friday, i went to my dealer and wanted to purchase a mid sized saw. decided on the ms290. well, .... didnt even last for 3 trees and i new i had to get something else,.....put a super chisel on it and everything. now when i say i say this know that im stihl man,.... my little husky 350 would and did rock that 290, up, down, and every direction, the 290 just felt bulky and dawgish. I was giving it the benefit of the doubt,... but then my friend came over to me and said, bro,..... that thinds slow, so then we did the buisket test with that and the tiny 350,.... well it wasnt even close, and the 350 chain was only sub par. anyways, brought it back and my dealer hooked me up, got a ms 391 for 85 under msrp with a free chain...... this saw is exactly what i wanted , fast, nimble, and comfy..... i know its not my 460 or 044, but its a nice little limber that will stay in my hands longer..... hope this helps someone! lol
bought a ms290, and quickly had to trade up
- Thread starter crackshot
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
quads
Minister of Fire
I sold my MS290 after 6 months. Posted my story here: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/69942/
thinkxingu
Minister of Fire
For such a great saw, awful lotta people sellin' 'em off and tradin' up. Craigslist here has one per week, at least.
S
S
smokinj
Minister of Fire
thinkxingu said:
Would not say a 290 a great saw...But its is for the money. Not everyone needs or would want to handle a 460/660/880
thinkxingu
Minister of Fire
Agreed, Jay--I just get frustrated at how many people pimp the 290, which is, at best, a mediocre saw. Especially given the other options today!
S
S
smokinj
Minister of Fire
thinkxingu said:
Yea but it is what it is! lol I feel that way about the 360's and we are running 3 any given Sunday. lol Thoses 360 got nothing but rave reviews for a long time.
Academic question:
What situations is the 391 better than the 440/460 you have? I realize there's some tradeoff in weight, etc but is it worth a whole different saw? The differences just seem negligible as I look at it on paper... plus you have the 350 for small jobs.
I only ask b/c I have a 260 Pro and have added a 066. Lately, i've been using the 066 almost exclusively and save the 260 for small jobs or limbing. Not sure i'll ever need anything in between.
No offense intended to the OP, just figured there must be something i'm missing here and wanted to learn.
What situations is the 391 better than the 440/460 you have? I realize there's some tradeoff in weight, etc but is it worth a whole different saw? The differences just seem negligible as I look at it on paper... plus you have the 350 for small jobs.
I only ask b/c I have a 260 Pro and have added a 066. Lately, i've been using the 066 almost exclusively and save the 260 for small jobs or limbing. Not sure i'll ever need anything in between.
No offense intended to the OP, just figured there must be something i'm missing here and wanted to learn.
HittinSteel
Minister of Fire
OhioBurner©
Minister of Fire
Wish I had the ability to try some of these bigger saws, I might feel the same. But so far my 290 has done me just fine, I just dont have anything to compare it to. Everyone I cut with also has 290's (4 different folks) and a couple of smaller Poulans. 1 person has a 310, but I dont think the difference would be big enough for me to go out of my way to try and borrow it.
I did do the muffler mod, and bought a good sharpener and the difference is huge compared to before so this year my opinions on the 290 been great. Even with just the RMC3 that it came with. I'm actually thinking my next saw will be a smaller/lighter one since the 290 is a lot of weight for a guy like me to be swinging around to clean off all the little branches on a downed tree.
I did do the muffler mod, and bought a good sharpener and the difference is huge compared to before so this year my opinions on the 290 been great. Even with just the RMC3 that it came with. I'm actually thinking my next saw will be a smaller/lighter one since the 290 is a lot of weight for a guy like me to be swinging around to clean off all the little branches on a downed tree.
HittinSteel
Minister of Fire
Bigg_Redd
Minister of Fire
HittinSteel
Minister of Fire
Bigg_Redd
Minister of Fire
I got my 290 8 years ago with a case and a handful of chains for an OTD price of $360. In eight years I have cut over 100 cord of wood with it and performed no maintenance (I cleaned the air filter once). My 290 has never quit running and has never failed to start. If all saws were free the 290 would be a dog. But they're not.
Stop hatin'
Stop hatin'
TreePointer
Minister of Fire
Bigg_Redd said:
HittinSteel said:
S = Super = chisel tooth shape
M = Micro = semi-chisel tooth shape
The presence of a number indicates green "low kickback" or safety chian. (With Stihl it's a 2 or a 3)
Examples:
RSC = chisel, yellow
RSC3 = chiesl, green
RMC = semi-chisel, yellow
RMC3 = semi-chisel, green
RM2 = semi-chisel, green (older model)
Reference: Identifying Stihl Saw Chain
Bigg_Redd
Minister of Fire
dont get me wrong guys, not hatin on the 290 , but it wasnt what i was looking for, the 350 i have is almost done, and where i cut wood has a ton of underlying brush, not to menstion a boat load of smaller white oaks(6-8 inch) this is why i wanted a slightly lighter saw, swinging the 460 around gets old, do-able, but why? .... i take alot of the smaller stuff off of the tops also. I also wanted a saw that i could keep in my hands longer for the smaller trees...... the 044 is pretty much a backup saw that really doesnt get used that often, shes pretty old.......so,.... had to add another to the arsenal....
Thanks for the info, crack.
Just wondering if going for the 260/261 was going to be the uber lightweight saw that can still cut.
Looking at the stihl chart, the 460 is 6.6 kg and the 391 is 6.4. Is the 0.2kg that much of a difference?
Also... noticed they now have the 291 on the list which weighs in at 5.4kg, half a kg less than the 290 with pretty much the same specs. I haven't seen one in the store... wonder if they're out yet.
Just wondering if going for the 260/261 was going to be the uber lightweight saw that can still cut.
Looking at the stihl chart, the 460 is 6.6 kg and the 391 is 6.4. Is the 0.2kg that much of a difference?
Also... noticed they now have the 291 on the list which weighs in at 5.4kg, half a kg less than the 290 with pretty much the same specs. I haven't seen one in the store... wonder if they're out yet.
OhioBurner©
Minister of Fire
Its like my old F150. Dead reliable and mediocre performance. Always gets the job done. Do you have to work it a little harder? Maybe. There are bigger trucks with bigger motors out there that would do the hard work way easier. There are smaller lighter trucks out there that would be easier to drive and more efficient. Some refuse to settle on the middle of the pack, just depends what your looking for. Sound about right?
I like mine so far so dont get me wrong, but I am thinking a combo of a lighter saw and a beefier saw would be better, but probably 3X the cost.
First thing is to have a sharp chain of course and that means using a real guide and a good method. Second would be the muffler mod, it does wake it up a bit.
I like mine so far so dont get me wrong, but I am thinking a combo of a lighter saw and a beefier saw would be better, but probably 3X the cost.
First thing is to have a sharp chain of course and that means using a real guide and a good method. Second would be the muffler mod, it does wake it up a bit.
- Status
Similar threads
