End of season sale on stihl farm boss.

$360 plus tax. Deal?

I had the MS290... I HATED it! Using it was like trying to shove my left foot into my right boot... it's power was good... but the ergos... ugh...

If you want a new one, get it. Be aware that you can get decent used 290 saws for about $100 less on CL. Also that model will soon be dropped from Stihl's current offerings, but there should be OEM and aftermarket parts around for a looong time.

In general, Stihl dealers don't give discounts on their saws, so the dealer suggested retail price that you can view online is the price you'd normally pay. At this moment, that saw sells new in my region as follows:

16" $389
18" $399
20" $409

...so you're getting at least a $30 discount (depending on bar length).

If weight and vibrations are important to you, then look at other saws.

Suggestions? Just need a good saw to cut my own firewood. $400 budget. I picked up the husky 445 at TS and it felt like a fisher price kind of plasticky. Might be me.

I've had a Husky 257, a Stihl MS290, and a Husky 455 Rancher.... as I said before I hated the 290.... I liked the 257... but it was heavy.. like made out of lead heavy. When I decide to rid myself of the Farmboss.. I *was* going to buy a Husky 346XP.... and then the transmission in my wife's minivan sharted itself... well, I needed a saw and needed a new transmission.. at the same time, so I went with the lower cost 455R.

In general, I am quite happy with the 455R... until I have it's 20" bar buried in a dead Locust... then I feel the HP limits of the saw and wish for more cc's.

My best friend has a 445... I find it to be a great limbing saw.. I wouldn't want it to be my only saw, however.

IIRC, I paid $399+ tax for my 455R

What does your 445 not do that you want it to do?
What size wood do you normally cut?
How much wood will you be cutting per year?

If you didn't have a 45cc saw already, I'd suggest a good 50cc saw to start. Since you have something already, I'd suggest a something about 60cc's or larger to compliment your 445. The 60cc+ saw will competently run regular 3/8 pitch chain and be much faster in bigger wood.

I am assuming you are typing at me.... I don't have a 445, I have a 455R.. my best friend has a 445, and I borrow it frequently to limb with.. because it has the HP to do that.. and is significantly lighter than my 455R...

Lately I have been cutting mostly locust and some other hardwoods in the 20" range.... if it's not locust the 455R does just fine.....

how much wood? I felled about 8 chord last Sunday... I've got about 60 chord to go.. this year...

Dang. I was just going to try to get about 5 cord for October lol. 60 cord! Awesome!

the 60 chord is doing the family a favor.... thinning the field line on a 10 acre field with two lanes that need to be completely cleared. of course the proceeds will keep my house warm for more than a few years :D

I've ran an 029 super since it was new, It's a great saw 0 problems. I would not back down from 60 cord or what ever. stihl makes good saws. with that said i just bought a new 7900 dolmar. It will be hard not to pick up my stihl. very dependable & predictable.

Sorry for misleading you. I thought the CHeath indicated that he owns a 445 when he stated he "picked up" one at TSC. Rereading the post, it looks like he only handled one in the store.

60 bona fide cords = Youdaman!

That's correct, I picked one up off the shelf. Sorry I wasn't clear hehe.

Run, Don't walk. Get it.

They are NLA in the US to the best of my knowledge. What you see on the dealer shelves (could be a couple in distributor channels but it's a fast mover so I doubt there are many left) is it. When they're gone, they're gone.

Tough as nails, reliable as gravity, excellent resale value (so long as it looks decent) when you get the itch for bigger/better.

They are overweight plastic whales compared to the MS261 and similar saws. But for $360 new, it's a tough deal to beat. Design has literally been around for decades.

Then look up muffler mods for it. Wring every last drop of power out of that stock motor you can.

Put a carbide blade on that 455R it will slice right through a 20" Locust.

Then when it dies you can buy the parts to make it into a 390 But that should be many years down the road...