job. I've since used Echo, Jonsered, Husky, Stihl, Sachs Dolmar, and many others. Having said that, I personally would shop for a good used Stihl or Husky. Parts are easily obtainable, most mechanics are familiar with them, and they are great saws. I just found a nice Stihl o34 for $50! Don't expect that everyday but it does happen once in a while. I would rather pay $100-$150 for a good used Stihl or Husky then that much for a new cheap saw.