Pulled the trigger, so to speak, today.
After reading much good advice here and at the Aboristsite, I ordered an MS660 with a 28" bar.
Thought process went something like this:
Narrowed it down to Dolmar 7900, Husky390, Stihl MS460 or MS660. Any of these saws would be FINE FINE FINE.
I shopped the Dolmar pretty hard, I think I could have gotten it for almost exactly what a friend of the FIL would sell me a new MS460 for. Finally decided that I have mostly Stihl with some Husky saws, (ok, one Echo) so I did not want to add another brand to the mix. I tend to do my own service, so I would hate to have to learn anything new!
I argued with my local Husky dealer for a while about pricing on the 390. He was willing to come off of list by about $40, if I would pay cash, no CC. pffsssttt!
Then a friend let me play with his 066 for an afternoon. The thing is a beast. It's heavy, loud, and a little bit intimidating to operate. Just what the doctor ordered!
I think SmokinJay is right, the 460 revving higher, will cut medium wood faster and not wear you out as quickly. However, I got to thinking about how the new saw would fit in with it's playmates.
If I'm cutting small branches, limbing, etc. then the MS200T is the first pick. If the wood gets a little bigger, up to say 15" or so, the MS250 will do the job and not wear me out lugging it around. However, if I happen onto BIG WOOD, 36" plus oaks, 48" plus cedar trunks, etc., I want to grab the MS660 and let it grunt through. I think there may also be a little potential to pick up a chainsaw mill and a long bar at some point, where this saw may be a little better for that fun as well.
Probably the only remaining question is: How long before the poor little MS250C morphs, through the magic of Craigslist/Fleabay into a MS260 pro?
Thanks for all of the helpful advice through this long, strange decision process!
After reading much good advice here and at the Aboristsite, I ordered an MS660 with a 28" bar.
Thought process went something like this:
Narrowed it down to Dolmar 7900, Husky390, Stihl MS460 or MS660. Any of these saws would be FINE FINE FINE.
I shopped the Dolmar pretty hard, I think I could have gotten it for almost exactly what a friend of the FIL would sell me a new MS460 for. Finally decided that I have mostly Stihl with some Husky saws, (ok, one Echo) so I did not want to add another brand to the mix. I tend to do my own service, so I would hate to have to learn anything new!
I argued with my local Husky dealer for a while about pricing on the 390. He was willing to come off of list by about $40, if I would pay cash, no CC. pffsssttt!
Then a friend let me play with his 066 for an afternoon. The thing is a beast. It's heavy, loud, and a little bit intimidating to operate. Just what the doctor ordered!
I think SmokinJay is right, the 460 revving higher, will cut medium wood faster and not wear you out as quickly. However, I got to thinking about how the new saw would fit in with it's playmates.
If I'm cutting small branches, limbing, etc. then the MS200T is the first pick. If the wood gets a little bigger, up to say 15" or so, the MS250 will do the job and not wear me out lugging it around. However, if I happen onto BIG WOOD, 36" plus oaks, 48" plus cedar trunks, etc., I want to grab the MS660 and let it grunt through. I think there may also be a little potential to pick up a chainsaw mill and a long bar at some point, where this saw may be a little better for that fun as well.
Probably the only remaining question is: How long before the poor little MS250C morphs, through the magic of Craigslist/Fleabay into a MS260 pro?
Thanks for all of the helpful advice through this long, strange decision process!
![[Hearth.com] Stihl 460 ?'s](/talk/data/attachments/33/33756-f3583848d07215731afe5bc925718a9f.jpg?hash=jgKBFmNSgZ)
![[Hearth.com] Stihl 460 ?'s](/talk/data/attachments/33/33757-8fccfc5cfad7ccbcbea139a7c6f6374a.jpg?hash=-STUM6nOa7)
![[Hearth.com] Stihl 460 ?'s](/talk/data/attachments/33/33840-b4ed57fa122151e87f648d1014e9e9dc.jpg?hash=fAKHqegGbP)
